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betsycalifornia

ilve range

betsycalifornia
15 years ago

Hi - I'm a frequent reader, new participant! I'm looking for information about the Ilve Majestic range. It's an italian range made by Eurochef, looks a bit like the Lacanche or LaCornue. An appliance dealer here in So. Calif. has recommended it, but it seems virtually unknown in the US. I'm in the market for a really lovely 48" range and do a lot of cooking for a big family. Any suggestions or input? The looks of the CornuFe are great, but I hear their performance is so-so. I love the Lacanche but am a little scared of deviating from the US 48" standard size in case we ever need to replace the range with another model. The Ilve has a similar appearance and neat features like a standard rotisserie, standard warming drawer, standard dual-fuel... But I wish I knew more about it. I had also thought about the Thermador ProGrand, it's beautiful but I've read terrible things about their reliability. I'd be really grateful for information. THANKS!

Comments (97)

  • Audra Hoynacki
    5 years ago

    oh great! I am headed there tomorrow! thx!


  • Audra Hoynacki
    5 years ago

    Went there yesterday and saw the Ilve Majestic. It is gorgeous and it has the griddle and a fringe of burner sizes and one specifically for keeping a dish warm while you are cooking the other dish (es). I'm in love....was going to go Wolf but have decided to go with my gut and purchase the one I love - it's basically the same price. My concern was if it might be hard to service but Jason told me they have a list of vendors that service the products they carry at Pirch.

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  • Manni Hsu
    4 years ago

    Ilve Majestic is a line of range under the Ilve Brand, it was never manufactured by Eurochef, but it was once imported/distributed by Eurochef. Currently Superior Marketing: superiormktg.com is the distributor ./ Ilve USA - ilveusa.com . I see you can purchase it on Amazon, Appliancesconnection.com, AJMadison, and Wayfair.


    By the way, Hallman ranges are also manufactured by Ilve - they just remove the Ilve tag and put on the Hallman tag - you can find out more information by asking who the certified technicians are - they are the same servicers.

  • Megan Bryan-Dunleavy
    3 years ago

    Obsessed with the 48inch majestic but the ovens seen so small! Can you cook a large turkey In the large oven? What kinds of things do you cook in the 2nd oven given it’s so small? Casseroles? please help. Building a house and love the way this oven looks but want to make sure it’s practical and not just gorgeous bc it definitely is! Any advice is very much appreciated.

  • Richard Smith
    3 years ago

    I’ve had one for 6 years. My complaint is trying to get it repaired. My broiler Stopped working months ago and I can’t find anyone to repair it. I’m in San Francisco.

  • Violetta Valery
    3 years ago

    This is a very unusual thread. It is 12 years old but there are very, very few comments from people who have purchased an Ilve, cooked on it for over 2 years and commented on the actual performance of the range. If there is no one to repair it in an area like San Francisco, we'll all sunk. This thread reads like a review of the distributors, not the range itself. Wonder if thread is "curated".

  • asherrachel
    3 years ago

    I'm interested too--would like to buy an Ilve 36" but concerned about oven size and whether it could be serviced if needed in Cape Cod. I'm going to phone their US headquarters in Brooklyn and try to figure this out.

  • lucky998877
    3 years ago

    asherrachel, I have a Hallman, basically the same as Ilve. I was worried about getting it installed because the people listed on Hallman's site don't work on/install these ranges...some due to covid, some because I didn't buy from them. Then I got hold of a high end appliance install-repair company and they said that "these ranges are all the same" and they work on them all the time. Call a good appliance seller in the area and see who does their installs. I love my range so much!

  • HU-955588692
    3 years ago

    I am building a Nantucket style summer home. The interior is pale blue. Since the kitchen is mostly white I wanted a statement piece. I saw the ILVE gas range on Property Brothers in a deep blue with brass knobs and pulls and googled it immediately. Found the 30” on a site and ordered it! The builder said it was gorgeous when I sent him a photo. The best part is the oven is ELECTRIC! I always would comment years ago that my ideal stove would have gas burners but an electric oven. The electric oven does a much better job with baked goods. Best part...free Shipping.

  • asherrachel
    3 years ago

    They are beautiful ranges. Have you gotten yours yet? My only concerns were with oven size, and who could repair the range if that was needed (our house is in a relatively remote place). It seems the oven racks are a full two inches shallower, front to back, than my run of the mill oven, and the overall capacity is much smaller as well. The NY office responded to my questions as follows: "The oven rack dimensions for the 36” Nostalgie are 24.5 in W x 15 in D. The total oven capacity is 3.55 Cu Ft. for this range. As for service, you’d always contact us directly and we could dispatch a technician or parts to you anywhere in the US! We offer a 2 year warranty on parts and service, and you can extend the warranty to 3 years for $199 or 5 years for $299.. As for service, you can always contact us directly and we will arrange service for you no matter where you are located in the US!"

