My friend got a Samsung free standing induction range in the last year. She cooks a lot and loves it and has had no problems. It replaced a new Kitchen Aid one that had nothing but problems for a full year. Finally she was given her money back and allowed to choose a different brand so went with the Samsung. Hers is the one that can have the divider put in and it become two ovens.

My sister has the same one and is happy with it, but her life is so busy that she doesn't have time to cook real often.

Thanks so much. I don't know anyone in my area that cooks on induction so its been difficult to get real world input . Also, I've been having a hard time trying to find showrooms that have the models I'm interested in on display. Samsung is one of the only ones I've been able to see in person.

You are going to love induction. My next door neighbor has the relatively new Bosch and loves it. It appears to be in about the same price range as the Samsung, and Bosch has been building induction for ages, comparatively. (My Bosch cooktop is, to me, perfection.) I expect you have seen them, but I do note two positive reviews on the Samsung at AJM, and one negative, but the negative is more about Samsung customer support than range performance. My sister has the lower tier Whirlpool but it is a freestanding and oven performance is not all she had hoped but still good value for the price point. Hopefully some Samsung users will chime in here. Good luck!

I will add that I love my GE Profile induction freestanding range even tho someone on here has had some trouble with theirs recently. Most reviews on them are pretty good and it falls into the same price point. I've had mine for 2 years and love it. The induction cooktop and oven work great.

MizLizzie and Silken1 thank you both for the additional info. To add to my dilemma, I have been offered great deals on floor models (2 separate stores). However, the floor models are an Electrolux EI301F40LS, a Samsung FTQ307NWGX, and a Frididaire FPIF3093L F. None are slide-in, but that's o.k. The Samsung is a model that in my research seems to have had problems for some people. The Electrolux got good CR reviews, but also online some owners had circuit board problems. Problem is, hubby is not totally on board with the induction and he does like to cook -- so he's reluctant to spend almost 3x the amount for the Bosch or new Samsung ( the GE is think is close in price to those as well?). He thinks if I want induction we should just take one of the floor models.

We also have to buy a counter depth fridge and a drawer M/W for our reno, so while the inductions are still in our budget, I'm trying to be careful. Demo hasn't happened yet and as this is an old house, I am concerned about surprises that may be in store once the kitchen is down to the studs.

I'd be cautious about the Samsung FTQ because the company discontinued that model back in late 2011 or early 2012. My recollection from postings back then was that the problems were mostly with excessive cooling fan noise and run times. Supposedly that was fixed iin 2011. I kind of recall one poster who received a couple of FTQ models that
didn't work and was given the replacement, the NE595NOPBSR. Also, the FTQ's burner layout is kind of odd. Works for some folks but not others, Take some pots to the store to be sure it will work for your cooking. As for pricing, I recall somebody here -- I think the screen name was "northcarolina" --- posting about getting an FTQ as a discontinued model for something under $700. That was three years ago.

The freestanding Electrolux EI301F40LS is a current model. It might be a good buy if the floor model comes with a full warranty and you can get an extended warranty for cheap. It generally has very good performance. The oven is larger than many. The burner controls have quarter-step settings at the low heat settings which can be useful if you do much with pressure cookers or low simmers. (Most induction ranges have only half step settings but some -- including some very expensive models --- have only 10 heat settings.)

While there are user reports of board failures, but it is hard to know what to make of those reports. With products manufactured in large numbers, some will inevitably fail early. Disappointed folks are more likely to post than buyers who simply take their stoves for granted. Also, bear in mind that most ranges these days come with circuit boards -- gas, radiant electric, induction. Inevitably, some of circuit boards will fail early. Often a failure in one board will cascade to one or more of the other controller boards in the stove. Folks with failures may then face the risk of warranty servicers who may or may not know what they are doing. If a servicer replaces only one of those boards, the problem comes back. All this compounded by the seemingly exhorbitant cost of boards. When buying a floor model at a steep discount, an extended warranty may seem more reasonable than when paying full boat. FWIW, the annual membership surveys at Consumer Reports are not showing enough responses on Electrolux branded electric ranges but the company's Frigidaire brand is currently showing a 7% defect rate in the first five years of ownership, tied with GE for having the least number of problems with electric ranges.

