When it comes to cooktops, you have all kinds of different options to choose from. One of the “big names” on the market right now is the Viking cooktop.
This cooktop is a fairly solid option, though it’s definitely not perfect. However, our goal isn’t to persuade you to buy anything or to not buy anything.
Instead, we simply want to give you all the information you need to make an informed purchasing decision for yourself, especially since cooktops aren’t cheap.
So, with that in mind, we’ll share with you some pros and cons of the Viking cooktop so that you’ll be equipped to make your own decision.
The Things to Love About Viking Cooktop
You’ll Get Professional Quality Products
Image from Viking
The first thing that you should know about the Viking cooktop and, for that matter, all Viking products is that they are professional quality.
In fact, this company used to only make professional products, like those used in restaurants. However, it recently decided to re-engineer its products and make them suitable for home use.
This means that you get a product that is more affordable than a professional cooktop, as well as more geared toward regular, daily usage but still just as good and just as high quality.
More Burners than You Usually Get
Image from Pixabay
Something else we particularly like about the Viking cooktop is the fact that it actually comes with six burners. Some cooktops only come with two burners or, if you’re lucky, four. Six, however, is virtually unheard of.
If you want the option to cook lots of things at once, then you will definitely love this cooktop. Of course, some people prefer a smaller unit and could see this as a con, but we think most people will probably be happy with more than the average number of burners.
Attractive Design
We also really just plain like the way the Viking cooktop looks. Sure, looks don’t have anything to do with performance, but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate a cooktop that looks good in the kitchen.
And, this one certainly does look good. It has a sleek, modern cooking surface made of stainless steel. The steel is complemented by the heavy iron grates over the burners, creating a unique unit that somehow manages to be both modern and classic all at the same time. There are some design flaws, at least in some people’s opinion, and we’ll get into those later. Overall, though, most people find this unit to be quite a beauty.
Lasts for the Long Haul
As mentioned earlier, Viking products are designed to be of the highest professional quality, and that certainly shows. People have reported having Viking units for over 25 years, with those same units still going strong.
You can tell these are longlasting units too, just by looking at them. The quality in the construction lets you know these units can stand up to just about anything. Plus, since they were originally designed to withstand professional use, withstanding regular home use is a breeze for these cooktops.
If you don’t mind the initial investment for a longlasting product, you should be more than pleased with the Viking brand.
Varied BTU Ratings
There’s not really much use in having six different burners if every one is exactly the same. Fortunately, that’s not the case with the Viking cooktop. With the exception of two 12k BTU burners, all of the other burners have different BTU ratings to match your cooking needs.
There’s one super powerful 18k BTU burner, a 10K BTU burner, an 8K BTU burner, and then a 6K BTU burner, perfect for simmering sauces and soups and for keeping dishes warm. This lower heat burner is also good for melting.
With so many different burners, it’s easy to ensure perfect stovetop cooking each and every time.
A Top that is Totally Scratchproof
Image from Pixabay
A big complaint that a lot of people have with cooktops is that they get them, they look great at first, and then, after just a little use, they start getting scratched up and showing wear and tear.
However, that worry is a thing of the past with this offering from Viking. It is specially designed with small divots over the cooking surface, as well as rubber stops, to keep the grates firmly in place. And, because those grates are held in place, they won’t have the chance to shift unexpectedly and mar the pristine cooking surface.
So, if you’re the type of person who wants things to stay looking nice for the long haul, you’ll get exactly what you’re looking for with the Viking cooktop.
Service Issues are Taken Care of Quickly
While it is somewhat rare for issues to come up with the Viking cooktop, they can happen with any unit. And, from our research, we’ve found that, when there are problems, the Viking customer service department is excellent about taking care of them and doing so quickly.
Of course, this applies to units that are still under warranty, and warranties do vary depending on where you buy your unit. Thus, before you buy a Viking cooktop from any particular seller, make sure you know what warranty it comes with and what its terms are. In fact, just like you should work to find a good price, you should also shop to find a good warranty that will keep you protected.
Viking Runs a Special Promotion Related to this Unit
If you’re hoping to add more than just a cooktop to your kitchen, then you may want to look into a special promotion that Viking offers.
