Wall Ovens:
GE electric wall ovens come in either 27″ or 30″ flavors.

27″ Wall Ovens
GE Profile
There is one GE Profile double electric ovens coming in at 27″ in width.
- The double oven PT956SRSS offers convection cooking in the top oven and traditional heating in the bottom oven.
- The double oven offers 1 extensible ball-bearing rack.

GE Cafe does not offer a 27″ Wall Oven

30″ Wall Ovens
GE Profile
There are three GE Profile 30″ double wall ovens
- The top of the line PT960SRSS offers convection in both ovens as well as a glass-touch LCD control panel.
- The next two models (PT958SRSS and PT956SRSS) differ in that the PT965 only offers convection in the top oven. Aside from that point, they are virtually identical.

GE Cafe
GE cafe offers one 30″ double oven – CT959STSS .
This model features glass touch controls and convection in BOTH ovens. Also, each oven
offers one fully-extensible rack. Aside from these points the top of the line Profile and Cafe ovens are exactly the same in regards to power output, size (4.4 cu ft) and the broiler system.

GE MSRP PRICES
PT960SRSS – $3399
PT958sRSS – $3099
PT956sRSS – $2799

GE doesn’t publish pricing on the Cafe series but figure it should cost around $2500, which is about
what you’ll spend on the top of the line Profile PT960SRSS.

GE Cafe Double Oven - CT959STSS

PT960srss - GE Profile Double Oven

- Liebherr CS-2060 36″ single door fridge: This shares a similar design to the smash hit CS-2062 french door model. 20 cu ft, LED lighting, 2 compressors…winner!
The CS-2060 is definitely headed for my showroom floor.

- GE Monogram 30″ Integrated Refriegrator What’s not to love about this fridge?
The seamless integrated look that melts into your cabinetry, the options (84″ or 80″ height, Euro or Pro handles), and pricing that won’t surpass the GDP of a Central American country.

- The new GE Cafe line of appliances – no pics to link to, but I’ve seen the dishwasher, new refrigerator, double oven, double oven range and cooktop. Nice stuff, won’t break the bank. Pics to follow.

- DCS pro dual fuel ranges – DCS rebooted the entire line of indoor appliances back in the Spring but the dual fuel ranges lagged the rest of the line in obtaining UL approval. Well I’ve been told they’ve received that stamp and product is rolling out now. You can’t mess with DCS’ reputation for making killer pro cooking ranges. I think the new ones look sweeter than before and they’ve made a few tweaks which will let them hold their position as one of the premier pro range manufacturers.

Liebherr's New CS-2060 Single Door Refrigerator.

Appliances used in Theresa’s Larchmont kitchen:
- GE Cafe CGS980SEMSS 30″ gas range
- GE Profile PFCS1NFZSS 36″ French Door Refriegrator
- GE Profile 30″ Hood JV936DSS
- Bosch SHX45P05UC – SHX45L15UC dishwasher (Basically the same model…we own the L15UC and love it!)

The high-end section of the appliance industry was destroyed in 2009 and it took heavy promotions from the likes of Sub-Zero, Viking, Monogram and more to get shoppers to invest in high-end appliance packages in 2010. While the sales didn’t approach the astronomic levels that the industry saw in 2003-2007, they certainly improved as the collapse of Western Civilization no longer seemed imminent as in the dark days of the fall/winter 2008.
While I expected 2011 to get off to a better start, things are still very sluggish in this segment. The first important note to be aware of if you are shopping for high-end appliance packages is that most of these promotions were recently extended and will last through the end of 2011. This is huge because these rebate programs NEVER existed in the high-end appliance space and I don’t see them being repeated. So if you are in the market for high-end appliances, chances are you will need to act this year. Here is a breakdown of the cutoff dates for the various promotions:

So what is my take on the high-end packages? I am a sucker for the value of GE Monogram and the heritage and performance of Wolf and SubZero. Here are a few packages from these brands that I see selling well and offer great quality as well as value.

Wolf / SubZero Appliance Package – In this package you would receive $1250 in an

instant rebate under the current offer (which may be changing):

- Wolf SRT366 gas rangetop with sealed burners (I am not a fan of griddles or grills on

indoor appliances, they don’t work as well as their outdoor counterparts, the cooking areas aren’t large enough and I believe you can never have enough burners

- Wolf 36″ stainless wall hood

- Wolf S030U/S L-series single wall oven

- Bosch SHX58E15UC dishwasher (hundreds below a comparable Miele!)

- SubZero Bi36 S/S/PH – 36″ SubZero with pro handles, stainless

(NOTE: The SubZero Wolf package is likely to be extended with more money being doled out to consumers. Will have more info when it’s finalized).

GE Monogram Kitchen Appliance Package

- GE Monogram 36″ Dual Fuel Range, 6 burners (keep in mind that the Monogram line will be releasing their all-gas ranges sometime in the first half of 2011. Editor’s note: They’re out!).

- GE Monogram 36″ Cabinet insert (I don’t like Monogram hoods as they are way too bulky, so I opted to use the cabinet insert here)

- GE Monogram Pro 24″ Dishwasher in Stainless

- GE Monogram 42″ ZISP420NXSS pro refrigerator in stainless

Package # 2 – I Want Value!

