I would like a 30" induction cooktop in my remodel and I am not sure which to pick, GE, Kenmore or Bosch?
I noticed GE required 40 Amp circuit and Bosch I think 30 Amp, does that mean the Bosch is less powerful?
The budget is around $2000 but I wouldn't mind spending less like the Kenmore, but the reviews on Sears.com has scared me a little.
I am also doing a wall oven below as the built in, I know you should use the same brand oven under the cooktop, I really liked the Bosch ovens 800 series.. so I am leaning towards Bosch.

Update: I just called Bosch though and they told me it can't be done because the electrical box needs to be a certain distance below the cooktop.. But I think maybe I can put it inside the wall on a stud to clear the oven.

Thanks

I have a 36 inch Miele and was going to put an oven under it until I discovered how uncomfortably low that oven would be. I have a false front under the cook top and then 2 deep pot drawers, and have double ovens elsewhere.
Judy

I would have liked to go with Miele for the induction top because they have a couple of options that I would have liked but here in Canada Miele are into extortion (cost is 2x what you pay in USA) so I refuse...I would have still bought the electrolux oven as I liked it much better than the Miele for less than half the cost.

Regards and good luck,

LIP

I like kenmore products in general, but the reviews about the unit suddenly dying after a year or two is scaring me off a bit.. I really think a product at that price should last at least 10 years.

But, what do you think about what Bosch told me about the junction box clearance conflicting with my hopes of installing an oven underneath? I read the actual installation manual at Bosch's, it comes with 36" armor cabled and want to go into a junction box "approx" 12" below the counter top. But couldn't the box be embedded flush with the wall like my old Range receptacle was? I can still locate it 12" or more below the cooktop, just inside the wall. I am planning to install a temperature controlled computer fan to add some ventilation to area no matter what brand I chose.

The oven needs to be removed if I need to service either of them anyway.

I have included the instruction here:

I looked at the Bosch install manual and I believe that this cooktop is the same as the Thermador that I installed
last year.

The way that the power cable is attached to the cooktop will allow you to put the box in the wall cavity.
you will need to provide some air to the bottom of the cooktop.
The heat shield, which ensures that the intake air does not mix with the exhaust air, will require you to have the oven no closer than 2 inches from the bottom of the cooktop.

I would also be wary of the depth of the oven. I found that the Thermador oven would not install into a base cabinet unless the back was cut out. I would bet that Bosch will be the same.

Good Luck
John

So I think now I am going to relocate the oven to the island (don't want to take the risk), and have drawers underneath the cooktop, it seems I only loses a small drawer this way. (I understand that you installed the shield into your small drawer) but I will see if that is feasable for me, otherwise I have a 4" false front which is plenty for the cooktop to live. Thanks for confirming the wiring issue, the manual is not too helpful.

Can I ask you if your Thermador have timer to shut down the burner? Because the Bosch does not seem to, some old posts says the bosch does, but the manual says it's just a beeper. I think it is the same unit as Thermador.

Are you happy with yours? I am choosing the Bosch because it seems to have the best safety features.

The Thermador does have a timer, but we have never used it.

We are happy with the cooktop and the other Thermador appliances that we installed. (oven and warming drawer)

We had some issues with the oven.
A very good local technician solved the problem in cooperation with Thermador. It took several visits but the oven works great now.

You must have seen my posts about the heat shield.
If you look at those photos, you will see the small fence
that I made in the drawer to surround the power conduit.
that should give you an idea as to the placement of the conduit, and its ability to point to the back.

Good Luck

John

BTW-I looked for negative reviews on the electrolux and kenmore induction units but couldn't really find any.

LIP

One caution for these units (and perhaps most induction cooktops) is to not use such large pans, or misaligned pans, that the hot pan bottom overlaps the control area. This may damage the electronics. Electrolux deliberately put a stainless steel strip on the cooktop to discourage this practice. The Kenmore lacks this strip, which I didn't care for aesthetically. Otherwise, I wouldn't call the Kenmore a hybrid of the Electrolux. As far as I can tell, it is otherwise identical.

kas

Bosch (and thermador) seems to be the only one documented they have auto spill shut off to prevent us from flooding our range top. Since I assume with these units the spilling is not as audiable.

