I have a Whirlpool/Kenmore gas range. Haven't had problems with paint peeling, but HAVE had the following issues:

- difficult to clean. With the removal of lead from appliance paint in 1990+, one of the areas they cut costs was in paint formulations on cheaper (non-pro style) models, which gave easy cleanability. The burner area gets gunky and even oven cleaner won't take off the stuff.

- get the extended warranty because the circuit boards which control the stove, start to go wonky in 5-7 yrs. This is NOT a minor repair. A handy person could replace the board themselves, but labor is a miniscule cost on this problem. The boards cost between $350 and $475, depending on stove model.

My stove has a goodly amount of power on the Plus burners although heat recovery on a closed-burner stove is never as good as on an open-burner config. It sears beautifully, but can only stir-fry in small amounts.

What I like, for the price:
- good-sized oven, very flexible heating options (goes down to 170 degrees, programmable in 5-degree jumps)
- extremely good control over burner heat, goes so low that large pots will cool off at the "Lo" setting - "Lo" is only for melting chocolate!
- electronic timer and programmable oven bake time. I use these all the time. True conveniences, once you get into the rhythm of using them.

Thanks for the heads-up about the extended warranty. Seems like the extended warranty is required on the newer ranges, washers and dryers judging from the responses on this forum and most reviews online.

I also have a Kenmore range at home (nearly 22 years old now), and yes I agree with you the circuit board took a hike after 7-8 years. The digital clock doesn't appear anymore, but it doesn't affect the operation of the stove and oven since they are set using mechanical knobs. I do miss having the electronic timer but I've lived with it for this long that it's become second nature now :). Will have to look into this Whirlpool model to see how the oven operates.

That's great to hear that your range has been working for you, and you've just confirmed that the burners are quite powerful.

How do you clean the burner area? Any recommendations?

>>How do you clean the burner area? >>

We just gave up, basically. I banned my DH from cleaning the range after he got so frustrated one day he attacked the sludge with a knife, not realizing that because it's a glass surface, he permanently ruined it by scratching it. But even the smaller back burners, which I hardly ever use, have gotten a small circle of the brownish-black sludge right around the burner rings.

It's irritating because the stove I had prior to this, cleaned up like a champ. When even oven cleaners don't work, I ran out of ideas.

I think that's one advantage of getting the higher-end ranges - the paint job is a better quality! Unfortunately I can't fit one in.

Thanks for the advice, I guess I will try to avoid glass surface gas ranges. Have you tried using a razor? Or letting a soapy-water mixture settle on the surface for sometime and then wiping it off?

Are you burning LP or nat gas? I do know that LP burns dirtier as it has higher energy content which means it burns richer when compared to nat gas.

We use natural gas. In CA it's cheaper to use gas than electricity (we pay some of the highest electric rates in the nation).

I keep it as clean as possible but no longer worry about the baked-on stains. When we eventually sell our house (it's not disability friendly for our old age), I'll replace it with a stainless steel range, as that's a big selling point in our area.

If it dies anytime I'll just replace it sooner. We are on our third circuit board since 2002, so repairs have already run $850 on a $1050 stove.

Yikes! 3 circuit boards, it's a good thing you got that extended warranty package.

Gas is also cheaper here in Ontario than electricity which is why I'm being swayed into a gas appliance.