I think I'd gamble with the unknown induction. But I really dislike radiant!

Yeah, why get a regular electric cooktop when you can get induction. If you're afraid of the unknown brand, are there any other induction cooktops that would fit?

Diva makes a 24" induction (I don't know the price), and I self imported a Gaggenau 24" induction for an amazingly good price (I did it for the size and features rather than the money).

Have you looked up Summit online? The Induction Site, their own website, etc? Most of the companies use the same inductors, so it's the electronics and housing they generally make. Does the Summit have the features that make it nice to use? (Different people have different preferences: True timers on the elements, a large number of power levels (17+ rather than 9), separate controls for each element, autoshutoff, boilover shutoff, temperature sensors, etc.)

With all that, yeah, I'd get the off brand induction over the electric, especially if she already has compatible cookware.

There are a TON of both 30" (4 burner) and 36" Induction (5 or 6 burner?) cooktops on the market. Any would be far better than ANY radiant cooktop How do I know? I probably had the most expensive radiant cooktop on the market (36 inch Semi Circle)--It is now in the trash(replaced by an Electrolux Icon 30" Induction Unit). Even thou the radiant one had timers for each burner(we never used it), "could bridge between burners" never used that either.
The Speed, The Control, The ease of cleaning, made this swapout a "No Brainer" for us---even thou I had to redo the Granite to get rid of that 36" semi circle.
We Love the Induction----see "The Induction Site" on the net for your various options!! Once you narrow down the possibilities, go to AJ Madison and download the operator's manuals for your selections. That will tell you about dimensions-clearances, power requirements, and the way you actually operate the thing

Gary

Thanks, everyone. The Summit is the *only* 24 in induction cooktop right now except for the Diva, which is approximately $3K to the $1K for the Summit.

I don't find the induction site very helpful, myself. It doesn't show anything that came on the market in the last quarter of 2008 or more recently than that. Even an 'It's garbage, don't buy it," would be some use, but they don't mention Summit, Kenyon, lots of the newer models.

Generally Summit has a pretty good reputation, but since they rebadge rather than manufacture it's hard to extrapolate from one product to the next. Some of their refrigerators are Vestfrost, for instance, but not all or even most.

I did find one review of the two burner model that said it was lacking on the simmer level, but as I say, that isn't even necessarily the same real brand as the 24, so I don't know if it would necessarily pertain to this one or not.

>the *only* 24 in induction cooktop right now except for the Diva

meant to say "that I can find in the US market." There are tons of nice smaller units available in the rest of the world.

miele is well built and has great customer service

Thanks, gitananoel. Yes, that's the heart of the dilemma. :)

Another thing to keep in mind is what repairman/company in your area will be able to service the Summit or the Miele (or any make)? I have an Asko washer & dryer, and the only company I trust to service them inevitably has at least a week's appointments before they can get to mine. If it's a new part needed, add another week before you're back in business. For laundry, it's bad enough (twice in 10 years, a belt & a fuse), but for a cooktop that would really be a bummer to do without for a couple of weeks...

So for me it's reliability & service along with the features of any appliance. You might try to track down someone at the manufacturer you're considering & challenge them to convince you why you should purchase their product over a competitor's. Ask about authorized repair dealers in your area & then check them out? May help you decide.

Thanks, vasue. Yeah, so far I can't even get a list of local dealers from Summit, so while the induction would be really nice, I think we may have to forgo it. (Glad to know they're so busy they can ignore potential customers. Not many companies in this economy can afford to do that.)

Since I started this thread, we found that Fagor makes a 27" radiant cooktop that only needs a 22" cutout, so we're tending towards that, especially since their US headquarters are in FL, so at worst she could go squat on their doorstep if there's a problem. :)

For me, service is really important. I would choose induction over radiant electric assuming service is readily available.

Yes, I completely agree, gizmonike, but that's just it--I can't even get Summit to give me a list of dealers, let alone a straight answer on whether or not they allow installation over an oven.

If they're that cavalier in the presales phase, what would they be like to deal with later on if there's a problem? It's not encouraging.

(BTW, my post about Fagor in FL was misleading, I realize. The front door to their appliance division is in NJ. It's the Mondragon corporate stuff that lives in FL.)