Best Value "Pro" range, hands down.

When I started looking for a range to replace my electric cook-top and non-functional wall oven, I came up with a few criteria to guide my shopping.

1) The range had to be gas.
2) Continuous grates got extra points.
3) I wanted a 36" range or larger, just to fit our space.
4) Stainless was preferred, especially by my SO, to match the fridge.
5) The fewer electronic controls and gadgets the better.

It's pretty clear that criteria 1-4 are easy to meet.

However, almost all modern ranges are filled up with electronic controls and gadgetry. I love the look of the Frigidaire pro series dual fuel, dual oven range -- except for the cheap electronic "touch pad" on the back rail.

If I've learned nothing else in the time I've been making purchases for the home, I have learned that electronic controls and "touch pads" are a source of failure in expensive items that, at least for me, serve no purpose at all. I have yet to use the "pop-corn" button on my microwave, and I dream of finding a microwave that doesn't have those cheap looking "convenience" controls.

As I looked around for a range that would suit my needs, I found almost nothing in the local stores that cost less than several thousand dollars. Some of the really high end ranges fit the bill -- a 4000.00 dollar Viking perhaps -- but how silly is it to pay 4000.00 dollars for a range just so you don't have to deal with looking at electronic buttons every day?

In disgust, I attempted to convince my SO that a Chambers range from the 50's would be a great addition to the appliance family, but he was firm: It needed to be stainless, and he wanted it to be new.

So I set off to the internet to see about finding some other options, and I found the Premier Pro series.

I liked the no-nonsense appearance and was very happy about the lack of electronic controls. Although the stove has electronic ignition, the burners can be lit by match during a power failure, and even converted to propane if need be. The sealed burners were a plus, and the continuous grates looked nice. The styling was clean, and the 6 burners with varying BTU output were another plus.

I read a ton of reviews before spending the 1285.00 (including shipping) that the range cost. Some people compared the range un-favorably to the Vikings, saying the quality wasn't up to a "Pro" series range. Others raved about the cost/ value ratio. A few complained about it's lack of a self clean feature, or a window for the oven.

All in all, it sounded to me like the nay-sayers were comparing this range to others a few steps up from the price point of the pro-series. Even if the Premier was loosing the comparison, the fact that people were even making the comparison says something – and it did have the features I was looking for…. So I took the plunge.

I am very happy I did. It *is* fair to say that the Premier Pro range hasn't got he "fit and finish" of a Viking. But I'm not sure it's fair to hold that against a 1300.00 dollar range. The fact is you aren't going to find a 6 burner, continuous grate, stainless steel, sealed burner range with 4000.00 dollar details for 1300.00 dollars. However, if you're willing to give the screws a final tightening when you get her home, the Premier Pro will give you many of the *functional* 4000.00 features-- for a fraction of the price. It looks really good, and you have to be looking hard for it's "fit and finish" failures. It's got it where it counts, and that's good enough for me.



In response to comments from others, I wanted to add that as far as I can tell, the range does an excellent job with the functional cooking requirements:

The oven heats evenly, and has delivered some great breads and cakes already! Browning has been very even. My oven does appear to run about 10 degrees low in temperature as compared to my oven thermometer. This doesn't bother me at all, and honestly, it could be the thermometer that's off.

The range burners give the user a high degree of control-- the knobs are easy to adjust, and big and solid. They do allow you to turn past the effective range, which feels a little odd, but you have to be playing with the controls to discover this-- you won't notice it in everyday use.

The range burners have enough size variation-- from super small to quite large -- to allow effectively infinite adjustability for all cooking needs.

The broiler works wonderfully -- The flame is distributed evenly throughout the cooking surface, and the broiler has adjustable hights to allow for a little extra flexibility.

Also, the sealed burners make the range top easy to clean, and the surfaces are smooth enough in the oven that it should be easy as well. (I haven't needed to clean it yet!)