Electric range - reliability of front vs rear controls?

[riguy99]

Greetings. We are in the market for a new 30" electric range, and two questions:

1. Curious if there is any reliability difference between old style rear controls or front controls over the oven door? We are pretty indifferent on appearance and use, but I always worry about electronics being subject to heat (e.g., from the open oven door while broiling) or liquids, like spills while cooking. Or maybe I'm just old-fashioned

2. Any thoughts on the Frigidaire cheap induction ranges? We were not really thinking induction due to cost of range + cookware replacement (about 1/2 ours is aluminum), but I see Frigidaire has some inductions that are 1/2 the cost or less of anything else, now in the ballpark of conventional electric. That's great, though I always wonder how someone manages to beat the other manufacturers' price by 50%. Probably still inclined to think induction for our next range vs this one.

Fwiw, we are currently leaning to some mid-range GE conventional models. We're competent cooks and don't care about bells and whistles and for gosh sakes don't need our stove on wifi. We would splurge if there were ranges that put out significantly higher heat than others but seems like two front elements of 3000-3200W is where everyone tops out.

Current range is a 12 year old LG LRE3023 that based on threads here, probably needs a new control board due to burner behaving erratically. I figure not worth a $350 fix at that age and we were never thrilled with the touch button vs knob control anyway (bought by previous owner)

Thanks!

 

[Dan O.]

I don't know that there's a big difference in reliability between front/rear controls. Spills may be more likely to affect them rather than heat IMO. Upfront controls can be more slightly more dangerous for children but safer for grown-ups' as not having the reach across hot elements and pots, etc. to switch them.

Induction ranges are very efficient and have a lot more accurate temperature control but expensive and more difficult to diagnose and repair. (ie. less 'do it yourself' repairs) Many components only come as assemblies so if something fails you often have to replace a big chunk of the appliance to fix it. I suggest an extended warranty.

Appliance411 The Purchase: Which Ones Need More Warranty?

The Purchase: Which Major Home Appliances Need More Warranty? When repairs on appliances are necessary, they can be costly. Here is a list of appliance types and my opinion of which ones you should consider purchasing an extended warranty for. #1.Built-in Models: When a major problem arises, it...

www.appliance411.com

I personally never recommend GE appliances. They have one of the highest replacement parts costs and limited access to service material. I also wouldn't recommend LG or Samsung major appliances for the same reasons plus limited availability to parts and even parts documentation. They might make good TV's but...


Hopefully others will offer their opinions as well.

Dan O.

 

[riguy99]

Thanks, Dan. After thinking we're definitely ruled out induction. In general, and specifically a bit of research into the Frigidaire cheap models revealed that the only have small-diameter elements -- i.e., lots of complaints about the outer parts of big pans not heating -- and the high power is only for short periods / decreased power to other burners.

For conventional electric ranges what brands would you recommend? Fwiw, we're mostly looking at the $1000-$1300 models, i.e which do include convection and self-clean in the oven, and ideally two front elements of 3000W+, but beyond that we don't need many frills

 

[Dan O.]

I'm not in active service any longer so haven't seen current failure rates but Whirlpool products are generally good across most of its product lines and brands. They have reasonably priced repair parts and service information is fairly accessible. I don't mind Frigidaire products and both have established service networks and parts warehouses. But if you stick to simple models GE might last as well although as I said, I wouldn't make them my first choice. I recommend you stick with North American brands.

Appliance411 The Purchase: Who Makes What?

The Purchase: Who Makes What Brands? There are only a limited number a major appliance manufacturers left in the marketplace. Over the years, the big ones have bought up the smaller ones and merged those product designs into their own product lines. They now produce products under the various...

www.appliance411.com

As I said, hopefully others will offer their experiences.

Dan O.