Avoid the Samsung. Cooks great, bakes great. Horrible Reliability. Here is the sad story. Trying to get warranty replacement or refund from Samsung, which has been utterly unresponsive to service calls. Retailer only somewhat better. It is utterly unacceptable that a range purchased for $1,8000 on 8/31/13 and not installed until Nov. 25, 2013 because of kitchen renovation delays -- and then only lightly used in two-person household -- blows up with a bang that interrupts electrical service in the entire house on June 27 when my husband simply put on a teapot to heat and then, despite "repairs," has a continuing series of operating issues preventing its use after only 8 months of service. It is also utterly unacceptable that Samsung, as manufacturer, was completely unable to schedule repair services within less than three weeks of the initial catastrophic failure of the range, despite many hours I spent on the phone, and on hold, with Samsung representatives. And despite the promise of one of them, ironically named Jesus, that he had placed an order for the retailer to deliver a comparable replacement range within a day or two (before the looming July 4 holiday). Alas, that was what is known as the Big Lie, clearly intended to simply get me off of the phone. Getting zero satisfaction from Samsung, I turned to the retailer, PC Richard, where I have found somewhat responsive service -- although the service people who are scheduled to appear within a week or 10 days of most requests never arrive with the appropriate parts, which are only ordered then, requiring a second service call, and a wait of additional weeks before anything is "fixed." And if the job requires two service people, a many-weeks-long wait, for special scheduling. The problems: After that loud bang and whole-house electrical disruption on June 27, nothing in or on the range top or oven worked, despite multiple attempts to reset it. The E-84 error code indicated simply that service was required (duh). Happily, at least, the circuit and surge protectors we have in the house to protect my extensive home office equipment, TVs, stereos, etc. did their jobs and after some panicked resetting of circuits, it turned out everything else could be reset. But the unit itself was useless for next FOUR WEEKS, until PC Richards finally got what was described to me as a new CPU for it, PLUS the two repairmen required to install it. They worked most of the afternoon of July 28 replacing a large circuit board underneath the burner area and declared the range fixed. While cooking two days later, I began noticing that the left side burners were behaving erratically. Especially the front one was turning itself off unexpectedly. But I had a lot of houseguests coming for next few weeks and decided just to keep an eye on it. What I determined, after the mayhem of hosting 14 visitors to my "beach house" subsided and I was left with only two guests, was that the left front burner would not recognize pots smaller than 12" in diameter, even though it is supposed to work with 6" (minimum) pots, and that the rear burner on the left only erratically accepted anything but huge pots. Called PC Richard on Aug. 11 and added range top complaint to a previously scheduled service call for my Samsung over-the-range microwave/convection oven (another Samsung lemon). Then, a few days later, my sister decided to bake thank-you cookies for her brother in law in my oven late at night. Before one batch was out of the oven, the unit had started to make very loud, and very much abnormal, fan sounds. Next morning, called PC Richard again, and added oven problem to the service call previously scheduled for today, Wednesday, Aug. 20. The PC Richard service man arrived this afternoon and quickly discovered the replacement part he'd thought he had ordered for the microwave wasn't the one he'd brought. Then he turned his attention to range. After calling Samsung and waiting -- on hold -- in my kitchen for more than half an hour to talk to a Samsung rep, the serviceman confirmed both problems (surprise) and said he's ordering parts for a fan located behind the range top control panel and some kind of induction controllers for the burners that he says were not part of the CPU he replaced three weeks ago. It is obvious, at least to me, that the range I bought is a lemon and an electronic nightmare. It is a good-enough convection oven and induction cooktop -- when it works -- but simply not constructed to withstand the "rigors" of actually being used to cook or bake in even a small household. And I know what I’m talking about. While this is my first induction cooktop, I previously owned a GE convection range in another house for more than a decade without experiencing any comparable issues. In fact, the only range that has ever given me these sorts of problems was a Thermador purchased (and quickly replaced under warranty) in 1979! It can't take the heat; I want it out of my kitchen. This lemon of a range came with a one-year warranty when I purchased it last Labor Day weekend. Now, I have asked Samsung to replace the unit with a comparable -- working -- model ASAP, or better yet, arrange a full refund for me with PC Richard, so that I can replace this piece of Samsung junk with a functioning appliance of my choosing. At this point I have lived with a propane camp stove instead of a functioning range nearly all summer, and have neither the time nor the patience to put up with endless service calls my Samsung NE597NOPBSR/AA quite evidently requires.

