No matter how much you love cooking and baking, if you’re like most of us, you’re still not going to spend $9,000 on a Viking. Fortunately, thanks to globalization, you can get a double oven range that performs just as well for a fraction of the price. Thor Kitchen has been eating into Viking’s sales with one fantastic range after another in recent years. Today we’ll review one of them, the Thor Kitchen HRG4808U 48″ Gas Range with 6 Burners and Double Ovens, and compare it to the HRG4804U 48″ range to see which offers more value for the money. Our abbreviated thoughts are to choose the HRG4808U over the HRG4804U if you want more powerful burners at the expense of a slightly less powerful griddle; aside from that, both ranges are effectively identical. Our full review is below, and you can buy the Thor Kitchen HRG4808U here in the United States. If you’re in Canada, you can buy the Thor Kitchen HRG4808U here.

Pros, cons, and key features of the Thor Kitchen HRG4808U 48″ Gas Range

To be blunt, the HRG5808U range is one of Thor Kitchen’s latest attempts to dethrone Viking’s established 48″ double oven range line by offering cheaper, yet high quality alternatives, and it makes a convincing argument. The entire unit is powered by natural gas, although liquid propane conversion is available via a conversion kit. Moving from top to bottom, you’ll find 6 sealed burners and a stainless steel griddle.

The front 3 burners are single burners that deliver 18,000 BTU each. The back 3 burners are dual burners with 15,000 BTU each and an ultra-low 650 BTU simmer function. The burners feature automatic re-ignition sensors that reignite them on the fly if the flames go out to prevent gas leaks (and ruined meals). The burners are arranged in front-to-back pairs with each pair connected by continuous cast iron cooking grates; as a result, there are 3 double grates instead of six single grates. Between the left double grate and right pairs of double grates is a 15,000 BTU stainless steel griddle. Like the burners, it’s fully adjustable by a mechanical knob on the face of the range.

Below the cooktop, you’ll find the double ovens. The right oven is 30″ wide and is the primary unit; it has a 4.2 cubic foot capacity and a U-shaped bake burner that generates up to 22,000 BTU. It also includes an infrared broil burner that puts out up to 16,500 BTU and a commercial-grade convection fan for even heat distribution. The oven features two halogen lights for interior visibility and the interior is coated in blue porcelain. The left oven is the secondary unit; it’s 18″ wide with a 2.5 cubic foot capacity. The internal tube burner generates up to 14,000 BTU and it includes one halogen light for visibility; like the primary oven, features a blue porcelain interior.

How easy is it to use, control, and cook with the Thor Kitchen HRG4808U?

The HRG4808U is a pleasure to use. The knobs are easy to grip, smoothly turned, and quickly lit. The range is versatile enough to handle just about any type of cooking or baking task thrown at it, and you’ll quickly realize that the only limitations to your kitchen abilities will be your experience and imagination.

Part of what makes the HRG4808U so enthralling is its simplicity and the reliability that comes with it. There are nearly no electronic components to be found; you can control nearly every part of the range through the shining metal knobs. You won’t set any clocks, program any timers, or sync anything with your smart phone. You’ll just cook, because there’s nothing left to do, and in the end, nothing more important with a range. And due to the near absence of electronics and complete absence of screens, the range is nearly indestructible. There are no electronic circuit boards to prematurely break down, which means you’re not going to throw it away a year or a decade from now due to planned obsolescence and cheap parts. Food cooks quickly and evenly, and you have the control and power you need to realize your cooking visions. To put it simply, you’re buying a professional machine for professional cooking.

What’s the difference between the Thor Kitchen HRG4808U and HRG4804U 48″ gas ranges?

The main differences between the HRG4808U and HRG4804U have to do with burner and griddle power as well as slight ergonomic improvements in the HRG4808U, which is the newer of the two ranges. The oven doors open more smoothly in the HRG4808U; it seems to have quieter, better-built hinges, and the stainless steel seems slightly thicker, making it less likely to scratch. However, the more significant differences are in burner power. The HRG4808U features 3x 18,000 BTU burners and 3x 15,000 BTU burners while the HRG4804U features 3x 15,000 BTU burners and 3x 12,000 BTU burners. As a result, you’ll be able to cook slightly more quickly with the HRG4808U than you will with the HRG4804U. However, either range will be more than powerful enough for the vast majority of home (and professional) cooking applications. It’s also worth noting that the stainless steel griddle on the HRG4804U is slightly more powerful than that on the HRG4808U, topping out at 18,000 BTU in the HRG4804U but stopping at 15,000 BTU in the HRG4808U.

Is it worth paying extra for Amazon’s professional expert installation with the Thor Kitchen HRG4808Urange?

Finally, whether you choose the newer Thor Kitchen HRG4808U range or the slightly older HRG4804U range, we’d heartily recommend you use Amazon’s “include installation” option if it’s available. We’d additionally suggest using Amazon to buy the range simply because it means you’ll get a 400-pound appliance delivered to your door with free shipping in a few days while allowing you to choose when it’s delivered to make sure you’re at home. It costs a few hundred dollars more to add the expert installation to the free delivery, but it’ll also give you a swift, safe, and error free professional installation, which you’ll want so your warranty coverage remains in good standing. Aside from the professional installation, the installers will also remove and responsibly recycle or dispose of your existing range. When buying a multi-thousand dollar appliance that you want to keep for decades in beautiful shape, you’re not going to want to drop or dent it–or even worse, install it incorrectly–simply to save a couple hundred dollars. Get the job done well so you can enjoy your Thor Kitchen for years to come.

You can buy the Thor Kitchen HRG4808U 6-burner range with a double oven here on Amazon or buy the Thor Kitchen HRG4804U 6-burner range and double oven here.

Canadians can buy the Thor Kitchen HRG4808U 6-burner gas range and double oven here or buy the Thor Kitchen HRG4804U 6-burner range with double oven, here.

If you find our research on PMC helpful, you can follow our efforts to keep maniacally reviewing home appliances by shopping through our links above. We promise to keep fighting the good fight against every horror children, animals, and grown, yet messy humans can inflict upon a clean home.