  • Linda St Angelo-Burritt
    3 years ago

    Thankful for the owners of ILVE that have provided some feedback, it is difficult to get and I can not find one to see in person in my big city of San Diego! One of my questions is with the griddle, how well does it work and more importantly how well does it clean. I imagine having this beautiful range that soon looks very worn from every day use. The range appears so shiny, doe that last?

  • lucky998877
    3 years ago

    Linda, the griddle is wonderful. It takes a moment to heat up, don't crank the heat on high to make it go faster...I burnt some oil doing that on day #1. I use mine at least once a week on french toast, quesadillas, chicken etc. I keep a cutting board on it while not in use. It looks so pretty that way and provides an area in the middle of the burners for utensils etc. It cleans up nicely, I usually put water on it while still hot (love my pot filler above it). It weighs a ton!

  • Ellen Dow
    3 years ago

    Chris Caldwell, Our major issue is the noisy fan as well. Please let me know if you get anywhere with this. We purchased our 30" dual-fuel Majestic oven just over one year ago. It is British racing green with brass trim, and it looks custom made for our design scheme, which is wonderful. its internal fan which cools the electronics as necessary is very noisy. In the beginning, it didn't go on unless we were using the oven at a relatively high temperature, but now it goes on every time we use the oven. The fan stays on as the oven cools down as well, and recently, it cycles on and off multiple times for quite awhile during the cooling off period. Has anyone else experienced this?

  • daobrien
    3 years ago

    Glad I looked here! The loud fan drove me crazy on our Thermador. We will be building and looking for recommendations for 48” that also has a warming drawer. Are there any besides the thermador that has steam oven? The steam cooked great but was rarely used.

  • HU-358597752
    2 years ago

    I am looking into purchasing an ILVE Magestic oven but I am nervous that I will not find a repairman. I live in NJ. It is beautiful and the style is better than the La Corneau because you can see into the oven. I see people are commenting on the depth of the oven, has anyone had issues with roasting a turkey?

  • mwiecz01
    2 years ago

    wondering the same, oven dimensions seem small. any experiences with large roasts?

  • lucky998877
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    @mwiecz01 I took pictures for you, give me a sec to upload.







    Ok, 2 Dutch ovens at the same time...1 is a 7.25 qt Le Creuset, the other one a little smaller Staub. 3/4 cookie sheet with room to spare (bought for my previous range), and lastly a huge lasagna/roasting pan.

  • mwiecz01
    2 years ago

    Thank you!!! Is the roasting pan on the lowest rung? Just curious. Again thanks! This is very helpful since there isn’t anywhere I could see these in person!

  • lucky998877
    2 years ago

    No, the 2nd lowest...it still had the drip tray below it on the lowest one (both drip trays come with the range).

  • lucky998877
    2 years ago

    This is the lowest



  • Cindy Behrens
    2 years ago

    Lucky998877, how long have you had your range, is it the Majestic model and where are you located? I have the 48” Majestic on order (since February) and now I am very nervous about getting it. Since I ordered it, I’ve heard many service issues with it. Any information you can share will be greatly appreciated. I am Orange County, California.

  • lucky998877
    2 years ago

    Cindy, I've been using my range since August 2020, but it sat in my garage for a year before that...full house renovation. Mine is a Hallman, same as the Nostalgie by Ilve. I'm in Utah (used to live in the OC), and while the service people listed for my area were no help, I was able to find installers and repair techs who work on higher end ranges...they said that these are easy to fix, very manual in my case. Contact a local high end appliance store and beg for their contact...it should not be hard in CA. The Majestic is different from mine...I believe...it weighs 200 lbs more so the way it was made cannot be the same. My range had to be calibrated, I don't know if it is due to my high altitude, but the small oven temp was more off than the large one. Both are very accurate after the manual calibration process. I bet that you will LOVE your range when you start using it! I have zero regrets, it still makes my day!

  • k8cd
    2 years ago

    Hi 1mayven, do you still like your ilve? I am considering getting one but am a little hesitate because reviews seem to be all over the place. Thanks for your help!

