So I posted this on another Cafe thread, but I wanted to make sure you saw the pro/con list. We bought ours via Lowe's as part of a Black Friday deal, and purchased the extended warranty for our entire appliance suite. I've had 0 issues that affected the function of the range, just cosmetic. I also haven't noticed the oven heating up the kitchen any more than expected, and certainly less than our previous ranges.

So I have the single oven/warming drawer version of the GE Cafe Induction Range, and it is possibly my favorite thing about our remodel. I would recommend it to anyone who has the budget and wants induction. I've cooked on it almost every day for nearly 2 years, and I think this list hits the big points.

PROS:

• The knobs seem to be continuously variable so the heat adjustments are super flexible. It has the same level of control as previous (basic) gas stoves.
• It has a bridge element for using a large griddle, or roasting pan.
• The knobs make it really easy to use if you have arthritis, or difficulty using touchpads.
• The warming drawer is very handy when you realize that your potatoes/veg are done, but the bread still needs to bake, and the steaks aren't done on the grill. Also excellent for proofing bread, and warming platters and plates. There are three temp settings that range from about 70-210 (f).
• It is a true convection oven, and heats up quickly and pretty evenly.
• It is pretty powerful for everyday cooking. I rarely use a setting higher than 5 (goes up to 10) unless I am searing something.
• GE has been excellent with warranty work (not just on the stove). We had to have a seal replaced on our GE freezer, and mentioned to the repair guy that the rubber strip between the cooktop and the SS edge was crimped. He added that to the parts order, and both were repaired within 2 weeks of contacting GE, including a temporary fix for the freezer while the part was backordered.

CONS:

• The knobs are super sensitive, so it is easy to accidently change the temperature if you bump them right. It isn't a huge deal, but does take some getting used to if you usually cook with buttons or a touchpad control.
• The 'precision cooking probe' is pretty worthless. They seem to have intended it as a stovetop version of sous vide machines. Don't bother with it, just get an immersion circulator from Amazon.
• There is only one double griddle pan that works on induction, and it usually goes for around $50+ on Amazon. Cast iron griddles don't work because they don't touch the stovetop enough to activate the induction.
• There are tons of settings for things like pizza, fries, etc. I have never used them, just set the temperature on convection bake/roast and be done.
• The wi-fi control is kind of neat if you do a lot of baking that starts out at one temp and then changes after 10 min or so, but is not something that would make me choose this one over another version.

wdccruise--

Taking your advice, I did look at the FP owner's manual. Unless I am missing a critical factor it doesn't seem to me that I'd have any problems using the oven knob on the FP.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on my situation or on the FP vs Cafe quality/value conundrum?

Thanks.

Where's the scratch or dent? :)

Which one has better styling for your kitchen?

Either style will look great in my kitchen.

Very minor scuff/scratch on the top of door

As I said, I am weighing whether I am being swayed by the fact that FP is typically considered a higher end line than Café.

Have you seen the FP oven in person? I am a child of the 80s and this is just my opinion, but when I opened the oven of the 30" FP I thought the size was about on par with my old Easy Bake Oven. If the size of the oven works for you though, I'd go with the FP. They seem to have great customer service. I had a set of FP washer/dryer for ten years though and never had to call.

No, I haven't seen it in person which is a problem; I've only seen the 36" in person. And, it's one of the reasons why I am concerned about the oven size. In fact, I think it is about the same size as just the larger oven in the two oven Café I have also been contemplating.

I will chime in because I am in the same boat. I love the F&P for styling but that oven is very tiny. Despite their marketing about fitting a turkey in there, you might be able to jam it in but then the top will most certainly burn. The bottom oven of the Cafe double oven model is 4 cu.ft. so larger than the F&P. My small microwave capacity is 1.2 cu.ft. so the F&P oven is only 3x the size of my microwave. That put it in perspective for me as to how small it is. The bottom rack is fixed to ensure that it is not too close to the lower element so that makes the usable capacity even smaller. Now after saying all that, we are 2 seniors who cook for the just the two of us. I am not a baker, so my oven use is just for broiling fish, roasting vegetables and cooking chicken breasts and pork tenderloins. So I know I could function with that small oven but the question is do I want to be limited by it?? With Covid, family extended family dinners are a thing of the past for now. And when the restrictions are lifted we will likely host family dinners out at the cabin that has a generous wall oven. I have read a lot of negative reviews about the Cafe and when I viewed it, the oven racks are a joke - very flimsy, poorly fit, and not fully telescoping. But I am having a hard time paying a high full price for a teeny, tiny oven. I will say, if I came across a scratch and dent model like you have where the price is comparable to the Cafe, I would probably pick the F&P just because we have a small galley kitchen and the F&P would not overwhelm the kitchen. But at full price.....I dunno. Ok, that was probably no help to you whatsoever, lol.

