# Any thoughts about ZLine brand ranges?



## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

My mom is remodeling her house and was asking me about the ZLine brand of gas range/electric oven. Do any of yall have any experience with them? As far as the nicer more expensive range/ovens, I've only really installed Wolf or Viking in the homes we build. They seem to have good reviews online, but I am usually wary of online reviews in general. Then again, nothing real bad has stood out to me in the reviews I have seen. Oh, Thor is another one she asked me about, I've only installed a few outdoor grills from Thor and they seemed to be pretty good quality. So any input about Thor range/ovens will also be appreciated.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

chonkie said:


> My mom is remodeling her house and was asking me about the ZLine brand of gas range/electric oven. Do any of yall have any experience with them?......





Well call me stupid, but why not ask an appliance repair guy? 



If another tradesman called me or stopped me in the supply house and said "Hey guy, I hear you're the most knowledgeable repair guy around, I have to buy a stove for my mother and she wants x, y, or z, what do you think?", I would be flattered and feel compelled to give the guy a thorough answer.



I'd also prolly have a 5$ bill in my pocket ready to tip him when he's done explaining. What's the worst that happens? He's either too busy to talk or he'll feel flattered and probably speak good or better about you after the fact.






We have another old plumbing/heating company in town that does appliances. We don't stock them and we will only install them, when it comes to fixing them or picking one out we refer them to this other local company. In return they send a lot of snaking work our way, woohoo, I am over joyed lain:








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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

skoronesa said:


> Well call me stupid, but why not ask an appliance repair guy?
> 
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ok stupid.................................:vs_laugh:



cause maybe this aint an appliance repair forum?????


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## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

skoronesa said:


> Well call me stupid, but why not ask an appliance repair guy?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Did you ever think that maybe I am looking for the opinion of people that install them? Ever think that a repair guy might lie about one brand that they don't service so you buy the brand they do service? Or maybe they recommend the sh!tty brand they do service that way they potentially get more work?

I was just asking here since plumbers install them, figured maybe someone here has experience installing them. Maybe they would be able to tell me if they have issues with them or not during the install stage, kinda like how I don't service or repair Kohler, but I also don't recommend that people buy most of Kohler's products because they over complicate simple things, their quality has gone down in my opinion, and they are, for the most part, overpriced.


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## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> cause maybe this aint an appliance repair forum?????


Good point, and I'm not keen on joining an appliance repair forum, since they may be like we are here and tell me to piss off unless I'm in the appliance repair union.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

chonkie said:


> Did you ever think that maybe I am looking for the opinion of people that install them? Ever think that a repair guy might lie about one brand that they don't service so you buy the brand they do service? Or maybe they recommend the sh!tty brand they do service that way they potentially get more work?
> 
> I was just asking here since plumbers install them, figured maybe someone here has experience installing them. Maybe they would be able to tell me if they have issues with them or not during the install stage, kinda like how I don't service or repair Kohler, but I also don't recommend that people buy most of Kohler's products because they over complicate simple things, their quality has gone down in my opinion, and they are, for the most part, overpriced.





I sense a little hostility and I just want you to know I wasn't trying to be a smart ass, just make a bad joke.



Usually the people who repair them also install them. Didn't seem like the guys on here install a lot of appliances because they never bring it up. I didn't know you had that much of a trust issue with your local appliance repairmen.




Well, if there's one thing I have learned here it's that you guys live in a much more dog eat dog world than I do. I wouldn't hesitate to walk into our competitors shop and ask advice on appliances since we only install them. I figured you wanted to know how good they are after the fact since most seem to install pretty much the same. 







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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

chonkie said:


> Good point, and I'm not keen on joining an appliance repair forum, since they may be like we are here and tell me to piss off unless I'm in the appliance repair union.


just lie like im sure some of the people here do, that join. doesnt last too long once they start asking stupid questions any plumbing helper would know..but give it a shot...


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

skoronesa said:


> I sense a little hostility and I just want you to know I wasn't trying to be a smart ass, just make a bad joke.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


what???? you dont install stoves, stove tops, dishwashers,washing machines, dryers, ice makers and insta hots... you never finished a kitchen?


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## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

Yeah, there was just a little bit of hostility behind it, mainly due to the fact I read your post as being a little hostile. Like I was stupid for asking here. It's all good though, no hate here. And I've been the person to install most of the appliances in the homes we build, unless it's a built in electric oven, built in microwave, fridge, washer/dryer unless it's a gas dryer. I've had to install most all other appliances.

