Archive for the ‘Gas Ranges’ Category
GE Cafe CGS980SEMSS – Best Value, Lowest Price?
Had to do a post on this piece…while 2008-2009 proved to be tough shakes for appliance manufacturers, you can bet that the folks at GE Appliances are dancing a mad jig about the GE Cafe 30″ gas range – CGS980SEMSS. This gas range has proven to be an absolute rock star. GE actually couldn’t have timed the introduction any better – just as the economy was starting to slow up, here comes a cooking range which gives off a pro look, sports some pro features, but comes in THOUSANDS of dollars lower than other pro cooking appliances by brands I won’t name here. Look at the features:
- Self cleaning oven
- 18K BTU power burner and a 150F degree simmer burner
- PreciseAir convection system means accurately baked foods in a gas oven.
- Super-large capacity in the oven
- Warming drawer offers an addition 1.0 cu ft for baking 140 – 450 degrees.
GE Cafe CGS980SEMSS Gas Range at Curtos.com
Considering the MSRP on the CGS980SEMSS is $2899 and it typically sells in the mid-$2000 area (the price for the CGS980SEMSS is less than that at Curto’s) compare that with other 30″ gas ovens that are in the pro category. I won’t name names folks, you’ve been shopping around, so you know the models. The CGS980SEMSS reviews very well, also considering that customers have done nothing but rave about the piece.
The world of kitchen appliances may be bruised and battered, but there are a few pieces out there that have risen above the fray and prospered. Count the CGS980SEMSS as one of them.
Frigidaire Professional Series Range Review
When I first mentioned this past summer that Frigidaire was revising its brand and introducing a “professional series” , a few people wrote to me and scoffed at the idea. Well a few months after launch, Frigidaire has a wide smile on their face. The Frigidaire Professional range and Frigidaire Professional refrigerators have proven to be the best sellers at this point…so good that availability is getting a little sketchy.
The hottest sellers in the Frigidaire Professional Series are the following two gas ranges:
FPGS3085KF – slide in, 30″, pro select controls, self cleaning, low simmer burner and warming drawer
FPGS3085KF - Curtos.com - Frigidaire Professional Gas Range
FPGF3081KF – freestanding gas range 30″, continous cast-iron grates, warming drawer, self clean
FPGF3081KF - Curtos.com - Frigidaire gas range
Frigidaire has upped the ante style and feature-wise, and so far we haven’t heard of any problems with the series. Of course since this is a new series, we’ll remained tuned in to that point and see if any problems develop. The new Professional Series has Frigidaire aiming squarely at GE Cafe and Bosch’s revised major appliance line. We’ll see what comes of this in the pitched battle for consumer dollars.
UPDATE: 1/13/10
So the Frigidaire ranges have been available for a few months now and I’m happy to say that the only issue that has cropped up is that there were some availability issues in the late Fall, but that’s been resolved now. One interesting trend that I have seen develop is that sales of the Electrolux gas ranges have dropped slightly since the introduction of the new Frigidaire Professional series ranges. We have them displayed near one another in the Curto’s showroom and consumers are saying “hey, they look pretty much the same, have similar features, yet the Electrolux range is over $1000 more expensive.”
Compare the Electrolux EW30GS65GS, 30″ slide-in range to the Frigidaire Pro FPGS3085KF. Here are the similarities:
- self clean ovens
- convection ovens
- 4 sealed burners
- 4.2 cu feet of capacity
However, the Frigidaire FPGS3085KF sells for around $1599 at Curto’s, while the Electrolux has a UMRP price of $2499. That’s quite a spread!
