The Berta's top burner is 15K. The Cafe, 20K. Not even close. Add in the tiny oven, and it wouldn't even be under consideration at all. The Frigidaire's top burner is 17K, closer, but no cigar. There's also a reason the Cafe is 1K more expensive than the Frigidaire. Frigidaire is not known for stellar build quality and is known as "builder's grade faux" for a reason. They look OK, but they're cheap on the inside---where it counts. Add in the griddle of the Cafe and why is anything else even in the running?

I LOVE my Cafe!

If it were me, I'd give up the drawer and get this one:

-made in USA
-better value then the Berta
-big oven
-open burners
-no chicken nugget button

http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/ARROB430.html

GreenDesigns - I am so glad to read that you're happy with your GE Cafe. Which model do you have? The model I first saw last year has been replaced by the CGS985SETSS. I'm not sure if any improvements have been made or just a reason to raise the price a little. Do you have the OTR microwave or did you get a hood?

oceangirl67 - that looks like a great stove but I know that I need the drawer for trays, pots and pans. I'll have one set of base drawers for baking, corning ware and plastic and then another set of drawers to serve as a pantry.

Any dishwashers to recommend? My last KA DW lasted for over 22 years and still looked new so I was set on the KA KUDS301XSS till I read about the problem with fires.

The Frigidaire Pro DW was suggested and the space inside looks good.

I have the GE Cafe dual fuel range and love it. I haven't had any problems with the SS scratching. I have four kids, two of whom use the stove with little supervision (ages 11 and almost 13) and they have done no damage, and trust me, they are not the type to treat their things with care. I don't know the model number but I got it last May. Wait, here it is C2S980SEMSS. However, I'm so jealous to note that the new model you are looking at has a tri-ring burner - NO FAIR! I would love to have that since I have to simmer on the back burner and not wild about that.

I have an OTR microwave. Not my preference, but we eventually will be redoing our kitchen. The OTR microwave we had before getting the gas range. I don't know what model it is but it is a GE Profile w/convection. At the time, it was one of the pricier models. I have not had any problems with it being over my range. WHat problems did you read about? Are the problems that the GE OTR microwaves don't work well or are the problems due to it being over the range? Mine actually hangs quite low, about two inches below the adjacent cabinets on either side - the builder used the wrong cabinet size above the range but at the time it worked b/c we just had an exhaust fan originally. In any case, we've been using both the range and the microwave for nearly a year now with no problems (no melting, no hot buttons on the microwave, etc).

If you have any other specific questions about the range or OTR, I'd be happy to answer.