I understand why you asked this question here but you might still want to consider starting a new thread so your question does not get overlooked by others who can help you. But, to take a shot at it, the GE PHS920 slide-in induction range may be a "better option" for you than the gas-slide-in that is in your plans. Maybe not for the reasons on which you might have focused. I'm keying on the comment about "getting scared." First thing is that OTRs above a gas range are not "scary." There just are much more effective means of collecting and removing vapors and venting-out waste heat. As long as OTRs are vented to the extrerior (instead of recirculating), they are better than nothing and can be "adequate." If you do a search here on OTRs, you'll find several threads from the last couple of years discussing OTRs over gas ranges and including discussions (and pictures) of using them over pro-style ranges. Second, the thing that makes OTRs less effective is "coverage area." Most of them only cover the back half of the stove, so they do not do a good job of collecting vapors etc. from pots on the front burners. This is just as much a problem with induction as it is with gas burners. If you can manage it, a "proper" hood "should" be at least as deep as the stove and 3-inches wider to each side with the fan intake(s) positioned to efficiently draw what the hood captures. As kaseki has so often pointed out here, the more your vent relies on the fan(s) instead of a canopy for collection of vapors, the less effective it will be as a venting appliance. Many of us have had to make compromises on effectiveness in order to fit or retrofit some venting into our kitchens. So, some wind up with narrower hoods that are 22" deep. Others have to get shallower hoods. Some of us can fit only shallow-hoods with flat bases rather than canopies. Still others have to resort to OTR units. But, some venting is better than none. If you needed confirmation of this seemingly obvious point, there were some threads here from a year ago which discussed a study on kitchen venting carried out at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratories and funded by the Dept. of Energy and the EPA. (I'd give you the links but cannot find them at the moment.) Third, you can mitigate the OTR compromises a bit if you select an OTR with a slide-out vent extension. These have a slide-out vent-tray that extends some fan pick-up intakes out closer to the front of the stove and increases the capture area somewhat. The kinds of OTRs ave also been discussed in several threads here over the last couple of years. (You may already have seen these, so forgive me for mentioning them id you have.) I think LG makes a couple of models like this and there may be more from other companies. Fourth, when people have said "scary" about this topic in past threads, they often have been laboring under the mis-impression that running a gas stove without a vent is a fire hazard and that an OTR, with its limited effectiveness, might somehow be a code violation. Going without a vent -- in a home with residential stoves rather than commercial equipment --- is not a fire hazard -- at least it is not as long as you heed the cabinet spacing and wall surface specifications in you stove's installation instructions. Same thing with OTRs. Firth, when it comes to dealing with waste heat, venting is mainly a matter of comfort with gas ranges. Something like 60% (and more) of the heat from the burners can be going around the pans on the stove top and, because gas ovens vent more than electric ovens, a lot more heat can come into the kitchen from the oven vent than with an electric oven. A well-functioning range hood can draw a fair amount of that heat out and help keep the kitchen more comfortable. An OTR does some of this, too, just a whole lot less. Sixth, that brings us to induction ranges like the PHS920 producing far less waste heat than gas ranges, which can be a very real and very big advantage for many people. Basically, 84% (or more) of the energy from an induction burner goes into a pan. With gas, it is more like 33% to maybe 40% (depending on a lot of variables). Also, as mentioned above, gas ovens pump more heat into your kitchen than an electric oven will. So, if you live in a warm-to-hot climate or a place with long hot summers, induction will have an obvious two-fold advantage. The stove-top produces less waste heat and the vent does not need to suck as much conditioned air to maintain comfort around the stove. Seventh, in theory, the extra heat from a gas range could cause more wear and tear on the OTR's MW and cause it to fail sooner than it might when run over an induction range like the PHS920. While I've seen posts expressing that fear as well as posts complaining about how much of a pain it can be to replace OTRs that fail, I haven't seen any data about actual relative failure rates. Consumer Reports used to have annual membership survey data showing that OTRs had slightly higher reported failure rates for the first five years of ownership but now, with countertop MWs being basically commodity products from very few manufacturers (notwithstanding the plethora of brands), the annual survey no longer asks about countertop MWs. For OTRs, most brands run about 6% to 8% defects and failures in the first five years, Kitchenaid and LG run around 10% and Samsung is the outlier with a 16% problem rate on its OTRs in the first five years of ownership. Unfortunately, CR's survey does not ask about the kind of range the OTR is placed above. Also, a further caveat, the amount of heat going to the OTR is highly variable between houses and cooking styles. At this point, about all that can be said is that there is a potential that extra heat from gas stoves could shorten the life of an OTR but no data on how significant that is. So, to sum up on "waste heat," a PHS920 range could very well be "a better option" for you with an