GE Cafe and Viking D3 are arguably the two hottest introductions in appliance history. Both are full lines, but the heart and soul of both these companies is their range. Cooking drives both lines. Invariably, you will look at the range before you buy any of the other ancillary products
Let's Look at the difference:
GE Café
About three years ago, GE rebranded their Profile line to serve a niche between a professional range and a more basic product. The result was the GE Café. Their range was a new concept, featuring high BTU output burners, a fifth burner, and a double oven option all in a pro style slide-in range. They later added an electric option as well as a dual fuel model and has been one of their best selling ranges since.
Viking Designer
During this same time frame, Viking marketed their Designer series which was originally intended to be a price alternative to their pro ranges. However at almost $4,000, there just wasn’t enough value for a 4 burner manual clean range. With the success of lower priced pro style ranges like GE Café and Jenn-Air, Viking redesigned the product and created a competitive price oriented range. The new Designer series range is a sleek looking 5 burner range with better heat output, a self-cleaning oven and the ability to customize the knobs and handles to any kitchen. I like that feature. It is truly different.
Which is the better range? Let's go to the tape:
GE Café vs Viking Designer
|
Viking Designer |
VS |
GE Café |
|
|
BTU’s per burner: |
18K, 17K, 12k, 8K, 9K |
20K, 17K, 9K, 8K, 5K |
|
|
Lower Drawer: |
None |
Second Oven |
|
|
Color Options: |
Yes |
Stainless Only |
|
|
Warranty: |
3 Year |
1 Year |
|
|
Ovens: |
Self-Cleaning |
Self-Cleaning |
|
|
Retail: |
$2,999 (after instant rebate) |
$3,099 |
In regards to the ranges they are pretty close in features with five burners and high output capability. They will also have matching appliances for kitchen packages.
A full suite of Viking appliances will roughly cost you $7,499 after rebates. While a Café kitchen will cost you about 8,299. GE Café has the better range with slightly hotter burners and second oven, but the Viking has a longer warranty, better resale value, and is actually cheaper.
Wow, I never thought I would say Viking and cheaper in the same sentence, there is a first time for almost everything.
Read a Yale Pro Cooking Buyers Guide for updated features, brands and benefits of every major professional range. Over 20,000 people have read a Yale Guide.
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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.
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