We have one. Been using it for 8 weeks now, and thus far has been great. Feel free to ask any questions you want!

alywa, thanks for the comments and pictures. Beautiful kitchen. Can I ask what other ranges you considered and why you decided to pick the ICON? Did you consider any other ICON products (refrigerator, dishwasher, etc.)? THANKS!

Alywa,
What is your backsplash tile? That is gorgeous!

searching_2008

We knew we wanted a 48" range. Our in-laws built a new house approx. 1 year ago, and they went Electrolux Icon for their cooktop, oven, speed oven, WD and DW. I was impressed with the build quality of their units, so I put them on my short list.

When the time came to pick, we decided we didn't want a grill or griddle on the range, just burners. We looked at Viking (ruled out pretty quickly), Wolf (nice, but really expensive), Jenn-Air, DCS, Monogram, etc. I really liked the DCS and Monogram, but they came with a grill or griddle. We also considered going the French route (Cornue Fe or Lacanche), but in the end decided to go with the more mainstream, mostly due to concerns about getting the range serviced if needed. Each and every time we kept coming back to the Electrolux Icon.

For us it came down to design and price. I really liked that it (and the Dacor it is based on) only had 6 burners. That leaves so much real estate for large pots and pans... really a luxury when you are using Dutch Ovens, oversized skillets, etc. As far as price, it really seems to be a bargain compared to the other 48" ranges. Sure, you can get a Capital or American, Jenn-Air, and a few others a little less, but none of them "did it" for me.

Then, to top it off, we found it at close-out from a store in Phoenix, AZ (we live in AL)... the store was cool with the shipping... ended up with an incredible price.

As far as the other appliances, we already had a DW, and we ended up going Monogram for our fridge, and got the Advantium and WD to match (Again, we found really good deals on all of these appliances locally)

We had considered the Electrolux Icon twins, but decided we just didn't have the space we needed for them.

artielange The backsplash is Ragno Maraja. There's a lot more details in the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Form / Finished Photos

Thanks for the reply, Alywa. The kitchen I'm currently working on is also for a lakefront home. I agree with all of the other posters...your kitchen is magnificent. Just the right mix of modern and warm.

alywa,

Thanks for all of your help! Your kitchen and the adjoining rooms are marvelous... very warm and very practical. I am certain that you are enjoying the new arrangement.

If you don't mind, and I don't mean to drag this on, but I have a few more questions.

Apparently, your in-laws have had good luck with their ICON products. Have they had any issues at all?

Does the oven in the ICON range seem to bake evenly? For example, have you baked multiple sheets of cookies?

Do you use the smaller oven frequently? Are you pleased with it?

I think you mentioned something in another posting about simmering issues. Does it simmer well? Do you have to use a simmering plate?

The Broan hood looks very nice. Did you find a better deal on that unit as opposed to the ICON hood, or did you simply like it better?

How easy is it to clean the grates and burner area?

Finally, it seems like the ICON range is fairly comparable to the Monogram and others, but at a lower price point... without the grill/griddle. Would you agree?

We live in a remote area (up by Lake Superior... we got 3" of snow last night) and reliability is a must... but performance is also important, at a reasonable cost. We are hoping that perhaps the ICON is similar to other brands but perhaps not as service prone. It doesn't make much sense to me to spend a lot more on a Wolf or Viking or Monogram if the performance and features are fairly similar, without improved or perhaps even equal reliability. Our neighbor has had good luck with his 36" Wolf, but Consumer Reports and other postings make me a bit concerned. Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.

THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!

Searching_2008

No problem with the questions! I know how hard it is to get first hand info, so I'll provide all I can for you.

1. The only issues the in-laws have had are with the cooktop. It is a five-burner, 36" model. The stainless surface gets very hot with continued usage, and oversized pans can actually allow flame escape out of the side near the handles... they actually melted a handle! (Electrolux sent them 2 new ones... they are more careful with pot arrangement now). Their ovens have been great, very even. The DW is very nice too.

2. Our range so far has been wonderful. Both ovens are very even (much more so than any other oven I've owned, and other convection ovens I've used). I purchased a oven thermometer to check accuracy of temperature... the big oven is spot on, the little oven seems approx 10 degrees cooler than the knob says... we simply adjust for this now. Standard bake, convection bake, and convection roast work very nicely.

