Are whirlpool gas ranges any good?

[agiflow2]

Hi guys,..it's been quite a few years since I posted, but still lurk from time to time.

Wanted to ask advice from anyone who owns a whirlpool gas range or any of their corporate cousins if they are any good and are you happy with them?

Just recently had to replace a 25 year old Whirlpool top mount fridge with a new Whirly top mount.So far so good.

I digress though. I am aware of the aqua lift "self clean" feature not living up to it's name, though I understand the ovens are very good at baking.

I would do GE but after their sale to Haier I really don't want to invest money into a company that is changing hands and might not be able to get service should I need it.

I see that the whirlpool double Oven free standing ranges get good marks but the lower oven kind of puts me off with all the bending and stooping. The dealer at P.C.Richard said I shouldn't go for it. I usually do my own research before buying
big ticket items but I want to get opinions from people here who know appliances.

I really like WP's newest slide in ranges with the middle oval burner. The burners are all removable and the cooktop looks like it is generously proportioned too.

I Wish they would do that with their regular FS ranges.

I am open to Frigidaire made products too. Despite how CR rates how good LG and Samsung ranges are, I will not have them in my home if domestic manufacturers are making the same products.

So guys and gals what in your opinions and experiences are the best modern ranges

Thanks for any and all comments !

 

[wayupnorth]

Thanks, but I will keep my 22 year old Whirlpool gas range with that dreaded click click to light the burners. Saves gas with no pilots and works when the power goes out, even oven. What more could you ask for.

 

[maytagbear]

Well...........

I love my 2011 gas Whirlpool range. I have had no trouble with it. but it is a 2011......

Mine has the "Accubake" oven control system, and it bakes and roasts beautifully.

The oven has traditional thermal self-cleaning, which has been very satisfactory. I broil and roast frequently.

More recently, I have heard varying things about the quality of current production Whirlpool gas ranges.

Best of luck!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[wayupnorth]

The only thing digital on mine is the clock/timer. Continuous cleaning oven and total knobs push and turn. I will never have any stove with a computer as everyone I know that got one shot out the electronics in no time and mine still works fine. Push and turn the oven to whatever temp and it works and I can use all burners and oven lighting by hand with no power. It is much easier to hear the click and know it works.

 

[agiflow2]

Thank you guys. I was at Sears and saw a Maytag gas range that had the oval center burner and no convection oven which is fine by me. Don't need fan forced hot air. It also has the smaller 5.0 cu.ft. oven which has traditional self clean.

Though CU does not recommend Maytag or Kitchenaid ranges at this time.

 

[yogitunes]

If I had to do it again, I would venture from the Frigidaire line, I got a stainless convection version, the unit works fine, the metal feels tinny, the backsplash wobbles, and with the oven on, the whole unit is a dangerous hot spot, the sealed burners do not come off for cleaning, and stains grip on to the stainless, prepare for a lot of scrubbing....

it got replaced with a Kitchen Aid convection, a world of difference, the AquaLift works well, heavier feel to the unit and knobs, a solid unit, cleanup is a breeze...

 

[panthera]

A friend has had five

KitchenAid gas ranges in the last 10 years.

Their electronics all failed.

Every single one of them.

One at her mother's house, one at her daughter's house, two at her house.

 

Now, there's no question that the design works well (when it works). But, electronics are the Achilles' heel of all appliances which work with steam, grease and heat. Whirlpool, for whatever reason, has done a better job than most on the functional design and an awful, terrible, truly rotten job on protecting the electronics from harm.

 

So - by all means consider the Whirlpool family, just don't expect the electronics to last.

 

As to GE - I'd not worry about Haier. They've been in business in Europe for decades and have never let their customers down, at least not in Germany. I don't think they can afford to, not with their goal of dominating the Chinese higher-quality market.

 

Still - your best bet is a safe, well-treated pre-electronics (except for the ignitors) gas range from GE or Whirlpool.

 

[passatdoc]

2001 Frigidaire gas range

I have the entry-level convection model (then called Speed Bake: fan, but no third heating element) from 2001. I had to recalibrate the oven temperature control once in 16 years, otherwise no repairs. Cooks nice and evenly: can bake four pies at once. Grates now have a few minor paint chips, but that's par for 16 years. Grates are porcelain on steel and are dish-washer safe, though I no longer use the DW due to the paint chips. My grates do not go all the way across the cooktop---at the time, only their higher end "true convection" model had this feature, I was on a budget, and wanted to save $150. The successor model has grates that go all the way across plus a central fifth burner, and the BTUs are higher than my sole high output burner (only 12K). If the current models are as reliable as mine has been, I'd say go with Frigidaire.

 

[panthera]

One thing to remember about gas ranges

In order to get the certifications - UL , CSA and CPSC guidlines - they have to be built to a decent level of quality.

Your areas of failure in less expensive, no electronic (apart from the ignitors) are going to be: Porcelain top and on the grates. Racks in the oven bending and pitting.

On the Whirlpool family, the failures are going to be in the ultra-expensive and frequently discontinued without possible replacement electronics.

 

As long as it's clean and safe, there is absolutely no single, solitary reason to buy a brand new electronic gas range when a pre-electronics range is available. None.

 

[combo52]

Best 30" Gas Ranges

Get a Self cleaning [ hi-temp style ] WP, MT or Amana range, these are all built in the Tulsa Ok factory.

Whirlpool is the only company that produces a range that uses a direct spark to light oven and broiler burner. Not only is this an instant ignition but is more reliable and uses less than 2% of the electrical power that the short lived hot surface igniters that everyone else uses on their gas ovens.

John L.

