Meant to say TWO options...

OK, did some research, visited some stores, and here we are. We need a gas or dual-fuel range and a dishwasher.

I am strongly leaning towards all gas since it is cheaper and seems to be more reliable than getting something with electronics. We do like timers and beeping when the oven is preheated, but are happy to use $10 oven timers if it gives us a range we don't have to worry about.

We are not pro cooks by any means but do use the cooktop daily for family cooking. Oven mostly gets used for frozen pizza, muffins, fish, cookies (not all at once!) and a turkey on thanksgiving.

A lower cost range would probably be fine, but we like the looks and solid feel of the higher end ranges, and are willing to pay more for it. It will also fit in better with the level of kitchen renovation and house we are in.

Here are the two top contenders, based on a combination of price, features and looks:

1. Dacor Distinctive 30" Gas Range (or maybe dual fuel, although not sure its worth the extra $600) and a Bosch 500 dishwasher. Cost of all gas + dishwasher - rebates is about $3700. Cost for dual fuel + dishwasher - rebates is about $4300.

2. Thermador Pro Harmony 30" Gas Range + free Emerald Dishwasher (or maybe upgrade to Topaz for $200 more). Cost is $4150 for all gas with Emerald Dishwasher or $4350 for all gas with Topaz dishwasher. Not considering dual fuel Thermador based on price alone.

They seem pretty comparable, small preference for Thermador range based on looks alone, but it is more pricey, and the Emerald dishwasher has fewer features than the Bosch we would get in option 1 (meaning we would have to upgrade to Topaz to have a comparable dishwasher, making the price difference even more).

Main criteria are quality, durability and reliability. Second criteria are the actual cooking capabilities. At this level, I doubt we are good enough cooks to distinguish between the two, although Thermador marketing has successfully convinced me that the star burner is somehow going to turn me into a master chef. Feel free to convince me that Thermador marketing is right, or if the average home cook would never know the difference. I should also note that even on our lower end GE gas cooktop right now we rarely use the highest settings (only for boiling water), so I don't want to get something with super high heat if it can't also stay low too for the rest of the time.

Your personal opinions? Is the Thermador worth $450-650 more than the Dacor? I am willing to pay that difference for quality and durability but not just for looks or status. I just want to turn on the range and have it work for as long as possible with minimum fuss.

Cheers

This post was edited by peetucket on Tue, Aug 6, 13 at 13:54