Using the smaller oven, I baked 2 quiches last evening (convection bake). They came out perfectly. No hot or cool spots to speak of, crust was very evenly browned, no difference between the top / bottom / front / back. We haven't made multiple sheets of cookies yet in the larger oven, but single sheets have been very good. We end up using the smaller oven 90% of the time, but both are wonderful. The ovens come with 4 racks each, which is too many, so I've taken two out of each one. I guess if someone was doing large batches of cookies, this would be handy, but for us 2 racks per oven is plenty.

3. Burners / Simmering. The power burners (17K btu) are very powerful. The simmer burners do go "low" well, but not low enough to keep a wine reduction sauce in a 8" pan from evaporating too quickly without the simmer plate. We have ended up keeping the simmer plate on the range (over the small, back right simmer burner), and this has worked out fine. It comes with a wok ring, but we haven't used it yet. It also comes with a griddle / grill pan cover for 2 burners, but we haven't used it yet either.

4. Broan Hood. We decided to go with Best by Broan for a few reasons. We liked the idea of an in-line blower, and wanted to go with a manufacturer who makes a lot of hoods. The style was exactly what we were looking for. The Best was a few bucks cheaper than the ICON, and seemed like the best choice for us. (pun unintended). We also have the baffle filters for easier cleaning and reduced airflow noise. The unit came with mesh too, but I haven't tried them yet.

5. Cleaning. Cleaning is pretty straight forward. The grates come off (very heavy, but in a good way), the burners have a cap and brass ring, which also simply lift off. The "pan" under the burners is glossy enamel / porcelain which I clean with Windex Vinegar. It can look a little "streaky" at times, but I think I'm the only one who notices. The grates I clean with soapy water / plastic scouring sponge. They say the grates are dishwasher safe, but I haven't tried yet (nor have I had to... the grates stay pretty clean and are easy to sponge off). The front of the unit / oven doors are very simple to clean (I use Windex Vinegar (not the blue stuff!))... the design keeps drips from really getting onto the oven doors.

6. Reliability / Value: I'd agree that the ICON is in the same class as the Monogram and the DCS. Function wise, it is virtually identical to the Dacor 48", but is much less expensive. I guess that is because of name, but also because it doesn't have Dacor's fancy computerized controls. Which gets me to my second point... reliability. I have a general distrust of computerized controls where they aren't needed. I'm no technophobe (In fact, I'm a bit of a gadget freak), but I've never liked electronic displays / computers on my appliances. I researched the Dacor model, and the electronics seemed like the major source of complaint / repair. Give me knobs any day!

Living in a cold / snowy environment makes a gas range of any type a nice thing... you can still cook without power.

As far as Wolf / consumer reports... take those ratings with a whole lot of salt. CR is great, but for "niche" products, they often don't really "get it". If money was no object, I'd have picked the Wolf 48"... but for us it was literally twice the price of the ICON.

All in all, though we've only been using the ICON for 9 weeks now, I feel I can safely say I'd purchase it again without question. Same goes for my Advantium 240. Jury is still out on the fridge.

Wow. Thanks for the inside scoop. I really appreciate all the details. If I think of anything else I will post another question.

THANKS!

Thanks for sharing so much USEFUL information about your range. It's easy to look at them in the store but it's been tough finding someone who has actually had a chance to play with them! How do you feel about the size of the large oven? It seems so much smaller compared to what I'm coming from, your traditional 30 inch free standing electric stove. Do you think you could really get a 25 lb turkey in there? Thanks!

ALYWA,

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your kitchen. Heck, now I am thinking we should have gone with a dual range after reading your posts....no, I won't change my mind, again but if I had read this first, I might have chosen differently!

I am anxious to look at your pictures as my DH wants a brick look for a backsplash and yours look fabulous! Thanks again for your info.

Zanemom:

The big oven is HUGE compared to previous 30" range ovens I've had. I just measured it; it is 27" Wide x 15.5" High x 19" Deep. Of course, the depth (usable) is a few inches less due to the convection fans / backstops on the racks. My biggest roasting pan is only 17"x14", so I have no doubt that you could cook as big of a bird as you wanted (ostriches excluded).

Out of curiosity, I looked at the stats on AJ madison (where I previously left a review)

The 30" Icon oven measures at 4.2 Cubic Feet. Some freestanding ranges have 5+ cubic feet, but I think they are simply taller (bottom lower to the ground, lower profile rangetop, etc.)

The 48" Icon ovens measure at 4.6 and 2.6 cubic feet.

We wind up mostly using the small oven, if that's any gauge.

Could someone please let me know whether the Icon range has an oven cooling fan that comes on during normal bake (not convection)? I'm trying to avoid any unnecessary noise.