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

Now that I've opened the control panel and properly connected the control cable for the oven, it works much better. The only continuing downside that I haven't fixed is the buzzing / rattle from the rear panel when the oven warms while the convection fan is on. I still despise the stupid blue clock. I wish the clock itself could just be turned off. My cats like it, oddly enough. I can tell because there are always cat prints on the surface. One day they'll learn. You betcha. The bottle of surface cleaner that comes with the stove is hard to remove. I've read somewhere here that there's a different product available that's much easier to work with. I can't remember which thread it was in or the name of the product, though. I've accrued one scratch on the cooktop surface. I noticed that the surface cleaner helps to keep the surface slick. The surface is always slick enough that I have to hold my pots and pans in place while stirring. Either it wasn't slick enough to avoid the scratch or I wasn't holding the cookware still enough. I guess it was bound to happen, though. Overall I still love it. So much easier to keep clean. The speed that it generates heat is great. I kind of like the buzzing sound it makes because I can just hear how high the power level is set without looking. (It's rather odd that the power levels go in weird numerical steps.) If you can get it on sale, go for it. It's definitely made by Electrolux, keeping the Kenmore tradition alive. (The tradition being that Kenmore isn't really a brand so much as a generic reseller.) I'm curious to see how it holds up over the years.

I have the Kenmore Elite slide in all electric. With regards to boil overs, the liquid just stays where it lands. I was concerned about that myself when I first got it and haven't had any problems. Tracey

Cooking on induction absolutely rocks. Immediate response, consistant temps--it's wonderful. I hate to clean, but cleaning up an induction cooktop rocks just as much as cooking on one. Nothing ever burns onto the cooktop, ever. Make a huge mess. Swipe with a soapy rag, swipe again with a clean, dry rag, shiney and clean. Done. Haul hubby out to a different demo. If you can find a Miele or Wolf showroom, go to one of those. Then he can be impressed with the performance but shocked at the price point, and you can "settle" for something much less expensive that works well but with fewer bells and whistles, and he'll be impressed with your research and happy to come in on budget. And you can be a happy cook with a spotless range and very little effort. ;-p Cj