Thoughts on Kenmore Elite 30 inch range?

15 years ago

I have my bluestar, haven't done more than the burn in at this point, but my niece is looking for a good value range.

Sears has a sale coming up that will make this one a great price, but does anyone know if its also a good stove, or who makes Sears stoves these days?

It has a 17.2kbtu burner, third element convection self clean and porcelain racks.

Any hands on experience would be appreciated.

Here is a link that might be useful: kenmore 30

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Comments (4)

mahatmacat1
15 years ago
I always check here...

Here is a link that might be useful: consumer affairs page on Kenmore ranges
sueju
15 years ago
My daughter bought this range about two years ago and has loved it. I know the model has changed a little, but I have looked at it and it is essentially the same range. I always liked the look of the range and that bridge burner, but when I had occasion to see the two piece oven rack that allowed a huge ham on one rack and a casserole on the partial rack, I was impressed. She recently cracked the edge of the black glass that is the base for the cooktop. It has been easy to clean, but she is sick about having to replace the glass. (She was dragging a crock pot across the range with one hand, baby in the other--it plunked down hard on the edge and cracked it.) Not really a reflection on the range quality.
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annabel_t
15 years ago
We purchased this range about 1.5 years ago, and have been quite happy with it. It is a great value for the $. We have had no mechanical issues, breakages, etc.

The 17.2k BTU burner is really nice, for bringing water to a boil quickly, searing meats, etc. The simmer burner is exactly what it says it is, and goes plenty low. The bridge burner is also a very nice feature. We use that mostly with a griddle pan, for pancakes, grilled cheese, etc., but it also comes in handy if you're cooking odd-shaped foods like a long fish. And of course you can use those two burners separately.

The downsides of this range, for me:
- knobs feel a bit flimsy - I don't have quite the precision I'd like in increasing/decreasing heat, relative to a higher-end range. Not terrible by any means, just something worth noting.
- stove can get a bit crowded if I am using bigger pans, eg with a 12" skillet on one burner, only a very small pan will fit on the other burner at the same time.
- front panel, where controls are, is hard to keep clean and shiny (I am a little bit OCD on that front though)

Hope that helps!
eandhl
15 years ago
It has always been my opinion with a Kenmore appliance a lot depends on your local Sears and their service dept. Ours is terrible thus I wouldn't consider anything Kenmore - our local appliance repair services will not work on anything Kenmore. But if you have a dependable store with a good repair service record I wouldn't hesitate. Or if other service people will work on Kenmore then I would hesitate.

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Thoughts on Kenmore Elite 30 inch range?

Comments (4)

mahatmacat1

sueju

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annabel_t

eandhl

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