Ask how much more a 36" Wolf would be

and then get the Wolf, even if smaller-- unless it's too small for your kitchen or you really need the larger space or more burners.

i have had both - wolf

Jenn-Air has been around how much longer and making cooktops how much longer than Wolf?
Is the Wolf made by Wolf or someone else?

Wolf is made by Wolf.

Jenn-Air was Jenn-Air then Jenn-Air-Maytag now Jenn-Air-Whirlpool.

Between those two get the Wolf.

I love my Wolf.

Was ready to pull the trigger on the 30" wolf (all gas), but when my wife learned that it isn't self cleaning and the burners aren't sealed the brakes were applied. Back to the drawing board :(

TC44 - many people like the All-Gas Wolf for exactly the reasons you are rejecting it. First with regard to no self-cleaning, often we see ranges that do have self-cleaning have problems after the self-cleaning function has been used. That is because the ranges' electronics are sensitive to the high heat, and may buzz out after hours of exposure. Of course that doesn't happen all the time, but it is a consideration. I myself have a Dacor range that has a self-cleaning function. I never use the self-clean. For me, it heats up the house too much, for many hours. I don't like the burning smell that lingers. I am also nervous about leaving the self-cleaning function on unattended since it is burning at about 700 degrees. So I wouldn't leave the house while it's on, or turn it on overnight, and who has time for that. That's just my neurotic self of course. I clean my oven with No Fumes Easy Off. It doesn't take much time, it doesn't smell, and it doesn't heat up the house for hours. On the other hand, many people would never choose an oven without self-clean, and use the self-clean function all the time. I am just trying to give you an alternate perspective, and why many people opt for the AG Wolf not caring about the lack of self-clean.

Regarding that the burners aren't sealed, again many choose that option on purpose, and believe it is an advantage. An open burner means you have oxygen flowing under and around the flame, making a better, more efficient flame. As to cleaning, many people believe the open burners look cleaner because spills and crumbs fall through the opening to the tray below, rather than burning on. My own range has a permanent burn-in ring around each burner. When spills happen or grease is sputtering, I cannot stop cooking to clean them, and so they have time to burn into the rangetop. With open burners you can line the trays beneath the burners with aluminim foil, and just throw the foil away when it is soiled. Again, as noted with the self-clean function, there are varying opinions regarding open vs. sealed burners. Neither one is the "correct" choice, but I am just trying to explain why many people prefer the open burner all-gas Wolf. Best thing for you is to go to a showroom and look at it and decide for yourself.

One more thing to consider about the AG Wolf is the appearance. It is classic, and I don't believe the AG Wolf range has changed much in appearance since it has been put on the market. That means it will still look good in 10 years. I know my Dacor range, with its electronic panel, will look as dated in 10 years as a computer from 1999 looks today. But by then I'll want a new range anyway, so I guess it's not a big deal, but it's just something to think about.

All Wolf/Sub Zero products are made in the USA, and their costumer
service is second to none. Speaking from experience, I wouldn't buy
any other brand.

I went from self cleaning oven with sealed burners to a Viking open burner with gas oven that does not self clean. I would never go back to sealed burners. I really like my burners open, like they have in restaurants. Like the above poster, my current open burner range actually "looks better" because there is no permanent burnt on ring...

My criteria for gas burners is a high output even burner that does not concentrate the heat on the edge, which Viking does not do as well as Wolf. Wolf really knows how to make good open burners.

I know that Viking is not popular here but I have had it for 10 years without any problems. I would prefer to have AG Wolf if I had to do it again. But I don't that have kind of funds to throw around.

I also have an infrared gas broiler in the oven. I am sure AG Wolf must as well. Unless you have 8 to 12 pass electric broiler that you would see in a $3000 oven inside of your dual fuel range, you won't come close to the broiling performance of a typical infrared broiler in an electric oven. Some companies try to do dual fuel range with gas infrared broiler.... I don't think Jenair does that.

I love my gas oven. Pizzas come out amazing. It has 30k burner which is an amazing amount of heat going into the oven! For breads and pizza, you can't beat that.

I would really ask your wife what is more important: cooking performance or cleaning performance.

If the look, the brand and the cleaning ability is really important to you, I would consider Miele induction. Miele has the brand cache AND the induction is THE EASIEST thing to clean, IMHO. I hear induction also cooks well.

Wow. Thanks for this excellent info. I will discuss this with her. As you can tell, I am the shopper in the family, and just want something that looks really cool :) Ultimately, it is my wife's decsion, though. I really appreciate the info.
Thanks again!