 

[wishwash]

A note on Frigidaire ranges...

At least on the cheaper models, the oven doors slam shut. I don't know why they loaded them up with that much spring force. I also have to agree with the whole range getting hot when the oven is on, but mine doesn't seal all the way. For what it's worth, my range is over 10 years old so the seal has probably compressed. The new ones seem to be pretty much the same exact design as mine.

Other than those two issues, I can't complain.

 

[agiflow2]

Great replies. I currently own a Tappan "centennial" 30" gas range that has held up well for the last 30 years. It has a small oven compared to the overkill size ovens today, but has performed well and the biggest thing I used to cook was 20 lb. turkeys for the holidays.

Maybe I will hang on to the Tappan for a little longer as I have no real reason to get rid of the range and it still works well enough. It's a pain to clean though and has stains now behind the glass on the back guard which I can't clean. It also has a cooktop light which no range makers are putting on their stoves anymore.

Don't know why range makers can't put a little night light on their stoves anymore. Comes in handy. As appliance enthusiast's we can appreciate those little niceties.

 

[nmassman44]

I have a GE gas range that I absolutely love. It performs well and temps are spot on. I have had this range since 2013 with no issues at all. It does have that "Steam Clean " feature that I used once. It's not effective at all. But this stove does have a conventional self clean cycle that works well. The cooktop is a breeze to keep clean and the burners all come off the cooktop and I am able to clean it easily. This one also have convection that works well. The oven on this stove also uses the broiler to add heat to the top of the oven much like an electric oven does. The stove will cycle the bake burner then the broiler burner. It has to be the best gas stove I have ever had the pleasure of using. The previous gas stove that I had was a Bosch. Don't even bother wth them.

 

[volvoguy87]

Ranges.

While I worked in the appliance parts business, I kept my eyes open. The weak points of the Frigidaires were their electronic controls and drawer glides. Mercifully, the oven controls were so failure-prone that my store kept shelves of them on hand at all times and they were typically no more than $120.00 for the common ones. The plastic drawer glides for the storage drawer below the oven broke so often, we kept bags of them behind the counter within easy reach. They also aren't too expensive. The Frigidaires were popular with landlords and property management companies because they were less expensive than their GE or Whirlpool counterparts. There are a LOT of Frigidaire ranges in use due to their pricing. Some of the abnormally high failures may be attributed to larger market share.

GE ranges were pretty good. They did not have the electronic control failures or drawer glide failures of the Frigidaires.

WP built ranges seemed to be about on par with GE. Their electronics did not fail as often as the Frigidaires, but when they did, they were more expensive and less likely to be in stock at the store.

I am a landlord and I outfitted my apartments with mostly MOL GE appliances because I determined them to be the best value for the money in terms of purchase price relative to lifespan & cost of parts. I also took into account, the likelihood of long-term parts support and appeal of the appearance & features to prospective tenants. By equipping my kitchens with MOL instead of BOL appliances, I got kitchens which were considerably more appealing, which has made my apartments more competitive, allowing me to charge more rent. The cost differential between BOL & MOL appliances for my kitchens wasn't significant, so I consider it to be money well spent.

Happy cooking!
Dave

 

[agiflow2]

I will probably stick with GE or Whirlpool. It will be interesting to see the designs of future GE ranges under Haier.

The Kitchen aid free standing 30" ranges actually seem to be built well with sturdy control panels that don't wobble when you push on them.

One thing I noticed about the Whirlpool family of gas ranges is that they do not have a deflector under the control panel back guard like GE and Frigidaire does for the heat escaping from the oven.

Maybe that is why they have had problems with their ranges?

Even with the aqualift problems I would still buy Whirlpool products as I have had great service from any appliance I have ever had from them.

 

[panthera]

Patrick,

Your statement that you've never had trouble with the Whirlpool family should clinch it for you. I firmly believe that how one feels about a particular brand does have an influence on how well their products work for you. Right now, I've got a 1974 GE whirling away - the non-pre-rinsed dishes will come out sparkling, except for a new timer 20 years ago, nothing has ever been done to her - not even the dreaded detergent dispenser.

And, yet - we've had four out of five KA dishwashers be absolute monsters. I firmly believe the difference is that I really like GE and don't much care for KA.

So - buy the Roper/Estate/KA/Maytag/Estate/Whirlpool/Whatever that makes you happy and I bet it will work just fine.

 

 

[golittlesport]

We had a 2000 Whirlpool Gold self-clean Accubake range that worked well for many years. Had some problems with the oven electronics the first year that were repaired under warranty. No problems since then. Recently remodeled the kitchen and replaced with a GE Café double oven, mainly for the looks and got a great deal at Best Buy. I like the built-in look with no back splash. Sold the Whirlpool to a friend who put it in a rental home, so it cooks on. The GE is great....very pleased with it so far...5 burners and convection oven.

 

[combo52]

GE Gas Ranges Are Sturdy

But they are built in Mexico, and are now owned by a Chinese company.

 

There is no other gas range in the US at least that uses WPs direct spark ignition [ DSI ] for the oven and broiler, it is not only instant, far more durable and only uses about 2% of the electricity of all the other ranges when heating the oven or broiling.

 

I have not seen any problems with the range controls being damaged by heat from the ovens vent under the control panel. The only time we see controls damaged [ this observation applies to most brands, not just WP ] of free-standing gas ranges is when people put really large-tall pots on a rear burner that almost touch or touch the control panel and cook at a high flame setting.

 

[hvtech42]

I'm a big fan of my GE gas range from 2012. It's well built, no reliability issues. And it wasn't made in Mexico, it was made right here in the USA.