I don't know any repair men. But as an installer, I do like to think that I can tell the initial quality of a brand based on many factors. Like the feel of something, like how a faucet if it is a light plastic piece of crap or a nice heavy one. Also the quality of the finish, like chrome, some can be kind of wavy or uneven, which kind of tells me how much time was spent towards the base finish work of the metal, since that is what is basically showing through. The one brand I have recommended that she look at for lav faucets is Kraus, because all of the ones I have installed I felt were way above other brands when it comes to all those little things I look for that tell me quality and care in what they do. The same with their procelain sinks, much better quality control in the base forms and the glazing finish than anything from Kohler. And Kraus isn't even high priced compared to most things that are.

As far as appliances, I can usually give an opinion on quality of brands I've installed from the fit and finish of things that most won't notice, even a repair person. Engineering and design of how things are put together and how the install goes. How good are the bends in stainless, or if there are welds how good are they. If it is somewhat flimsy compared to others. Are some parts not lined up quite right with other joining parts, but still just good enough to pass. Quality of their instructions and the owners manual. All of those things can help lead my mind to if a brand is quality.

I do like to know how something is to use in day to day scenarios and how they hold up. 
I told her to look for reviews that talk about that, because she has been looking at some funky waterfall spout faucets. The ones she looked at, I had to show her to concentrate on reviews by the people that actually spent time on writing a comprehensive review on what it was like to use. Not just all of the people that put one line saying it looks great. Once she started doing that, she noticed that the ones she had picked out, the real reviews showed that the faucets were a pain in the butt to use every day, like for brushing teeth, to it not splattering, or some on how well the flow control is to not have it gushing out by barely turning it on because there is little handle movement, and then when they try to lower the flow, there is uneven flow spread so it is difficult to wash your hands. Little things like that.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> what???? you dont install stoves, stove tops, dishwashers,washing machines, dryers, ice makers and insta hots... you never finished a kitchen?





Me personally? No. I have installed all of the above but not on a single jobsite. I do 99% service work. I have replaced quite a number of dishwashers. I am on a jobsite maybe once a month, and almost never a full day. I haven't roughed a full bathroom since I was a helper. The boss knows I can do anything he asks but we have so many guys we each have our own unique job descriptions. We have two guys who fix water softeners, I don't think any of the other guys has ever taken one apart while with us. Only 3 guys carry well pump control boxes, all of us service guys have pressure switches.



My duties are as follows;
-drains
-fixture swaps
-leaks(mostly facuets/hosebibbs/old valves)
-water filters
-salt delivery(not so much anymore)
-chlorinations & bacterial sampling
-dishwasher swaps
-Funny/septic smells-mostly your ex-wife's house 
-and a bunch of other odd/weird jobs
-lastly, and certinaly the least, newcon/reno




Most of the newcon here, the gc will have his guys physically move the washer and dryer to location and we will hook up the water and exhaust. The counter guys will set the range and we hook gas to it. The carpenter or us will set the hood and we hook up the duct. Gas in wall oven will be fitted by the carpenter and we will pull it out and hook up the gas. If it's a gas range we slide it in, I did one a couple weeks ago. Other than washer, dryer, and dishwasher, if it's electric we don't usually touch it. Most of the new construction i is really high end homes with the kind of appliances that the carpenter has to custom fit so they take up a lot of the slack.





For appliance swap outs around here it's usually the big box stores who include install with delivery or the other local company I mentioned. Occasionally we will get a customer who has had a bad experience with those two and wants us to do the swap. The institutions we handle like the public and private schools, and medical facilities, they have us do all the swaps that include plumbing and their maintenance guys do the rest. Only one of the local schools actually has electricians/plumbers/hvac guys who do 99% of their in house service work. We get 99% of their reno/newcon jobs for them though. They pinch pennies where they can but they know we have the know how and the manpower to get it done while the kids are gone and we are 15 mins away when it needs service.




I do know that in our area the trades work a little differently than many other places. For instance non of our guys do tile/drywall/painting though we have a couple who have done it professionally. Also, even though we have statewide licensing the licensing department never comes to our 45 minute radius including about 8 small towns because all the companies here have been here for decades and never get complaints. All of our helpers are signed up as apprentices and the building inspectors don't even pretend to know near as much as the tradesmen. Most of the towns share the same 2 or 3 inspectors who frequently sub for each other as well. The few one, two, or three man shops are offshoots of us big guys and employees sometimes swap between the companies. Everyone knows everyone else and is often related, blood, marriage, or otherwise. I'd say 60% of the licensed tradesmen for the whole area come from the town I live in.