Basically, this promotion provides you with a free dishwasher, with a catch of course. IN order to qualify, you have to buy the cooktop along with a ventilation hood and a wall oven.
Also, keep in mind that you don’t automatically get this promotion. First, you have to make sure your retailer offers it. Second, you have to follow all the steps and requirements to follow through on it.
While it can be a bit of a hassle to find and take advantage of this promotion, we think it’s worth it if you were going to end up buying all that stuff anyway. After all, why not take advantage of something free?
If you don’t need all the other stuff, though, then this promotion probably isn’t worth all the fuss.
Everything Works Together Nicely
Image from Pixabay
If you don’t have your whole kitchen mapped out already, you will like the fact that Viking appliances are designed to look great together and to function well together and complement one another.
Of course, it’s not a requirement that you deck out your kitchen in Viking everything. However, if you want to, or if you just want an easy way to ensure that everything matches and looks nice together, this is definitely it.
For those who don’t feel comfortable in their “stylistic abilities,” at least when it comes to the kitchen, this is a very nice little bonus. You can have a high class looking kitchen without a lot of work or effort on your part.
The Certified Dealers are Super Helpful
People buy their appliances, including Viking appliances, from all kinds of retailers and sellers. And, while we certainly can’t speak for all of them, we have to say that people who have gone through certified Viking dealers report overwhelmingly positive experiences.
Apparently, the certified dealers are super knowledgeable about the products and very willing to answer questions and address concerns.
The downside to all this is that you will often pay more if you buy from a certified dealer though. No worries though. You can always get your information and help from a certified dealer and then buy your unit elsewhere if you so choose.
As you can see, there are both upsides and downsides to choosing the Viking cooktop and Viking appliances in general. Hopefully, by reading through these pros and cons and doing a little more research, you can make the right purchasing decision for you and your home.
The Drawbacks of Viking Cooktop
You Probably Can’t Use All Six Burners at Once
We know we’ve said a lot of good things about the Viking cooktop, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect.
In fact, one issue people often point out with this unit is that the burners are not spaced very far apart. This can make it hard to fit several pots and pans on there at once. In fact, it is downright impossible to use all six of the burners at once.
And, while it’s pretty doubtful you’d need to cook six dishes at a time, it is disappointing that the cooktops offer a feature on which it can’t deliver.
It Can Be Tough to Clean
Image from Pixabay
One other bummer about this cooktop is the fact that it can be very difficult to clean.
We already mentioned the nice divots in the design that keep the grates from moving and causing scratches. And, while those divots are nice in that regard, food and debris tends to get stuck in them, which can make for some tough cleaning and some serious scrubbing.
Worse yet is the fact that the best way to clean the grates- the way actually recommended by Viking- is to soak them for twenty minutes and then to wash and dry them by hand. For the busy person, which is most of us these days, that equals too much cleaning.
If you can deal with the demanding cleaning routine, however, then more power to you.
The Broiler Has Been Known to Break
While many people have reported positive experiences with using the broiler on this unit, others have complained that it breaks after a few uses.
While this hasn’t been shown to happen on all units, it does sometimes happen.
And, sure, as we mentioned, Viking has great customer service when you need it. However, it is unfortunate that you’d have this problem at all, no matter how rarely it may occur, with such an expensive unit.
The Control Placement is Less than Perfect
While we found a lot of things to love about the design of the Viking cooktop, the placement of the controls was not one of them.
For one thing, most of the controls are all on the right side, which makes it look a little cluttered. Another issue is that it’s hard to tell one control from the next, which could make for some confusing and potentially even disastrous cooking.
Of course, once you get used to the controls, it’s not really a big deal. But, still, we think the design could be a bit more attractive and a lot more user-friendly, especially for the price.
The Controls Get Dirty Easily
We’ve already mentioned how parts of this unit can be hard to clean. And, to make matters worse, this is also a unit that tends to get dirty and smeared quite easily.
Our biggest complaint in terms of “looking messy” is the fact that the knobs, especially the ones located nearer the back, tend to be bad about picking up fingerprints.
Image from Pixabay
This means that, unless you want your cooktop to look like a big mess, you have to clean the knobs almost daily or at least after each use.
That can get a little annoying, but if you’re not super picky about things like that, it probably won’t bother you.
