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abqdeb

$2000 budget for range - GE Cafe or NXR?

Debbie Erfer
11 years ago

Getting ready for our kitchen reno and switching from electric to gas for our range. Was all set to buy a GE Cafe DF (discounted floor model) and then started reading threads about the NXR. Now I can't decide. The NXR gets some great reviews but not sure I'm ready to give up self-clean and the baking drawer. Of course the other issue is that I cannot see the NXR live and in person (would have to order from Costco). Any comments? We have a $2000 budget and will be buying a 30" range. We are avid cooks and do some baking, but no bread, just the occasional pie, cake or muffins. Is there something else entirely that I have not yet considered? Would love some input.

Comments (18)

  • jolb57
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The plus w/ Costco is a rock solid warrantee, will the GE cafe seller back you up if there are product issues?

  • Debbie Erfer
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    1 year standard warranty on the GE. Definitely a plus with the NXR at Costco, but I sure wouldn't want to haul that big thing back!

  • Nunyabiz1
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We have had our NXR for 2 years with no problems so far.
    I would say the NXR is the best bang for the buck by far and getting it from Costco makes it a no brainer.

    You will hear a few anti China naysayers NONE of which actually own the range BTW, spew nonsense about the NXR.

    But funny thing is, the NXR is made of all high quality parts from all over the world, from Germany, Italy, Australia and some USA parts and merely assembled mostly in China.
    While the GE parts are mostly Chinese & Mexican made and assembled in Mexico.

    Between a new NXR bought from Costco Vs a GE Cafe discounted floor model from where ever I would opt for the NXR every time.

  • Debbie Erfer
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks nunyabiz! How do you cope without the self clean? We roast a lot of chickens that grease up our oven and I'm scared to think of being on my hands and knees cleaning it! Did you buy yours at Costco?

  • Debbie Erfer
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow! JW I can't thank you enough for taking so much time to give me all that in-depth info. I will have to reread it a few more times to absorb everything and make my decision. I'm not usually an indicisive person, but I think not being able to see the NXR in person makes it more challenging. Thanks again!

  • Nunyabiz1
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have had no problem cleaning it.
    and I actually got mine from some place in Tampa Florida, when I got mine more than a couple years ago Costco did not sell them.
    Paid $1799.00 total cost delivered to the door.

    I also have the older model which I actually preferred.

  • preemiemom0703
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow! Why haven't I seen this post before!?!? What a wealth of information! And it specifically mentions canning. :) I'm going to have to read this a few times to take it all in.

  • jellytoast
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you for all the detailed information ... very helpful! If I may trouble you for a bit more ... what are your thoughts on the placement of the burners? How far away from the edge of the range are they? I am replacing a Viking and one of the things I don't like about it is how close the burners are to the edge. Can you tell me the measurement from the center of the burner to the edge of the range? Also, does the oven ignitor make a clicking noise each time it relights as it maintains the temperature (another thing I dislike about the Viking)? Did you get the newer model from Costco, the DRGB? I notice that Costco's and Durocorp's websites says that the range is constructed of all 304 stainless, but when I called Durocorp, I was told that the door and the sides are actually 430 stainless. Do you notice any difference in the color or finish in these areas?

  • jwvideo
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thoughts on placement of
    NXR burners?
    Fine. Never had a Viking, so cannot comment on that. Most pro-style stoves are the same, however. Front to back the burners are roughly 11 inches on center nine inches from the bullnose of the knobs. . In comparison, the measurement was about 9 inches on center, front to back, on my former GE DF stove.

    How far frm the edge of the range are the burners?
    Which edge? The side? From center, left burner to left edge is 6.5 inches. Same for right burners. Same approximate distance as on my former GE Profile, too. What is the problem here. Are you using 24-inch diameter canning kettles or commercial size stockpots?

    Clicking: In the oven? Hunh? Did you read Susan's (aka, DirtyBloomer's) post about replacing the oven glow-bar ignitor? The oven uses a glow bar, not a sparking (clicking) igntor. The glow bar gets really reallly hot, kind of like a small electric coil burner. There is nothing to click. Should be the same with your Viking, AFAIK. The glow bar should not click. Unless it is failing and shorting out. The oven may click as it heats, but that is structural metal responding to increasing heat. Your Viking should work the same way. AFAIK, Viking ovens used glow-bars not sparking ignitors as on the stovetop burners.

    As for for the oven cycling on an off to maintain temperature, there is nothing in the NXR oven that uses any kind of sparking iginitor. As with every other modern gas oven that I have seen, you definitely hear the gas ignite when the burner reignites to maintain temps. It is a "whoosh" and "hiss" sound, not a click.

    Seems to me that, if you are getting clicking sounds from the oven in your Viking, then either your glow-bar is broken or something is shorting out intermittently (aka, sparking)

    I bought the DRGB from Costco. The NRG has been discontinued, at least in North America.)
    304 versus 430 stainless: does it look different?
    Well, I do not see it. Never heard of anybody complaining about it. Never occurred to anybody so far that the the 304 panels would look grossly different. Usually, the paranoid worry that the 430 parts of the stove will rust out in front of your very eyes if someone is breathing moist air anywhere in the room where the stove is located. That worry was pretty thoroughly discussed in one of the long NXR threads which you've probably already read.

    Does the 430 clash with the 304 stainless? I've never seen it. I've never heard of anybody complaining about it. But, maybe you are a much more elite and perspicacious person than me, and the differing steels will look as different to you as a mauve plaid and a metallic chrome yellow?

