Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
kaysd_gw

Wolf or Thermador gas range - both on sale - WWYD?

kaysd
12 years ago

I am really torn between buying a 30" Thermador Pro Harmony gas range (PRG304GH) and a Wolf 36" gas range with 4 burners and grill (R364C). I had planned on a Thermador because I can get it for 25% off with an employee discount. I had never even considered a Wolf because of the price point, but then I saw a display model available for about 25% off retail. The Wolf looks to be in good shape except for a lot of scratches on the SS grill cover. The Wolf is about $1,000 more than the Thermador, basically because of the larger size and grill. The larger size is both a pro and a con - it will look more impressive, but also make me re-jigger the kitchen re-model design because of the loss of 6" of cabinet and counter space. I do not know if we would ever use the grill on the Wolf since we BBQ outside year round.

Based on the specs I can find, it appears the Thermador may have better burners. The 4 Thermador burners are 18,000 max BTU and can simmer as low as 375 BTU. The Thermador has star shaped burners that would heat more evenly across a pan bottom than concentric circles supposedly, comparing only sealed burners. The Wolf has 16,000 max BTU burners with 2 rings and a 500 BTU simmer. I honestly do not know enough to know if the difference in BTUs will make a difference to me, since my prior range was a GE Profile.

The Wolf has a larger oven, but that will also mean more time pre-heating, I assume. The Thermador has a 23,500 BTU bake and 20,000 BTU broiler. I could not find comparable info for the Wolf. The Thermador comes with telescopic racks - for the Wolf you have to buy them separately - I do not know if they will make a difference since I have never had telescopic racks before.

Based on the burner power and the racks, the Thermador seems like a better deal, at least on paper. At the same time, I know the Wolf has a great reputation. I know Thermador had some issues in the past, although I do not know if there were any problems with the gas ranges. Gas ranges have such simple parts that it is hard to anticipate what would break down that would be a big deal.

The Thermador is $1,000 less and plenty big for our needs based on how we have cooked in the past, but I keep thinking about the Wolf, especially since it is so rare to get a bargain on one. I would appreciate any advice, as I need to act very quickly if I want the Wolf.

Comments (7)

  • sayde
    12 years ago

    Wolf is generally thought of as a safer choice because of the consistently good customer service. Don't know if that is worth $1000 if you really like the Thermador.

    Look at the Blue Star and the Capital before you decide. You should at least check them out . . . .

  • jakvis
    12 years ago

    Both are great ranges. I lean towards the Thermador because I like the look a little better. I also like the elevated burners on the Harmony. But you can't really go wrong with either.

    That said if you have to reconfigure your kitchen to fit the Wolf you should consider that as part of the cost of the Wolf

  • histokitch
    12 years ago

    I love my Wolf. I don't have a Thermador. My friend has one that clicks on simmer. I don't know if they still do that, but I find it annoying. I simmer often. I use the grill all the time. I make flatbread on it with store-bought pizza dough, veggies, whatever. Meats do well, but I still use charcoal for that if I plan far enough ahead. The Wolf broiler is infrared and excellent. I have a 48", and do use the little oven often because the big one takes more time and energy to heat.

  • kaysd
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Sayde, I gave the Capital and Blue Star serious consideration months ago, but ultimately decided against them for a couple of reasons, mainly budget. A 36" 4 burner plus grill, manual clean CC would be $2400 more than the Wolf.

    Jakvis, thanks for confirming they are both good products. Lookswise, each has certain points I prefer over the other. My kitchen is still on paper, nothing ordered, so the only cost of re-configuring is to my sanity. ;)

    Histokitch, I am glad to hear you are so happy with your Wolf. I love flatbread pizza, so I will have to try that on the grill. I can see using the Wolf grill more for veggies and letting DH continue to BBQ the meat outside. I will have 2 small wall ovens (steam oven and speed oven), so I will probably reserve heating up the Wolf oven for large quantities.

    I called a couple of local stores to check prices on the Wolf to compare to the stated retail price, and it is currently selling for even more than the outlet said it was. I have a hard time resisting a great deal on something I know I will like, so I grabbed the Wolf. Unfortunately, I probably will not get to use it before Christmas.

  • cat_mom
    12 years ago

    kaysd--even if your new Wolf has any "hiccups" whatsoever, Wolf does do their best to stand behind their products. We've had our share of issues (got caught up in the burner/oven conundrum in 2007, and had to have svce out a few times since) but so far Wolf has been pretty responsive in getting any problems (re)solved.

    Having frequented this forum over the past 4-5 years, and having read numerous posts re: different makes of ranges over those years, I've come to the conclusion that many, if not most ranges/appliances have their share of issues or drawbacks. Despite the issues we'd had with ours, and certain "quirks" or "cons" (i.e. I still wish the oven cavity was just a little bit deeper), overall, we like using our Wolf range. Depending on circumstances and/or what's on the market should we ever find ourselves in need of a new range down the road a ways, we'd certainly have Wolf at the top or very close to it on our list.

  • kaysd
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Cat mom, thanks for letting me know you are happy overall with your choice. When I came across the 2007 threads about the burners late Monday night, I was a bit concerned, although I hoped the issue had been resolved in subsequent years. How did they finally fix your burners? Were you able to keep your island trim? I want to use island trim against the wall also because of my tile and just wanting sleek lines.

    Your kitchen is an inspiration to me. We have a similar vaulted ceiling and entrances into our planned kitchen, just flipped the opposite direction (left to right) from yours. I want sleek cabinets (likely walnut), a chimney hood with a thin stacked shape like yours, a white glass backsplash (likely ovals), and now we have almost the same range. Too funny. How much room do you have between your range and fridge?

  • cat_mom
    12 years ago

    They installed burner "shields" under each burner. Once in awhile (unless I am now jinxing myself!) if I try to light a burner at the moment (or just after) the gas is whooshing into the just-lit-oven, burners might balk at lighting, or lighting completely, but if I wait a minute or, two, it's usually fine. Luckily this rarely happens.

    We kept our island trim. Others involved in the original issue appearance had either swapped out or ordered their ranges with higher trims, and still experienced the problem. Wolf techs insisted the problem was not related to the trim, but the guys from two different Wolf-affiliated svce companies have told us otherwise, so who knows?

    FYI with the white glass tiles/white grout and island trim. When roasting/cooking at high oven temps/etc., the tile and grout tend to discolor (from vented heat, grease,.....). I've had some success cleaning it off with Dawn Power Dissolver and/or HD Clean (from STT--ordered it when I purchased their sealer for the bathrooms) and using a blue scrub sponge.

    I love the walnut cabs I've been seeing over on the kitchen forum. I'm sure yours will look terrific! Our hood looks nice and works okay, but isn't the best we could have gotten as far as functionality (a concave hood canopy with a better capture area would do a better job I'm sure). We chose form (and less noise) over function in this case.

    The cab between the range and the fridge is 24", and then there is the piece that makes up the side wall of the fridge cabinet.