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Viking vs Dacor Range
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Posted by mlk95327 (My Page) on Sat, Oct 20, 07 at 10:18
| After months of agonizing over which range to buy for our kitchen remodel we have it narrowed down to either a Dacor Epicure 36" dual fuel range or a 36" Viking all gas range that is self-cleaning. I am tempted to go with the Viking just because it seems there is less to go wrong with it, though my husband leans towards the bells and whistles that come with the Dacor. If you own a Dacor and bake can you tell me if you have had troubles with even heating when cooking several cookies or pies at once and if the electronics are dependable. If you own a Viking, could you tell me if you have had repair issues at all and if the fan is loud? We are so stuck in making our final decision. Thank you for any information you can send. |
Follow-Up Postings:
Name the thing that shouldn't be there
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Heat.
Moisture.
Microprocessor.
Grease. I just sold my Dacor on eBay after 6 years of "Oven Hell". In the first year I had the oven lock motor replaced, the broiler ignitor replaced, the oven sensor replaced. I NEVER got the Dacor to get up to temperature - it was always 25 to 35 degrees down from the indicated. Six weeks ago the "Brain" died, killing the oven. Cost of replacement $750 - Dacor, after much back and forth, picked up $300. Yeah, they're really digging deep there. They offered to swap out the range for $2900. Hmmm - Do I really want to give these people MORE money? Ignore your husband, I know I should have listened to my wife when she said that with all the bells and whistles, there was more to go wrong - something I always said to her, but obviously forgot. Get a Viking, or a Wolf or a Blue Star ( My Blue Star RNB366 arrived Friday, and I've cooked two meals and I'm baking brioche as I type - so far I love it!!) |
RE: Viking vs Dacor Range
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| Put viking in the search box at the bottom of the forum. Do the same for dacor. You'll get lots of opinions. I have the newest Dacor range and can't imagine any range could be as much trouble as this one. The burners are great but the oven is a mess as per my previous posts. I also have their new wall oven and it is even worse. Forget precison baking. I'm waiting to see if they can fix them. I would try to test a live range and bring your own thermometer. See how fast the oven can preheat and change temperatures and if it bakes evenly. |
RE: Viking vs Dacor Range
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| I only know about All Gas ranges. I would stick with Bluestar, American, Capital or Wolf. Any of these are better than Viking. |
RE: Viking vs Dacor Range-
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| Forgot to mention, Capital makes a self-cleaning All Gas model. Bluestar has the best top burners, but no self-clean. |
Self Cleaning Ovens vs hand cleaning
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| The oven rack guides in the BlueStar hang on a screw and a hole in the back wall of the oven, making it a very simple matter to wipe down the inside of the oven. Maybe I'm just a terrible housekeeper but I probably clean my oven about once every 18 months and I use it a lot (Apologies to Thomas Keller). The problem with self cleaning ovens is that the cleaning cycle eventually causes the door seals to deteriorate. IMHO if you have a really bad spill in the oven and you wipe it up when everything cools down, you really don't need self cleaning. Of course, YMMV. :-> |
RE: Viking vs Dacor Range
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| I have an older Dacor duel fuel range, and it has been nothing but trouble. I am on my second entirely new unit, and the electronics and front piece have been replaced 5 (!!!) times. I have a white range and the paint is now chipping off, and the front piece (plastic) has cracked 5 times. It can''t withstand the heat of self clean. The clock goes out or I get an error message probably every 2 weeks, and have to go downstairs, flip the circuit breaker and then reset everything to get the oven to work. I will say that Dacor has replaced everything at their cost, and they admit that it is a flawed product. However, they keep insisting that they have it "fixed", and we continue to have the exact same problems every time they replace it. And I see that they still have the same range on the market. Bells and whistles would be nice IF the company actually knew how to make them! |
RE: Viking vs Dacor Range
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| I have a 36" AG Viking range - I was interested in DF but then went AG instead - I felt in the long run, less to go wrong - Additionally you will need a separate circuit to run the unit - I am very pleased w/the performance of the VIking - I had a minor (cosmetic) issue w/burner grates initially - the paint was peeling off - Viking sent someone out immediately & replaced the grates - the svc guy also checked the range & didn't like how one of the burners was sounding so, he ordered a new elbow pipe I think - I did not even notice anything about. The fan is not noisy - Viking is a brand people love to bash - I did my searching (which actually becomes very complex) - for the most part the bashing is sound bites w/very little factual information. Then I went to a Viking distributor direct - & was able to see them perform along w/the top competitors
that is what sold me. As for self cleaning - It really is an option that most seem to be less than happy with - and I have found just giving the oven a wipe when it cools down has been quite easy Viking has been making ranges for the home since 1987. Wolf has been around since 1945 for commercial application -adapted to home ranges - 2000 when aquired by Sub Zero GL |
RE: Viking vs Dacor Range
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| Interesting, now three different appliance shops that carry a variety of high end ranges all have tried to lean us to the viking over my orig hope of a Wolf, (decided against due to resent issues), then on the DCS. Two of the places said in our are the Viking distributer/rep is top notch. ??? The salesman did say in the past there was a problem with the igniters but that has been changed, they do go out and continue to replace the igniters on the affected ranges. ??? |
RE: Viking vs Dacor Range
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Helpful information...I have a deposit on a 30" AG Viking..buying a floor model at great price..but have large concerns over service and reliability...and the mixed reviews here have been somewhat conflicting..
Any more input to help settle the ??'s |
RE: Viking vs Dacor Range
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gary - I think the range has a 1yr manufacturer warranty - I typically do not purchase the extended warranties but on a substantial investment 36" AG Viking full price I did purchase the 5 yr I think it was $100 or less - I figured one service call that will pay for itself
good luck |
RE: Viking vs Dacor Range
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| Gary, I would certainly do a Viking search on this Board. Some posts are negative. I was all set on a Viking until reading them. I decided that electronics and heat do not mix and that is one of Viking's drawbacks. Teresa |
RE: Viking vs Dacor Range
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| Well, I would advise against the DACOR. The ignitors on the top of gas range are very sensitive to any breeze at all and the plastic front of the range has cracked twice. Find another product. |
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