To give you a chuckle, I will even risk saying that the environment is very "incestuous" in a metaphorical sort of way. :wink:








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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

skoronesa said:


> Me personally? No. I have installed all of the above but not on a single jobsite. I do 99% service work. I have replaced quite a number of dishwashers. I am on a jobsite maybe once a month, and almost never a full day. I haven't roughed a full bathroom since I was a helper. The boss knows I can do anything he asks but we have so many guys we each have our own unique job descriptions. We have two guys who fix water softeners, I don't think any of the other guys has ever taken one apart while with us. Only 3 guys carry well pump control boxes, all of us service guys have pressure switches.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 ah, so your a bunch of inbreed trades people...only in california....:vs_laugh:
I install everything..new houses , renovations of kitchens I get to install all the appliances that have a plumbing connection to...


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## GAN (Jul 10, 2012)

TRAITORS, TURN COATS, JOB TAKER AWAYERS. I thought this was a plumbing forum.....:vs_mad:


Next you'll turn into carpenters, wire jerkers, drywallers, concrete guys, mechanics, horse whisperers and the like...........:devil3:


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> ah, so your a bunch of inbreed trades people...only in california....:vs_laugh:
> I install everything..new houses , renovations of kitchens I get to install all the appliances that have a plumbing connection to...


Like you, I've been involved in all of the above. But, a lot of those appliances are installed (as in fitted into the cabinetry or on the counter top) by others. I just hook up the plumbing. Occasionally, I'll throw on a pigtail. 
When it comes to knowing which is the most user friendly of a particular appliance type I'm clueless because even if I sold the damned thing, I'm down the road after a year. My first hand knowledge comes from the appliances I have in my own house. But, even that can be misleading because the products I have may be outdated and the newer stuff from a particular manufacturer may not be of the same quality.
Repairmen are more qualified than installers, better yet, appliance owners.


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

Plumbus said:


> Like you, I've been involved in all of the above. But, a lot of those appliances are installed (as in fitted into the cabinetry or on the counter top) by others. I just hook up the plumbing. Occasionally, I'll throw on a pigtail.
> When it comes to knowing which is the most user friendly of a particular appliance type I'm clueless because even if I sold the damned thing, I'm down the road after a year. My first hand knowledge comes from the appliances I have in my own house. But, even that can be misleading because the products I have may be outdated and the newer stuff from a particular manufacturer may not be of the same quality.
> Repairmen are more qualified than installers, better yet, appliance owners.


 Ive cut sinks into cabinet tops along with drop in stove tops...since most people now are doing granite or marble or some other stone , I dont touch those, just formica tops, so I havent had to cut any tops for years...
I have wired up a bunch of dishwashers and garbage disposals , along with all my boilers both line and low voltage...


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Did you know in my area hooking up a dishwasher, a fridge water line, or washing machine isn't under the plumbing umbrella because they are appliances? Anyone can hook them up and I think it's pretty stupid because you still have to install water and drain lines to them. I've seen how diy and hackers install them....

Right now I have plugged in only 1 washing machine just by itself in like 3 years, no one want to pay for the install. I refuse to hook up dyers because they are satan's favorite booby traps. 

- The flex pipe is always next to impossible to get on, 
- The elbow in the wall breaks off
- Then the flex won't stay in place
- Then the freaking machine is in a closet and you can't push it back far enough so the accordion closet doors close
- Gotta remove the accordion closet doors to be able to get in back only to find out the door pivots are broken and the customer blames you wanting new hardware
- Ok you we able to put the flex on but the washing machine is those front loading ones with a glass door that weigh over 200 pounds riding on a linoleum floor and it's impossible to push because it's too heavy or worse it rips the floor up
- You can't push it because of the fear of breaking the glass window
- The freaking machine needs to be set in a square pan like for a water heater

So yeah I refuse to install dryers and sometimes washing machines unless it's in a wide area.

:furious::furious:


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

Tango said:


> Did you know in my area hooking up a dishwasher, a fridge water line, or washing machine isn't under the plumbing umbrella because they are appliances? Anyone can hook them up and I think it's pretty stupid because you still have to install water and drain lines to them. I've seen how diy and hackers install them....
> 
> Right now I have plugged in only 1 washing machine just by itself in like 3 years, no one want to pay for the install. I refuse to hook up dyers because they are satan's favorite booby traps.
> 
> ...





LMFAO..............I never had issues with installing dryers....some tight spots that I had to hang over the top of the machines for final connection, but thats part of the fun...just charge accordingly....I love that phrase..it has made me a bunch of $$$$$ for PITA installs...


