I have gas and have been spending weeks reading Gardenweb and various reviews online for a 30" range. Gardenweb viewers in general really like Blue Star (BS), Capital Culinary (CC) and American Range. Some also really like Wolf. Thermador and Viking are mixed.

Basically, you need to determine your budget first. Be sure to include any modifications to your hood. I was originally leaning toward an open burner (BS or CC), but didn't want to increase the size of my hood from 400 cfm. New code requires make-up air handlers if hood size is greater than 400 cfm. This eliminated all open burner ranges, narrowing my search.

I spent alot of time reading reviews on LG, GE Profile, GE Cafe, Kitchenaid, Electrolux, etc. I also downloaded manuals (from AJ Madison) to look at installation requirements to see if they would work in my kitchen. I had to eliminate some based on recommended hood cfm's even though they were sealed burners.

I considered Bertazzoni (many reviews on gardenweb - also called Berta by reviewers), but decided the look wouldn't match my colonial kitchen and I do not like fan noise. Just a personal preference - I hardly ever cook with the hood on I dislike fan noise so much. I will open a window first. The Berta oven has the fan going the whole time baking, which makes for a cool door.

I even considered wall ovens and a rangetop, but have currently settled on the 30" Dacor Renaissance ER30GSCHLP. Although a sealed burner, it shoots the flame more up than out (per reviews online). My general contractor can get it wholesale for less (still waiting on exact quote). I like the look and the burner arrangement, but it definitely isn't cheap. DH and I also liked that there were no control panels to go out.

However, with no electronic panel there is no child safety lock. This is something else to consider - knobs within reach of children with a safety lock, or knobs on the back. We have no children, but visiting children will be more of a challenge. This model requires the electric outlet and gas valve to be in an adjoining cabinet so the power and gas can be turned off without moving the range. We will probably just reach in that cabinet and shut off the gas when little kids are around (child lock on cabinet).

Another thing to consider is your countertops. I originally planned on the GE Cafe 5 burner unit, but found a few reviews that said the burner placement was too close to the counter edge and would make the countertop really hot. I'm having Cambria quartz installed and since it has some resin in it and is mainly white, I didn't want to risk yellowing or melting it from high of heat. I was able to look at it in person at Home Depot and could see that it was too close - especially since sealed burners shoot the flame out.

I hope this helps. I have a link below to AJ Madison. Just filter out your needs - 30" size, # of burners, open or sealed, etc. Once you have narrowed down your choices, google the model #'s and find other sites with more reviews.

Happy hunting!

Here is a link that might be useful: AJ Madison Gas Ranges

Hood requirements are not based on sealed/open burners.

It is based on the total power of the cooktop, the size of the range, and if there is a built-in grill.

It is mostly cold weather regions of the country that require make-up air. CA and TX do not require make-up air, with the possible exception of some tiny communities.

When looking at oven capacity you want to take your bakeware and roasting dishes to see if your stuff fits the oven. Nominal capacities are irrelevant.

My guess is the OP does not want an "ordinary" range but the best range in the low to mid priced category. In this price range I would look at GE and Frigidaire. Companies with good long track records in ranges not new ones like LG.

Thanks deeageaux for clarifying about the cfm. Yes, a grill makes a difference. The reason I said what I did was that my inspector was following a basic formula that you need 100CFM of airflow for every 10,000 BTU’s of heat energy. Obviously if you do a lot of grilling, you would want more to keep the cooking area clear.

For me, I wanted the BS or CC and the 30" CC has 4 x 23,000 btu burners, so I would have needed an 920 cfm hood. The BS with 2 x 15,000 and 2 x 22,000 was 740 cfm. My inspector said the Dacor was ok because it came out to 570 so he would approve it since the code is being enforced after my permit was pulled, but he would make me do a MUA if I went over 600 since it is a newer, more sealed home. I'm in VA, so I wasn't aware of some states not enforcing the 400 cfm. I just wanted to throw it out there for the OP to consider when doing a remodel. If it wasn't for reading Gardenweb where some people mentioned problems AFTER they installed their hoods, I would have had to tear some things out and install a MUA after the fact.

Maybe it costs me a few bucks more - not many - but I go to an appliance store with a list of what's most important to me and my price range. The salesperson then guides me to a few that fit the bill. Same goes for dishwashers. Just remodeled two kitchens.

ardcp:

Do you have a budget in mind for the new stove? Having a price range may help us give suggestions that could be more useful to you. IIRC, LG ranges seem to be priced from around $1000 on up to around $2500, so that could cover a pretty wide range of suggestions.

