Easily two of the most affordable professional-style kitchen appliance manufacturers, Kucht and Zline have in recent times become household names.
In this post, we discuss the pros and cons of each brand and help you decide which of the two might have the edge over the other.
Kucht
Kucht Professional, based in Clifton, New Jersey, is a modest but rapidly expanding brand, one of many to emerge in recent years, mainly due to the ever-growing pro-style kitchen appliance market and the ease and affordability of manufacturing high-end appliances in Chinese factories.
That’s not to say though that they solely use Chinese manufacturers and materials. The company mentions on its website that they also source materials and components from countries like Italy, Spain, and Germany.
Kucht makes many gas ranges, including the company’s most popular offering, the 36″ Kucht KRG3618U. Kucht also manufactures dishwashers, cooktops, dual fuel sets, range hoods, refrigerators, and wine coolers.
Main selling point?
Kucht prides itself in selling a host of professional-grade appliances at a rather affordable price point.
Pros of Kucht: The good
- Simple and wonderful design
- Analog design; easy to use and control functions.
- The company offers a 4-year warranty with most of its products along with unlimited lifetime online support
- It also has significantly superior customer service.
- The brand’s cast-iron cooking grates are satisfyingly weighty and reassuringly stable.
- All the company’s gas ranges are convertible to propane
- Many of the brand’s appliances are a tad cheaper than competitors’
- Product parts are readily available on the company’s website.
Cons of Kucht: the not so good
- If you’ve never used a professional-grade stovetop before, you’ll need some time to get acclimated to the extra power and features that many of their ranges come with.
- A number of consumers have reported reliability issues with some components of Kucht’s stoves most notably the burners and igniters.
- Customer Support can be frustrating at times
- Many of their ovens and ranges do not have electronic displays which might be a bummer for some people
- The company’s official website isn’t the most functional there is.
- Knobs can get quite hot when the burners and oven are in operation.
Some of the best ranges from Kucht:
Kucht KNG301-K 30″ pro style kitchen range
Perfect for small kitchens, this 30-inch range comes with quite a number of perks most notably the ability to change the color of the oven door and kickplate in less than 2 minutes, completely transforming the aesthetic of your kitchen.
You may acquire a new color set (oven door and kickplate) and change it whenever you want for a very modest price. Red, Blue, White, Green, Black, and Stainless Steel are the current colors offered.
The range comes with a powerful 22,000 BTU convection oven that matches the power of more powerful professional-grade ranges. The oven’s 4.2 cu capacity is also bigger than many 30 inch ranges.
Kucht KNG361-G Gas Range
Just like the 30-inch model, this too comes with interchangeable doors available in up to six colors and does add a bit of style and personalization to the kitchen.
At 22,000 BTU the convection does get quite hot which many self-styled home chefs will love. The range comes with four burners which include two 15,000 BTU burners and two 9000 BTU burners.
Zline
Zline Kitchen and Bath products enhance your cooking experience, increase real estate value, and create elegant environments for individuals looking for high-performance luxury, well, that’s what their website says.
Based in Lake Tahoe Nevada, Zline places a premium on product quality and user experience, two things that have made them one of the most popular pro-style kitchen appliance manufacturers in the world.
Zline’s Autograph Edition line takes their premium appliances even a notch higher offering good-looking ranges fitted with brass burners, porcelain cooktops, stay-put hinges, golden knobs, and plenty of premium personalized touches.
Pros of Zline: The Good
- All their gas ranges come with a free propane conversion kit.
- Zline’s premium Brass burners are not only more efficient but also give their ranges a premium look.
- Zline’s long list of showrooms and authorized dealers means you’ll most likely be able to find professional help if you need it.
- The company was the first to produce range hoods with a lifetime motor warranty.
- Most of their appliances look the part.
- Zline’s customer service is more often than not, excellent.
- Clean and functional website oozes class.
Cons of Zline
- The 1-year warranty on their ranges is on the lower end when compared to Kucht.
- A number of customers have reported part reliability issues with their ranges
- A number of buyers have had issues with oven temperatures being too high
- Customer Support can be unresponsive at times.
Most Popular Zline Ranges:
Zline 30″ PROFESSIONAL 4.0 cu.
Made from Stainless Steel, this is a stylish item that adds a contemporary feel to any kitchen. It has a three-layer glass window that allows you to keep an eye on the progress of any baked items.
The burners can be easily removed for cleaning while the scratch-resistant porcelain cooktop’s one-piece design makes it easier to clean. Adjustable twist legs modify the range’s height from 36 to 38.5 inches.
Zline 36″ professional 4.6 cu.
Not too different from the 30-inch, this ZLine range comes with a total of six burners; great for preparing large meals. These the company says are manufactured and imported from Italy and come with a limited lifetime warranty.
Its exterior shell is manufactured from a high alloy of dent-resistant stainless steel that is both sturdy and durable.
A few other premium brands to watch out for:
Monogram
A brand by GE, Monogram is easily one of the best luxury appliance manufacturers there is today. The brand brings GE’s manufacturing prowess and expertise and adds plenty of premium materials and features.
Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Monogram’s products are built on three pillars: Materials, Performance, and Ownership.
Buyers have a wide range of stoves to choose from, right from 30-inch ranges all the way to 48 inches. Monogram’s ranges are a bit expensive though with the base model 30 inch carrying a hefty $5300 price tag on the company’s website.
Thermador
Based in the United States, Thermador is also one of the most popular luxury kitchen appliance manufacturers. The company prides itself in a rich history of innovation and quality appliance manufacture that spans as far back as 1916.
Thermador’s patented star burners are some of the best there are on the market and are said to provide up to 56% more heat coverage than traditional burners.
The company manufactures a host of kitchen appliances ranging from dishwashers and freezers to top-of-the-range stoves.
Their appliances aren’t cheap either with their base model 30 inch gas range costing just shy of $5000.
Viking
Another one from the United States, Viking is a popular luxury appliance brand that was founded in 1987.
Based in Greenwood, Mississippi, Viking produces appliances in almost all kitchen appliance categories and has four appliance collections including; 3 series, 5 series, 7 series, and the Tuscany line.
Wolf
Owned by Sub-Zero Group Inc, Wolf produces a variety of luxury professional and household kitchen appliances ranging from stoves and microwaves to coffee systems and outdoor grills.
Final verdict
From a pricing perspective, Zline would be the easier one to recommend with the brand providing some of the lowest prices in this segment.
Add to this the fact that you’ll most likely be getting a clean and elegant-looking appliance and have a robust customer support system that’ll most often than not, come through if you ever need it.
Zline isn’t perfect though; A number of customers have reported both reliability and customer support issues while the company’s 1-year warranty on ranges is trumped by Kucht’s generous 4-year warranty.
Kuch’t no-nonsense approach offers ranges that excel at all things a range should and then some more, and thus aren’t a bad good choice too.
Additionally, their choice of analog functions and controls means that you’re less likely going to have issues with electric circuit boards and things of the like.
Of course, there are a few other brands in the same space offering similar or better products, so you might want to look around and see if any of those might suit your needs.
Luckily for you, we’ve reviewed these too and you can refer to some of our articles below.
Bertazonnni vs Viking
Thermador vs Bertazzoni
Zline vs Wolf
Zline vs Thor
Zline vs Viking