    I suppose, over time, there might be some subtle differences. The 430 is harder than the 304, so the 430 oven door will be less likely to incur and show scratches than the 304 cooktop.

    This post was edited by JWVideo on Sun, Feb 3, 13 at 12:59

  • Nunyabiz1
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The burner configuration is one of the main reasons I really like the NXR.
    Spaced so that you can place 4 large size pots/pans on all 4 burners and every burner is the same, all are 15K BTU and all go down to a very low simmer.
    I despise burners that are one tiny simmer burner, one large high BTU burner and 2 in between.
    I MUCH prefer all burners to be the same so I can do anything I want with them.

    We have the older NRG so it is all 304 stainless.
    I doubt there is any real difference in look to the 430.

  • jwvideo
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    JellyToast:

    Had another thought about the clicking in your Viking oven. The gas-flow solenoid might be worn or sticking. Should be pretty easy to replace. A good appliance shop can probably tell you if you can use a generic part for a replacement.

    One of the things I like about the NXR is that there do not seem to be proprietary components. For example, when Susan/Dirtybloomers replaced her NXR's oven glow-bar. it turned out to be a $50 part that is alos used by GE, Whirlpool, Frigidaire and other brands of gas stoves.

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0515595719743.html

  • jellytoast
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you, JW! I'll admit that I had to look up "perspicacious" and yes, I suppose I am somewhat ... it's a curse. Elite? Hardly! The placement of the Viking burners isn't exactly a problem, just feels like I'm nearly cooking on the countertops. I would prefer more stovetop space surrounding the burners, and since I am replacing it, I thought I would try to find something that got rid of that little irritation. RE: the oven, I was told that the ticking was normal ... that the oven shuts itself off entirely to regulate the temp, then sparks to re-light ... hence the ticking each time it lights. Firt the tick, tick, tick, then the "whoosh." No glowbar.

  • jellytoast
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    One other thing ... the folks at Durocorp assure me that the stove measures 29 7/8 and will fit into a 30 inch spot between the cabinets, and the specs call for a 30 inch minimum space as well. My space measures 30 inches exactly, so the conflicting information I've heard regarding the measurements concerns me, and I'd hate to discover that my spot isn't big enough after the range arrives.

  • karenlee56
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    abqdeb...I have the GE Cafe gas only range (not dual fuel, although I loved having DF in the past). I have to comment on part of your very first post. You said, "The NXR gets some great reviews but not sure I'm ready to give up self-clean and the baking drawer. " I'm not going to comment on all of the attributes of the Cafe- you probably know them well by now. I do love mine. I'd like for you to learn from a similar mistake of mine.

    You knew right off the bat that you weren't sure that you were ready to give up the self-clean feature. I definitely never would. This is analogous to the auto-defrost freezer that I purchased and loved. However, I sold it and bought a smaller freezer that was manual defrost. It was the only model that would fit in my newly-made pantry. I foolishly traded what I loved and felt strongly about. I regret that decision!! Every time I have to defrost that too-small freezer, it aggravates me! I don't enjoy any part of it. While my head is in it and I'm scraping ice, I keep thinking of what I gave up.

    Also, I LOVE the baking drawer on the Cafe. Yes, it's an over-glorified toaster oven, but it works for warming and for "minor" baking. I would never bake cakes or cookies etc. in there, but it definitely has its value in my kitchen.

    In closing, don't talk yourself into something that you may end up regretting. All you've brought up are negative aspects regarding the NRX. :) Follow your gut. It's our built-in guide and is rarely wrong.

  • whit461
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What a great post. Just adding our recent experience. Purchased a 2010 GE Monogram DF (30") for $2,000 brand new. It's sitting in our DR waiting for another 4-6 weeks. The Advantium 30"wall oven will be on the way. These are the only 2 GE pieces. I wonder if JWvideo's GEDF was a monogram, Cafe, or what. Just couldn't ignore the price point. Even size burners and big a _ _ grates evenly across. I will have to take a tape measure tonight, but thought it was 11-12" on each burner, so big pots of TX chili should fit fine. Large oven capacity, though we will have that wall speed oven which we think we will use a lot. Wish I had seen his post before we bought, but I think this is going to be a good range.

  • Debbie Erfer
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for all the comments everybody! I'm still leaning toward the NXR, but have been so busy shopping for flooring, BS, hoods, etc that I haven't had time to make the final decisions.

    WHIT461, I would love to know where on earth you found a Monogram for $2000! I'm thinking that it must be a cooktop only and not a range.

    I have ruled out the floor model Cafe that I was looking at due to the issues with the fan noises on last year's models (someone posted all the info with model #'s etc) and a new GE Cafe is at least $2500 which is over my budget. So, if I truly stick to my $2000 budget, then the NXR seems like the best bang for the buck.

    Thanks again for all the helpful comments. Keep them coming!

  • jwvideo
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    >>>"One other thing ... the folks at Durocorp assure me that the stove measures 29 7/8 and will fit into a 30 inch spot between the cabinets, and the specs call for a 30 inch minimum space as well. My space measures 30 inches exactly, so the conflicting information I've heard regarding the measurements concerns me, and I'd hate to discover that my spot isn't big enough after the range arrives."Just saw this post. Don't buy the NXR for placement in an exactly 30" cut-out. I do not know who you talked to at NXR but the DRGB model is well known to be a true 30" wide and not 29 7/8." This point has been raised in a number of NXR threads here over the last couple of years.