http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-in/ajmadison/JGB500SEPSS.html has information on a GE JGB500SEPSS for $1,219.00 that looks so nice and sounds great except that it does not have the convection oven that the Frigidaire Range has and no warming drawer. Do I need these two features?

Here is a link that might be useful: GE Range reasonably priced

look on a best buy site. they have a good selection in that price range.

My sister has the Frigidaire gas slide in with convection for about 6 months now. She is very happy with it.

There is also a Kenmore convection that is around that price.

Thank you desertsteph and gsciencechick for your input. I had to go out to a diner with a friend for Turkey since my oven does a poor job in cooking almost anything. I am so ready for a new range.

I looked up the SS Kenmore Convection oven and that looks nice also. I think I will visit the Best Buy store, Sears, PC Richards and other appliance stores tomorrow to see the SS range models in person and then make a decision. At least now by doing some research, I know what features exist on ovens with the different burner BTU's, convection oven feature and warming drawer feature. Am I making a mistake in limiting the price range and missing out on a great range that is reliable?

What is the difference between the gas slide in range and the stand alone gas range?

The townhouses I live in are very nice and many homeowners have installed granite counters or new counters, along with new kitchen cabinets and new floors. I would like to do these upgrades to my 20 year old kitchen next year but most of my townhouse neighbors are married and have two incomes to pay for this. I like to do a little at a time on my income. I live in a very expensive area and chose the townhouse over the house since the neighborhood and town I moved into is very desirable despite being so costly and has a good school system which I knew meant high resale value. Now I see that my real estate taxes have increased 2.4 times in 12 years due to school taxes. I am just finding out that when a townhouse goes for sale, it is compared with other townhouses and people are willing to pay a premium for upgrades but it is not the same as a one of a kind house since prices are greatly compared to what has sold in the neighborhood.

A slide in range has less depth than a free-standing range and is meant to look more built-in - but it requires a strip of countertop behind the range and also it won't have finished sides. A free-standing range has finished sides and most of them have controls on a backsplash not on the front of the range. To minimize additional installation costs, I would suggest you get the same style range you currently have.

I would strongly recommend that you get a convection oven - lots of advantages in what and how you cook. The warming drawer is not a necessity.

Thank you weissman for explaining the differences. I see that I would prefer the built-in look of the slide-in range but I should buy a free-standing range since that is what I now have and I don't want installation problems, along with the additional installation costs.

I will take your advice and make sure I get a convection oven. Thank you.

Have become annoyed at our OTR GE microwave/oven cos the handle broke. Has to be glued back in from time to time. The oven feature is rarely used and a waste of money 99.9%$ of the time

akachrisinmass, thanks for letting me know about your GE handle on the microwave. I need a microwave that sits on the counter since I am very petite and can't reach microwaves above the counter. But it is good to know that even GE handles come off so each brand seems to have its share of problems with their appliances.

Checking with CR, GE (JGBP88DEMxx) and a Kenmore model (75539) are the two top rated stoves. GE and Kenmore are among the more reliable with Maytag and KA being the worst.

weedmeister, I checked out these models online and the Kenmore one was discontinued and the other one was above my original budget price and I left the model number home when I ran out to see models in person. I appreciate your post that made me think maybe GE was not so bad. I posted this on the kitchen forum also since I have to make a decision by 7 PM tomorrow to switch the unit or just cancel the great deal I got that is only a good deal if it is for a gas range that I want.

I saw the GE Cafe gas range today and fell in love with it but only had 15 minutes to see it since Reno's Appliance Store was closing. The price was a lot more than the $1250.00 budget that I had placed myself at when I started shopping but the price was still $700 less than PC Richards regular price. Then when I went home to feed my little dogs and look up information on the GE Cafe gas range online, I decided to go back to PC Richards to see what kind of deal they could give me on the range that I preferred. They ended up having the same sale for $1999.00 when I was trying to stay below $1250.00.

I think I will start another post as well as write what I want to say here since I have to make a decision quickly and unfortunately I have expensive taste and I know I will never get back the money if I buy the more expensive range but I like it better.

I bought the Frigidaire gas range from PC Richards tonight near 11 PM when they were closing despite not liking the warming drawer's knob on the backsplash area and not liking that I have to bump into the center knob to reach the buttons on the back due to my very petite height of not quite 5 feet. If PC Richard's Frigidaire did not have this warming drawer knob on the area in the back of the range, I think I could live with the inconvenient way I have to lean on the center knob to get to the oven controls. I think both the knob and the way the unit is built for someone taller has me wondering if I need to invest in the other unit I loved. I hope this would not be a fire hazard for me if I have long sleeves on and I am cooking stuff on the top of the Frigidaire gas range.

The rebates and sale price that were only good for Black Friday today were too good to pass up if I regretted walking away and it was identical in looks to the Kenmore range but a better price even with that knob. Before I signed anything close to 11 PM when they were closing, I asked if I could have until tomorrow until 7 PM to decide if I want to switch my order to buy the GE Cafe 30" gas range that will not come with the free stainless steel fan hood and get the sales price today along with the 0% for 18 months so I have an interest free loan to have money for the new hot water heater I am going to need real soon that is also 20 years old. After my busy season, I will be fine but now if the water heater dies on me when I just did so many major renovations to my home would make funds tight.

The GE Cafe gas range has everything that the Frigidaire has (4 BTU burners, 5th burner with a free griddle to replace the grates, convention oven, warming drawer, etc.) but the bottom drawer on the GE can be used as another oven or as a warming drawer and all the controls are on the front so I can reach them easily and there is a probe that will register in the front letting me know when the food I am cooking reaches the correct temperature. There is no backspash unit despite the GE Cafe being a standalone range that looks built in. It will be so much more money (despite PC Richard's sale price of $700 off their very high retail price and then the stainless steel venting hood will not be free) but I keep thinking I would like it better since it was so comfortable to use due to my height and I loved the attached probe. I love the clean look.

Maybe the knob on the Frigidaire's backsplash area that is there along with digital touch controls will not bother me and maybe it is not so bad to have to lean onto the front button to reach the back controls? Other than those negatives, the range was very nice looking with so many nice features and the price of $836.00 less the $100 rebate and the rebate of $162 to make the stainless steel hood free except for sales tax and installation) made the Frigidaire such a great deal if I want it since I have the 0% 18 months interest free payment plan. Even if I switch units, PC Richards will allow me to have the 0% interest payment plan over 18 months since I used my PC Richards Card.

I guess I am used to controls on the front of the range like my 20 year old Whirlpool gas range has with just the clock in the back.

Any advice?