i am glad to see a post about a range that is more "normal" as i am looking for a similar range. i will be interested to see what others have to say. my guess is that they are whirlpool or frigidaire rebranded but it is hard to tell what models they may be.

First thing is that you very probably would have no defects with an NXR if you got one but they really are not for everybody. No more so than manual-transmission-with-low-range, 4-wheel-drive, manual-hub trucks are the vehicle everybody should drive.

Second, to find out from whom Sears sourced those two Kenmore gas stoves have a look at this link which tells you how to translate the model numbers to identify the manufacturer.

http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/sears.shtml

You will need to get the full model number. I'm not sure if Sears still posts that on the sales website but I think you can take the product number from the sales web-site and find the full number on Sears Parts Direct.

Third, according to Consumer Reports's membership surveys, Frigidaire and Kenmore single-oven gas ranges are among the most reliable. The CR product testers did not test either of your models but gave other, similar Kenmores decent to pretty good marks in most stovetop and oven categories except for the gas broilers which they rate as so-so. Apparently the gas Kenmores mostly do a decent job with oven self-cleaning (a function that the NXR does not have, btw.)

Fourth, since you like to cook with heavy iron pots, have you considered getting an induction range? Iron is great on induction. But, I have to ask this: how were those coils breaking? Did you mean that the use of heavy CI pans wore on the burners so they stopped working or did you, maybe, drop big fryers and dutch ovens a few too many times and actually break the elements? If it was just from use, you likely would have little problem with induction. If the other, well --- the ceram surfaces are pretty tough but dropping a CI dutch oven from two feet up can crack them just as they can break a coil There is a Frigidaire induction model (also sold as a Kenmore Model: 95073) which runs about $1500. I've seen it on holiday weekend sales for down around $1300. (Might also look for it on the Sears Outlet sites, too.) A bit more than the Kenmore gas ranges you were looking at but worth considering if you otherwise would have to pay to add gas plumbing and a 120v outlet for a gas range.

Fifth, your mentioning ease of cleanup also suggests considering induction. Most folks (though not all) find that induction ranges are hard to beat for ease of cleaning.

This post was edited by JWVideo on Tue, Mar 25, 14 at 14:04

Thanks, JWVideo. No, the burners on our cheap electric ranges simply break from use. I haven't dropped anything on them. But I do cook a lot, and the pots are pretty heavy.

I have thought about a smoothtop electric range, but a couple of friends & relatives have said these scratch easily if you use iron pots.

I also wonder if I could get a coiltop electric range that simply has heavier-duty electric coils with more support. I haven't seen any.

Thanks for the help with the model number resource - I will use that. Cheers!

Okay, so maybe you are a candidate for induction. You do understand that induction stoves are fundamentally different than the radiant-burner smoothtops that your friends and relatives have discussed?

But, if your present dissatisfaction is with coil burners not holding up, you might want to look getting some after-market "canning elements." These swap in for the regular burners but are much heavier duty units that hold up beetter to heavy pans. If you want some further opnions on these, I recall a thread discussing this here form a couple of years ago if yu want to search for it

But, to go back to using bare cast iron pans on induction, there can be a lot less worry about scratching than with the more common radiant smoothtops that your friends and relatives talked about. You do understand that, while induction uses the same ceramic-glass surface that the common radiant smoothtops, use, the induction burners do not radiate heat. Instead, they induce heat in the pan -- basically the pan becomes the burner. Have you read the discussions about using paper between the pan and the induction stovetop surfaces? This allows you to avoid pans scratching the surface by laying paper (or parchment or silicon baking mats or disks or even dish towels) over the burner when slinging the CI pans around. (Well, you can do this with induction as long as you aren't trying to sear a steak by heating the CI pans to the melting point of lead --- IOW, heating the pans to temps well above the ignition point for paper). If you haven't explored induction, I would suggest that you do so. Do a search here and and prepare for a lot of reading. (Which is what I think Kaseki jus said to somebody about this topic in another thread).

Wish you well with your search.

Thanks again JWVideo. Good thoughts on induction. I do actually understand the technology.

I've gone back to looking at electric-coil stoves, and this weekend I plan to go look at some real ones at a couple of appliance dealers in town. I think that will help me figure out if there are any with better-supported coils.

That's really been the problem - I realize the way I worded it was misleading. It's not that the coils break (not visibly) - they just stop working. First they go crazy (go to highest level of heat when on a low or medium setting) and then they just fail.

This has happened probably 6 or 7 times over the past 25 years, and it feels like a dumb waste of money, though honestly, I've spent less on stoves and stove parts over the past 25 years than if I'd bought a $2K stove to begin with.

But now we're upgrading the look and utility of the kitchen, both, so I would like something that appeals to my eye, and is sturdy as well. I really do dislike electronic control panels, so I'm hoping the electric range I spotted online will look good to me in person (and have better coil support). It's a Summit. Fingers crossed.

Summit? See it in person. Last ones I saw were for bargai-basement landlords. If you are looking for coil-burner reanges, I noticed that our local Lowe's is now carrying a Frigidaire with a convection oven.

Maybe you can keep that 25 year-old beast going or maybe you get a new range, Either way, do check out the aftermarket "canning" elements. The coils are thicker and the support brackets are noticably stronger than on the OEM burners.

jwvideo- i looked at the same ranges as the op today and wondered if you would weigh in on them? i can't figure out if the kenmore elite is made by frigidaire or ge since both have a similar but not exact model. or can you rec a gas range with a 5 plus cu ft oven under $1k?

I wish I could give a direct, based-on-experience recommendation, but I do not have any recent first-hand experience with the sub-$1k gas models.

I did look at numbers of them a couple of years ago when I was stove shopping but: (a) I decided I really wanted induction rather than gas which, at the time, meant a $2k budget; and (b) at that price level, I decided I liked the NXR (pro-style-all-gas) from Costco a bit better. Asking me for a recommendation now is bit like asking your local monster truck guy for a recommendation on a family car.. ;>)

About all I say is that, if I were limited to a $1k budget today and I wanted (or needed) an all-gas range, I would probably look pretty hard at the Frigidaire Gallery Series FGGF3054M -- 5 cu. ft oven, "true" (third element) convection oven, and generally decent specs. I saw it recommended a year or so ago in a post here by deeageaux and then saw one at the local Lowe's. Seemed like a pretty nice stove for the money, but I really cannot say any more than that becuase I just don't have any first hand experience with it.

Actually, If I had to replace my NXR today because it died or my house burned down, I probably would get that Kenmore induction range I mentioned above.

Sorry if this doesn't give you the answers you were looking for, but maybe this will inspire somebody else to weigh in with more direct experience.

jwvideo- thanks for your honesty and help. i appreciate it!