Do You Have Any Advice About 36 inch Gas Viking-type Range?

[gredmondson]

My son has asked me for advice for a range for his kitchen remodeling. He was thinking of a 30 inch, but they do cook a lot, and have some big pots, so I thought a 36 inch would be better for the extra stove top room. We looked at Viking and Wolf at Universal Electric in Santa Clara, and Viking was cheaper (but still expensive!). Should he opt for duel fuel? Is the electric oven really better? Is the self-cleaning feature worth $900.00? Are there some other brands that he should consider? What about reliability?

 

[hydralique]

Thermador is very nice, well worth a look. One thing to remember about Viking is that they police their dealers very carefully with regard to pricing, so it's hard to get much of a discount. In lieu of that you can sometimes get the dealer to include installation or other perks so long as he can maintain the official price on the range.

Be wary of Delonghi ranges. A client of mine recently bought a house with one. It looks good and apparently cooks decently, but the over door hinge and stay had a problem. It took two visits from the repair person to fix it. There was a long delay in between the visits to get the part, which was available from only one warehouse across the country. By contrast, Viking service is pretty good and since they're made in the US parts availability is good.

 

[volvoguy87]

Wolf vs. others.

I've cooked on a Wolf and it was one of the best I've ever used. I used the stove top and the oven. It was not, however, THE best I've ever used. That honor goes to a vintage Chambers model C. I really appreciated the even heating and consistent oven, a definite feature to look for in ANY range. If buying a new one, opt for self-cleaning. At those prices, what's another 900 bucks? If going vintage, Easy Off is made for a reason.

Good luck,
Dave

 

[rp2813]

George, I really prefer dual fuel. That's all we've used for the past 20 years. Currently we have an Electrolux ICON, but it's only 30" and I would definitely have a 36" if I had the room, however it has two 18K BTU burners up front, which were one of the selling points. I also like the heavy duty grates that allow me to slide pots and pans from place to place on the cooktop.

If you haven't already, check out Airport Appliance in Redwood City or Hayward. We got our ICON at the Redwood City store, which has floor models, etc, and we got it for almost half off with full warranty. They carry most major makes.

Ralph

 

[58limited]

Volvoguy87 beat me to it

I was going to suggest a Chambers range. You can find a good working one for less than a new Viking - check ebay and craigslist. The Chambers is considered the Rolls Royce of gas ranges. They are so well insulated that you basically heat the oven for a certain amount of time (based on the size/amount of food) then turn it off and cook on the retained heat (it was green before anyone cared). Below is a link to a site showing the different models that were made.

Models Of CHAMBERS Products

Use this page to help ID your CHAMBERS

www.chamberstoves.net

 

[58limited]

I noticed the picture of the model B isn't loading. Here is a model B picture. It has a shelf across the top and a side light on each side. The A, B, and C models were also available with a low back.

 

[toggleswitch]

.
I had a 20" wide gas Avanti brand gas stove with sealed burners and a waist-high broiler (in the main oven cavity).

Next to it was a 30" wide self-cleaning electric smooth-top by Whirlpool.

Dual energy sources ("fuels")
8 "burners",
2 ovens and the ability to bake/roast and broil at the same time.
Also used one oven as a warming oven until guests arrived.

The kithcen was neat and tidy, the pots were running in the dishwasher being cleaned, and the food was ready in the serving dishes (mostly Corning Ware; no design) so I could ply my guests with drinks and hors d'oevres and be sociable.

Two 30" stoves or a 30 + a 20 will generally be less expensive than most 36 inch or larger "specialty" (read: snob-appeal) models.

Remember, a commercial stove means you must have commercial ventilation. Even a 30" free-standing gas self-cleaner and an electric (fan-forced) convecion wall-oven or two is to be considered.

A cooktop alone is generally more expensive here than a full-sized 30" wide free-standing range.