"Not reassuring . . ." Oh, yeah. I get that, so I'm not sure there is any reassurance to be provided here.

To start with, Samsung does seem to have gained a reputation for not-so-good support and parts availability for appliances. It is not just their induction stoves, either.

A fair number of folks here have had induction appliances that have lasted for years. My aunt bought one the early Kenmore induction ranges some three decades ago. Last I heard, the old stove was still working in a vacation home. For every story like that, however, other folks have tales of woe and have been considerably less fortunate.

One of our stalwarts, kaseki, recently lost a seven year-old Kenmore/Frigidaire induction cooktop. He has posted eloquently on the trade offs and difficulties and expense involved with getting any major brands' stoves and cooktops repaired after a board failure.

My own experience four years ago was with a dozen-year-old GE Dual Fuel range. That brings up a point --- the issue of control board failures seems endemic to all major brand ranges, not just induction ranges. There's just a bit more microprocessor driven equipment in an induction range, so a bit more expense for replacement boards. It is still expensive to replace control boards in every other kind of range. Four years ago, a failure in one control board cascaded to the other two in my GE stove, completely knocking out all oven functions. Replacement boards would have cost me over $800. There would have been further expense if I had the replacements done by our local skilled and knowledgeable appliance repair company.

For me, that experience put a thumb heavily on the scales when weighing my replacement stove choices. Much as I like induction, I was also very interested in a pro-style range with minimal electronics (albeit with a larger and more evenly heating oven than found on the old M&O'Ks, Wedgewoods, etc.) I've got a small induction cooktop on the side. Hedging my bets, you could say.

For me, Samsung's slide-in range has issues beyond repair concerns. They have design "features" which give me pause. For example, having only ten burner heat settings.

But. I do understand the attraction of rotary dial control interfaces (i.e., knobs). I, too, am much happier with knobs for burner controls on ranges. The Miele induction range definitely has knob controls rather than touchpads for the burners, so the Miele was not one of the touchpad models your dealer showed you. Back in December, I saw a Miele demonstrated at one of our local stores. A splendid stove. Alas, it has s $7k price which is a budgetary absurdity. At least, it is for for me. YMMV.

Frigidaire seems to be the major major maker of much less expensive induction models with knob controls. All seemingly street-priced under $1600 including a slide-in model.

That still leaves you with the issue of expensive electronic controllers whose eventual failures lead many to decide to replace rather than repair their stoves. To be sure, there are some electronics goods which you expect to last only a few years. In my business, I expect my video cameras and editing computers to wear out in a few years. Video technology has been improving so much that they're obsolete by then, anyway. (I'm going through the replacement process right now --- yet again --- this time as we convert to 4k UHD cameras).

For stoves, I expect otherwise. I expect (well ... I want) my stoves to last for decades. They should not be worn out, let alone obsolete in the near term. Thus, I still have qualms about buying an induction range for that reason.

Kaseki has some recent posts here explaining the economics of owning one as akin to renting the stove or cooktop. When it wears out, you rent a new one. Depending on your viewpoint, his view might seem unduly pessismistic or might be a way of financially rationalizing the economics of a stove with a fraction of the useful life of your old Merritt & O'Keefe.

It is a conundrum, no doubt about it.

I can't say about Samsung cooking products but I repaired a Samsung frontloading washer 3 months ago and found that parts were available from several online sources.

Thank you jwvideo for your insightful reply to my post. At my age, just keeping my own "parts" in working order is a challenge! As you say, one expects electronics to have a limited life span, often not due to not working but not having the latest features. But a very expensive appliance such as a stove? Can't go there!

Looks like my 1948 O'Keefe and Merritt will continue to be the stove for me. I love the look and function of a pro-style stove (but not their cost), but that lid over my cooktop is SO important to me with my dogs, their hair, and dirt. I can only wipe down the stove cooktop so many times a day.

I think I need to remember the old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Modern kitchen appliances are moving beyond just computer boards that fail to IOT (Internet of Things) that can hacked to eavesdrop on you, burn your house down (hacker extortionist), etc.

Me, I really want a natural gas burner with a physical only control that I must physically turn to select the heat setting I want. Call me old school but, I am putting in a wood burning "stove" in my living room for house heat when the electricity goes out. While I don't plan on cooking with it, a pot of stew and skillet of cornbread with a tea pot or percolator are easy enough.