If I had the funds, and was choosing between the Wolf and the Jenn-Air, I'd choose the Wolf. My current sealed-burner range has the burn-on marks around the burners that's been discussed in the above posts. I.e. things spill and splatter, and become fused onto the rangetop.

And, c'mon, those Wolf red knobs? Who can resist them?

As to self-cleaning, yes, I really do like the self-cleaning function, but for all the other benefits of a Wolf AG range, I'd give up the self-cleaning, but many people would not.

Also, in your OP you were debating between 30" and 36" size range. A 36" size is great mostly for the rangetop space--no more crowded pots. It looks good too. But a 36" size oven takes much longer to heat up, and do you think you will be cooking things that need an oven that big. And make sure you budget MORE for your hood which will have to be at least 36" wide. If I had the space (I don't), and the funds (also, no), I'd get a 36" Wolf open-burner rangetop (not the cooktop, but the rangetop with the knobs on the front), and a separate wall oven or ovens. The Wolf rangetop looks awesome, and a wall oven means no bending. I would save money on the wall ovens and choose a non-Wolf, as I think you can get very nice wall ovens for much less than the Wolf wall ovens. Hope I haven't muddied the waters. I am just living vicariously through you since I would love a Wolf.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wolf Open Burner 36-inch Rangetop

The positives shared re: the all gas, open burner have helped a lot. The non self cleaning hurdle seems accepted now. Having never had open burners we are having a hard time picturing the splatter, ..running through to the tray. We will make another trip to the store to get a better idea of how this works and hopefully seal the deal on the 30" Wolf. As far as the 36" goes, plain and simple, we like the bulky look." It is probably overkill for the size of our kitchen and we definitely don't need it. We deinitely can't afford the Wolf 36" but less 'prestigious' brands come in at around the 5k mark (same as the 30" Wolf), so it is a temptation/consideration. The cooktop/wall oven option doesn't really suit our layout.... but is definiitely an ideal set up.
Thanks again!

Here's a video of cleaning the burners on an open burner range. This is for the Capial Culinarian and I'm not sure how much this differs from the Wolf, but it will give you at least some idea of the ease of cleaning an open burner. I couldn't believe it myself when folks here said open burner is better for cooking and cleaning, but this video convinced me.

Good luck with your decision!

Here is a link that might be useful: Open burner video

Google Jenn Air repair. There have been problems with the electronic panels, some even catching fire. The quality under the Whirlpool family of products is iffy at best.

I've never owned a Wolf.

I've bought a vintage Chambers for my new kitchen, which I am currently restoring. They can also be bought fully restored, prices typically range from $2000 to $4000 depending on how much work/replacement was needed. No electronics, but it was the residential Viking/Wolf of it's time. It has 3 regular burners, one deep well (Thermowell) that can be used with special pots for soups, stews, veggies, or with a special baking insert can bake items such as rolls or pies (8"). There's a griddle that is also a broiler on the cooktop, and an oven so well insulated you can cook with the gas off on residual heat. The oven size is small compared to today's models, but the separate Thermowell and broiler give it great flexibility. I've opted to have an electric convection wall oven to handle overflow (big holiday cooking). I was on the fence about whether I'd even need it, but a great price I couldn't pass it up. The Chambers measures ~37.5", built prior to size standardization I guess, so it can be tricky to fit. The oven bottom, burner grates and drip pans can all be refinished with new porcelain. My range is roughly 50 years old and I had this done. The pieces came out looking brand new. It's truly built to last, and likely the last range I'll ever need. I'm SOOO taking this with me if we ever move.

Good luck in your search!

K

i bought a 30" AG wolf and saved some bucks by buying a floor model. something to consider. check craigslist as well - i see them come up on occasion.

Wolf also has (I believe) the best warranty you'll find -- 3 years full parts and labor, plus 5 years parts on the burners and ignitor.

Darbuka mentioned excellent customer service for Wolf. I can certainly attest to that. Here's my story...almost 9 years ago, we got a 30" all gas Wolf. Absolutely loved it. Three and a half years later, the oven wouldn't light. I called the repair person who came and replaced the ignitor (the part but not labor was covered under warranty). While he had the bottom of the oven disassembled, he noticed some light surface rust inside the unit. I called Wolf, and even though I was 6 months outside of my 3 year warranty, they agreed to replace the whole unit. No arguments, no unpleasantness, just wanting me to be a happy customer. I knew that I was going to be building a new, larger kitchen, so I asked if there was any chance I could upgrade to a 36". The customer service guy talked to his manager and for $500 (if I remember correctly) I was able to up-size the range. And best of all, the warranty period started over again at day one with the new range.

