Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
vieirab

Wolf vs New Jenn Air

vieirab
11 years ago

Replacing our appliances and having a hard time deciding between Wolf and Jenn Air.

We can get Jenn Air Range top, DW, Bev center, 42" integrated Refrig, and their V2 convection oven, speed cook oven and warming drawer all for about $16,000 due to a promotion that they are currently running. They will also give a rebate of about $200 per appliance to install.

On the other hand we can go with a Wolf 36" range top, Wolf Series E wall oven, warming drawer, Miele DW, GE Advantium Speedcook oven, SZ beverage center and a 36" SZ for about $22,000. Theres a $2,500 rebate too.

I know that you should generally choose the best appliance for you and not necessarily stay within the same brand but then you don't get the rebates. We enjoy cooking and baking but are not die hard cooks so overall good quality and aesthetics are what we're looking for.

Does anyone have any experience with the new Jenn Air products. Do they provide overall good performance and are reliable? Or do we just suck it up and get the wolf package.

Comments (4)

  • mojavean
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well, from what I see with a 2500 rebate the delta is 3500 bucks. I would not hesitate to spend an extra 3500, particularly to get the Miele dishwasher and Wolf wall oven. If I were going to buy a dishwasher right now it would likely be a Miele. A wall oven? It would be either Wolf or Gaggenau. (Unless my friend Gary talked me into an Electrolux.)

  • northpegram
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We are considering a kitchen remodel as well and have exactly the same question. We just got back from a local appliance store that sells most of the high end brands (i.e. Wolf, Viking, Thermidor, Jenn-Air), and the salesperson was making a hard push for Jenn-Air. His reasons for recommending the Jenn-Air:

    1) Price. There are great deals to be had right now (free dishwashers, rebates on install, etc...)
    2) Jenn-Air is actually owned by Whirlpool, which would give them plenty of experience about making something right because of volume
    3) Better features (chrome griddle, self cleaning option, dual convection fans, etc...)
    4) Less service calls. Something about 1 out of 3 wolf's requiring service calls

    I was actually quite surprised that he made as strong of a push as he did. If it's really that easy of a slam dunk, you'd think these things would be flying out the door. Did you ever decide on which to get? Love to hear how you decided.

  • wekick
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here is my opinion FWIW.
    Northpegram I would want to know what his commission rate or bonus or other financial incentive is on the Jenn-air vs Wolf. Most sales people we dealt with when we remodeled didn't really cook. I would not believe what most of them say. Do your own research. These would be some of my questions.

    1 price -only you can decide what your budget is and where you get the most value for your money

    2 Jenn-Air is actually owned by Whirlpool, which would give them plenty of experience about making something right because of volume
    HUH??? Is volume of problems a good thing? Do they actually make it right? In my case, no. My frig is a KA, also owned by WP. It is a big expensive 48" sxs one. The gaskets to the freezer and frig doors are 2 different depths so the doors are uneven. Not to worry they said we will fix that for you. They came out and put new gaskets in and the doors were still uneven. It turned out they are manufactured wrong so it can't be fixed. Unfortunately now the gasket was applied wrong and it ruined the door so the door has to be replaced. They came out and replaced the doors but used the skin from the old door and the doors are still uneven. I bought the KA over the SZ because I liked the layout better but the quality of the SZ is much better. So far it works ok.

    3) Better features (chrome griddle, self cleaning option, dual convection fans, etc...)
    This is where you really need to understand what these things mean and how they relate to how you cook. A chrome griddle? What is the base metal(under the chrome)? How durable is the chrome or do I need soft utensils? What is the specific chrome alloy and how thick is it? In some cookware made to look like copper for example the copper may just be flashed over steel(cosmetic) so it does not have the heat conduction properties of the copper. What are the specific advantages/disadvantages of this over other surfaces. Looking at this griddle, it looks to be electric. I would like to know what the configuration of the element is. Is it like a big electric skillet that may not heat that evenly? How responsive is it when you want to turn it up or down.
    As far as dual fans, Wolf has them and they to me seem to be a better configuration being side to side, a longer distance than top to bottom. I do think there is a lot of difference in convection ovens in the heat distribution and the air movement. Some can bake cakes and some cannot because of the air movement and the cake cooks too fast on the outside or the top will blow to the side. The air movement is good though for crispy things. Maybe someone who has this oven will comment. Wolf also has self clean.

    I would read the use and care manuals very carefully of any appliance you are considering.

    4. Less service calls. Something about 1 out of 3 wolf's requiring service calls
    Less than what? What is the source of these stats? Lots of service calls seemed to be a good thing in point 2.

    Jenn-air has some interesting claims on their website, like no preheat cooking(but the caveat that cooking times might be longer) "How does this work?" would be one of my questions. It requires a certain amount of heat for a certain amount of time to cook something unless it is magic.

    Jenn-air might be great but I would ask a lot of questions and read as many reviews as I can. If you could try it out(doubtful), it would give some idea how it works.

  • weissman
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    His reason for recommending Jenn-Air is pure and simply his commission, period. He get much better spiffs for pushing Jenn-Air. The second package is much better. If you want to save money, skip the warming drawer and the beverage center.

Sponsored
Craftsman Construction
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars25 Reviews
Loudoun County's Trusted Home Builder 3x Best of Houzz Award Winner