GE Cafe Appliance Package

On the topic of GE, let’s talk up the GE Cafe line, which continues to knock the socks off of this category. Where can you get a pro looking kitchen for less than $10k? How about for less than $8k? $7K? Then you have to look at GE Cafe. Plus, GE will be offering a $500 rebate on GE Cafe kitchen appliance packages for the first few months of 2011. Try this on for size:

GE Cafe Gas Range – CGS980SEMSS

GE Cafe DIshwasher – CDWT980RSS

GE Cafe OTR Micro/Hood – CVM2072SMSS

GE Cafe French Door Refrigerator – CFCP1NIZSS

Bosch Appliance Package

Another brand to check out in this upper middle-tier is Bosch. They are currently offering up to 15% rebate on Bosch kitchen appliance packages through May 31 2011. This can lead up to some significant dollars back in your pockets. Bosch has been forced to get very aggressive with their kitchen appliance promotions because quite bluntly Electrolux has handed them their proverbial lunch in the last few years when it comes to the sale of kitchen appliances. Now it looks like Bosch has regrouped, put together a compelling offer for consumers, and has the ability to make up ground with Electrolux raising their prices. Message to Bosch: Be nice to consumers and hold your price points!!!! You need to get your kitchen appliances back on the consumer radar screen and 2011 is the time to do it.

This is what the Bosch kitchen appliance package will need to look like in order to qualify for the 10% or 15%:

Appliance Package 10%: Purchase at least (3) 300, 500 or 800 series Bosch appliances

Appliance Package 15%: Purchase at least (3) 800 series Bosch appliances.

What I like about this is that Bosch is only holding you to (3) appliances, so it’s easy to qualify.

Here’s a sample package which I sell the heck out of:

Refrigerator B22CS80SNS

Dishwasher SHX65P05UC

Range HGS7052UC

With this package alone at 15% back you would be looking at nearly $700 in your pocket and that’s without selling the products anywhere near their MAP price.

KitchenAid Appliance Package

KitchenAid is a versatile brand. You can go into the high-end stratosphere with their built-in products like the 42″ KBFC42FTS French Door Refrigerator and accompanying pro range, or you can nestle quite comfortably in this middle-upper middle category. Let’s check out a package that would vie with the Ge Cafe, Bosch and Electrolux lines.This time I am going to mix it up and instead of using a range, we’ll do a gas cooktop, double wall oven, French Door fridge and a killer KitchenAid dishwasher. Check this out for around $7000….

KitchenAid KEBS208SSS 30″ Double Wall Oven

Kitchen Aid KUDE40XSS dishwasher

KitchenAid KFCS22EVMS 36″ French Door Refrigerator

KitchenAid KFGS366VSS 36″ gas cooktop

Now we’re going to shift focus to GE. In the last 2 years, it seems all of the noise out of the GE camp has been about their Cafe line of appliances.
No doubt, Cafe has been one of the top success stories in two years of dreariness for the appliance industry. GE Cafe appliances boast pro styling, some pro functionality, and price points that won’t make most consumer pass out. However, lately I am recommending that people consider the GE Profile line as well. For less money than GE Cafe, you can receive many of the same benefits, albeit with a different look.

Let’s take a look at a GE Profile value package in stainless and compare the dollar outlay to GE Cafe.

30″ Gas range – PGS975SEPSS – The range offers convection cooking, deep recessed cooktop for easier cleaning, extra-large oven and a stacked burner which ranges from 18K BTU to 140BTU for a low simmer. It also offers self cleaning, glass touch controls and double coated racks that you can keep in the oven during self cleaning. Retail is $2649 ($300 less than the Cafe FREESTANDING unit).

GE Profile PGS975SEPSS gas range

Dishwasher – PDWT380RSS – If you want to save a few dolllars, GE Profile offers the PDWT380RSS which is also Enery Star qualified , offers the Smart dispense technology, and offers 4 wash cycles. The retail on the PDWT380RSS is $1099.
The GE Cafe CDWT980RSS dishwasher is $1449.

Free-Standing French Door Refrigerator – PFSS6PKXSS – This is a 26 cu ft French Door refrigerator with external ice/water dispenser. It is Energy Star rated, 36″ wide and 70″ high. It offers energy efficient LED lighting and a full-width drawer that maintains freshness and crispness. Retail is $2699. GE Cafe does not offer a freestanding french door refrigerator. Their counter depth unit has a retail price of $2999 retail.

GE Profile French Door Refigerator

Over the range microwave/hood – PVM1870SMSS – This combo micro/hood offers 1.8 cu ft of space and is powered by 1100 watts. This is NOT a convection micro. Retail is $569.

So total these up:
GE Profile Range – $2649
GE Profile dishwasher – $1249 (top of the line)
GE Profile French Door fridge – $2699
GE Profile micro/hood – $569

Total – $7166.
Then take $300 off for GE Combo rebate
Total – $6866
Keep in mind we are using retail prices. If you’re actually paying these numbers, you’re getting robbed!

- 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

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.

At Curto’s we’ve extensively trained our sales force on both lines,  placed the GE Cafe and Electrolux displays back to back in a premium spot in the showroom and maintained the notion ‘let the best line win”.

We just had the GE cafe and Electrolux french door refrigerators added to the displays and it’s been interesting getting customer’s feedback. Here’s what I’ve heard from consumers:

Electrolux French Door Pros

- gorgeous design, interior lighting is “amazing”

- box seems well built

Electrolux French Door Cons

- price tag is a joke ($2899-$3699, set by Electrolux via UMRP policy)

- ice machine takes away valuable space in fridge (good point – why is the ice machine located in the refrigerator?)

GE Cafe French Door Pros

- Nice price! (over $800-1000 less than comparable stainless in Electrolux)

GE Cafe French Door Cons

- Feels “cheaper” in comparison to Electrolux when opening doors and drawers

GE Cafe French Door Refrigerator - Curtos.com

Electrolux Ew23bc70is French Door Refrigerator at Curtos.com