I have started looking at new gas ranges to replace my 50 year old Wedgewood Holly gas range, which is just new enough to not be a "classic". The oven needs a new thermostat and the aluminum two-piece burners are warped and sometimes shoot a flame up the side of even large pots. But mainly I'm trying to gain 6" of space in my small, 1936 kitchen without a total remodel so I can accommodate a portable dishwasher.

At first my search went fine...I checked out the latest CR Ratings page and decided on a 30" from GE. Then, I marched down to the local appliance store and bent the ear of the very nice salesman for about an hour. He agreed GE made very good reliable stoves, especially for the price. He told me to stay away from a couple brands because of frequent service calls, which I appreciated.

Next, it's off to Epinions.com to see what others are saying about their stoves. GE seemed to get pretty decent reviews from folks who owned them, at least when it comes to the reliability of the models I looked at. Most, however, were pretty short-time owners without many years of history yet for their range.

For giggles, I looked at a few other brands. Viking stoves in particular seemed to have a pretty low ratings, so like watching a car race to see a wreck, I read a few and found there seemed to be a problem with everyone's burner and oven ignitors. One woman, who's ignitors only lasted a couple years, really went off on Viking because their Customer Service rep on the phone stated that that's the way they are and to live with it. No one mentioned that in the GE postings, so I thought it was just a Viking quality issue (since there seemed to be many other major problems with Viking ranges in other reviews).

Since I was still toying with the idea of fixing the oven on my Wedgewood, I called a local appliance repairman my Mom has used. I thought he would know the scoop on GE quality. While he said that for a new stove, GE's were pretty good, he also said the ignitor problem was pretty much industry-wide, and expect to have to replace them as part of owning a stove, like maintenance. What the? Haven't they been making ignitors long enough to have the whole thing figured out by now? If it were a $10 part we could all go to the local Appliance Parts store and slip in ourselves, that'd be one thing. But those things aren't cheap!

I called another appliance repair company with a good reputation and got an even bleaker assessment from a very nice, but depressed sounding woman. She said because everything is coming from China now, expect not much more than 10 years from a new stove, if that. She said if I fixed my old stove I would surely get many more years out of it than a new one. What?!! OK, I know we've been a somewhat Disposable Society for a while. But a "disposable" $1700 stove? Sure, the new stoves have Convection Ovens that clean themselves, they have oven timers we can program twelve ways to Tuesday, and they're well insulated. But they can't come close to simmering as well as my Mom's 1940's Okeef and Merrit. Not to mention, all these "continuous" grates allow all the food to fall into the pit beneath the grates so the whole freaking 20 lb."spiderweb" must be removed to clean up even little spills.

Am I just expecting too much here, or not seeing the "big Picture"? Do the newer stoves more than make up for their "maintenance" issues with great performance? It still seems like a lot of expence for "routine maintenance" on an already expensive appliance.

 Is the offshoring of what seems like every single thing we buy dumbing down our perception of the quality and longevity of even what used to be considered a "durable" large purchase? I feel disgusted but powerless.

Thanks, I had to vent!

We are on the same page!

Thank you for the smile that you post induced.

 

 

Those old O'Keefe and Merrit and Wedgewood stoves are amazing. I'd take one of them over a Viking any day! Talk about beauty and lasting quality.

Have you seen these site? www.vintagestoves.com, http://www.antiquegasstoves.com/

I can look at those pictures all day.

If had a 1936 kitchen and was in your situation, I would just try to find a smaller vintage stove. It would have so much character and be a wonderful conversation starter when you have guests. Why go with boring stainless like everybody else?

 

My parents still have an old 36" Crown gas range they bought USED in 1950 when they got married. It's in their basement and used to help fill the gap during holiday meals and so on.
I cannot bellieve when I cook on this unit just how wonderful it is. Pans heat evenly and quickly, the ovens are very even and steady, this thing is a gem.
My mother keeps teasing me and says they'll "put it in the will" ;-)

When my Mom had the oven thermostat on her Okeef & Merrit/ Robert Shaw fixed, the repairman said if she ever wanted to sell it, he'd be interested. But he really talked her out of it by saying she would likely not find a better stove to replace it.

About 12 years ago I did something I am still kicking myself for. A friend was cleaning out his Grandmother's house after she passed away, so they could rent it out. They redid the kitchen, and in the process wanted to get a new stove and get rid of the old one. He called me up and asked if I wanted it for free. Mine was working fine so the thought of lugging my old one downstairs and this one up in it's place seemed like a lot of unnecessary work. Later I found out it was a Okeef & Merrit 4 burner with griddle in practically unused condition. He said since no one he knew wanted it, they took it to the dump. AAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

<<<I like the idea of a new stove's technology, such as not burning all the gas that pilot lights use>>>

 

This is why flame pilots are no longer used. The old style(really old) pilot ignition may have been "wasteful" but there were NO moving parts or electronics involved to fail. Sometimes the desire to save energy(or improve safety) can result in a change to a design that is less durable. Not always--but this is an example. Owners that use the oven every day or self-clean the oven frequently will have an igniter failure sooner rather than later. 

