Range Cooker recommedations

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april89
april89 Posts: 28 Forumite
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My OH and I are looking to replace our current range cooker as two of the hob rings do not work. However, we have no idea what to look for and what features and brands are things to look out for or things to avoid. With a new mortgage (we only moved in four months ago) we're not looking for Miele prices but would prefer to pay for a quality cooker that will last than the cheapest which may not (unless the cheapest will!). Our only requirement as such is that it must be all electric as we don't have a gas supply. Also, if it has any impact, the current cooker is 110cm wide. Thank you! :smiley:
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  • martinsurrey
    martinsurrey Posts: 3,368 Forumite
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    Induction top or not?

    In terms of features - multi function main cavity? duel fan ovens? a lot only have one fan oven and one convection, we love having a multi function (can use as fan or convection) and another fan oven.

    Personally we only looked at Stoves or Rangemaster, ended up going for a stoves, mainly on looks.
  • Aylesbury_Duck
    Aylesbury_Duck Posts: 14,003 Forumite
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    Have you looked at quotes to replace the two hob rings? It might not be that expensive and if the rest of the range works, it seems a shame to bin it entirely.

    Just made a similar decision ourselves because our dual-fuel range cooker is failing. Having researched it, built-in ovens provide much better quality for the budget - with free-standing ranges you're paying for a lot of cabinet and aesthetics so a £1500 unit doesn't buy great quality ovens. However, like you we have inherited a layout with a house which accommodates a 100cm range cooker so in the interests of not ripping up the current kitchen (which is very nice) we've had to go for a like-for-like. I found there were about three price points. £700-800 buys a fairly cheap-and-nasty cooker with more form than function. £1200-2000 gets something reasonably decent but perhaps not the quality you'd expect for that price. The higher end (£3k upwards) gets a good quality serious cooker but which is unlikely to be used to its potential by the typical household.

    We went for a £1500 Rangemaster. Yet to arrive so can't comment on using it but for the space we have, it seemed the best compromise of price and quality. If we ever re-do our kitchen I will go for to decent built-in ovens and a hob instead.
  • AndyMc.....
    AndyMc..... Posts: 3,248 Forumite
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    Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »
    Have you looked at quotes to replace the two hob rings? It might not be that expensive and if the rest of the range works, it seems a shame to bin it entirely.

    Just made a similar decision ourselves because our dual-fuel range cooker is failing. Having researched it, built-in ovens provide much better quality for the budget - with free-standing ranges you're paying for a lot of cabinet and aesthetics so a £1500 unit doesn't buy great quality ovens. However, like you we have inherited a layout with a house which accommodates a 100cm range cooker so in the interests of not ripping up the current kitchen (which is very nice) we've had to go for a like-for-like. I found there were about three price points. £700-800 buys a fairly cheap-and-nasty cooker with more form than function. £1200-2000 gets something reasonably decent but perhaps not the quality you'd expect for that price. The higher end (£3k upwards) gets a good quality serious cooker but which is unlikely to be used to its potential by the typical household.

    We went for a £1500 Rangemaster. Yet to arrive so can't comment on using it but for the space we have, it seemed the best compromise of price and quality. If we ever re-do our kitchen I will go for to decent built-in ovens and a hob instead.

    Personally I’d never buy one again.
  • april89
    april89 Posts: 28 Forumite
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    It would be interesting to hear any experiences between induction and halogen or ceramic. My OH likes the idea of induction as our current ceramic hob has a huge lag time and we both mourn the loss of the responsiveness of gas. The hob is however about 20 years old so I assume that technology has improved a lot since then and induction looks like it would cost more both to buy and then install.

    For the oven itself we've spent years using a single oven with an almost binary temperature function so having two ovens which both cook at about the temperature the dials suggest is already a huge improvement. The current oven does have a storage drawer in the bottom right hand corner which appears to be a complete waste of space though so it would be nice if all of the oven cooked, or at least warmed, something. How much difference does fan vs conventional make?
  • april89
    april89 Posts: 28 Forumite
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    Apologies, I forgot to reply to Aylesbury Duck.

