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jack_straw

Looking for a good DF 30" range

Jack_Straw
10 years ago

Hi everyone,

Brand new member here. I am hoping to get some advice on a new, reliable, higher end DF 30" range. I currently have a 9 year old whirlpool gas range that works, I just hate it (came with the house and is a nightmare to clean).

I've been doing a lot of reading and research and really don't want to get a new, fancy, expensive lemon with a bunch of problems. From things I've read Dacor ranges look cool have lots of features but seem to have even more problems, Vikings are supposed to be high end but looks like quality has gone down hill so that's undesireable, Wolf ranges look good but are very pricey, I'm not sure if I have a 3/4" gas line (haven't pulled out the current range to look yet) besides if I only have a 1/2" line I can't change it - finished basement - no access.

I'm not that fussy about open or closed burners, what I really want is a high quality unit with high reliability and low probability of problems down the road.

Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any and all advice on what opinions folks have on what brands or models to stay away from, and what brands or models to do more research on.

Thanks in advance for any and all input.

Comments (13)

  • deeageaux
    10 years ago

    Wolf and Capital are going to be your best bet for quality.

    Wolf DF 304 and Capital CGSR304N All-Gas has a self clean oven with motorized rotisserie but no onboard integrated circuit board. No expensive computer to go bust. Wolf is going to have the best temperature consistency while Capital will have the best burners.

    Both ~$6.5k

    There is the Thermador Pro Harmony at $5.2k. Better than average burners but electric oven has had some reliability issues.

    GE Cafe Series C2S985SETSS can be had for under $3k. There is nothing between here and Thermador that would even mildly grab my attention. Might as well get a good price. GE has a good record in cooking appliances. IMO not worth paying premium for GE Monogram.

    BTW You can hook these up to standard gas connection. All you want is a pro-style range gas connector. They sell these at all plumbing supply stores and most Home Depot/Lowes. If you were buying a 60" AG range you might have problems.

  • wekick
    10 years ago

    I have a Wolf df that had been stellar in the way that it cooked and baked but the blue interior enamel has degraded to bare metal on the floor of the oven at 4 years 10 months. I'm sure the problem has been there longer but being low to the ground I didn't notice it. Previously for posters on this forum who had this issue they would replace the appliances even as old as mine for free or a nominal fee. Some have had multiple replacements. In order to get it fixed, they will give me the part and some labor but there is no fixed estimate on labor so I am reluctant to reinvest an unknown amount of money on a repetative known Wolf issue. If they can't do better than that we will have to junk it and I will be looking for something else. I also had the Dacor DF for about 7 mos and the electronics didn't work so they bought it back. I'm not sure how it works now.
    I would be very reluctant to buy anything new on the market with complicated electronic boards. Wolf's were great and are well proven It is so unfortunate something like the enamel is a deal killer.
    If there is any way you can do a separate oven and range/cook top I would. You can pick the unit for each that best suits your needs. I would get the longest extended warranty you can get. They refused to sell me one on my Wolf range as they said Wolf would stand behind it, which was true at the time. Sad they no longer will. "Decades of service " advertised on their website is down to four years.

  • wekick
    10 years ago

    Now THIS is a turn of events. Dee reccomending Wolf DF and me recommending against. HaHa!

  • deeageaux
    10 years ago

    Wekick,

    It is a qualified rec to someone asking for a DF.

    That and the mentioning of "it is a nightmare to clean" usually means self-clean oven is a must.

    In case it was not obvious I would recommend the Capital self-clean AG model over the Wolf DF.

  • whit461
    10 years ago

    We bought a 30" GE Monogram DF and love it. There are a lot of negative postings here on GW, but this unit has been great. High heat burners with very low simmers. No sexy blue enamel, but no flaking or cracking blue enamel either. Can't speak to service since it has worked as designed from day one. We have baked breads and cakes, braised short ribs, one pork shoulder. Top grates are all even allowing easy movement of heavy pans. Plenty of room for multiple pots at same time. For what we paid, we couldn't be happier.

  • wekick
    10 years ago

    I know dee, cc would trump all for you, but you have to admit it is kind of funny!

  • Jack_Straw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    wekick - no I can't go the wall oven / cooktop on the counter, the only thing that will work in my kitchen is a free standing range.

    Whit461 - how old is your GE Mongram? I haven't looked at those in great detail, I'll have to do some more research.

  • wekick
    10 years ago

    Jack_Straw, I will be looking too if I can't get my Wolf fixed in a long term way. There was a previous poster who had his oven replaced in April and it is already failing.

  • Jack_Straw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I have one other thing for consideration. When we bought the house there is a microwave above the stove. The microwave has a vent fan over the stove on the bottom but it does not vent outside the house, it only does the stupid recirculate thing. This did meet the building code for my area when the house was built. Will this preclude me from installing the type of range that I want? Again any input would be appreciated.

  • deeageaux
    10 years ago

    A recirculating canopy/chimney hood is close to worthless. A recirculating over the range microwave is much worse. Under code you can install any kind of range you want as long as it is certified for residential use and not commercial.

    Gas cooktops produce water vapor and carbon dioxide. If they are not properly calibrated and having orange flames they also produce carbon monoxide. The best burners, like the CC, put 50% of the heat directly into the pan but most put about 75% into the ambient air around the kitchen.

    I would really look into getting a proper hood to vent outside. If not possible I would get an induction range. Electric but just as powerful as gas, and no combustion by product or waste heat. it all goes into the pan. You can read induction threads in the forum about all the pros and cons.

    There was a recent NY Times article about Kitchen venting and mentions the overall effectiveness of recirculating hoods. Calling them "forehead greasers" lol.

    Here is a link that might be useful: NY Times LINK

  • Jack_Straw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    dee - tell me about it LOL! It's what the builder installed in the spec house I bought. My current range is an AG Whirlpool Gold model which works ok but I really don't like very much. I could add a true exhaust fan that vents outside but it would take a lot of work. The duct work would have to go into my garage along the back wall then out the side wall of the garage, and I would have to build a soffet around it. Not that it couldn't be done but it would take more energy than I want to invest at the moment. I wasn't sure that I could install one of these stove without a true exhaust hood.

  • barryv_gw
    10 years ago

    Jack, I had a 30 inch Viking DF, one of the first ones that came out , and it had some issues. If you are set on an electric oven, I would look at induction - it has some big followers here, and you get the electric oven without the price increase that goes with a gas ranges with an electric oven. If you are set on dual fuel, you might also look at Jennair, my friend has one for about a dozen years with no problems, or dcs which makes a nice looking model. I went with all gas just to avoid the electronics, and while I think Wolf is generally a safe bet, I am not a big fan of the tilt out electronic screen on the DF -it seems like it is adding complexity for no real purpose. Most people that have them swear by them.

  • redoingit
    10 years ago

    I definitely love our 7-yr old Wolf DF range...no peeling on ours (knock on wood), and I have used the cleaning feature several times....just used it today and it has great features for convection/non-convection. We have friends with the monogram, like the one posted, and theirs is about 6 years old, and they love it. I think it looks nice also.

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