Whether you decide to put hardwood floors in your kitchen or choose a more traditional flooring option, there’s a good chance, statistically speaking, that you’re going to want to update your gas range someday. However, as you’ve probably heard from family and friends, they don’t make appliances the way they used to. It’s hard to find a gas range that’s as powerful as it’s reliable, and unless you’re a millionaire, it’s hard to justify a Wolf or a Viking, no matter how legendary their reputations may be.

Fortunately, the Internet has made it possible for quality engineering and affordable pricing to bring us impressive technology from overseas, whether in  Miele vacuums made in Germany or high-end gas ranges designed in the US and produced in China. Today we’ll review the Thor Kitchen HRG3080U 30″ Freestanding Professional Gas Range and compare it to the Kucht KRG3080U Professional Natural Gas Range to see which offers more value. To summarize our thoughts in ten seconds, both are among the best commercial-style gas ranges available for non-pro prices. They’re nearly identical; the main advantage of the Kucht is better customer service than that provided by Thor Kitchen. Our full review is below, and you can buy the Thor Kitchen HRG3080U here in the United States. If you’re in Canada, you can buy the HRG3080U here.

Pros, cons, and key features of the Thor Kitchen HRG3080U 30″ Gas Range

The HRG3080U is one of around a dozen ranges released in recent years by Chino, California-based Thor Kitchen.  The company is one of many startups taking advantage of cheap shipping and Chinese factories to bring high-end appliances to the US for low-end domestic prices. Like their dishwashers, range tops, range hoods, wine coolers, and refrigerators, their gas or liquid propane (LP) ranges are universally stainless steel and fall in the “prosumer” spectrum–that is, they offer a blend of professional, almost commercial-grade quality while targeting the consumer market. And from we’ve seen, they do so well.

The HRG3080U  has a 4.2 cubic foot 22,000 BTU convection oven housed beneath a 4 burner stovetop with variable power burners. The two front burners put out 18,000 BTU and 15,000 BTU while the twin rear burners generate up to 12,000 BTU each. Beneath the oven is a 13,000 BTU broiler. The range uses natural gas, although it can be converted to a liquid propane setup with a few hours of work. It features electronic piezoelectric ignition and includes an auto-reignition system. The entire surface is stainless steel and inside the oven you’ll find a blue enamel finish.

What options are available for controlling the Thor Kitchen range?

We’re impressed by the HRG3080U’s construction; it’s visually attractive and satisfyingly solid to the touch. The steel is smooth, shiny, and well-engineered. The control knobs are easy to turn and finished in metal. The cooking grates are large, heavy, and made from cast iron. The oven window is large and provides a clear view inside; twin internal halogen oven lights make it easy to check on the progress of whatever you’re cooking.

One of the biggest advantages of the range’s design is its simplicity: the risk of electronic brain damage and the planned obsolescence it enables is severely diminished by the lack of an electronic control board; you can control every part of the range through switches and knobs. To that end, there is no clock, no self-cleaning function, no digital thermometer to indicate the temperature. When using the oven, you turn the dial to select your desired temperature and an indicator light turns on and shines in blue when the oven reaches the temperature. The temperature range spans 150 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The oven measures 27.5 inches front to back, is 30 inches wide, and 39.8 inches tall including the vent. It weighs 195 pounds. The HRG3080U, like all Thor Kitchen ranges, includes a two year warranty that covers parts and labor.

How easy is it to use and cook with the HRG3080U?

While the HRG3080U by itself wasn’t enough to turn us into world-famous chefs, it’s undeniably a pleasure to use. The burners click smoothly and light nearly instantaneously, with a bright blue flame that heats food frighteningly quickly. Water boils in a matter of minutes, particularly with the higher power burners, and you’ll likely find yourself reducing power repeatedly as you adjust to how much heat the burners generate here compared to on your previous range. We love the heavy-duty cooking grates and how the middle grate allows seamless movement of pots, pans, and other cookware from one burner to the next without lifting, reducing the risk of spills and burns.

Perhaps most importantly, there’s something calming, purifying, and immensely satisfying about cooking without electronic displays, beeps, and the general overstimulating cacophony of modern “smart” appliances. You just turn it on and cook, focusing on what ultimately matters most. This has become increasingly rare these days, and we’re hopeful Thor Kitchen will remember the value of simplicity as they continue to extend their appliance lines.

What’s the difference between the Thor Kitchen HRG3080U and the Kucht KRG3080U?

While we can’t confirm this without directly visiting the Hypion factory in China, we’re pretty sure that the Thor Kitchen HRG3080U and the Kucht KRG3080U are exactly the same gas range with different branding. Internally and externally, they appear identical, and both provide the same satisfying level of power and minimal, process-focused cooking and baking.The main differences between the two models, aside from their names, are price and customer support. To put it simply, the Kucht costs more in the US (although it costs less in Canada) and comes with better customer service; from all indications, the company is a lot quicker to respond to questions or support concerns, which may make the additional money necessary to bring the Kutch home worth paying.

Why buy the Thor Kitchen HRG3080U?

In conclusion, we’d recommend buying the Thor Kitchen HRG3080U if you want a Wolf or Viking-like cooking experience without paying the premiums those brands command. It’s sleek, functional, powerful, and well-made. It’s not perfect–we’d like a more durable finish on the control knobs, we’d like the steel to be more scratch-resistant, and we wish the range didn’t get quite as hot behind the back panel as it does–but it’s one of the most affordable ways to have a commercial-grade range at a price normal homeowners can justify. We heartily recommend it.

Is it worth paying extra for Amazon’s professional expert installation service with the HRG3080U?

As a final note, we’d also suggest choosing the “include installation” option when buying it from Amazon in the United States; the few hundred dollars extra will get you a quick, safe, and error-free expert installation and removal of your existing range. All you have to do is be home and show the pros where to go. Take it from us; when you’re dealing with an appliance that weighs hundreds of pounds and involves explosive gases, there are better places to try to save money than on installing it yourself.

You  can buy the Thor Kitchen HRG3080U 30″ freestanding gas range here on Amazon or buy the Kucht KRG3080U range here instead.

Canadians can buy the Thor Kitchen HRG3080U 30″ freestanding gas range here on Amazon or buy the Kucht KRG3080U range, which is cheaper, instead.

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.