My antique range is a "Smoothtop," manufactured by Vulcan in the 1920's. It is all gas, of course, with 6 burners and a double oven. I must say, this has been the most wonderful and beloved range I have ever had! I am not a cook who has ever gotten so precise as to double check the accuracy or consistency of the temperature controls. All I can tell you, though, is that the cooking experience has been marvelous and that the only flaws in the results have been attributable to human error and not to the unit itself! I find the ovens, with twin racks and 6 levels of adjustment to be rather huge and flexible. At any time when I've cooked really large dinners (20+ people), I've always marveled at how much I can simultaneously accomplish on this one range. BTW, it is only when I've been using all 6 burners and both ovens at once that I've experienced it throwing off extra heat. On tose rare occasions, the fix has been as simple as cracking open the window!

What are some of the downsides? Well, yes, I have to light the pilot every time I cook. As there are no self-cleaning functions, I sometimes find maintenance to be rather laborious. Especially when it comes to the exterior, extra care must be taken to keep the cast iron trimmings both grease and rust-free. (Not ever requiring it, I've never installed a vent and hood -- so smoke and grease is not controlled). Over the 80 years that this range has been a workhorse, it has suffered some nicks and loss to it's enamel exterior. I've succeeded in convincing myself that its less than perfect appearance adds attractive charm and credibility to the fact that it is a true antique major appliance.

Nevertheless, I'm sad to say that my beloved grand old dame, (as I've affectionately named her), will not survive my kitchen remodel. At the time when new cabs were being installed, the cabinet maker asked that I have the gas feed line reversed. That one request set off a major gas line catastrophe which then resulted in multiple gas leaks at the burners. Although a quite competent appliance tech seems to have resolved the most serious of the leak issues, I still smell gas (which we now believe to be coming from the inactive pilot). Worst of all, the burner plate has some very serious rust issues. It is only a matter of time before the plate will severely disintegrate and be unable to hold all the burners in place.

Whatever. I'm in the midst of a remodel. I don't now have the time to wait on a major appliance overhaul (which could easily take 6 mos. to a year or more by most estimates). OTOH, if I go ahead with keeping my range in place and completely install a new kitchen that is designed around the size and position of this rather large range, what happens when a major overhaul can no longer be postphoned and becomes completely necessary? The cost of the which, btw, has been estimated at about 5k not including the cost of disassembly, crating and shipping and redelivery?

I now await the arrival of my DF Aga 6-4! While a quite worthy replacement, I confess that I worry about its long term reliability. For more than 20 years, I've never had to worry about extra bells and whistles of any kind. Instead, I've had what I consider to be perfect performance without ever having to call in a service technician until I tinkered with darn gas line during the course of this remodel! But again, that's me -- pretty good, but average, cook whose own appliance performance standards might cause a professional chef to have angina.

Bottom line : if you have the money and the patience to wait on getting a professional and reliable overhaul of a Magic Chef, circa 1920-1930, then I think you will have an incredible looking and functional gem of an appliance!! In that case, I say hold onto it, fix it up, show it off and love it!

(Sorry for the rather long response. As you can see, once you own one, you can easily become VSO (vintage stove obsessed)!

I've cooked on, and fixed various old stoves, mainly Wedgewood and O'Keefe and Merritt.. Most were from the 1940's. The firms that rebuild these charge a lot. If it's in good shape, I'd just use it. There is very little to go wrong, sometimes the thermocouple needs replacing (these are cheap-basically a solid copper wire that screws in).

Top and oven burners can be removed and cleaned, this seems more daunting with the oven, but it's not really, (the oven floor comes out). Most of these old ranges don't even have a standing pilot for the oven. The pilots on the top burners can be adjusted or completely shut off..I almost prefer to do this, then you just manually light it. Rust is a problem - but you can inspect that easily.

Most important is how easily the oven lights with a match.

Some of the firms that rebuild these add new safety features like electronic ignition and glow plugs. (you'll need a nearby outlet).

