I also have a Wolf 36" cooktop and, in general, am very pleased with it. The appliance is solid and the configuration suits my needs - I didn't need 5 high-power burners. As mentioned previously, the simmer is fantastic. The one hesitation I have about the performance is that the heat is not distributed evently over the bottom of the pots. The hottest part of the flame is under the edge of the pan. I never cooked with gas before and got much better heat distribution with my old coil electric. I must be careful or the food on the outer edges will burn. I know that there are many gas fanatics but I don't think this appliance brings water to a boil any faster than gas. However, I chose gas because we now live in an area with frequent power outages and I wanted to be able to have the cooktop in operation. On another note I have been very pleased with the Wolf/SubZero service. I haven't had any problems with the cooktop but did have a defrost issue with the refrigerator. The service man was able to talk with the SubZero technical folks directly and solve the problem. I asked him if many brands had this type of backup help and he said no - another consideration in choosing between similar brands.

I am looking for a 5-burner with a large center burner that has a good high and low range. I'd like to spend

Comom27: I've got an old Thermador 5-burner gas cooktop. I've had this unit in two different homes. None of the burners align in a row. When I use a griddle, I have to adjust for the different BTU size by adjusting the flame. Sometimes I do better than others. This alignment issue will happen in other brands, too. Jan_in_davis: I'm replacing a closed burner Thermador cooktop for the Bluestar 6-burner Range Top. I want to go back to open burners. I am replacing a Thermador 5-burner sealed gas cooktop. It is a 15 year old design. It's okay. If I had to select a gas cooktop and by definition no open burner, I would look at the Thermador cooktop. But, only if I could get it with the star-shaped burners. The star-shaped burner is an excellent design. I think everyone else is pretty much the same sealed single ring design. I seem to remember Wolf having a double ring design. Other than this difference, it makes it pretty easy to compare BTU's. It sucks to have a stainless steel cooktop. Greasy stuff gets on it, burns in and only scrubbies, steel wool, brillo pads and elbow gease remove the blobs. Inevitably, you end up scratching it. My old black enamel Thermador cooktop didn't show the baked on grease blobs nearly as much. The electric ignition does randomly spark upon occasion. Usually, after I clean the cooktop. Soap or cleaning gunk will get embedded in the igniter. This causes random sparking. It goes away if you will start up the burner of the offending igniter for a minute or so.

I have a lot of experience with commercial grade cooktops and ranges. I have a degree from the CIA. I'd like to think that I have cooked on pretty much every burner known to mankind. Due to my husband's job, we have moved many times, owned many homes and renovated lots of kitchens. My mother has a commercial range in the home she purchased. So, I am completely familiar with the problems involved. While commercial units may be attractive from a purchase price standpoint and seem very simple, I wouldn't want one in a home setting. The continuous pilot light alone is enough to dissuade me. Proper ventilation is expensive and noisy. Even commercial kitchens are known to shut off the gas when not open to save money. Continuous gas is dirty. It makes a mess on the walls and ceiling. You have to run the hood constantly. The cost of running a continuous pilot and constant ventilation will begin to eat into any savings immediately. It will take a few years, but in the end you won't be saving money. Your insurance company will have a fit. If they find out you have one they will either cancel the policy, refuse to pay if you have a claim, or if they will even cover it they will charge you more. What you want is an open burner residential appliance. That reduces your options to two specialty manufacturers, Bluestar and Capital. You might find a used Wolf if you look around. My preference is the Bluestar. My primary reason is the burner design. It's the old Garland stove design. It's a superior design that has been tested and found to be excellent. The unit is a pleasure to cook on. You can remove the grate and wok directly on the flame without a wok ring. The difference in price is electric ignition and fit and finish. Capitol makes a nice range top, but it's not readily available in my area. I don't feel qualified to offer an opinion on Capitol. I don't know if you ever plan to move from your home, but I have walked away from purchasing homes due to the presence of a commercial range. And, I know how to use one. While you should please yourself, you never know when your circumstances will change. You always need to plan for change. Doing what you propose will not help you in marketing your home. A heat diffuser disc will take care of any simmer issues on any grate. Last, there is an appliance forum. It's an active forum with lots of participation. That's where the appliance geeks and experts hang out. We love to talk appliances. Pose your question in the appliance forum. You may get some creative solutions.