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> LMFAO..............I never had issues with installing dryers....some tight spots that I had to hang over the top of the machines for final connection, but thats part of the fun...just charge accordingly....I love that phrase..it has made me a bunch of $$$$$ for PITA installs...


Ha, well at least you had a good laugh. That's another trap getting on top of the machine, the customer is secretly waiting for you to scratch the paint so he gets a new free machine and free install. Oh hell no. 

Like I said I charge regular rate and 99% look for 5.99$ install or something and the response I get I'll call you back. This funny speaking woman yesterday who called for a washing machine said after I gave her the rate, I'll do it myself... Ok why did you call in the first place! :vs_laugh:

Might as well have fun with them and say sure it'll be 3900$


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> Ive cut sinks into cabinet tops along with drop in stove tops...since most people now are doing granite or marble or some other stone , I dont touch those, just formica tops, so I havent had to cut any tops for years...
> I have wired up a bunch of dishwashers and garbage disposals , along with all my boilers both line and low voltage...


I bet you've drilled and punched a few holes in SS sinks. 
Maybe even drilled holes in porcelain sinks and stone tops. How about using a diamond blade on a mini-grinder to cut out stone to fit a drop in tub when the stone guys went brain dead....
or having a hudi rim give and a laundry sink drop on your chest. Makes for a good bench press if you don't mind a little caulk in your face and hair.


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

Plumbus said:


> I bet you've drilled and punched a few holes in SS sinks.
> Maybe even drilled holes in porcelain sinks and stone tops. How about using a diamond blade on a mini-grinder to cut out stone to fit a drop in tub when the stone guys went brain dead....
> or having a hudi rim give and a laundry sink drop on your chest. Makes for a good bench press if you don't mind a little caulk in your face and hair.



some where I have a SS punch for sinks..wont touch porcelain, but those fake cultured marble tops are easy to drill with a good hole saw..
I use a 4 inch angle grinder with a diamond blade to plane down any spots on granite or marble...
I HATE HUDEE RINGS PERIOD..they suck and the inventor should be shot...


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Plumbus said:


> I bet you've drilled and punched a few holes in SS sinks.
> Maybe even drilled holes in porcelain sinks and stone tops. How about using a diamond blade on a mini-grinder to cut out stone to fit a drop in tub when the stone guys went brain dead....
> or having a hudi rim give and a laundry sink drop on your chest. Makes for a good bench press if you don't mind a little caulk in your face and hair.


I've drilled stainless sinks for on demand filtered water using just a regular holw saw and oil. The sink in my bathroom is cultured marble and I cut off 3" of the front apron to make it flat.


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## raphaelyvan (19 d ago)

chonkie said:


> My mom is remodeling her house and was asking me about the ZLine brand of gas range/electric oven. Do any of yall have any experience with them? As far as the nicer more expensive range/ovens, I've only really installed Wolf or Viking in the homes we build. They seem to have good reviews online, but I am usually wary of online reviews in general. Then again, nothing real bad has stood out to me in the reviews I have seen. Oh, Thor is another one she asked me about, I've only installed a few outdoor grills from Thor and they seemed to be pretty good quality. So any input about Thor range/ovens will also be appreciated.


 Stay away…it’s junk. I have the R48 …a year old…my wife hates it….temp issue and doesn’t cook evenly.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

raphaelyvan said:


> Stay away…it’s junk. I have the R48 …a year old…my wife hates it….temp issue and doesn’t cook evenly.


Horrible intro!


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## jim285pro (Sep 3, 2020)

I have a z line in my house. Remote fan hood. Bulbs went out after a couple years. Called them and they sent me new bulbs no questions asked. Talked to an American and they were pleasant on the phone. The hood works very well and is well built. I’d recommend them in a second.


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## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

raphaelyvan said:


> Stay away…it’s junk. I have the R48 …a year old…my wife hates it….temp issue and doesn’t cook evenly.


About two years too late fool. It's already been installed all this time and she has had zero issues with it. She has cooked many big family dinners, and the past two Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and temps are just fine and no issues with uneven cooking. Maybe your wife can't cook.


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## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

jim285pro said:


> I have a z line in my house. Remote fan hood. Bulbs went out after a couple years. Called them and they sent me new bulbs no questions asked. Talked to an American and they were pleasant on the phone. The hood works very well and is well built. I’d recommend them in a second.


She also had one of their hoods installed and it looks good and have had no issues with it either. I too would recommend them.


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