I just replaced by smooth top range with a BlueStar in December. I bought that smooth top in 1995. Nothing's wrong with it. I moved it to our basement kitchen that we're building. It worked feeding my family for 19 years, and no one starved to death! I love to cook. I also was a cake decorator for 12 years (weddings, as well as birthdays, graduations, etc.) and it baked all my cakes. It is a GE. I was super easy to clean. I never had any issues with my glass top. I do have a couple dings in the white porcelain, which could happen on any stove.

Have you considered induction? It is by far the easiest to clean. It may require some electrical work and some multi-unit buildings don't have the electrical capacity. Lots and lots of information on the appliances forum.

Thanks Debbi - That's good to know that you got so much use out of yours with no problems.

CRL - I don't know what the difference is between an induction and a Smoothtop, is there a difference?

Yes, the heat source for induction is from magnets. The cooktop itself does not heat up. So food does not get baked on. There are a tone of threads here and also in the appliances forum. In addition to the electrical problem, the other drawback is that pots and pans must be magnetic to work. Some stsinless steel are and some are not.

In addition to being substantially easier to clean, induction is much better for cooking--faster to heat up and more responsive.

We just finished our Reno about 6 weeks ago so I cannot speak to longevity. We went from an electric coil range to induction range. Love, love, love it! Clean up is a breeze and I cook a lot! As crl says, it is very responsive in temperatures. I have just a bit of a learning curve since I cannot slide pans from hot spot to cool spot (or shake a pan) to prevent scratching the glass top. I gladly welcome the learning curve for all the pluses of this range!

Is this for a rental unit? Because much as I love induction, I would think carefully about it in a rental--there's the pots and pans limitation I already mentioned and induction is pricier. For a high end unit, it might still make sense. For a lower end unit, maybe not. I have never been a landlord so I am not much help on those considerations.

A lot of landlord's seem to prefer electric over gas due to the lack of open flame. An electric stove needs its own dedicated 240 line so before you buy the stove, you will want to price the cost of adding the electric line.

CRL - Thanks for that explanation about how induction cooktops work. I’m still not clear though, is there another type of ‘smooth’ cooktop that isn’t induction?

I’d forgotten about the pots having to work with an induction. We use stainless steel pots and pans, I’ll have to check that.

Tea4All - Sounds like you are enjoying your cooktop.

I wondered about the scratching and yes, can’t shake a pan or slide it off the heat, makes sense. I don't think we have a habit of doing that anyway, so for us that won't make a difference, but I'll have to ask my family what their habits are.

CRL - No, this will be a space for family. Electric would be my other choice, which is what we’ve always had. If it were a rental, I think I would go with electric.

Practigal - this will be new construction, so the electrical work won’t be a problem.

Yes, Prairie, the smooth top electric that you originally asked about - it is not induction - just the coils are under the glass. That's what I reviewed for you at the beginning of this post.

Debbi - OH - that is different, but you had the coils and it worked out well for you. That’s great, thanks.

LLass - This will be an apartment for family members not a rental, and the ease of cleaning is what I’m thinking about. Thanks.

I think maybe we all aren't communicating clearly about the different types of cooktops. There is gas, electric and induction. Electric can be coils or smooth top. Induction is always smooth top.

Here is a website I have seen recommended to explain induction.

I would definitely do induction since it's for family. the cooktop doesn't heat up, so no burning yourself on the top, and it's much easier to clean since it doesn't heat up, nothing gets baked on. Plus, it's a lot safer. No waiting for the top to cool down before wiping it down.

Definitely go induction - it's far superior to smooth top electric and old fashioned coil. It heats more quickly and you can turn up and down the temperature incredibly fast - so there is no need to slide a pan off the "heat" to a cooler spot on the stove.

With smooth top, spilled food can get burned on the stove top as you cook - doesn't happen with induction. Both can be cleaned to look like new - but induction is a lot easier. And no cleaning around coils.

Induction is the way I would've went had I not went with gas. Induction is responsive, heats up quickly, and you can put your pan on a paper towel (while cooking) so that it catches any splatters, etc. Pans will work if a magnet will stick to them.

Debbi was referring to having a smooth-top electric cooktop, not coils.

I also have a smooth-top electric cooktop (not induction). I love it. I will never go back to coils. This is my second one. We put our first one in a rental we rehabbed so I could get a new one for myself. I would put a smooth-top electric (not induction) cooktop in a rental but not an induction one unless that rental was very high-end in a high-end area.

ETA: If I had been around here on GW longer and understood the benefits of induction, I would probably have gotten induction. Although I love m smooth-top electric cooktop, I definitely see the advantages of induction. Oh, well....since appliances don't seem to last forever anymore, I'll probably need to replace a range in a rental someday and then they can get my current smooth-top electric and I'll get an induction then. :)