I hate to admit to myself how long I looked for "MY" oven. It began over 4 price changes ago. And that's the part that hurts. But I'm SO glad I did or I would not have made the choice I made. All along I wanted the Millennium Dacor but I did not like the appearance of the Dacor Convection MicroWave (which is really a Sharp, in a Dacor kit). One of two dealers who suffered with me for a few years--introduced me to Miele's H4088BM Conv MW. OMG! It took me a few months to get over the cost. Then to find the best price to put in the dedicated 220. I couldn't be happier!! I've only had my 30" MieleH4882BP and the ConvMW since January 2011, but I couldn't be happier. And also with the service. One of the racks was faulty, and they quickly shipped me another. And they corrected a scratched oven glass. Oh my! Can't tell you hope much I use the MW!! Since I'm normally alone, I use it as my main oven. I love ALL the features and I do use the Master Chef when appropriate, like the pork loin. And we through in an apple dish. on and on, I could rave.

yes have electric 3 yrs old & propane fueled 7 yrs old in different homes. no issues w doors (except to adapt to left closing). both perform well. electric more bells whistles being newer.. digital and pizza stone. however on advice on tech (we had 1 svc call for faulty thermostat ez repair but they pulled entire panel and replaced), pizza stone carefully removed, stored. this way oven heats and cools faster. note that neither throws excessive heat into space. trade off is a fan running to aid slow deliberate cool down. this might annoy in an open space eat in kitchen. our fan friendly oven is installed in walk in pantry utility room that houses freezer and extra refrig (main kitchen has 30" Leibherr)

I grew up in Germany. Back in the eighties, it was difficult to find microwave ovens. So, my parents eventually ended up buying a SpeedOven instead. They still have and use it, although by now the controls are pretty broken. When I moved to the States, I have definitely missed the combination modes on occasion. Can I live without a SpeedOven? Definitely. Can I justify the huge premium over getting a $150 microwave from Costco? Honestly, the answer should probably be "no". But, will I enjoy having one. I think that's a "yes". I expect that my steam oven will find a lot more use. And I would spend money on that type of oven first. But if there is money left for a brand-name built-in microwave, then spend the extra premium to get a SpeedOven instead of a plain old microwave. There will be dishes on occasion that cook vastly faster that way.

Another parent of an 8 years old; and a 6 years old. Please note that there is a difference between steam assist and a true combination steam oven (*). One of the the nice things about our Miele CSOs is the fact that you can select between 0% and 100% humidity across the entire temperature range. Steam-assist ovens usually can't do that. Also, our CSO has very precise temperature control at the low end. This makes it possible to be used as a sous-vide cooker. And that opens up a whole lot of other possibilities. You can slow cook first and then in the same appliance roast to finish the dish. Also, temperature and humidity control is great when baking bread. The short preheat times are great too. Bigger ovens frequently take a lot longer to change temperature. For some dishes that's ok; for others, it's a nuisance and requires careful meal planning. @dorianday, no way would I let you sit and watch. I'll find a task for you. Do you like peeling potatoes, or do you want to pit a half gallon of olives? *) Edit: It does look as if Thermador makes a real combination steam oven and not just a steam-assist oven. But the manual (like most of these manufacturers) is woefully inadequate. I can't quite tell in which modes I can enable steam and what temperature and humidity ranges I am restricted too. Also, I can't tell whether temperature control is sufficiently precise to allow sous-vide cooking. That only works, if temperature swings are really minimal. Finally, while Thermador boasts to have the largest oven cavity of any steam oven, I can't quite tell how that compares to Miele. I know that my Miele can, in a pinch, hold a regular half-size cookie sheet. It won't quite fit with the railings, but it's close. According to Thermador's spec sheet, the oven cavity is much too small for an 18x13" half pan. On the other hand, their oven seems taller. Yes, no? Hard to tell. The Miele XXL is also quite tall, but I can't find precise numbers for its size. Arrgh, these manufacturers don't really make it easy.