I'll explain my post (the 1st response to OP), but I won't get into a debate over which range is best, because feelings run high among some folks, and I respect everyone's individual preferences. For myself only (I have the 30" Wolf DF range), I never, ever Wok cook, so having instant, high heat flames is not, and never will be, important to me. I sautee all of the time, and the heat produced by my burners more than meets my sautee requirements. Likewise, while people sometimes talk about how many BTUs their ranges produce and how they can bring water to a boil in "x" minutes, that has never been important to me. The BTUs on the range I have are more than sufficient for the kind of cooking I do...which is home variety, often at a gourmet (but certainly not professional) level. I wanted a range that had wonderful low burner output and could melt chocolate without burning, could hold a sauce without scorching, etc. And the DF does that beautifully. I like the fact that 3 of the burners on the 30" range have a high BTU (I think it's 15,000 - but don't quote me), and the one in the back has only 9,000 BTUs for its high heat level. All of that works wonderfully well for the way I cook. So, bottom line, I recognize my needs may not be similar to people who are much more professional in the kitchen, who need a range with a higher level of performance. For my wants the DF range (with its wonderful convection oven, which I truly love) makes me ecstatic every time I use it, and produces fabulous meals.

I had the same experience. I was planning a 36" gas cooktop (DCS first, then Wolf) until I started to really think about the knob placement and the actual space available when I have three pans fired. I cook almost every meal and we entertain frequently so the ability to several good-sized pans going at once was a priority. A friend suggested I look at a rangetop instead. When I finally got to see one (there aren't any on display within 30 miles of my house) they felt much better for a busy cook. I have a Capital Culinarian on order now. I'm so excited!

Just saw this quote on applianceadvisor.com Submitted by Appliance Stallion on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 6:16pm. As I stated ,I took a survey of 103 dealer/distributor types who spoke on the record as long as they would remain confidential as to who they are. Typical for surveys I guess. Here are the results.Best is first...1. Thermador. Most comments on the PRD364EDG 2. Kitchen Aid. A surprise.3. GE Monogram. Another surprise.4. Wolf.5. Dacor.6. Viking.For the top rated ones people liked the look but more importantly ease of use and service response.For the others it was a matter of service response and product difficulty in some of the uses. Apparently they all assume each company will have some problems and it is the response and corrective action that is most important. Funny , but the look was not as important as in earlier years, a surprise to me . Nothing terrible to say. Just their opinions' Here is a link that might be useful: Appliance Advisor forum on Dual Fuel Ranges

I don't have a 60" Wolf but I do have a 36" Caldera gas cooktop. We do a LOT of high heat wok cooking and also have a Miele built in deep fat fryer. We use all of this frequently and have done so for 7 years. We have no backsplash. Only paint on sheetrock. There has been no change at all in the quality of the painted wall since it was installed 7 yrs ago. I have BM Regal Matte paint that is scrubbable after 30 days. I regularly scrub it with a soapy dishcloth. There is no reason that you too can't have a painted backsplash . I have it throughout my kitchen. Here is only one of 100's of pics. You can see more in the albums of you click on the pic. Good Luck .c