In a short period, Samsung has become the number 1 brand of appliances at the expense of other manufacturers like Kenmore, Whirlpool, Maytag, and Frigidaire.
However, they have only sold commodity products like refrigerators, laundry, dishwashers, and stoves. They have not marketed built-in appliances until now.
Can Samsung sell products against some premium brands such as Miele, Wolf, Bosch, and Thermador? In this article, you will see the features of their 36-inch cooktop, the NA36N6555TS.
Then I will compare the Samsung versus the most popular gas cooktop brands both in features and price. In the end, you will better understand whether you should consider a Samsung built-in product.
Currently, different brands like Wolf, Thermador, Bosch, Jenn-Air, Miele, and Viking make up the gas cooktop market.
The built-in market has always skewed to higher-end brands to fit a more upscale consumer. In contrast, the larger manufacturers like GE, Whirlpool, Electrolux, LG, and Samsung control the more commodity appliances like washers and refrigerators.
All these cooktops from any brand have their advantages and shortcomings. Some have a decent output like Miele with two higher output burners. Others like Thermador and Wolf simmer better.
But they are all expensive, over $1,800 for really half a range. Samsung is 30-40% lower in most cases - it's worth noting.
Now you will see whether the features compare.
You will be learning about Samsung's 36-inch gas cooktop, the NA36N6555TS.
Features:
Allows you to monitor the operating status and the power level settings of the cooktop elements as well as change the timer settings. They were the first with Wi-Fi.
Easily identify which burners are in use. They are better than the surface indicator lights of another model. However, once the knobs are powered off, there is no way to tell if the burners/grates are still hot like every other gas unit.
Features a griddle which is great for cooking breakfast, making sandwiches or sauteing vegetables. You can buy a freestanding griddle with any brand, but Samsung includes it with your purchase.
Two 9.5K, 5k, 13k, 19k dual, and its dimensions are 36" x 5 41/72" x 22 ⅓.
19K BTU (British Thermal Units) power burner has two rings - allows for two heating options: quickly bring water to a boil & maintain a simmer.
This gas cooktop offers a variety of burners with varying BTU power. The power burner in the center has a 19K BTU output and allows you to boil water rapidly and maintain a low simmer in the cases of sauces, gravies or even melted chocolate.
The other four burners offer some flexibility with different sizes for pots and pans as well as the option for griddle cooking with the included cast-iron griddle at least in theory.
This model is available in stainless steel and or a fingerprint-resistant black stainless steel.
A bonus with Samsung is their rebates; you can save $300 when you purchase 3 or more eligible appliances, or you can save $200 when you buy 2 of their available appliances.
They don't publish a simmer rating, so that may be an issue. It has one powerful burner. Some have two.
Wi-Fi is good, but the connectivity is slow, and the functionality is limited (for now).
Service with Samsung can be an issue due to its popularity. You want to ensure this product can be fixed (the same could be said for most brands).
First, it is a nice looking design. Years of competing with Apple has taught Samsung the benefits of style.
Secondly, its less expensive than the premium brands and can be packaged with other products as well.
It does only have one power burner, but it's 19,000, not 15-17,000 like the other brands. You will cook quicker with that burner.
Let's take a look at how the new Samsung compares to the most popular gas cooktops in the industry.
| Samsung Gas Cooktop NA36N6555TS | Miele Gas Cooktop KM3475G |
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| $1,099.99 | $2,099 |
Miele has slightly more power compared to Samsung, but the burners are set up differently- more room for larger pots and pans because of the placement of the knobs.
Miele's two strongest burners are at 15,300 BTU are lower than in BTU output than Samsung's one power burner at 19,000 BTU's.
| Samsung Gas Cooktop NA36N6555TS | Thermador Gas Cooktop SGS365TS |
|
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| $1,099.99 | $ 1,699 |
Thermador uses their classic star burner design versus Samsung's more traditional circular sealed burners. Thermador is known for the best simmer at 100 BTU on two burners, but Samsung has more powerful burners.
| Samsung Gas Cooktop NA36N6555TS | Wolf Gas Cooktop CG365P |
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| $1,099.99 | $2,230 |
Wolf's gas cooktop is very similar in power to the Samsung with an 18/12,000 BTU burner. Wolf has 3 9,000 BTU burners instead of the one 5,000. Wolf has a three-stage burner so that it can simmer at 500 BTU on each burner.
You also have more room for fitting larger pots and pans due to the knobs being placed on the far right front side of the cooktop.
| Samsung Gas Cooktop NA36N6555TS | Bosch Gas Cooktop NGM8655UC |
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| $1,099.99 | $1,129 |
Samsung's gas cooktop is slightly more similar to a Bosch gas cooktop in output and price. However, Bosch is more powerful and is lower in price.
It depends on where you are, who you are, and how you use this cooktop.
For homeowners, if you need power in 2 burners consistently, then Miele would be a better cooktop. Thermador simmers better, and Wolf has a better arrangement, and all the burners can simmer well.
But are you willing to spend $400-1000 more?
Bosch is a more competitive unit in terms of features and price. The Samsung wall oven (if you are buying both) has steam and more features than the Bosch at the same price.
For builders, a Samsung built-in package for a cooktop and wall oven with decent features will save $1,500-6000 per kitchen from a high-end Wolf, Miele or Thermador kitchen and will offer some better functionality than Bosch.
Lastly, you do have to figure out who will be fixing Samsung before you buy.
The cooktop is decent, not revolutionary, but the price with the features is pretty compelling.
The best cooktop brands in terms of popularity are Jenn-Air, Thermador, Bosch, and Wolf.
You can use anyone's downdraft with anyone's cooktop. Downdrafts should be considered a last resort.
| Service Qty | Shipped Qty | Service Ratio | |
| Kitchenaid | 1 | 41 | 2.44 % |
| Samsung | 1 | 9 | 11.11 % |
| Bosch Appliances | 14 | 123 | 11.38 % |
| Fisher & Paykel | 1 | 8 | 12.50 % |
| Wolf | 23 | 168 | 13.69 % |
| Jenn-Air | 22 | 137 | 16.06 % |
| Thermador | 22 | 130 | 16.92 % |
| Bosch - Benchmark | 5 | 26 | 19.23 % |
| Miele | 6 | 27 | 22.22 % |
| Gaggenau | 8 | 18 | 44.44 % |
| Bertazzoni | 1 | 1 | 100.00 % |
| Grand Total | 104 | 724 | 14.36 % |
Bosch has the most reliable gas cooktop. KitchenAid is sold mostly to builders, so the tenant/condo owner may not be calling us for service.
Wolf, Jenn-Air, and Thermador are also worth considering based on the numbers.
Additional Resources
Get the Yale Gas Cooking Buying Guide with features, specs, and inside buying tips to all the brands. Well over 580,000 people have read a Yale Guide.
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