A good friend of mine has a 40" O'Keefe and would not give it up...it has the hinged top that covers the burners.. I know she has never had major work done on it. If your's needs a lot of work and you're not emotionally attached maybe it would be better to buy new. If it's beautiful and goes well with your sense of style and is in good shape it might be worth it to keep it or get it re-built.
I replaced an old, rusted apartment range with a new Bluestar. Part of what I liked about it is how similar it is to the old ranges in that you can get at everything and is still fairly simple.

I made the decision after advice on this forum to install a Red chambers I had found. I had initially considered a Bluestar which has above average reliability and performance reports. I also looked at Wolf and Lacanche. I would have considered a traditional Aga, but don't live in the type of climate most suitable for that type of range.

Rococogurl on the forum here used to teach cooking on Chambers cooktops and liked them, the folks I bought it from had never had a problem and my appliance repairman friend was adamant that old stoves cook better and are more reliable.

Right now I am cooking on a temporary 1960 Kenmore. It's not gas but it has electric coils that are much more responsive than a fairly new Kitchenaid smoothtop in another house. I had the same experience when cooking on an elderly relative's 1940s electric range - just surprisingly responsive for electric and a beautiful oven. The oven on the Kenmore preheats quickly and perfectly browns baked goods. I baked last night and the range's exterior was not hot. Nearly burned myself on the Kitchenaid when baking and the results were uneven, even with convection.

While it will likely make way for the Chambers (after a gas installation), I have found that I really do like the chocolate brown Kenmore range too. Kind of humorous after spending months seeking out two new ranges with the performance and reliability I wanted. Just going to have to go retro mod in one house to accommodate the brown Kenmore.

The downside is that I want to get my Chambers range top rechromed for aesthetic reasons and will have to pull the range apart to send the top away. The Kenmore needs nothing. It looks new and I was told that it has never needed a service call.

Your Magic Chef is a great range and very attractive. Probably doesn't have as many bells and whistles as the 50s ranges, but whether you need them is a personal decision. You'll get the reliability that vintage stoves offer and likely get your money back on upgrades. The only downside I can see is if you don't like traditional kitchen design, but that range really is a centerpiece.

Belated thanks for everyone's feedback.

I appreciate the personal experiences with cooking on an old range, and the tips on what to watch out for. I know the burners are in good shape and I need to test how easy it is to light the ovens. My next step will be to get estimates on refurbishing and go from there. My heart wants to keep this range, and if I'll have a reliable appliance at the end of the process, I'm willing to pay for the upgrading.

Thanks again!

Again, I'm late to the party, but the best caterer in town cooks/bakes with an overhauled Chambers. If it works for her, that's a ringing endorsement.

I have been told that I am an antique cooking on a modern range. Does that count?
My sister (she is older than me so she really is an antique) does have an antique O'Keefe that was rebuilt at some point. Not sure when since it came with the house. She does a pretty fair amount of entertaining and cooking and really likes it. I did try recently to convince her she needed a new one something along the lines of the AGA. She wouldn't go for it.

I need help operating my oven. I bought a house with a big O'Keefe and Merritt range, but I can't figure out how to keep the oven going. I use the safety valve to get the oven going, but as soon as I release the safety button the flames goes away. Am I being impatient? Should I hold the safety button for a matter of minutes before the gas line will stay open? Fall is here and I want to bake and roast. Any help you can offer would be appreciated.

Hello. I am new to this board. I am in search of some help on our 1920's magic chef 1000 6 burner stove that I inhereted from my mom. I love the stove and wish to use it in our home. However my mom used natural gas and we use propane. Is there any way to convert this stove to propane on our own? We live in Oregon and can't find anyone capable or willing to take on the job. Any assistance will be appreciated. Thank you, Elaine

It is possible to convert a stove from natural to propane. Can you do it on your own, the difference between natural and propane is the size of the oriface.

the local propane dealer (not the guy who refills tanks at the liquor store) should be able to help you.

in the olden days, converting was common, now it is rare. e.g. Weber Gas Grills. I think there were some fires and lawsuits.

Thank you, Jim. I'll look into changing the orifaces.

Just a note to say that all the electronics on new ranges are a PITA. Except for the self-cleaning feature, most of the features included with a new range are either easy to duplicate with an old range, or not that valuable. If an old Chambers stove would fit in the place where my new range is, I would switch it out in a heartbeat.

I use mine daily love