Hi, I have a Lacanche Cluny 1400, we have been using it for about 1 and 1/2 years. I absolutely love the range and so does my entire family. I have no regrets at all with it. I'll answer your questions to the best of my ability based on my experience so far.

uneven cooking temps in oven - I have a gas and an electric oven and both ovens cook true to temperature.

knobs/doors get very hot to touch - Yes, the knobs can get hot but more likely warm to the touch. This happens when I'm cooking with the oven at a very high temperature or broil. It's not been a major issue though.

a few cheap components that cause failure like a light door spring that is not heavy enough for the door - Not had any issues with this.

ill fitting oven doors - My oven doors fit perfectly.

horrendously expensive replacement parts - We had an ignitor switch fail early last year. The Lacanche service team was wonderful to work with and sent the part out and arranged for an electrician to repair it quickly. I have not had to buy any replacement parts because my range is still under warrantee.

service difficulties - No difficulties at all getting service and I don't like in a major metropolitan area (Ann Arbor, MI - service provider was an hour away). Service took about a week. Obviously, the service isn't as fast as it would be for a company like GE or other popular brands that have units all over the country. Considering that this brand is not very well known here in the US, I think they do a fantastic job of arranging for service providers. My range is the only one in Ann Arbor or at least it was when I bought it. You can ask for information on service providers before you agree to purchase the range.

cleaning difficulties - If you mean, that the ovens aren't self cleaning, than maybe yes. But, I've not found cleaning the range or the ovens to be much trouble.

makes the kitchen blazing hot - Nope. During the holidays at times, I had all 7 burners going and both ovens and the warming oven on. It was obviously warmer in the kitchen than if the range wasn't on at all, but not unbearable and certainly not worse than my old electric, smooth top range with four burners and one oven.

When I was trying to decide on a range, I did a lot of research and found threads on the Lacanche going back years on Garden web searching via the thread name i.e.: Lacanche Part 1, etc. There are a lot of them that don't show unless you go looking for them. My research reviled that although there are some people that had issues and a few that really didn't like the Lacanche, the majority of the owners were more than happy with their purchase and had owned their ranges for many years.

I do expect that the parts and service once I'm no longer covered under warrantee will be more expensive than some other ranges. But, I believe that this range was built to last and the replacement parts will be far less than buying a new range every so often. Just for reference, we lived in our last house for 14 years and we replaced the range 2 times, once because the part wasn't much less buying a new model and once because I wanted a more modern looking i.e. stainless steel range.

Have you been able to see one of these ranges in person? I think that might help you with some of your concerns.

PS - I will also say that there were a lot more active contributors for Lacanche before the switch from Gardenweb to Houzz. I think this may be why it seems that there are fewer happy Lacanche owners now.

I would also second everything that Corie has said regarding the Lacanche ranges. I have own mine for over 2 years now. My experience with my Chagny 1400 range has been wonderful. This range is so much better than what I have ever used in the past. Support from the company is great, just give them a call with any question and they are so nice about helping to answer your concerns. I would also recommend you contact Art Culinaire and have them set up a meeting to see the range and ask questions of its owner regarding your concerns. Seeing the range first hand and how it works was very helpful for me. Good luck.

Hello, not much of a commenter, but I felt that I had to answer your question from the standpoint of a long time owner. We have had a Cluny for eleven years. We bought it because we did not want a commercial look in our 1830's stone farmhouse restoration/addition. It fit in with the farmhouse look with a style that still amazes us and our guests, as well as a performance that is stunning.

There have been some changes in manufacturing that I cannot answer to (different igniters, convection ovens, oven lights, etc.), but I can let you know what our experience has been over the years with performance and maintenance.

We were lucky with service in that the service company that served our region was the next town over. He serviced NYC and the mid Atlantic, and was very good setting up our Cluny with LNP in our new addition. I am kind of handy myself, and the few problems that we have had I have been able to repair myself by ordering parts from Seattle, and watching the many repair videos available on the Lacanche website.

The problems that we had were with the door rollers (hinge parts) which were easy to replace, and one igniter which was a little work only because I had to move the stove away from the wall. I will admit that the door rollers looked cheap, but the cost was correspondingly inexpensive (I think less than $20). The igniter was more around $140.

We have not had any problems with the doors not closing tight, or the seals being bad. The knobs are only hot if I leave an oven on and the door opened. As far as the uneven oven cooking temps, the controls are not digital as todays modern ovens are, and so there is a variability in where you set the knobs. I find that there is a looseness in the rotating knobs that I have to try and center that slack over the temperature mark that I want. It has worked well for us.

Cleaning is an issue with me. I would love to have the stove look like new. The ovens have the usual tight corners to clean out that never seem to be clean enough for me. (Do I have a problem?) I get away with polishing the brass knobs and rails twice a year with Simichrome. The appearance is still beautiful. The enamel still doesn't have a scratch. My biggest bug is those brass burners that I can never get the way I want. I know that Lacanche recommends that they not be polished, but they look so nice when they shine.

The one thing that I have not heard anyone comment on is that I find these stoves such an inspiration to cook with. When I come back from shopping, I look at that Cluny, and I have to try and cook something that will live up to that. I cannot express how much that has changed what I do and how I cook. I even have gotten a few old copper pots retinned in order to make cooking more enjoyable, and truly beautiful in every way. The power is incredible. I mostly use the 11k burners and the 5k. The 15k is just too much for the two of us. I know the Rully does not have the French plate as standard, but that is a joy to use. If anything warms the room, that does, but not that much. We have a gas and electric oven for those that are interested, and the color is British racing green.

Was it worth it. You bet!!!

We've had our Volnay for about 2.5 years now. Regarding your list of issues, the only thing that's come up for us was that Lacanche replaced the door springs. This was easy because we live in Seattle not far from where they are based. It sounded like they were realizing this was an issue and making plans to change it so I'm not sure you would have the same experience.

A few things that surprised me: the burners are *HOT*. I was a little worried about having enough fire power and foregoing a 22k or 25k burners (other brands) but we hardly ever use the 18k burner. I'm very thankful for the 5k burner. I'm a bit of a forgetful cook and the high heat burners have made me a little less forgetful and resulted in a few burned meals, especially at first!

The other thing that surprised me is just how much I LOVE the oven. Love, love, love the oven. I love its size, its heat (electric) and the convection feature. After a long day at work I can have roasted potatoes in about 20 minutes. It's crazy how efficient it is. We also got a Gaggenau steam oven as a 2nd oven and I like it (makes a kick ass steam-roasted chicken and great for reheating) but I LOVE my Lacanche oven.

I think it would be a little reluctant to get the Rully. I do recall reading the top small ovens are not that useful because they burn stuff quickly. I'd probably go with the Cluny or the Beaune if space allowed. It's a worthwhile splurge in my opinion. Good luck.