IIRC, the Frigidaire FPIF3093LFis a discontinued model. It was a predecessor version of the EI301F40LS, albeit with fewer features. It also was sold as a Kenmore. Sorry, but I can't recall that model number right now but maybe that info will help in looking for reviews. One thing, some of the Frigidaire electric stoves (including induction ranges) have ovens that are only about 16" deep, which may be a concern if you use larger baking pans.

If you are interested in a slide-in, the Fridgidare "Gallery" FGES3065PF is the least expensive induction slide-in. It often seems priced around $1500 from online vendors. You may be able to use the online prices to negotiate a lower price from the likes of Lowe's and Home Depot. Given your husband's budget preferences, that may well be too much. The one concern that I would have with this model is that the oven vent is at the front of the stove.

A front venting oven is also what I see as one of the questionable aspects of the Samsung slide-in that is the subject with which you started this thread. The other problem is that the burners seem to have only 10 steps for heat settings. Also, IIRC, it has displays for the burner settings on the stove-top surface. I'd worry about what happens if you plonk down a hot baking pan that you've just pulled from the oven.

It seems to me that we have had a couple of very brief posts here from buyers of the Samsung slide-in but I cannot find them. I don't recall seeing any over on chowhound's "cookware" forum or in egullet's "kitchen consumer" forum, either. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Hopefully, getting response numbers up here may keep this thread going long enough for somebody to come by who actually owns the stove.

I don't think an induction should cost 3 x what a regular range costs. I thought I was looking at about 1/3 more or up to $1,000 here in Canada for the models I looked at. I bought mine from Sears as it was the only place I could get my GE slide in. They have good sales several times a year. In the U.S. there are likely more places to find appliances than where I am.

Can you get a small counter top induction unit for hubby to try so that he can have some experience with them? It won't be the same as using an actual range or full cook top but he will see the beauty of the instant high hear and the very low simmer ranges etc. Most people seem to love them once they have them.

I think sliken's estimate of 1/3 is about right for how much more we still pay for induction over a brand's non-induction equivalents. For example, I recently saw GE's freestanding induction range, PHB920, selling for a little over $1700 while (if memory serves) the radiant smoothtop equivalent (JB930) was going for between $1200 and $1300.

I'm guessing that miamagn's husband may have been making a different kind of calculation. Maybe something like "why spend so much money just for the style of a slide-in when a free-standing range would do as well for a lot less money., particularly when we can get clearance priced freestanding models?" There have been numbers of threads on this for every kind of stove where people have asked "are slide-in ranges worth it?" This gets asked because there is a substantial price premium for all kinds of slide-in models over the equivalent freestanding versions. There is not much we can say, one way or another, beyond pointing out why some of the deals might not seem so great when you actually get to look at the particular stoves and some folks perceive aesthetic and ergonomic benefits that, for them, makes the slide-ins' price premium acceptable.

Given Mr. Miamagn's uncertaintly over induction, I wonder if he also might not be thinking along the lines of: "If we can get a clearance priced induction stove, and I hate cooking on induction, then switching to something else won't feel as financially painful." For that, Mr. Miamagn might want to check out a couple of long threads here on the subject of anybody having regrets over getting an induction range or wanting to go back to a gas stove. Here are the links in case miamagn has not already found them.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2339367/does-anyone-here-who-went-induction-regret-your-choice

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2251514/challenge-anyone-w-induction-exp-whod-go-back-to-gas

Additionally, you could follow up with Silken's suggestion of trying out a portable induction cooker (PIC) to get a feel for induction's adjustability.ALso, if nothing else, it will be very useful during the reno when your kitchen is mostly or totally out of commission.

A good PIC will cost roughly $100 to $125 depending on where you buy it. Right now, the best "try-out" choices seem to be the Max Burton 6400 and the Duxtop 9100MC. ("Best" in the sense that they have 15 power settings which is closer to the number you see on induction stoves and better than the 7 to 10 settings on the least expensive PICs).

Maybe Miamagn has already seen the recent thread on this subject which covers both differences and downsides as well as positives for try-outs with a PIC? If not, here is a link.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2324992/portable-induction-cooktop-and-cookware

Also, you might check out Century Link's website which has a good evaluation of PICs.

http://www.centurylife.org/how-to-choose-a-cooktop/how-to-choose-a-portable-induction-cooker-countertop-burner/

Thank you jwvideo for weighing in. It was your threads in previous discussions that proved most informative and led me to consider induction in the first place as well as consider variations in the different models.