  • rkingsk8r
    2 years ago

    Also wondering if there are any updates on fan noise and also repairs if needed in Westchester County, NY. Considering Majestic for kitchen reno. THanks!


  • jbarr85
    2 years ago

    I just got my ILVE Majestic 40” Range. I had to go with the 40” because of space constraints. I bought it from Capital Wholesale in the Sacramento area basically sight unseen. My son live in that area and has dealt with Capital on a few things and thought highly of them. Anyway, the stove took 7 months to get to where I live in Upper Michigan and it arrived in perfect condition. I was able to make arrangements with a local appliance dealer, Household Appliance, who I’ve purchased almost all my appliances from over the years, to deliver and install it. Anyway, it is a beautiful appliance. I’m still trying to figure things out in it, but it is very well made. My complaints would be that the owners manual could be more model specific instead of covering several models. I wish that the main oven was a tad bigger, but I knew that I was going to have to retire a few pans to my basement kitchen.

  • debjohansson
    2 years ago

    Lucky998877 can you tell me who you used to install your range? We are restoring an old brick farmhouse in Midway and want to have one of these installed. Did you buy locally as well?

  • debjohansson
    2 years ago

    @Lucky998877

  • lucky998877
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    @debjohansson I used MyTy to install...they install for Mountainland Design. Skyler specifically was knowledgeable about these ranges.

    I bought straight from Hallman.

  • Gail Marquis
    2 years ago

    We just received our ILVE Majestic ll last week. It is stunning. For questions about the fan noise…unfortunately, it is loud! We had Thermador double wall ovens prior to our remodel.

  • Gail Marquis
    2 years ago

    ^Continued… hated the noise of the Thermadors. The ILVE is just as loud but the beauty makes up for it…I guess haha. Enjoy.

  • Jane Bloom
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Just finally got my Majestic 11 after waiting a really long time. It is a gorgeous emerad green. That is where my positive remarks stop. Neither oven has heat. Customer Service is horrible. Tech support told me it could be minimum three weeks before they can get a service person because it is the holidays (is Halloween a stop work holiday and Thanksgiving is a month away). No manager available to take or return a call. For what these stoves cost ($10,000) and waiting forever for it to be made, then shipped, and then it does not work....but another brand. If Customer Service had been responsive I would not be concerned, but the are aloof and do not care after the sale. Buyer beware. I bought through Superior Marketing who is the US distributor.


    UPDATE: I got better customer service when I called back on the Monday and they offered to take my stove back or get a repair person out the next day. I opted forthe repair person as I love the stove. The problem was a wire had not been connected when it was made it Italy. An easy fix IF you have someone to fix it. I would continue to be wary to purchase if you do not live near a major city, as I was told with the pandemic, a lot of service people have gone out of business and the ones that remain are so busy they do not want to be paid to drive to rural areas. I kept the card of our service person as we are not far from Orlando where he is located. But be cautious if you live out of a major city. You will wait a long time for service. I am grateful to Hannah and Sherry for stepping up at Superior Marketing. I cannot say much for the others.

  • Eric Erthein
    2 years ago

    We received our Majestic in June after a long wait for second home, We used 4-5 times the left stove side and was disapointed to hear fan noise, we reported to the distributor Superior Marketing in late August for service call. We then had same problem on right smaller stove and reported it for service as well. No word back after countless calls. Then finally by end of October we got service appointment.........for end of December if they can get there.

    The team at Superior was great but has no inhouse service department and relies on 3rd party service companies who will need to make two trips for the repair and you may have to wait longer depending on parts availability if parts are available. The stove is gorgeous but would never buy again due to awful service program, I would only buy from local dealers.

    The two stove sections are not operable!!!


  • pitelka3
    2 years ago

    I bought the Ilve Nostalgie 30 inch propane range in January. It finally arrived and was installed in June. It is so beautiful and it worked well.


    I bought from a local company in Raleigh because I thought they would be able to facilitate repairs if needed. That was wrong. In July the oven stopped working. It took until August to get a local repairman to come look at it. This was facilitated by Superior Marketing (the distributor). The first repairman was afraid to touch the stove since he had never worked on a "foreign" stove before. It took two weeks to get another repairman. He ordered all the parts it could possibly be from Superior. They took weeks to arrive. He repaired the stove and all was fine for about a month. Then the oven stopped working again.


    It's now November and we still don't have a working oven. Superior has now outsourced the repair service to a company called ADCO. They must find a repair company in my local area and arrange for the repairs. It's been weeks -- they keep telling me that a serviceman will call but none does. They seem to be having trouble finding someone who wants to work on the stove. Perhaps its the labor shortage?