Many ranges by GE, Frigidaire, Whirlpool and Samsung (and Kenmore) have ovens as large or rger than the LG's oven. The annual membership surveys by Consumer Reports show that GE and Frigidaire are the most reliable major brands of gas ranges. The most recent survey report does not yet cover LG. Apparently, LG is new enough to the North American Market that it has not generated enough survey responses to show up in statistically significant numbers in CR's survey data

Several of the makers (including LG) also have models with two ovens if that is a feature that interests you.

RQ:

I think your process is a useful and lucid explanation. There was one comment I wanted to expand on.

>>>I originally planned on the GE Cafe 5 burner unit, but found a few reviews that said the burner placement was too close to the counter edge and would make the countertop really hot. I haven't seen these posts but they sound a little peculiar in worrying about the countertops. It sounds kind of like some of the confusion that Blue Star created with its installation instructions (which have been discussed here several times.) When Blue Star published its installation instructions, some poeple had trouble figuring out if the required clearances applied to horizontal surfaces like countertops or to adjoining walls that rose vertically above the stove's cooking top.

I'm wondering is those GE Cafe reviewers might not have been misled by similar confusion in GE's install instructions? For one thing, the burner placement on the Cafe ranges that I have seen have all been standard. My initial reaction is that there is no way the Cafe burners could be heating countertops to the sides of the stove. The cautions in installation instructions about heating adjoining vertical sufaces are for folks who want to put a range inside a nook (or maybe in a broom closet) or who want to put a slide-in style range (no rear backsplash/riser/vent) directly against a rear wall. For such situations, the general rule is that the adjoining/enclosing walls have to be either (a) at least six inches back from the range or else (b) the walls have to sheathed with a non-flammable material (tile, stainless steel, etc.) So, if you want your 30" range enclosed in a nook, the walls of the nook have to be tiled or else it has to measure 42" wide and 32" deep with a 6" countertop ledge across the back.

So, if you got the GE Cafe, you should not need to worry about cooking the adjoining countertops.

This post was edited by JWVideo on Tue, Mar 11, 14 at 19:00

thanks all for your helpful posts!
to clarify by ordinary i meant not pro style and under $1000. i know most on this site buy those amazingly lovely pro style ranges but i cant afford it and luckily do not know what i am missing...lets keep it that way:)
so i have a hotpoint that i like just fine except for the pretty small oven. since i am redoing the cabinets i figured i now is my excuse to get one with more oven capacity. i like the idea of 5 burners to but would like any feedback from 5 burner owners

You might want to check out the Frigidaire Gallery Series FGGF3054M -- five burners, full width grates, 5 cu. ft. oven with (unusual in a gas oven) a third (electrical) element for "true convection." Runs $700 to $950, depending on where and from whom you buy it. (Some prices include delivery and set-up). I think deeageaux suggested this model to somebody here about 6 months ago, but I can't find the post. Consumer reports testing rated it very good for everything except broiling and speed to boil (which were rated "good.). CR testing gave slightly higher ratings to the similar but slightly less expensive Frigidaire Gallery FGGF3032. Also in this same price range, CR recommended the Kenmore 74132 which (I believe) is made for Sears by Frigidaire/Electrolux. CR also gave a "recommend" to the $1k LG LRG3091SW but ranked it below the Frigidaires.

This post was edited by JWVideo on Tue, Mar 11, 14 at 20:19

I just remembered that I had asked my contractor originally about an LG unit (LG LDG3036ST) in place of the GE Cafe a few months back. The reply was, "I can get the LG unit. They are OK, but I have had a couple people have issues with these. On all the GE units sold-I have not had any issues with the GE Cafe' unit."

This particular LG unit is getting overall good reviews though, I just haven't seen it in person. You may want to look at it. It has black porcelain under the burners vs stainless steel. Some people like that, others don't. I was quoted under $2K for this model. I believe it comes in a single oven also.

Thanks JWVideo for that info on the GE and countertops. It did have me concerned and I am not putting it in an alcove - just a standard set up with flush counters on both sides - up against a wall (not in an island). I just heard back from my contractor that his appliance source (Sears Wholesale) said Dacor doesn't allow discount prices, so I may go back to my original choice of the GE Cafe 5 burner.

Here is a link that might be useful: LG LDG3036ST