I did read the post about the FTQ which makes me hesitant to try that one. The Frigidaire model I didn't focus on much as I was scrutinizing the Samsung more, although I have the specs -- the oven doesn't appear as nice as the Electrolux, and no bridge. The Electrolux did look the most promising of the three floor models, it has a bridge function and the oven capacity looks very good. However, it is at a Best Buy store, and I am not confident about service through them should something go wrong -- the salesman there couldn't really quell my fears about service. The other floor models were from a higher-end local appliance store whose manager assured me I'd have the manufacture warranty and could purchase an extended one as well, which gets service through them.

silken1 -- Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but for the current models of induction --Samsung and Bosch, I was seeing prices hovering around $3k, cheapest being Kenmore at about $1700. I'm not sold on the slide-in (it does give a nicer esthetic), but I've priced the GE which sounds like it has what I'm looking for, and the prices hover around $2,000 in my area (NY metro). It does look like you pay a $1,000 premium for the slide-ins, but that seems to be true for gas ranges as well. I haven't really gotten to haggling or price matching because I'm not even sure which model I want yet. The floor models I saw were the cheapest and they were all about $1,000.

I'm in Canada so pricing may be different. My slide in was around $3K if I remember (but I got it on sale, so it was cheaper) but the non inductions are only about $1,000 less here.

jwvideo -- You are right about the slide-in. It's really an esthetic factor that I'm not sure is worth the money,

As for the induction vs. gas decision in the first place, the current particular circumstances of my reno is making the decision trickier, or maybe I'm just stuck in reno confusion. Here's the thing:

We are finally doing a kitchen reno after living in the house
for a little over 20 years.
In our new design we are
moving the location of the stove. It's because of the relocation that I
was thinking about induction. Since we are not working with an existing
gas line in the new location, I thought we might do the wiring for induction
instead. The cost of the gas line vs. the cost of the electrical is not a
significant factor either way since we are gutting anyway.

An additional (and bigger) wrinkle is that we will probably be moving in 2 years. There's no
question we need to improve the kitchen: we've spoken to realtors and it
is a glaring negative when one first sees the house. We had hoped to start this reno a year or two earlier, but it got delayed, and here we are. Hubby and I both like to cook, hope to cook together, which in the current kitchen's tight quarters has often led us both to contemplating divorce court. :-)

Alll that is to say that, if we were staying in the house long-term, my husband would probably not question the cost, and I might not be so concerned that my husband would not be happy with the adjustment to induction. What is truly attracting me to induction is the ease of
cleaning. I look at those new gas ranges, with their heavy grates, etc.,
and think, "How much time am I going to be spending after cooking trying
to keep this looking good?" If I can get equal responsiveness as gas without the clean-up hassle, then it's all good -- I also won't get so teed off when hubby makes a mess doing his Mario Batali impersonation.

Perhaps the answer is to stick with gas for now; get the PIC for practice, and wait until after our move to put in a full induction range?

Sorry for the long-winded posts -- guess I'm just trying to sort out all the thoughts going round my brain -- and thanks for the thoughtful responses from you both!

Thank you jwvideo -- I agree with all your comments about the reno; we have to update but are trying to keep the cost reasonable; I'm not looking at anything trying to predict what future buyers would want or to "get back" the costs put in. Since we like to cook our meals, I am looking forward to having a more enjoyable experience in the kitchen for both the 2 cooks and the teenagers.

I like your thought about having the contractor put both the gas line and the electrical in place. That would alleviate some of my concerns; I have to confirm with him costs.

CD fridge -- I understand the downsides -- but space is tight and options for placement slim, and it looks like I have to go that way to keep minimum clearance between work spaces and doorways. Almost everyone I know (except me) has an extra fridge in their basement. Our current fridge is on its last legs, but we may keep it in garage or basement for extra storage. Luckily, I have a Sears outlet just 5 min. away, and have been scouting it for good deals. Not crazy about dealing with Sears, but can't beat the "scratch and dent" prices. The staff there are letting me know when they get new deliveries, which is nice.