Yeah, I wish it self-cleaned. Oh well. But I adore that machine. I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

I've had open burners & sealed burners and I gotta' tell you that I would trade all of the sealed burners cookers in the world for the old 80's era Whirlpool bottom of the line cheapo open burner cooktop that I had in my last house. I just hate sealed burners; they don't cook the same. And they're a PIA to really clean. To clean that ring where the burner is 'sealed', I have to disassemble them. To do that, I have to go hunt down the proper Allen wrench. Just doesn't happen but once every year or three.

Any boil-overs are a mess. You basically have to switch burners w/ what you're cooking (unless you want a baked on bigger mess to deal with) and wait for everything to cool down before you can deal w/ the mess.

And the self-cleaning feature on my Kenmore quit working after the first time I used it. (The range was 2-3 years old when I bought it second hand when its predecessor kicked the bucket and was non-repairable.) Depending on how much you use the oven, of course, and I don't use mine a whole lot, keeping the oven clean isn't that big of deal. I prefer to clean up little messes when the oven cools rather than letting them accumulate into a cleaning ordeal.

For most folks, for most of the time, a 36'' oven is overkill. For that matter, most of the time, a 30'' oven is overkill for me. If I could have my druthers, I would add a 24'' or 27'' wall oven for those little baking chores like a 9 x 13 cake, blueberry muffins, etc. A large Nesco will handle the holiday turkeys... And a lot of people love their toaster ovens. I'm resisting the urge to add another counter top appliance, though...

In response to TC44's comment about the open burners of the Wolf AG range, they are somewhat less "open" than the burners on the Capital Culinarian, Viking or Bluestar (the only other brands that are making open burner ranges today). Nevertheless, the Wolf range has the benefits of the open burner configuration for cooking, though the Wolf burners likely don't let as much fall through as the wide-open burners on those other ranges. I just wanted to clarify that point for the OP.

I was also thinking of the Capital Culinarian range for the OP, but I saw the OP is in Canada, and that might be a problem. Here in southern Wisconsin, there is no dealership anywhere nearby, and I would not be brave enough to order something like that over the 'net, though many people are (check out the Appliances Forum for the many threads on this topic). The Wolf, on the other hand, has a far-reaching and vast dealership network, and as noted, about the best customer service in the market.

I have had both. There is no question but that the Wolf is way superior. In fact, I gave my Jenn-Air to my sister-in-law and replaced it with my wonderful Wolf.

I have the 36" model but the oven is quite large so if you do not have a need for it (or the extra burners) I suggest you get the 30" version.
If you do get the 36" model, you will definitely need a double fan range hood. I have a vent-a-hood with dual fans vented to the outside and it is critcal.

Well, after all this it looks like we are going in another direction :) We saw the 36" KitchenAid commercial style dual fuel range and fell in love instantly. We REALLY like the styling of this unit; it looks low and wide--very cool. It is also packed with features (dual fuel, sealed burners, self clean, gliding rack, ......that the higher end ranges have, but is half the price. We were ready to buy the 30" AG wolf (on sale for $5000 in Canada). The KA 36" with way more options retails for $6400. I am getting it for $4900. I also negotiated a full 5 year in home warranty and free delivery. This model doesn't seem to have a lot of history so I thought the warranty was important..... Anyway, I know it isn't a Wolf or a Viking, but I think it will be perfect for us!
This is a pic from the Web. There are also a couple of gorgeous pics of it on Pip's link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pip's Kitchen

Cleaning sealed burners a PIA? Has anyone tried Easy Off oven cleaner? We just spray it on and leave, come back later and just wipe. Looks like new!

BTW, a 36" Wolf cooktop here, and loving it!

Don't know if it makes any difference or not, but JennAir has a bunch of rebates, depending on what you buy. Check out JennAirdotcom.
I'm sure Wolf is a good product, but value to price doesn't make sense for me. You are paying hundreds of dollars for the name. You are with JennAir as well, but not to quite the same degree. I value practicality and value over show.
Different strokes for different folks.

Jenn Air rebates are for prepaid debit cards....with NO bank transfers or cash back options. They can not be used to offset your costs....just for future purchases. I've been on the phone with both Citi bank and Jenn Air today with no satisfaction. I guess in their "Installation on Us" promotion, they didn't really mean it.... there is no way to use the rebate to offset the installation costs. It would have been a deal breaker for me if I had known. Yes, I now have $300 rebate. No, I can't put it towards the appliance cost.