Check how much clearance the induction top needs.The electronics need some breathing room I think.

I have a 36 inch Miele and was going to put an oven under it until I discovered how uncomfortably low that oven would be. I have a false front under the cook top and then 2 deep pot drawers, and have double ovens elsewhere.
Judy

The Sears unit is made by electrolux. Generally the electrolux gets very good ratings. I'm biased as I have one and an oven and love both but if you read some reviews on the electrolux induction on various sites and this one, it will help you if you would like to go the Sears route.

I would have liked to go with Miele for the induction top because they have a couple of options that I would have liked but here in Canada Miele are into extortion (cost is 2x what you pay in USA) so I refuse...I would have still bought the electrolux oven as I liked it much better than the Miele for less than half the cost.

Regards and good luck,

LIP

LIP2000 which oven do you have, do you have it under the cook top?

I like kenmore products in general, but the reviews about the unit suddenly dying after a year or two is scaring me off a bit.. I really think a product at that price should last at least 10 years.

The Sears is an Electrolux high bred unit which has not faired well. The units thta hold up seam to be made by Brandt, which would be the Diva, Wolf, Fagor, Windcrest and one other I can't think of, wait its de dietrich which is not approved for use in the USA

Hi thanks for the advices, many to look at!

But, what do you think about what Bosch told me about the junction box clearance conflicting with my hopes of installing an oven underneath? I read the actual installation manual at Bosch's, it comes with 36" armor cabled and want to go into a junction box "approx" 12" below the counter top. But couldn't the box be embedded flush with the wall like my old Range receptacle was? I can still locate it 12" or more below the cooktop, just inside the wall. I am planning to install a temperature controlled computer fan to add some ventilation to area no matter what brand I chose.

The oven needs to be removed if I need to service either of them anyway.

I have included the instruction here:

Here is a link that might be useful: BOSCH Induction install manual

Poorowner

I looked at the Bosch install manual and I believe that this cooktop is the same as the Thermador that I installed
last year.

The way that the power cable is attached to the cooktop will allow you to put the box in the wall cavity.
you will need to provide some air to the bottom of the cooktop.
The heat shield, which ensures that the intake air does not mix with the exhaust air, will require you to have the oven no closer than 2 inches from the bottom of the cooktop.

I would also be wary of the depth of the oven. I found that the Thermador oven would not install into a base cabinet unless the back was cut out. I would bet that Bosch will be the same.

Good Luck
John

Hey John (CarGuy)
You are right, the installation manual is word for word!
It does seem a bit touchy about the clearances.

So I think now I am going to relocate the oven to the island (don't want to take the risk), and have drawers underneath the cooktop, it seems I only loses a small drawer this way. (I understand that you installed the shield into your small drawer) but I will see if that is feasable for me, otherwise I have a 4" false front which is plenty for the cooktop to live. Thanks for confirming the wiring issue, the manual is not too helpful.

Can I ask you if your Thermador have timer to shut down the burner? Because the Bosch does not seem to, some old posts says the bosch does, but the manual says it's just a beeper. I think it is the same unit as Thermador.

Are you happy with yours? I am choosing the Bosch because it seems to have the best safety features.

Poorowner

The Thermador does have a timer, but we have never used it.

We are happy with the cooktop and the other Thermador appliances that we installed. (oven and warming drawer)

We had some issues with the oven.
A very good local technician solved the problem in cooperation with Thermador. It took several visits but the oven works great now.

You must have seen my posts about the heat shield.
If you look at those photos, you will see the small fence
that I made in the drawer to surround the power conduit.
that should give you an idea as to the placement of the conduit, and its ability to point to the back.

Good Luck

John

The Miele allows all burners to work when you boost a burners. Induction w/ Thermador and Wolf turns off the burners next to a burner using a boost. The advantage w/ the Miele is that all burners work. The cooktop is also lower priced that the other brands.

Hi,
I have an electrolux icon oven underneith the the electrolux icon induction cooktop. I went this route because I was told mixing induction cooktops and ovens when installing the oven underneith can be problematic and I think that was correct. My unit vents on top which allows an oven underneith. Many induction units do not vent ontop and have a greater restriction on how close the top of the oven or a combustable item can come to the induction unit. I would have preferred a frameless cooktop for the cleanup reason but looks wise the stainless looks nice. We will put some silicon around the unit to prevent liquids from getting underneith it and then in the cabinent/ontop of the oven.

BTW-I looked for negative reviews on the electrolux and kenmore induction units but couldn't really find any.

LIP

My Kenmore 5-hob induction cooktop is working well, presently sitting on top of a table while my kitchen reno progresses. There is someone here who's mother, I think, had a lot of problems getting her Kenmore repaired or something. I'm unclear what model it was or how old it was.