They wanted 12" or something extreme. But, I really wanted a shallow drawer below it, so I risked it and it has been fine. The drawer front looks like all my other top drawer fronts, but when you open it, it's only about 3-4" deep, so only the shallowest of utensils (and non-flammable) ones go in this drawer. It's worked great. Sometimes if I have all burners on, I will open that drawer to allow better ventilation. Otherwise, it's been no problem and I'd do it again.

One other thing, I was at a Lowe's and they had the new GE double in a single oven below this same induction. I've not read the installation guides, but, boy - if you are tight for space, this is a great way to get two ovens in a single space. The lowest oven is admittedly close to the ground - but, it did have a 22 lb. size plastic turkey in it to show that a turkey fits in it! I was impressed. A friend of mine has the Gemini range (same oven concept) and says she uses the small top one 90% of the time. So just an idea to possibly investigate.....

You are going to love induction! Good Luck!

This oven is approved for placement below a cooktop but only specific models. I can't find what those models are, can some one help?

Also the convection and 'special features' all appear to be located in the lower oven so it will be low under a cooktop.

What I saw at Lowes in a kitchen display was a GE Profile 30" induction cooktop (all black one), and directly below the cooktop was the new GE Profile 30" double in a single oven. Two separate units. The oven is designed like the Maytag Gemini - two smaller ovens in the space of one. Top one was like 5-6" deep (perfect for pizzas, casseroles, brownies, etc. - 90% of what everyone bakes)
and the lower oven was convection and big enough for a 22 lb. turkey.

I'm assuming that since it was displayed like this, GE does allow in it's installation guide for this type of an install, but one should verify that, I haven't!

I've been helping a friend - and her ideal would be a slide in induction with the two ovens (like a Gemini, which she has now and loves). Sears had a slide in induction with one oven and a warming drawer, but she really loves her Gemini oven set up. We were excited to see this on display, as it is a good backup option - although more costly than a slide in....

Hope this helps... Go to GE's website and look for the single double oven...It's pretty impressive in person.

I ended up buying one on ebay Germany. I checked with the vendor before bidding on it. It was a little difficult getting the purchase and the shipping all taken care of, and part of that was a small language barrier, but in the end we got a nice unit and saved a lot of money.

I checked on ebay UK recently, and there are some very good deals there. Of course, unless you are in the UK you should check with the vendor first before bidding.

As regards to shipping, some vendors will not object to sending it out of the country, provided they don't have to arrange for the shipping, so if you can find a shipping company who is willing to reship it you can just have the item shipped to the shipping company, and then they will then ship it to you.

A word about power. Standard household power in Europe is 220-240 Volts. Generally, it works just fine to hook a European cooktop to a US 220-240 volt line. European 240 V is single ended, whereas US 240 V. is balanced, but I understand that European electrical standards are such that appliances are designed so that balanced vs. single ended power is not really an issue.

The line frequency is different in Europe, 50 Hz vs. there 60 Hz here, but this turns out to be no problem. There are really only two places where line frequency are likely to alter function. One is for timing (clocks), but few electrical devices rely on line frequency these days for clocking. The other is that the rotational frequency of some electrical, motors (such as induction motors) depends on the line frequency. Thus, a cooling fan might run at a little higher speed in the US than in Europe, and generally speaking it would keep the electronics a little cooler when used in the US... a good thing for lifetime of the electronics.

Disclaimer... the above comments about power are my own non-professional opinion.

I got the 30" Kenmore Elite and don't like it. Already had to have the guts totally replaced once and now it seems like the burners are slow to heat water. I have a service guy coming out tomorrow and hope they'll let me replace it with Bosch or GE.

Serviceman came, couldn't figure out problem so replaced the entire guts of the unit ($1300 their cost). Since that time the hobs have been slow to boil water. Some take over 10 minutes which is not acceptable for induction. I went to Sears store where I purchased cooktop to ask if they'd replace it and was pleasantly surprised to hear them say "yes". I ordered the Bosch. The salesman said that Electrolux which makes Kenmore Elite is junk. I concur. Buyer beware! I read the reviews on Sears.com and many were positive, but in retropsect, I wish I would've heeded the negative reviews. If you decide to buy Kenmore Elite, make sure you get the protection agreement as you may need it.