John

Hi John,

I agree, the less complicated the less things there are to fail. I just can't believe that after as long as they've been making electric ignition ranges, they haven't come up with an ignitor that lasts 10+ years under "normal" use. Gee, I wonder if stove manufacturers decided that they could make money from stove owners during the lifetime of the stoves if ignitors wore out? ;-)

> Owners that use the oven every day or self-clean the oven frequently will have
> an igniter failure sooner rather than later.

Whoa.... back up a second!!  Are you saying that running the self-cleaner may impact the igniter??  I hadn't heard of that before... if such be the case, I'll just manually clean the oven, it doesn't need it that often anyway...

As if this were going to be read by the manufacturers, I am in the exact same situation.  When you go to this website and read owner reviews, each oven,dishwasher I have looked at  has no better than a 50% approval, I would recommend this oven, rating.  And none have owned their appliance very long.  The ratings actually get worse when the appliance price goes up.  That's disgraceful.  And the manufacturer's are ripping everyone off.  With nothing we can do.  If they all create disposable items, therefore we buy another more quickly, THEY benefit.  No one else.  And price does NOT equate better quality.  They need to hear, ask and serve their customers.  The total grate surface on the ovens is the dumbest attempt to get the stove to have that dummed up "highend" look.  Who said that was "highend"?  No one asked us.  Highend would be lower maintenance.  And, all stainless is all work.  Stainless does stain and grease, most often found with a stove, is tough to get clean.  Nothing but black, white and stainless?????  Dumb and dumber.  The customer falls for this false advertising of the need to have the "highend" look.  Well, from the reviews, "highend" is really junk end.  Low quality, high price to lure you in to buy.  Then, you're done!

I found about 4 ranges in the 600-1000 range. I like the 5 burner with different btu's for each. throw in a good grill and that would do it for me. Oh ya grates and grills need durability. Im looking at a fridigaere for 848, berfore sales
GE PGB910SEM around a thousand and a couple of kenmores 71384,77484,77463. Don't need bells and wistles. 5 GOOD BURNERS, bakes well and broils well
What do you think? what did you come up with? Can make a bon fire! do all sorts of cooking outdoors, no problem.

I'm trying to replace my Maytag electric range. What a nightmare! I so agree with you, what's up with these manufactures? I really hate to say this, but if Honda or Toyota came in and started making appliances, you would see some BIG changes in quality. And it isn't  just that they KNOW this stuff isn't going to last, it's dangerous ! I've had sales people tell me control panels in general are good for about five years, so expect to change it, and their not cheap. I've read so many stories about how ovens turned off and on at will, and started fires! Or oven doors that got too hot, and blew out!   And steam shorting out control panels because of bad design. Are you kidding me? And they want big bucks for this? Type into a search engine, "Consumer complaints about Kenmore ranges", or whatever brand you're looking into, and your sure to change your mind. I'm out of brands. I started out wanting a double oven, electric smooth top, right! At this point, I'd be happy with an oven that was SAFE. No matter what I end up with, I will be cutting off the circuit breaker when I leave for the weekend. Right now between my grill, micro wave and toaster oven, I'll be taking some time picking out this new range....no rush here ! And I can wait on dealing with the slow or no service, and the long delivery wait on parts, unbelieveable !

I had a GE repairman fixing my 1-year-old dishwasher.  He reiterated what every repairman who's been to my house has said.  New appliances are much lower quality then old ones, and just about any appliance manufactured in the 1980's or earlier will outlast what you buy today.

My personal feeling is that our expectations as a society have changed.  There were no "starter homes" 20 years ago.  People now expect to switch homes every 10 years or less, so appliance manufactures don't think they need to make things that last as long.

I chatted up the aforementioned GE repairman specifically on a stove since that's my next likely appliance purchase.  Basically, the building codes require new safety features that are causing the short longevity.  In our local building code (possibly nationally) ovens are required to have continuous ignition, that is the igniter must be on continuously when used or a safety valve shuts the gas off.  The high gas output of an oven can easily blow up a kitchen if left on without an ignition source, so it's a reasonable compromise law since pilot lights (the former always-on ignition source) are also now banned in our building code.  In any case, these ignitors have a lifespan in hours of oven "on" time, correlating to about 8 years in normal oven use, and are a couple hundreds of dollars to replace (plus labor).  Ignitors use either continuous spark, or heat metal to red-hot, both of which understandably cause irreversible chemical reactions that cause their eventual failure.

Thought I'd share this knowledge with others.  Basically, in the interest of safety, new gas stoves (or at least their ignitors) have to be thought of as disposable.

thanks for sharing your letter about gas ranges. I'm shopping for a new one. Have a GE with two burners that won't ignite but because they are on a glass cooktop it costs so much to fix them it's not worth it.

Your e letter showed me that this is a product wide problem and spending a lot of money is probably not going to make things any better. So I won't.

I hope you have a good stove now.

