I would go with 2nd option.

I don't know anything about the different glass/ceramic materials and what's considered "better," but I can tell you that the Schott Ceran on my new radiant Bosch seems inferior to whatever my old black Frigidaire had. For one thing it almost immediately got chips on a burner and I have no idea how. I'd feel more comfortable if I knew how I abused it, but they seemed to appear out of nowhere. Secondly, there's a silver pattern on it that seems sensitive to "something," not sure whether the razor blade or sliding pans but either way it doesn't seem to hold up well.

While I used to be big on "radiant electric isn't as bad as people make it out to be" I'd warn against buying one without first getting reliable reviews on the brand/model. The simmer on my Bosch is lousy (no problems at all on my Frigidaire) and while the power burner is rated at a higher wattage than the old cooktop was, it's spread out over 13" diameter which is significantly larger than an of my everyday pans.

I'm not trying to diss Bosch - so far I like the oven a lot esp that it's adjustable down to 100 deg (and I'm fairly happy with my 800 series DW) but the radiant cooking surface leaves something to be desired.

Finally found out who makes k glass tops...
EuroKera see link...
http://www.eurokera.com/
surprised glasstop on Bosch that foodonastump has chips on a burner
Recent Bosch electric ranges I seen at Future Shop had small k on glass ,not Schott Ceran and told there that Frigidaire is not making Bosch electric ranges

There's absolutely no reason to pay any economic premium for any radiant electric cooktop. Buy the cheapest model out there and it won't perform any worse than the most expensive. Induction IS the exception. It's worth the premium. There are several induction cooktops in the $1500 range. Check out Bosch at Lowes. Or if you have an Ikea, their Whirlpool version is actually cheaper than it's name brand. Or Kenmore at Sears. All will be a budget choice for induction and kick any radiant's behind. Even the most expensive radiant limps along like a red headed stepchild when compared with induction.

Hollysprings - While I can't speak to any correlation between price and performance,your post seems to imply that all radiant cooktops perform the same. If I've read that correctly, you are simply wrong on this one. Take it from someone who used one practically daily for a dozen years before switching to a new one. Forget the 13" problem I noted above, that's my fault for not thinking about that in the showroom. I'm talking about simmer capability (or lack thereof), response time (my new one seems to hold heat a lot longer, making response time slower), and cleanability.

Induction of course is superior to radiant in many ways, but to suggest that radiant "limps along" is overdramatic and again subject to the particular appliance. I know my Frigidaire was only about 30 seconds behind published one gallon boil tests for the 23K gas CC which tells me it would have probably blown away most gas ranges out there. Simmer, well like I said no problem on that cooktop, yet many threads about the CC and BS, among others. Cleaning, well that's subjective but suffice it to say that after a boilover I found a quick scrape with a razor blade then a clean and polish with a quality cleaner took under five minutes. And I'm talking clean, no "patina" excuses.

Now I won't make the same claims about my Bosch. Because all radiant is NOT created equal.

I do not think that all radiant cooktops perform the same or same quality.

I see GE electric ranges with radiant elements/smoothtop for $439 such as model GE JBS60 while the GE Café CS980STSS is $2877.30 based on ajmadison.com

There are radiant element cooktops from $469 for Frigidaire FFEC3024L 30" electric to $2199 for Miele KM5880 radiant element cooktop - prices at ajmadison.com

Can not find pricing on Gaggenau or Wolf from online sites

So there must be difference of quality of maybe the radiant elements themselves, quality of glass top ( maybe thickness or scratch resistance ), quality control etc. More expensive models mention ribbon radiant elements, which are never mentioned on smoothtop ranges in general

Only aspect of induction I do not like is some are really noisy ( buzzy and loud fan etc )

Don't underestimate the cost of a look and a logo. As I recall I paid about a 40% upcharge for a monogram Microwave over a functionally identical regular GE.

How many different electric cooktops have you cooked on in the last 10 years? I've cooked on at least 7 different brands that ranged the price spectrum. All were equally good at electric's strong points, and equally crappy at it's weak points. There is no substantial functional difference in any radiant cooking experience. They all simmer decently if you have a decently heat conductive pot. They all have lag time built into the response time. And if you spill stuff directly onto the hot surface and cook it on, they are all beasts to clean up and will need a razor blade scraper to do it properly. Schott does have better glass, but it's not a big enough difference to ever account for the price difference between a $300 Whirlpool and a $2100 KitchenAid---manufactured by the same company and using identical internal parts. It's the name, and the other fiddly bits like touchpad controls and griddle burners that make up the price difference. Even the Viking electric I cooked on was the typical smooth top electric experience. There wasn't a bit of real world difference in it's abilities or cleanability.

If you want to buy expensive electric radiant, don't delude yourself into thinking you're getting anything at all better for the money.

I've cooked on several, but owned two. For the point I'm making it doesn't matter if I cooked on two or a thousand. The undisputable FACT, not opinion, is that between the two that I've owned, the simmer on my Frigidaire's cooktop was notably superior to that of my Bosch range. I'll allow that my preference for cleaning the Frigidaire could be more of a subjective opinion, but it's one I'm comfortable standing behind. If you cooked on seven that were identical in performance then you either cooked on seven that were equally good or equally bad. I assure you I have no reason to make this up. All I have is first hand, real world experience of a significant difference between two appliances I've owned and cooked on a bunch.

I been doing some research after my first post. Will not be buying the Miele cooktop because there is no local dealer and closest dealer is 3 hours away. Also no local service for Miele here in Sudbury.

Decision is now between Bosch induction cooktop ( 300 series ) or GE Profile induction cooktop.

GE profile has 19 levels of temperature control compared to 9 levels on Bosch but timer on Bosch is linked to elements and timer on GE is independent of elements ( stand alone timer )

not sure what is better choice between the 2

I been doing some research after my first post. Will not be buying the Miele cooktop because there is no local dealer and closest dealer is 3 hours away. Also no local service for Miele here in Sudbury.

Decision is now between Bosch induction cooktop ( 300 series ) or GE Profile induction cooktop.

GE profile has 19 levels of temperature control compared to 9 levels on Bosch but timer on Bosch is linked to elements and timer on GE is independent of elements ( stand alone timer )

not sure what is better choice between the 2