One caution for these units (and perhaps most induction cooktops) is to not use such large pans, or misaligned pans, that the hot pan bottom overlaps the control area. This may damage the electronics. Electrolux deliberately put a stainless steel strip on the cooktop to discourage this practice. The Kenmore lacks this strip, which I didn't care for aesthetically. Otherwise, I wouldn't call the Kenmore a hybrid of the Electrolux. As far as I can tell, it is otherwise identical.

kas

Just an update I selected a Bosch induction just based on one function. Sometimes we would boil and spill stuff, with the oil coil unit this would give a loud sizzling and we would turn it off quickly.

Bosch (and thermador) seems to be the only one documented they have auto spill shut off to prevent us from flooding our range top. Since I assume with these units the spilling is not as audiable.

I just talked to Bosch this morning. They require a 40 amp breaker because of the power boost feature. I am going to chose the Bosch because I like the layout and their long experience with induction. GE has the highest power at 3700 watts. Diva's power is at 3600. Bosch is close to that. Diva's unit is too narrow for my use otherwise I would go with them. You can get their units at 25% discount on their website that are demos that are basically new and fully warranted.

I would not worry about 3200 vs 3600 watts if the unit needs 40 Amps for 30 inch and 50 Amps for 36 inch you have a lot of power at your fingers tips. Compared the heating output to a gas cooktop and you will be suprised. I have had a 36 inch 10.6 KW unit for 8 months and I never felt I was behind because I did not have enough power or control high or low end. Things can happen much faster than you are use to so be prepared to pay attention till you get use to it. I must admit I have only used 4 of the 5 burners at any point in time. I do like the space between the burners with the extra 6 in of width. I have a unit that has timers and I use that to cook rice, vegtables with a target time once boiling starts.

I have had my GE 30" all black induction cooktop installed and working since Dec. 2007 - I LOVE IT! It's a breeze to clean and is so responsive. No complaints at all....and I even cheated and didn't leave the clearance below that they required.

They wanted 12" or something extreme. But, I really wanted a shallow drawer below it, so I risked it and it has been fine. The drawer front looks like all my other top drawer fronts, but when you open it, it's only about 3-4" deep, so only the shallowest of utensils (and non-flammable) ones go in this drawer. It's worked great. Sometimes if I have all burners on, I will open that drawer to allow better ventilation. Otherwise, it's been no problem and I'd do it again.

One other thing, I was at a Lowe's and they had the new GE double in a single oven below this same induction. I've not read the installation guides, but, boy - if you are tight for space, this is a great way to get two ovens in a single space. The lowest oven is admittedly close to the ground - but, it did have a 22 lb. size plastic turkey in it to show that a turkey fits in it! I was impressed. A friend of mine has the Gemini range (same oven concept) and says she uses the small top one 90% of the time. So just an idea to possibly investigate.....

You are going to love induction! Good Luck!

dlspellman, What a great option!

This oven is approved for placement below a cooktop but only specific models. I can't find what those models are, can some one help?

Also the convection and 'special features' all appear to be located in the lower oven so it will be low under a cooktop.

dlspellman... the GE induction range model is now out at Lowes? I'll have to check it out. Is it true that they only have the freestanding model and not the slide in model?

Remodelfla -

What I saw at Lowes in a kitchen display was a GE Profile 30" induction cooktop (all black one), and directly below the cooktop was the new GE Profile 30" double in a single oven. Two separate units. The oven is designed like the Maytag Gemini - two smaller ovens in the space of one. Top one was like 5-6" deep (perfect for pizzas, casseroles, brownies, etc. - 90% of what everyone bakes)
and the lower oven was convection and big enough for a 22 lb. turkey.

I'm assuming that since it was displayed like this, GE does allow in it's installation guide for this type of an install, but one should verify that, I haven't!

I've been helping a friend - and her ideal would be a slide in induction with the two ovens (like a Gemini, which she has now and loves). Sears had a slide in induction with one oven and a warming drawer, but she really loves her Gemini oven set up. We were excited to see this on display, as it is a good backup option - although more costly than a slide in....

Hope this helps... Go to GE's website and look for the single double oven...It's pretty impressive in person.

Spellman is refering to a GE wall oven beneath an induction cooktop.

OH... OK. I was asking because GE is coming out with an induction range like the Electrolux/Sears and Viking. I thought maybe it had come out.

I bought an induction cooktop a few years ago... maybe four years ago or so. At that time the selection in the US was poor, and most of the available units were very expensive, so I looked elsewhere.

I ended up buying one on ebay Germany. I checked with the vendor before bidding on it. It was a little difficult getting the purchase and the shipping all taken care of, and part of that was a small language barrier, but in the end we got a nice unit and saved a lot of money.

I checked on ebay UK recently, and there are some very good deals there. Of course, unless you are in the UK you should check with the vendor first before bidding.

As regards to shipping, some vendors will not object to sending it out of the country, provided they don't have to arrange for the shipping, so if you can find a shipping company who is willing to reship it you can just have the item shipped to the shipping company, and then they will then ship it to you.

A word about power. Standard household power in Europe is 220-240 Volts. Generally, it works just fine to hook a European cooktop to a US 220-240 volt line. European 240 V is single ended, whereas US 240 V. is balanced, but I understand that European electrical standards are such that appliances are designed so that balanced vs. single ended power is not really an issue.