Marilyn

Have you seen the issues with delivery times for GE Cafe appliances? Check out this discussion "Backordered GE Cafe Appliances"

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6003543/backordered-ge-cafe-appliances

Yes, I've been following that thread. And, to top it all off, today the guy at the local appliance store went to check on a Café range that I am interested in. He said the GE website says not available, meaning they have stopped even manufacturing it.

Marilyn--

Interesting to hear from someone who is almost in exactly the same situation I am. It's really a dilemma. And, to top it all off, the salesman at the local appliance store when to give me a quote on the Café induction with the two ovens and told me the Café website is indicating that this isn't even available any more.

It's so hard after all of these years of cooking or a family and for a crowd to wrap my head around what cooking appliances I will actually need for our current and future situation. This is a second home where we'll spend half the year (and we'd don't have any family in the area). We just purchased it right before the pandemic. Because of the pandemic we have done zero entertaining here, and I don't even know how much entertaining I'll really do here. This is complicating my decision. Then, there is also the whole obtaining appliances in a pandemic situation. Who knows? It might take 18 months to clear up all of the bottlenecks in the appliance pipeline.

@julieste did you go with the FP or cafe? I’m debating which 36” induction I should get. Love the look of a range, don’t like how close the oven door is to the floor, like the convenience of French doors on a wall unit.

Hi Amy.

This isn't Celeste.

I just purchased the Fisher Paykel 30" Induction Classic range - installed 1 week ago.

Pros: (1) fits well within my small kitchen and (2) so far no quality or serious performance issues.

Cons: (1) Oven temperature can only be adjusted by 25 degree increments. My old oven had 5 degree increments. So I did find it a bit challenging to find the right temperature for making yogurt.

(2) That oven is quite tiny. Not an issue for me because just a couple of seniors here that entertain family at the cabin rather than at our city home; but oven size may be an issue for others. (3) I would have preferred a range where the largest hob was at the front instead of at the back and vis-a-versa for the smallest hob which is at the front. Better layout for my style of cooking would have been to reverse the position of those 2 hobs.

I crossed the Cafe off my list for 2 reasons: quality of material/workmanship and oven door so close to the floor.

In terms of quality of construction, I think the Fulgor Milano is better than Fisher Paykel for the same price but it would have overwhelmed my tiny kitchen. Plus I needed a range that could be installed in a corner and the Fulfor Milano required 12" from side walls whereas Fisher Paykel required only 2".

I didn't make a decision yet and am still contemplating what to do. I don't need the range until Nov., and we kept our old one just in case we need to do a temporary install in the new kitchen. Still deciding.

Marilyn-- very interesting to hear about your decision and your reactions now that you decided to go with the FP. We are in exactly the same situation as you--just two seniors who only spend half our time in this home. And, we won't be entertaining large family groups there. I am starting to think that if one has room for an additional appliance that is like speed oven/ microwave combo it might be the perfect solution to accompany the FP.

@julieste I know this is old, but I'm in a similar boat and would love to know what you chose!

@Daniella

I ended up with the FP. It's been in use now for about six months, and I am happy with it. Thus far I haven't had any occasions when I have felt the oven is too small. My only niggling sometimes concern is about the largest burner being in the back. I have one fry pay with a pouring lip on both sides, and the pan has to be positioned correctly so it will center on the back right, large burner. The slide-in FP model I have has a couple inch high riser in the back (I do like this), but it can hinder the pans like this. In case you are also looking at other brands or models, I am so glad to have the knobs and have realized that I wouldn't have been happy with any model with the touch control panel.