I have a Neff oven and induction cooktop. Mine are only 600mm not 900mm but i do have the removable twist knob control for the cooktop. I wasnt sure if it was a gimmick but seems to work very well. Ive had both for about 1 year which is not that long but they havent missed a beat. I have also owned a Bosch freestanding oven/induction cooktop in my previous house and after a couple of years i had a lot of problems with the oven just cutting out while on and the cooktop was not responsive when trying to adjust the temp. So i would say spend the extra money and get the Neff. Their customer service is excellent too. They are basically the same company  (same parent company)but bosch is the lead in product, then Neff, then Gaggenau.  I was attracted to the Neff as they are all made in Germany. I think only some of the bosch products are. The flexible zones works well too. Good luck

Thank you so much for your time. It appears as though I may have to now decide between the two Neff cooktops. It felt as though the one without the dial actually had a bit more space as the heating area goes closer to the edges of the cooktop. I cut out of cardboard the size of my pans and went to the shop to measure. With the dial one I wasn't sure if I would get more on other than my two big pans. I could definitely get on another little pot in the one without the dial although my big pan would overhang the middle pot space by about 1cm the entire way around.

Do you prefer the dial to just pushing on the glass? I know with my previous Fischer and Paykel sometimes the buttons would not respond because my pot just over flowed. It did have automatic cut out with spills but it had to be spilling quite badly. If it was just starting to spill and I raced over to turn it down the wet touch screen wouldn't work. I am guessing that is the purpose of the dial, to ensure the buttons keep working in that situation? Is that what you have found?

Do you find yourself using the other extra features much?

I think the stainless steel must protect the edges a little although they do not run along flush with the edge.

To be honest i haven't used it much without the dial, only when i switch it to fry pan setting (love that feature) and on/off but i feel its much better quality than the previous Bosch and Fisher and paykel cooktops ive used. It just responds straight away. Yes i find it doesnt cut out unless there is quite a lot of overflow from pots whereas when i had a bosch it drove me nuts as it seemed to stop just with a small amount of water and even after i had mopped it up it took ages before being able to use it again. This is one of the downsides of induction, but there are lots of advantages and certainly doesnt bother me nearly as much now.  In terms of size, mine only has 3 hotplates, which i deliberated over for some time as most have at least 4, i worked out that i only probably.want to use 4 at once one time a year and i havent regretted it. But only you know if you need all going at once and how big your pots are. I dont use the extra features much, like the flex zone but when i do they are fantastic. I couldn't cook gravy in a baking pan on the stove top without it.  Mine has a little silver strip around the outside which is slightly lower than the cooktop which needs to be wiped down properly after each use to avoid food getting stuck but not a deal breaker. PS i absolutely love my Neff oven, the food comes out perfect every time at the exact time.   Would absolutely recommend the oven. I dont have the steam one, but i do have the door that tucks inside the oven when open and its a genius idea, so easy to access inside.  Would definitely buy another Neff as far superior to any other ive used.

Sorry to not be helpful with decision making but have you considered AEG? I think they're great

I looked at it but I think it works out more expensive again as Neff has a deal atm and AEG do not. If I bought their ovens I believe they do but I can't get a 60cm steam oven in Stainless from them and I want stainless not black stainless. That is also why I couldn't look at Siemens as well. They are forcing everyone into black stainless atm, including fridges etc. I am having a white kitchen and prefer a more subtle contrast. I will have a quick look at them again though. Good to hear that they are great.

I assume you've used induction before? If not have you checked the big pots you currently use are suitable for induction? You can test by putting a magnet to the bottom, if it sticks it can be used on induction

Yes thankyou. I had a fischer and paykel two burner induction cooktop prior to starting the renovations. It is what introduced me to induction. I love it. They are big cast iron frying pans. I will be putting something under them to stop/reduce scratching.

I had a Bosch in my previous house to replace an early Electrolux induction one. Wouldn’t get either again. I’d spend more and get the Neff with the knob. Should have done that in the beginning

Thank you Rinnia. Is there any particular reason that you would pick the Neff one with the knob over the chaper knobless one?

I just looked up the AEG cooktops and realised that I was wrong. For an extra $99 AEG does have a cooktop that may suit AEG 900mm 5 Zone Induction Cooktop with ProCook & FlexiBridge

IKE95471FB 7332543592135 It is 900mm wide and has a 5 yr warranty. I have ruled out Bosch but now which is better between AEG and NEFF :0 It doesn't have the sense fry like the top of the range NEFF but I won't be buying the NEFF frying pan so sense fry will not work for me anyway.

I wouldn't by Neff induction cooktop again. One of the cooking areas failed just inside the warranty period, and the whole right hand side has now failed. It is 7 years old. Repair cost is $540 in addition to the $205 already paid to the approved Neff technician to diagnose the problem. The cooktop was $3,699 in 2015. Very