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

If the reason you're doing this is for enhanced aesthetics, and that's the only reason anyone chooses a slide in over a free standing, then you want to make sure that the decisions you make will actually look right. With laminate counters, unless you replace the counters entirely, it will not look right to have the attached backsplash for the counter and then have it interrupted for tiled section in the middle where the range is (without the laminate backsplash section). It will look like a mistake or afterthought. Considering that you're saying money is too tight to do a backsplash right now, much less a counter top, and that a slide in range costs about double what a free standing range costs, it really doesn't sound as though choosing a slide in would be in your best interests economically. Replace your current range with another free standing one if your range needs replacing due to functionality issues. If you have your heart set on a slide in, then pick up a "new to you" used freestanding one on Craigs List and save your money to be able to do a new range, countertop, and backsplash all at one time. That's the only way to integrate a slide in range successfully into an existing kitchen design.

I went from a freestanding to a slide in before I replaced my countertops. With the old counters I bought the rear filler strip which covered the ~2" gap at the back. New counters were templated so I could eliminate that filler strip.The rear filler for my stove was made for a 25" deep counter which worked perfectly with the original formica tops. If you have 25.5" deep counters (or something that puts the front edge more than 23 1/8" from the rear of the opening) then you might have to do something different with the filler. I'll have to check but I do think the manual listed a second option for those situations. The slide in ranges don't have sides. For my GE profile I could purchase sides extra if needed - in the case of it sitting at the end of a cabinet or if it were to stick out from the cabinet face more than 1.5" so you didn't see the bare frame. Nothing special needed to be done for the cabinets or countertops other than the countertops need to be level as you will lower the cook top onto them so it just touches since it overhangs the counter. If the counter tops aren't level you will either have a gap on one side or your eggs will roll to one side of the pan. My GE could fit an opening as small as 29 15/16" and ideal was 30 1/16." My exisiting cabs were 30 3/16 and I had new counters templated to match. You can't see any gaps since everything is covered with the cook top. The front edge of the stove sits pretty tight to the cabinets as well as the trim strips on the front edges are flexible for lack of a better term. I can post a photo of my range if you like.

Debbie, what I did with my free standing range, and I believe it would work with your slide in range, is use a flexible screen window/door spline. The stuff that you use to fit in the channel when you replace the screening in aluminum windows. It comes in different diameters. I use it on my free standing to block spills from going down the side of the cabinets and stove. You could insert it along the underside of the overlap. The spline is somewhat adjustable because it is hollow. I swear by the stuff, lol.