OTR. Eighth, gas ranges produce combustion by-products. Now, I say that, and the paranoid immediately panic and chatter about carbon monoxide (CO). But that's a distraction. CO is not a problem with modern gas ranges unless somebody has deliberately put the burners way out of adjustment or leaves them running without a flame. A range hood really won't help with either of those problems. Realistically, the problem is more subtle -- it is aerosolized grease, ozone, NO, CO2 and a few other combustion related compounds. Without good venting, this stuff will coat kitchen surfaces more quickly than happens with induction. That, in turn, means more frequent need to scrub surfaces. Also, unvented gas cooktops and ranges can have subtle long term health effects --- which will be adverse in the short term if you have chemical sensitivities, in which case you shouldn't consider gas appliances, at all. While induction obviously does not put combustion by-products into your kitchen (the combustion happens at the power plant where those things may be more readily contained), cooking on induction won't result in less aerosolized particulates. Even so, the relative lack of waste heat means that they don't disperse as readily as they do with a gas stove. That, in turn, makes for more ready capture by venting, even OTRs, So, this is another item that can make induction a "better option" for you with an OTR. Ninth, I gather that the upcoming versions of the International Residential Code (IRC) may be requiring kitchen venting. I've read in some posts here that a few jurisdictions have already adopted their own requirements in advance of those regulations. (I'm not talking about the existing make-up-air (MUA) requirements which only apply if you install ventilation over a certain CFM capacity -- I'm talking about requirements to install venting in the kitchen). You might want to check if your locality has any such new requirements and whether they make any distinctions between types of stoves and cooktops. Tenth, I've learned over the years here that some people think recirculating OTRs are the same as venting them to the outside. Since you said you've been researching them, I am assuming you know the difference. For anybody who reads this thread later and doesn't know the difference, recirculating range hoods and OTRs are almost all next to useless. The authors of that Lawrence Livermore report on venting called recirculators "forehead greasers." Finally, with the cabinets ordered for your remodel, I'm not sure what options have, but most of us would strongly recommend putting a canopy hood in place of that OTR, if you can, and put a regular microwave on a shelf or cart somewhere else, and do this regardless of whether you get your gas slide-in or go with an induction slide-in like the PHS920. P.S. Have you seen the current thread on whether induction needs a less powerful hood? If not, check out the last post in that thread which is by Kaseki. This post was edited by JWVideo on Tue, Apr 8, 14 at 14:04

First of all, many thanks to 1cubed, writersblock, JWVideo, zacman44 for such quick responses! I've Google searched my way into this forum many times, but never needed to comment or ask questions until now. I do have to say though that the content has always been top notch, and everyone is very helpful! Hopefully I can give back some time! The general feedback here though definitely calms the nerves! In reponse to JWVideo; I actually came across a few reviews specifically for the GE Slide-In Induction Range PHS925STSS, but didn't see any video demos of the issue which is why I asked here, given that there were actual owners who had been living with it commenting on it. Zacman44 comments that flat bottom pans made a difference. Thinking about it, that makes total sense. We'll be getting a new cookset, so I'll make sure to keep an eye out for that. We're in Seattle, and the appliance company (Albert Lee Appliance) has been helpful in the past, so I'll see if they can get it set up to test before we drop the cash for it. I've seen a few other live demos of induction ranges and they look amazing, which is why we are excited to try it out. Again, many thanks for all the helpful comments and seriously quick replies!! I'll post any updates I have when we make the purchase and install one. Thanks!

Here is the explanation I found on the GE website (the link to this is below so you can see the video). Also I looked through a couple of GE Café range manuals where they discussed the Control Lockout on 'some models,' but I suppose those manuals were written pre Summer 2013 because they showed it locking out burners as well. You may have to verify with GE Support about the specific model you are looking at. "Range - Explanation of the Lockout Feature The range Lockout feature allows the user to lock out all oven and surface burner operation. When locked, there can be no unintended oven or surface burner activation. Note: As of summer 2013, the control lockout button locks out the oven controls only, not the gas burners. To activate: 1.press Range Lockout pad 2.press Start To deactivate feature: repeat the steps listed above. If the power fails to the home while the range lockout feature is activated, the range lockout feature will remain activated once the power has been restored. The range lockout feature can also be activated while the surface burners are in use. Once range lockout has been activated the gas will stop flowing to the surface burners. The control panel will flash to remind you to turn the surface burner off. Caution: If the surface burner is left in the on position gas will flow once the range lockout feature has been deactivated. Note: Cooktops with control lock feature, when the lock is engaged and a burner is turned on, the cooktop will buzz and no gas will come out. View a short video about about the lockout feature."" Here is a link that might be useful: GE Lockout Button