Elux (See details below) I've had the Elux Icon 30" single oven, the Elux Icon Speed Oven, and their wine fridge for over 4 years now. All have been trouble free, oven bakes accurately, Speed oven used every day (mostly for microwaving) but gets a lot of use as a speed oven also. Wine fridge has been trouble free (alto Elux did have a lotta problems with their earlier model full size fridges) most the post about their new fridges have been positive but still a bit early to tell how they will do in the longer run. I had to replace a very fancy Caldera cooktop after it failed in less than 2 years. I replaced it with an Elux Icon Induction cooktop---had it about a year now and we love it. Dishwasher? I would still go with Miele (as we did) or Kitchenaid HTH's Good Luck!! Gary

I'm 5'2" and I'm actually going with cabinets 24" off the counter, (which will be 35.5" high) with a 10" deep floating shelf below it at 15" . My reasoning, besides the fact that I really really like that look, is that a lot of the daily use stuff that would go on the bottom shelf will go on the open shelf, and the the bottom shelf of the raised up cabinet is still several inches lower than the current 2nd shelf. So I will actually be able to reach more than in the existing cabinets which are about 17". Plus Sektion cabinets are 15" deep, and at 18", I think they kind of loom over the counter. It's a narrow galley kitchen, so pushing the cabinets up will open things up visually. And yes, even as a short person I absolutely care if the appliances fit under the cabinets. The 15" shelf height was specifically chosen so that the kitchenaid can fit under it. It won't live on the counter, but when it is out I want to be able to slide it back out of the way temporarily. The only thing that won't fit is the blender with the jar on, but that's the one thing I don't care about.

tednv, we have this combo and it's on our "get rid of" list. Now, your situation may be much different than ours, but here's why we want things to change here: This kitchen was originally (when we moved in in December of 2006) on an over-booked electric box. We decided that taking some strain off of the box by splicing from the fireplace gas line was a great idea (which it was!). We even spliced again a few weeks ago to have permanent gas line for an outdoor grill because of it. But when keeping a small OTR hood/micro combo over gas? Probably not a good idea. See that window? Yeah, about that...it's the only window out of 29 in the house that was never replaced by the previous owners (not that there's anything wrong with that, we knew what we were getting into with this older home, but I digress...). That's an original 1930-at-some-point-painted-onto-the-window-frame window. It offers no other ventilation to the kitchen. Here's another thing: we cook. A lot. Stinky stuff. Things that would make your mother cringe (I KID!) We do, however, cook chili and Low Country Boils often for crowds (they, to put it delicately, stink to high heaven for days afterward). Oh, and yes, our OTR is vented to the outdoors. If ventilation is what you are looking for, then look into other alternatives. I (half-jokingly) said in another thread the other day that the OTR was good for two things: melting butter and keeping the time, and I kinda mean it. Hey, we had a combo in our townhouse and never had issues (of course, everything was on an electric system there). Personally, I wouldn't recommend it if you're remodeling or starting from scratch. I'd much rather keep the gas range and spend some extra dollars on a decent range hood that can handle the grease, heat and odors that come from a stove (especially a gas range), but that's just me. Everyone and every locale is different, though. What works for you and your bank account is what matters, ultimately. Here's my lovely OTR combo and (non-working) window:

We have three Electrolux appliances: Gigantic Icon 30" double oven with double convection E30EW85ESS2, electric How many ways can I say awesome? Bakes better than any oven we've ever owned, holds temperature perfectly, and the doors are cool to the touch regardless of inside temp. Icon Microwave/Convection oven E30MO65GSS Might seem silly to have this with the full size double convection oven, but this is great because in convection mode it warms up quickly - less than 5 minutes to 400 degrees. Perfect for frozen pizza or warming anything - you can do it fast without heating up the whole kitchen. Great unit, and we use it more than we expected. Cooktop EW30GC55GS (30", four burners, gas) The big burner will singe your hair - or boil water very quickly. Burners are very finely adjustable, and the "one level" grid is great. Biggest complaint is that the stainless steel is the softest ever - you can scratch it with a fingernail. Warming drawer E30WD75ESS2 We bought this for one reason only - it was 90% off (about $100 instead of $900) at the Sears Outlet, and it matched our oven. Works fine, but we really don't use it much. Can't speak for GE, but we really like our Kitchenaid dishwasher, and are so-so on our Kitchenaid counter-depth 'fridge. Love the Kitchenaid standalone icemaker.