The line frequency is different in Europe, 50 Hz vs. there 60 Hz here, but this turns out to be no problem. There are really only two places where line frequency are likely to alter function. One is for timing (clocks), but few electrical devices rely on line frequency these days for clocking. The other is that the rotational frequency of some electrical, motors (such as induction motors) depends on the line frequency. Thus, a cooling fan might run at a little higher speed in the US than in Europe, and generally speaking it would keep the electronics a little cooler when used in the US... a good thing for lifetime of the electronics.

Disclaimer... the above comments about power are my own non-professional opinion.

I am not a "hood person" so was thinking of getting a slide out hood so I don't have to look at it all the time. Does anyone have a Faber slide out hood and do they like it?

poorowner, You said you choose the Bosch. Has it been installed? If so, how is it working for you?

I got the 30" Kenmore Elite and don't like it. Already had to have the guts totally replaced once and now it seems like the burners are slow to heat water. I have a service guy coming out tomorrow and hope they'll let me replace it with Bosch or GE.

Just an FYI... after all my research, I think I'm going to go with a 36" Miele. I like the layout and true timers.

I purchased the Kenmore induction about 3 years ago. Now, one of the electrical elements has burned out and the repair estimate is $500. So, I am thinking of getting a new unit.

I had a Kenmore Elite installed in Dec 2008. After a power outage, on Christmas day, the cooktop had an error message and an annoying beep that wouldn't stop until we turned off the breaker. It took 2-3 hours to restart. We continued to have power outages during January and the same thing occurred repeatedly, but each time the cooktop took longer to reboot. Once it took 3 days before I could use it again.

Serviceman came, couldn't figure out problem so replaced the entire guts of the unit ($1300 their cost). Since that time the hobs have been slow to boil water. Some take over 10 minutes which is not acceptable for induction. I went to Sears store where I purchased cooktop to ask if they'd replace it and was pleasantly surprised to hear them say "yes". I ordered the Bosch. The salesman said that Electrolux which makes Kenmore Elite is junk. I concur. Buyer beware! I read the reviews on Sears.com and many were positive, but in retropsect, I wish I would've heeded the negative reviews. If you decide to buy Kenmore Elite, make sure you get the protection agreement as you may need it.

Last summer I read these reviews and appreciated them all - thank you for taking the time to share.

As a result, we ended up buying a 36", 5-burner, induction cooktop from The Great Indoors (Sears). We were fortunate to find a Bosch at almost half-price as the newer models were coming in - and we elected to purchase the 5-year extended warranty as we now do with all high-priced electronic appliances.

Six to eight weeks after installation, one section (two burners) went out and Sears replaced it in our home at no cost to us. We were able to continue using the remaining three (3) "burners" (I know they have another name, but I still do not have the "lingo" down), so it really did not present a problem - but I definitely recommend buying an extended warranty!

We absolutely love our cooktop - I would pay full-price tomorrow if I had to replace it because I enjoy cooking on it so much. I like the Bosch appearance - with only top and bottom stainless steel strips it is clean and sleek. But the cooking improvement over electric cooktops is immeasurable.

I had regretted being unable to install a gas cooktop (our cooktop is in a center island over a slab) and now feel it was a blessing in disguise. The change in temperature when adjusted on induction is as immediate if not better than gas. Spilled or splattered food does not stick because the cooktop itself does not heat up and clean up is simple. Heated pans do transfer some of their heat to the cooktop; you cannot hold your hand on it, but I've touched them and not been burned. I am thrilled gas was not an option!

To us, however, the most amazing part of cooking with induction is the lack of heat generated while cooking. We live in Houston, TX, (hot, yes!) and love to entertain, but I always felt wilted by the time dinner was on the table because of the heat coming off of the cooktop as I cooked. With induction, the only heat generated is within the pan and directly above it. You can literally touch the cooktop right next to the pan and it is cool. As a result, you can cook a meal utilizing several "burners" and remain comfortable while doing so. The first time I cooked dinner using three pans simultaneously (one of pasta in boiling water), I was stunned that I was cool and comfortable when I put dinner on the table. It is wonderful when entertaining! I can't believe that salespeople don't use this as a selling point!

Again - my thanks. I love induction cooking! Now - on to new countertops as we continue updating our 30-year-old kitchen! Any suggestions?

Hi -- can you install an oven and a induction cooktop in the same cabinet? Thanks, H

I bought the Bosch 30 inch induction cooktop. I have owned it for a little over a year and love it. I have not had any problems with it and am able to cook with much more precision. My mom hates it when she leaves here after a visit and then has to wait for her tea water to boil on her gas stove. The clean up is amazing! The only thing I do not like is that when you have all burners going at once, you need to hit the burner you want to control and then adjust the temp. I have had issues where I simmered the pasta and boiled the sauce. It takes some getting used to. Wolf has
the controls on each burner. I wish I knew that before. I am used to it
now and do love it!