We have all Monogram appliances in a high end tract home we purchased 5 years ago. I would say based on our experiences, RUN THE OTHER WAY from Monogram. We have had our fridge serviced over 12 times in 5 years. No joke. And we are not hard on it by any means. About 5 of those were various ice maker/water dispenser calls. 2x we just outright lost our food because it didn't maintain the temps, a couple were major noise issues (we are talking rattling you can hear on the opposite end of the hosue), etc.

Our gas cooktop has been serviced 6 times through the years. The parts are VERY pricy so each time the guy comes out, we are looking at $200-$500. Most recently the igniter would not turn off even after the burner was lit. It would just click for as long as we were cooking. They had to replace some sensors and valves and we were out $700 from GE. We now have the name and cel phone of the local GE Cares repair guy and don't even bother calling the 800# to schedule service -- we just call Ken and he helps us out. Our whole neighborhood has the GE Monogram line because of the builder's contract with GE and everyone has been complaining nonstop.

Our double oven is the one thing we only had problem with once, early on (with the mother board going out) and thankfully that was still under warranty so it didn't cost us anything. It would have been over $500 to repair!

We have an Advantium microwave and a warming drawer. The microwave is quite fancy but is less powerful than our $150 Target microwave that we keep on the counter and use more often. We have called out GE to evaluate the microwave and they say boiling water between 3-6 minutes is "acceptable." Well, the $150 microwaves boils a cup of water in under 2 min and the fancy GE does it in almost 6 minutes!! It's just silly. You know those Lean Cuisine meals? The box says cook for 3-4 minutes. I have to almost DOUBLE the cooking time to get it to defrost. But GE claims it's working fine.

We are now about to embark on a custom home build and the one thing DH and I completely agree on is that we will NEVER get another GE appliance in our home. We are looking at Wolf appliances but I know they are much more pricy. 2 of our neighbors redid their kitchens in the past year and both switched out their Monogram stuff for Thermador. Both are thrilled with the results.

Kath

I have to say, if you're trying to use an Advantium as a MW, you're kinda missing the point of an Advantium. :) It's only 900 watts as a MW by itself, and while it will suffice as one in a pinch, it's really designed to use the MW in conjunction with the halogen searing element. It's forte is speed cooking.

As far as the Monogram line, it's been completely re-engineered since kath bought it, and hopefully for the better. However, I'd NEVER recommend buying everything from only one line. The ranges have a decent reputation regardless of when they were produced, but the fridges are usually GE's weak point.

Do some more research, and buy the best in category, and prioritize each category in importance to you. You'll end up saving money, and with a better functioning kitchen. For instance, some people really really want a fully integrated refrigerator because it disappears into the cabientry, but they don't even boil water, so any beefy looking range would satisfy them. Some people entertain a lot, so getting two DW's with good china and crystal setting is more important. What is important to YOU?