    We did consider just replacing the two rings but a third ring had a period of causing the RCB to trip so thought it may be safer to replace the whole unit...

    AndyMc - Why wouldn't you buy a range cooker again and what would you suggest as a cost effective option for replacement?
  • theonlywayisup
    theonlywayisup Posts: 16,031 Forumite
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    We have an Aga and an induction. The induction is quicker, cleaner and better than gas. It's transformed our lives - particularly in the summer if/when we turn the Aga down.
  • Aylesbury_Duck
    Aylesbury_Duck Posts: 14,003 Forumite
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    AndyMc..... wrote: »
    Personally I’d never buy one [Rangemaster] again.
    I hope my experience is better than yours...I’ll come back and give a view if it turns out to be a bad buy.

    I have gone into it with my eyes open but I am somewhat trapped. I’m stuck with a 100cm range cooker because I don’t want to change the kitchen, the sub-£1000 models have almost universally awful reviews and the £3k+ models are too expensive and we don’t cook seriously enough to get the money’s worth from them if they were affordable. I’ve seen some very mixed reviews of Rangemasters but at that price point there doesn’t seem to be a better alternative.

    The one we inherited was a Lamona/Leisure/Beko range that looks lovely but is of the quality you’d expect. It’s got a fan oven with a sticking fan, a dodgy thermostat and failing seals, a conventional oven that won’t ever get to the set temperature, a broken grill and a pretty useless warming plate at the expense of decent hob sizes. It probably cost the original owners £700 seven years ago.
  • AndyMc.....
    AndyMc..... Posts: 3,248 Forumite
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    Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »
    I hope my experience is better than yours...I’ll come back and give a view if it turns out to be a bad buy.

    I have gone into it with my eyes open but I am somewhat trapped. I’m stuck with a 100cm range cooker because I don’t want to change the kitchen, the sub-£1000 models have almost universally awful reviews and the £3k+ models are too expensive and we don’t cook seriously enough to get the money’s worth from them if they were affordable. I’ve seen some very mixed reviews of Rangemasters but at that price point there doesn’t seem to be a better alternative.

    The one we inherited was a Lamona/Leisure/Beko range that looks lovely but is of the quality you’d expect. It’s got a fan oven with a sticking fan, a dodgy thermostat and failing seals, a conventional oven that won’t ever get to the set temperature, a broken grill and a pretty useless warming plate at the expense of decent hob sizes. It probably cost the original owners £700 seven years ago.

    I think with rangemaster your buying a £700 cooker with a badge on it. I think on reflection at £700 they’re over priced but you live and learn.

    I know of someone in your position wanted rid of their falcon and sold it to the kitchen fitter for £200. His mother was well chuffed.
  • BucksLady
    BucksLady Posts: 567 Forumite
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    [QUOTE=Aylesbury Duck;73662324

    It’s got a fan oven with a sticking fan, a dodgy thermostat and failing seals, a conventional oven that won’t ever get to the set temperature, a broken grill and a pretty useless warming plate at the expense of decent hob sizes. .[/QUOTE]

    Couldn't get much worse could it - sounds like it belongs at 'Fawlty Towers' :)
  • Aylesbury_Duck
    Aylesbury_Duck Posts: 14,003 Forumite
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    AndyMc..... wrote: »
    I think with rangemaster your buying a £700 cooker with a badge on it. I think on reflection at £700 they’re over priced but you live and learn.

    I know of someone in your position wanted rid of their falcon and sold it to the kitchen fitter for £200. His mother was well chuffed.
    The other option was to try and pick up an unwanted second-hand range from the good quality end of the market, but ours really is on its last legs so I can’t risk waiting until one becomes available.

    I hope you’re wrong about the expensive badge. Time will tell. If it isn’t up to much but lasts several years I’ll either get a £700 one next time or perhaps take the opportunity to change the kitchen and invest in two decent built-in ovens and a decent hob. By all accounts that’s the way to go.
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