Honest opinions about how to buy Appliances and Lighting.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Viking Versus Wolf

Perhaps the two best name brands in our industry are Viking and Wolf. Both have good pedigrees with Wolf owned by SubZero and Viking almost creating the pro range back in 1990. I like brands, because they tend to be more reliable throughout the supply chain(acquistion, parts, technical support) and less service prone. We have to fix wayward products, so lack of product integrity is a deal breaker with us.

Which one is better depends on your taste, but lets compare 48 dual fuel stoves fairly

Viking: Good repair record, available in a myriad of colors and options.

DESCRIPTION

Wolf: Better simmer capability at 500 BTU per burner(versus 900), clock and timer, two self cleaning ovens instead of one with 2 convection ovens in the master.

DESCRIPTION

It seems Wolf wins this one...I will compare 30 inch stoves in the next few days.

As I look back on this post almost three years later, this comparason along with the Pro Range niche has changed.

If you want to learn more, download the Pro Cooking Buyers Guide. It compares brands and explains features and terms.
Posted by Steve Sheinkopf at 5:12 PM
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10 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:27 PM

    I love the Dacor 48" dual fuel range. Can you give your impressions of that compared to the other two?

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  2. Steve Sheinkopf8:42 AM

    I like Dacor. It is very similar to Wolf with 2 convection, self cleaning ovens.

    However, the top is a bit lacking with only 6 burners and poor simmering.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous10:39 PM

    I've seen a lot of knocks on Viking ranges due to their stagnating in technology for the oven portions of the unit. I hear their rangetops are good, and their wall ovens, but their ranges (for which they are known) are sadly outdated and do not cook evenly compared to other brands. I also heard they were moving their newer technology, already in their wall ovens, into their ranges sometime this year.

    is all of this true?

    I was considering Wolf, BlueStar, and DCS.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Steve Sheinkopf10:22 AM

    It is absolutely true that Viking has been asleep for the last 5 years.

    The product is not outdated, but certainly can not be considered state of the art

    However, the oven does work well, and they do have a decent repair record. Then again, it is a simple range to diagnose and fix

    I do not carry off brands like BlueStar and have recently stopped carrying DCS(Fisher-Paykel needs to reorganize the company)

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  5. Anonymous7:53 PM

    Thank you. I'll look more closely at the Wolf and maybe revisit Viking. I did not realize BlueStar was an off brand. I'll take DCS off the list -- it was 3rd on the list anyways.

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  6. Anonymous11:31 AM

    A little late on posting a comment; if I didn't want to spend the extra big bucks on a Wolf which I have my eye on an all gas 36 range; how does the Bertazzoni compare to the Wolf? It's a couple grand cheaper but should I simply get the best known Wolf? Thanks for your feedback.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Steve Sheinkopf3:40 PM

    Both are good products...I like Bertazonni as a good price alternative

    The functional difference is less BTU output on the burners and a smaller oven...Wolf also simmers better on every burner

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  8. Anonymous7:16 PM

    Hi, I am looking to purchase a rangetop, Viking, Wolf or GE Monogram, which one should I choose now? If a company is about to release new technology when would it be and should I wait?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Steve Sheinkopf9:09 PM

    Havent seen anything new as yet...can check on Tuesday

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thiruppathy Raja4:55 AM

    Looks amazing!!!! /I look forward to your feedback /thanks for this man it was very helpful.
    Custom Made Exhaust Systems

    ReplyDelete

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