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elizamamma

36" Thermador Induction Cooktop opinions?

elizamamma
10 years ago

We're in the middle of adding a new kitchen, and I'm narrowing in on appliances. We've pretty much decided on a 36" induction cooktop and I'm having trouble deciding. I've been looking at Electrolux, Bosch, and Miele. Miele is a little more than we want to spend, but otherwise seems great. To add to the confusion, the big appliance place near us in Boston just dropped the price of the 36" Thermador to $2k, making a great contender in my view. Is Thermador the best bet here or are they unreliable? I'd welcome opinions on any of these. I know they'd all be fine, but I just can't seem to decide.

Thanks!!

Comments (8)

  • dodge59
    10 years ago

    We have seen 2 or 3 recent post about problems with the Thermador induction cook tops.

    I would go with the Bosch.
    I've never seen a complaint about one and at least some of their models have "Real Timers", They actually turn off the hobs when the timer times out~~~~~that's not important to me, we had a cook top that did that, but never used it~~~~wife said too many buttons to push, but we do know others find that feature useful.


    And this recommendation about the Bosch comes from a "Die Hard Electrolux fan" we have the Elux induction cook top, for 5 years now and we love it, but does not have "real timers", and ours is an older model, no longer in production.
    I'm not sure if the Thermador has real timers, either.

    Gary

  • jadeite
    10 years ago

    We have a 36" Thermador induction cooktop that hasn't skipped a beat in the 15 months of heavy use since it was installed. There are no annoying noises, no clicks or buzzes. The fan starts up if you have set the power to high (9, 9+, boost), but it's low pitched, hard to hear unless you listen for it.

    There are individual timers for each hob. You can boost on 3 of the 5 hobs simultaneously. The maximum power from the largest hob is 4.6 kW on boost (roughly equivalent to about 35000 BTU) - that will bring 8 qts of water to boil in under 10 minutes. There are 19 power levels. Setting or adjusting anything is very simple and intuitive on the keypad.

    There are various error modes, like an overflow mode which will shut the cooktop down if a pot boils over. This hasn't happened to me yet, but it seems like a nice safety feature. I haven't learnt how to program it yet because I'm too lazy. Even without the program functions, I'm thrilled every time I use it.

    I've seen the recent complaints about Thermador induction, but there have been many posts from happy owners. I haven't had anything to complain about yet.

    Cheryl

  • elizamamma
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you both for your responses. I was pretty sure that the Thermador had similar bells and whistles to the Bosch, and at a better price it seemed like a good deal. I have read some complaints about error codes and beeping, but those all seemed to be from the mirror finish Thermadors. Cheryl, I'm glad you've been happy with yours, I'm really leaning toward getting that one.

    Best,
    Liz

  • joc6820
    10 years ago

    I've had one for a year. It's been great. No problems, excellent performance. Have become a big fan of induction. No reason for gas anymore in my opinion.

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    10 years ago

    I have a Kitchen Aid, 36" and I LOVE it! Took me a while to figure it out (that lazy excuse), but it is so very easy! My son, in the restaurant biz, cooked our annual shrimp boil in a huge pot on it, and wow! We were all amazed at how fast induction works!

    And cleaning... super easy!

    Enjoy your Thermador!
    Suzi

  • westsider40
    10 years ago

    Bosch and Thermador are the same Bosch Siemens company. They make uber precision machines for use in mri units in hospitals and a gazillion other sophisticated highly accurate, hospital machines.

    I love my Bosch induction and would love a Thermador induction. I trust this company.

  • Cavimum
    10 years ago

    The Bosch will cost you less and it is made by the same company as Thermador. We chose Thermador 30" solely based on the aesthetics of the control panel. Hubby and I both liked the appearance and could pay the difference. The Bosch claim to have "pot sense" which likely is a feature my Thermador does not have. Seems with "pot sense" that one can put a 5" pot on a 11" hob and it will work. (won't happen on the Thermador)

    Either way, I think you'll be happy with Bosch or Thermador.

  • caliente63
    10 years ago

    Thermador induction cooktops are made in the same factory by the same people as the Bosch induction cooktops.

    The Thermador has a triple-element center burner which gives you better options for pan sizes than the Bosch models. Otherwise, they are functionally very similar. Both have timers on every burner.

    Bottom line: I'd jump at the Thermador at that price!

    This post was edited by Caliente63 on Tue, Sep 17, 13 at 17:52

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