    The stovetop works great once you get used to the way the burners work. One problem is that the burners come apart easily when cleaning and don't work if they aren't in the right place. But I am really enjoying cooking on the stovetop.


    I love the stove, but I really need an oven! I don't think I would buy it again because of the problems with service.


  • Jane Bloom
    2 years ago

    If they cannot fix ityou should insist onthem replacing it. Especially if you have a warranty and they cannot honor it. That is horrible!

  • pitelka3
    2 years ago

    Yes, I agree. If it's not repaired soon, I will have to try to return it. It has a two year warranty.

  • Sonya Sorg
    2 years ago

    @pitelka3 Ah - So you have one of the problem Ilve ranges from Raleigh. I was looking at a 40 inch there last week. They discouraged me from buying one because of repair issues and company unresponsiveness. How has your experience been with the company that you purchased from? So few options in 40 inch ranges!

  • Jane Bloom
    2 years ago

    Hi I bought from Superior Marketing. They got my problem fixed right away. I had no heat in ovens when I got it. It was an easy fix once the repair person came. Italy had forgot to connect a wire. It works great and I love it. But you should carefully investigate where repair people are near where you live. If you are rural, do not get it as I was told repair people do not need to travel anymore, even for the extra money, as they are busy enough after so many quit during COVID. I am near Orlando and fortunately have a company that can do repairs. Having said that, you will STILL have to wait for parts if not locally available and there are no quick trips from Italy. I have heard some people have been months without their stove or oven. You may want to joing the ILVE and HALLMAN Facebook page, you will learn a lot there.

  • pitelka3
    2 years ago

    If I were to do it again, I would still consider the Ilve (it depends on how it all turns out in the end). I would not buy it from Wilkinson Supply in Raleigh. They were quite unresponsive during both the purchase process and repairs. I would probably buy directly from Superior Marketing. I would probably get the duel fuel instead of propane. We chose propane because we live in the country and have lots of power outages. I found Superior Marketing to be good to deal with but you have to be really persistent. I was not persistent enough at first.


    Regarding the oven. It stopped heating after about a month. It took three months to get parts and repairs done. It worked for a few weeks and went out again. This time repairs were more timely. I cooked Christmas dinner and the heat went out again. We have replaced one part three times; it keeps going out. So Superior is now talking about getting us a new stove, but they have none in stock so it may take months to get it. I love the stove though. Cooking on the top is great.


    Sonia -- I knew nothing about problem ranges from Raleigh. What do you mean?

  • Valerie Trahanovsky
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Hi!

    I just watched a video of just how loud the noise is. Then I found a video on how to get rid of the noise. I am posting a video that shows the loud convection noise. It takes a while into the video to hear it. I am posting the ILVE review on how to reduce fan noise. It's odd that the video doesn't show oven on with low noise after the remedy. However, it's worth a try. If any of you decide to try this process can you kindly put the results on this forum? Haven't purchased my oven yet. The reviews on Home Depot's website are terrible and plenty. But they are under the name Hallman 48" range. I know that the Nostalgie 48" range has poor reviews also. After researching, found that these are basically the same ranges. The Majestic 40" has really good reviews for both ILVE and under the name Hallman under Home Depot's website and on other sites. You can find these reviews on Home Depot website too!

    After finding out that La Cornue was bought by AGE in 2015 I decided against buying this range. Interesting how the reviews went downhill once this happened. I did look into LaConche and it would take a year to receive. Plus, not such good reviews like the Majestic 40" and not as many features. I am leaning towards a Majestic 40".

    By the way, there are a lot of videos on how to remedy problems with the ILVE range. Whether they work or not I am curious about.




  • Valerie Trahanovsky
    2 years ago

    I ended up buying a 48 inch Wolfe range. After reading too many poor reviews I just couldn't buy the Ilve. I really loved all the extras the Ilve oven offered plus it is GORGEOUS! But after looking into it in depth I had to go with the Wolfe. It has proven the reliable choice and with all the crazy things with the economy in the future I want little hassles in my future with the range I chose.

  • Tiffany Bennett
    last year

    I'm so frustrated and torn about this stunning range. I have my heart set on it, as it would be the perfect fit for our Victorian kitchen renovation. We were told by a dealer in St. Louis that they would service it if there was no one else closer to us who was certified. We're nearly 3 hours from St. Louis in rural Illinois. I just can't find anything comparable to this range. Nothing with the same look. A Blue Star would be able to be trusted but just not the right look. They also make the Big Chill Classic, which would be an old look, but not a professional range. I'm just so sick about it having such terrible reviews. I keep digging online, but the reviews are unanimously negative. If anyone has had any recent success, please share!