 

Donna

hi
i have all whirlpoll appliances but last year i was dumb enough to buy a elec glass top range.
its the worst glass top ive ever seen it never looks clean no matter whats done to clean it.
the oven never worked its had three brains installed and one probe and two burner switches.
each time they work on it they must make two trips as the stove doesent have the correct parts in it to match the stove number.
i am now shopping for a 5 burner gas stove any ideals

Thanks, everyone, for the real scoop on gas ranges.  I was thinking of switching from electric to gas so I could still cook during a power outage.  Now I think I'll just keep my electric range & add a gas grill outside. 

'High end' Cooks...Chefs, have Others who clean up, I think.
The 1950's 40 inch double oven deep well Kelvinator aka Elvisator that came with our home 20yrs ago is not what I need for my 14yr old to learn cooking. It's ok for my capabilities, though. I've settled on electric rather than try for gas and 30 inch will have to do. A smooth top is scary, but a light in the self cleaning oven is something to look forward to. I've looked longingly at Frigidaire's 40 inch model fef455bb's comfortable coils and delightful griddle... surface worth cleaning???!!! one less pan to clean? Oh, but it's easier to clean a pan than to buy a new griddle part...KISS

I have to help you avoid making the same mistake we have! We bought a GE Gas, drop in, stainless steel range 2 1/2 years ago. We have had nothing but problems with it. What's worse, is that the customer service is terrible. Currently whenever our oven is on, it emits a gas smell and produces enough gas that the door has even blown open - pretty scary with a two year old in the house. Clearly, we stopped using the oven and called GE. I assumed after spending $1300 on a stove less than 3 years ago, they would be apologetic at the very least. They told me that I didn't have a service plan and sent a serviceman out to repair it. We were given an 8 hour window, the repairman came and told us it was a plumbing problem. We then hired a plumber who let us know our plumbing was fine and that our stove was broken - back to GE. I should also note that my father owns an appliance repair business and has for over 35 years. He warned me not to buy GE (I wish I listened) and when he heard about my problem, he replaced the ignitor. When the 2nd repair man showed up, he let me know that it was the ignitor without even turning it on! I let him know that the ignitor had just been replaced. He then turned on the oven and confirmed that it was not the ignitor, but in fact the regulator. The price they were charging us for both visits, plus the part was outlandish (part double the price that my dad could get - genuine GE parts for), so we had my dad replace the regulator even though he said that was not the problem. Guess what, he was right. - we are still having the problem. When we called again, we were given a 3rd appt. with another 8 hour window. After waiting 7 hours, we received a phone call from the technician who told my husband that he would only show up if we had $189.95 to give him today and if we didn't, he wasn't coming. We had previously been billed for the visits so we were a bit surprised. My husband told him we would like to speak to the service center and he told my husband he was canceling our appt. and then noted in the computer that we refused to pay. After another 2 hours and many RUDE supervisors, we have now rescheduled again for another 2 weeks and are paying the initial $89.95 - mind you, this is only to confirm that our stove is broken - any labor, parts, etc. are all extra and the charges are ridiculous. Needless to say, I am on here looking for another new stove - only 2 1/2 short years after paying a hefty price for one. Sorry for the LONG e-mail and I promise you, I am not one of those people that is picky and hates everything. I generally don't complain about any merchandise I buy, but this is clearly not good quality at a price that warrants a decent life span. Good luck and if I have convinced at least 1 person not to buy GE, then the sting to my pocket might be a little less devastating!

About 1 1/2 years ago, I bought a Magtag electric range, double oven with smooth top.  I HATE IT.  The small oven is no more than a toaster oven, the big oven is so close to the floor that big roasts or heavy pots are impossible to get out, the self-cleaning-doesn't clean well, the smooth top takes an hour to clean after cooking on it (using the cleaning pad and cleaner that came with it).  The warming plate went out and it was only warrantied for a year.

I want to buy a new range, but sure don't know where to start-would like gas, but not liking what I read here.  I have all white appliances and I'm being told by salespeople to get stainless.  Haven't heard anyone who bought a range lately that likes it.  I agree-what is wrong with our technology?  Does anyone with a new stove in the under $1500 price range like their's? 

Thanks for listening!

 

I am in the very same situation.  I am looking at replacing my mothers 1949 OKeefe & Merritt stove.  It's a beauty!  I will not completely remove it from my kitchen though.  I love that stove!

I am looking at purchasing a new stove because the oven doesn't stay lit in the ol stove.  Was glad to hear your views on the new stoves however.  I feel just the same. The burners are too high.  You now have too many choices in ovens, the warmer drawer, convection oven, the second smaller oven,  Which by the way I would use if they would put most of the smaller ovens at the top.  The salesman tried to say but "what about when you lift the heavy turkey you need the larger oven on top.  It's too heavy for you to lift"  I replied when I cook a turkey, and remove it from the oven I normally have a house full of anxious strong arms willing to lift the turkey out ONCE a year!  Otherwise i could simply slip a 9 x 13 pan or cookie sheet in the higher smaller oven.

Some models were smart enough to put the smaller oven at the top.  However the prices were higher on these models.

The GE Profile is reasonable but again they put the smaller oven on the bottom...boo.

Thanks for listening.  Happy shopping.  But right now Okeefe & Merritt is hard to beat!