New Freestanding Stove- Thoughts on Which One to Get, Warranty?

mr626 on 22/02/2015 - 07:50
Last edited 22/02/2015 - 08:25

Hello all,

Our home is about 20 years old, and the stove that we have (Westinghouse 806W) is likely the original one that was installed when the house was built. It's finally died (had an element replaced 10 months ago, but its really dead this time). So, we are looking at a replacement.

I've got a maximum of $1500 to spend on it, which includes delivery and getting it installed. In our price range I'm mainly looking at Euromaid and Chef, but I do really like Belling units as well.

If I was certain we'd be staying in this house long term, I'd get the Belling as these seem to be the best of the bunch (but cost a bit more, and Harvey Norman seems to be the only local retailer for them). But, since we might be moving I'm thinking of going with a Chef this time (specifically this one http://www.chefappliances.com.au/Product?model=CFE547SA ). Other contenders are a Euromaid ( http://www.euromaid.com.au/FREESTANDING-OVENS/60-cm-Freestan… ) and in our price range the Belling ( http://www.belling.com.au/products-1/freestanding-54cm-elect… )

A couple of questions for you all:

-In the price range I'm looking at, is the Chef ok? I like that they've been around for a while and are apparently still Australian made- hopefully this translates into cheaper/easily sourced parts? Or should I be looking at some other brand / model?

-I've got 61cm between countertops, and most of the stoves we are looking at seem to be 54cm wide. Any suggestions on what to do with the gap(s)? I'm thinking I might keep the stove to one side, and make up some sort of stainless steel strip to cover the gap.

-What's the deal with warranties these days on stoves? I notice that pretty much all of them only offer a 2 year manufacturer warranty. Maybe I'm crazy, but I'd consider a stove a major purchase and expect it to last a decade easily- I'd be certainly playing the statutory warranty card if anything went wrong within 5 years. Or is this one of those rare instances were extended warranty might actually make sense?

Bloody stoves. Naturally it stopped working on the night we were planning to have a nice baked dinner. Meat pies in the microwave doesn't quite compare :(

Thanks for your help and suggestions.

Home & Garden

Comments

  • anna10 on 22/02/2015 - 11:00

    I have a Belling that was new in a crate that I bought from some guy selling it for $1000. It's very expensive looking and spruces up my elderly kitchen. It has a small oven/ griller which I use a lot for a one pot or 1 tray meal, and a bigger oven. It has a glass top which still looks good. I would've thought that a total budget of $1500 is achievable. Have you looked for local bargains and Appliances Online etc, if they do stoves?

    Also, check out Choice Magazine to see if they have any handy advice before spending this sort of money.

  • Cheeper on 22/02/2015 - 11:34

    When you say your current one is dead… do you mean the entire stove is kaput?
    If it's not the fuse then there is little more that can fail.
    The thermostat control does fail in them, thats morso with new units than the old ones, but they are cheap and easy to replace.
    Just in case you want to leave buying another until your new house?

  • anna10 on 22/02/2015 - 12:02
    +1

    I would say that if you are thinking of selling, a good looking stove is impressive and lifts the appearance of an older kitchen for/if especially a cook or woman is evaluating the look of the kitchen. A cheap boring stove drags the presentation down. My kitchen is a 1965 original and although old is still quite presentable colour and maintenance wise. But the new stove makes it look a lot better. My mate with the same problem also then went out an bought a new stove and her kitchen looks a lot more up market because ot it. I guess what I'm saying is that it's an 'investment'. I also replaced the door and drawer knobs and that helped a lot too. It's surprising actually.

  • mr626 on 22/02/2015 - 15:38

    Thanks for the replies. The stove we have has had a few other minor faults over the years that we have lived with so far, but with the oven not working we are taking the opportunity to replace it. Part of our reasoning is similar to anna10- will hopefully improve the presentation of the kitchen if we were to sell.

    Still trying to decide which stove to get though- the Euromaid one ticks all the boxes for price and features, but the reviews aren't great for it.

  • anna10 on 22/02/2015 - 16:27

    Yes, I have heard from years ago that Euromaid was not a good idea and they also closed their Aus support if I remember correctly.

    Can you look locally for someone selling a new one that they have bought but decided not to install and get it cheaper?

  • mr626 on 22/02/2015 - 20:18

    Ended up going with the Chef. Time well tell if its a good choice- as mentioned I like that they are made in Australia and have been around for a while. Got a matching stainless steel rangehood too, so will be a real change to our gungy old white stuff.

    Thanks for the suggestions all.

  • anna10 on 22/02/2015 - 21:45

    The Chef looks very classy.

  • mr626 on 27/02/2015 - 09:44
    +1

    Hello all,

    Just wanted to update this in case others are in a similar situation. Have only used the stove once so far, but will attempt to update this again once we've owned/used it for a few months.

    Overall I'm happy with the Chef. It looks good, seems fairly solid/well made, and is actually made in Australia.

    Edit: this is the one we purchased:
    http://www.chefappliances.com.au/Product?model=CFE547SA

    It's fairly quiet whilst operating- the fan isn't as loud as in our old Westinghouse.

    In terms of installation, it is 'hard wired' and needs to be installed by an electrician- I had a few people tell me that these days all stoves come with a 20 amp plug and just plug in- obviously not.

    The only thing I've noticed that could be better is the rubber seal around the main stove door- it's fairly thin and doesn't seem to be fitted all that well. Then again, when the door is closed it does seem to seal OK- I couldn't detect any heat escaping and it cooked fine.

    In terms of how well it cooks- seems to work well. Did a baked dinner and everything was cooked perfectly as far as I could tell.

    • mr626 on 01/03/2015 - 14:10
      +1

      Have cooked some steak and some pasta on the hot plates, much better than our old oven. Can actually maintain a low or medium temperature fairly well.

      So far so good.

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