  • pitelka3
    last year

    After having my Ilve Nostalgie for nine months, I have decided to return it. The same part in the oven has failed four times and each time took weeks to repair. I haven't had an oven since Christmas. That's how long it took to get permission to return the stove and make arrangements. I finally have a date for the stove pickup -- Tuesday. Keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't take months to get my money back. No other stoves are as beautiful and I will be sorry to see it go, but I do need it to work. Digging into reviews for other stoves is sobering since they all seem to have potential problems.

  • Tiffany Bennett
    last year

    I'm so sorry to hear this. How terribly frustrating! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it. Good luck as you hunt for a replacement!

  • jstrackany
    last year

    We got a 30” Ilve Majestic in October 2021 and have since returned it. The oven is unbelievably loud when running and for about half an hour after turning it off. We found the oven heated unevenly, and the burners were very finicky when lighting. The oven inside the oven seemed very rickety and did not slide in and out easily. All in all it seemed nowhere near the quality of what a 5K stove would be. We bought a Cafe range (GE’s high end line) and are thrilled with it. 2k cheaper and a far superior range.

  • Linda Pitelka
    last year

    As noted above, we returned our Nostalgie because of chronic problems with the oven. It was picked up on April 5th and we were promised a refund immediately. We still do not have our refund and I fear the same long process to get it. I’m dealing with Superior Marketing and everything takes forever. So disappointing.

  • Pierce
    last year

    I warn you to seriously consider my account before purchasing any Ilve product. It took 9 months to reach a resolution with Ilve. Terrible customer support for a brand new range, and trust me it’s not just one customer service rep that caused this, it was everyone I worked with.


    Here is what happened:


    – Ilve Nostalgie 36inch range arrived in sub-optimal condition. Gas burners would rarely ignite or hold flame, only 1-2 burners would work at the same time with low BTU.

    – Began troubleshooting by calling Ilve Customer Support number, the Customer Support is contracted out to Superior Marketing who is their distributor in the US.

    – Customer Support began trying to locate a service technician in my area (top 10 metro in USA). For weeks, I would call in once per week to check the status of my case, Ilve rarely reached out to me with updates.

    – Customer Support could not locate a service provider in my area and asked me to find one myself. When reached, many service providers in my area said they would not service Ilve.

    – At this point, the customer care team began to hang up on me when I would call in to ask for help with locating a service technician.

    – I now had to call into the Sales team and begin working with them for support.

    – A service technician was finally scheduled and assessed my issue 3 ½ months after contacting Customer Support.

    – It took 8 weeks to deliver the parts the technician needed.

    – Technician re-assessed the range with new parts and concluded the range was not manufactured correctly and should be returned as it was irreparable.

    – From this point, it took 5 weeks of constant requests to begin the refund process.

    – After this, it took an additional 9 weeks for the refund to be processed and to get my money back.


    A product issue was seriously compounded by a failing customer care team. This market segment of home appliances is often called “attainable luxury” – you get the high end look while sacrificing the backend support.


    Please understand that your appliance may be optimal and working as it should when you purchase it. But buyer beware if you need customer support – that is when the buyers regret kicks in.

  • richardparker
    last year

    For Pierce - Can you tell me if you are in the Boston area? If so, I won't consider Ilve. I had a nightmare like yours with a bertazzoni (another pretty face) and life is too short. Thank you.

  • gregm50
    last year

    Absolutely beautiful! I love it buuuuut...the burners are TOOO hot. We can't simmer anything. The customer service rep was very nice and said not the first time she's heard of this issue. I've reached out for service but it's been weeks and no one has called us back. Surely it is an adjustment that can be made. I don't think there is a service team in Nashville.

  • hereisamyskitchen
    4 months ago

    I just read somewhere that you can adjust the amount of air getting to the burners on the Ilve Majestics. That might solve your issue of too high burner flames, if you can find a technician. I’m considering the 60” Ilve, but am worried about service. We are in Nashville also, so your post is not giving me confidence. Any updates? I am so tempted as they are so beautiful, but really don’t want those headaches. We had the 43” la cornue and loved it. Though it was so hard to clean and finicky. Once we figure it, out it was great. Like driving a Ferrari. (In theory as I have only ever sat in one at the dealership!) la cornue service was fantastic.