Skip to main content

Viking D3 vs GE Cafe Appliance Packages in Boston: Reviews/Ratings

October 17th, 2012 | 3 min. read

By Danny Nguyen

Viking D3 vs GE Cafe is an interesting comparison of two of the best affordable luxury brands. Normally these two companies would not even compete, but Viking relaunched their Designer Series as D3 with better features at lower priices. But which is better?

Viking Appliances

Viking is an all American appliance company, located in Greenwood, Mississippi. They specialize in high end luxury appliances. They are most widely known for cooking and outside grilling products and were one of the first manufacturers of professional ranges back in the late 1980s.

After many attempts, Viking launched D3, a lower priced line with great features, customizeable styling and a 3 year warranty.

GE Café Appliances

GE is also an American Company, currently located in Louisville, Kentucky. GE is one of the largest appliance companies in the world. They have a very large selection of appliances, ranging from entry level to high end and specialize in innovative technology, like their Advantium Oven and promoting Energy Star pieces. The majority of their sales from the affordable luxury lines emanate from their Profile and Café Lines.

The Café series is GE’s version of “Pro Appliances”, offering customers an affordable Pro-Style Kitchen, while still maintaining their integrity by offering some unique cooking features. The Café series is only available in Stainless.

Both the Viking D3 Designer Series and GE Café Series offer a very simple line up.

Free standing refrigeration, freestanding ranges, dishwashers, wall ovens, cook tops, and over-the-range microwaves. Below are two of their most popular packages. You may be surprised, at how close the pricing is. Viking is the most aggressively priced they have ever been. Of course there will be several options in each category and rebates/incentives vary depending on time of purchase.

Let's compare.

Viking D3 vs GE Cafe Kitchen Appliance Packages

viking d3 stainless steel kitchen package

VS

ge cafe kitchen package

Viking D3 Kitchen Package - $7,826

Viking D3 Range

  • RDSCG2305BSS
  • Ball Bearing Racks
  • Interchangeable Knobs (Add Colored Accents to handles Match Cabinetry)
  • Porcelain Top for Easy Cleaning
  • 5 Sealed Burners w/ Optional Center Griddle (Other Fuel Options Available)
  • Pedestal Feet “Pro” Style
  • 3 Year Warranty

Viking D3 Microwave

  • RDMOR200SS
  • * One of the only True Pro Ranges in the Industry that allows for a Microwave to be installed above.
  • Option for Convection or Non Convection

Viking D3 Dishwasher

  • RDDB201SS
  • Multi Level Power Washer
  • 1,200 Watt HydroFlo Internal Water Heater (Almost 3 times stronger than most)
  • Super Quiet
  • Stage Filtration System & Waste Removal System
  • Super Heavy Duty Nylon Coated Steal Racks
  • 24 Customizable Color Options

Viking Refrigerator

  • RDDFF236SS
  • Concealed Hinges
  • 22 Cubic Ft.
  • Filtered Internal Ice & Water Dispenser
  • 3 Levels of Storage in Freezer, including Heavy Duty Ball Bearing Racks
 

GE Café Gas Package - Gas $7,549

GE Café Range

  • CGS985SETSS
  • 1 Year Warranty
  • Porcelain Coated Racks can leave in during self cleaning
  • Stainless Sealed Top
  • 5 Sealed Burners with Center Griddle Included (Other fuel sources available)
  • Baking Drawer at Bottom

GE Café Microwave

  • CSA1201RSS
  • Speed Cook Oven: Cooks food up to 4 times faster than conventional ovens
  • 175 Pre Programmed Recipes

GE Café Dishwasher

GE Café Refrigerator

  • CFCP1NIZSS
  • Concealed Hinges
  • 20 Cubic Ft.
  • Filtered Internal Ice & Water Dispenser
  • LED Lighting

Range

The crux of Viking D3 and GE Cafe is their range, and they are similar in output. Burners are almost identical with 5 burners and convection. Cafe has a 20,000 BTU burner with the D3 topping out at 18,000. GE does have the second oven below (and offers a double oven range), while D3 does not.

D3 offers a 3 year warranty vs the Cafe 1 year warranty and the knobs and handles are  uniquely customizable.

Microwave

Viking D3 Convection Microwave vs GE Cafe Advantium.

This could be a blog topic by itself, but both cook fast. Advantium, however, is faster and easier to use and will be a slightly better choice for the serious chef.

Refrigerator

I am somewhat ambivalent about the refrigerator. D3 is bigger at 22 cubic foot vs 20 for the Cafe, and has a better warranty and customizeable handles. The D3 refrigerator is manufactured by Whirlpool. It's a decent yet unspactacular product, but then again so is Cafe.

Dishwasher

I like the fit and finish of the D3, but truthfully neither Viking or GE are known for their dishwashers.

Both are good lines with great features. The Cafe may have a few more features, but the warranty, aesthetic and name recognition of the D3 may be worth a look for $300 more.

What do you think?

Additional Resources

Visit the Yale Resource Center for buying guides on every type of kitchen appliance products. Our most popular:

Why Should You Trust Us?

It seems that every appliance review has nothing but glowing comments about almost every product, yet you read customer reviews and they are almost universally bad.

We are here to fill in the disconnect. We'll give you the best features, and the drawbacks as well, including reliability based on over 37,000 calls performed by our service team just last year. Our goal is to give you ALL the information so you know what's right for you.

Please consider subscribing or adding to the conversation in the comments below. We appreciate you stopping by.

Danny Nguyen

Danny Nguyen has over 20 years of experience at Yale Appliance. He takes pride in helping customers complete their dream kitchens. Danny enjoys eating, running, and competing in Spartan races. If he's not competing in a race, he is often traveling with his family.

A Note About Pricing

Pricing on this blog is for reference only and may include time sensitive rebates. We make every attempt to provide accurate pricing at time of publishing. Please call the stores for most accurate price.