Samsung FTQ -- How can I found out when that unit was built? Is there a notation somewhere on the stove? I saw the CR rating as well, so that's why I kept it in the running. My only other hesitation is burner layout, not just on that unit but on all (incl. gas ones). One aggravation I have now is my inability to have 3 pans on my current stove-top at the same time (a Le Creuset saute pan, a Le Creuset stockpot, and another sauce pan). It doesn't happen that often, but when it does, I feel like a circus juggler, or sometimes I just do the recipe a different way. The two Le Creusets are my only really "quality" cookware, so kind of looking forward to exploring other options as well if I go induction. We don't have any Batali cookware - just a love of watching cooking shows; now I'm dying to go see what the cookware looks like!

I have seen AJ Madison's website. It's not terribly close to visit, but doable; however, the more local stores have told me they are willing to price match, so maybe I can use AJ prices for leverage. I'd like to be able to wait for Labor Day, but am really trying to get appliances ordered and available earlier; expect demo to start any day now. I think as long as know what am planning on getting so I can give contractor and cabinet guy the specs, I may be able to wait for the actual purchase.

Thanks again for your invaluable input.

The freestanding GE is currently $1709 there.

FWIW, the Frigidaire induction slide-in is only $1489 there, if you're shopping price (which I would be in your situation). You have to add it to the cart to see the actual price, and it always says "today only", although that is always their price, which may make it harder to use that as leverage elsewhere.

http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/FGIS3065PF.html

But I don't think it has a bridge.

Yeah, I forgot to mention that you sometimes need to add a stove to the cart to see the actual price. For bargaining, you also can look at the likes of ABT and Goedekers.

That Frigidaire slide-in has the front mounted oven vent that I mentioned as a concern, but the trade-off could be more usable room on the cooking surface. Maybe enough to fit your three large pans at once. If you can find one on display, take your pans and check it out.

I know what you mean about confined cooking space. One of the conveniences --- for those to whom it matters (which is not everybody) --- of a pro-style range is the wider cooktop space that gives the ability to have four large pans going at once. Unfortunately, those ranges are mostly start at double the apparent budget here. Many do not offer other conveniences, such as self cleaning oven, which will be important to some and not others. The one pricing exception is the NXR which you can get from Costco.com. Normal pricing is $1999 but Costco periodically runs sales with prices down to $1699, so still probably more than you want to spend.

Only other suggestion I can offer is a bit of kludge. When you want to use three large pans at once with a standard induction range, pull out the PIC.

I've been looking into the Samsung slide-in induction for the last 2 months. Here's what I found:

The multiple user reviews I read on many forums give this range either an excellent or a very poor rating, with very few in between. In other words, it’s hit or miss. The 5 star ratings indicate this range is a very good appliance, which is obviously what consumers want. The numerous 1 star ratings describe repeated breakdowns with the burners and the oven. Two consumers reported their range was completely inoperable from day one. The vast majority of consumers who experienced breakdowns also reported experiencing poor customer support from Samsung. A few reported having their range replaced only to encounter more breakdowns with the replacement. Only one customer reported being offered a refund.

It appears Samsung has quality control problems because some ranges are fabulous and others are terrible, not to mention the poor customer support.

Last week I went to our trusted (very large) appliance store to look at the range. I was only able to see the regular electric version which is identical to the induction slide-in. It's impressive. The salesperson quietly confirmed my concerns about the unreliability of this range without going into detail and subtly discouraged me from purchasing it by saying "it's been removed from our sales floor, but we can still order it if someone wants it." I was terribly disappointed.

Guess we got very lucky! We just love our Samsung slide-in induction! Never thought we could love something more than gas, but it has been just fabulous and we couldn't be happier with our choice.

For my kitchen remodel I bought three major appliances including a top of the line Samsung Induction range from Goedecker's in Dec. 2016. It is now April 2018. I self-cleaned once. Oven is totally dead. Out of warranty. I'm out $3K. Samsung is junk. But so is LG. My top of the line LG french door has an ice maker that leaks and freezes up dispenser. Must defrost each time it does. So I bought a portable ice maker from Home Depot. My parents had appliances that wore out after years and years but NEVER had to have service. I feel sorry for the next generation. Looks like everything is becoming disposable.