Does anyone have recent experience with GE or Kenmore brands? It’s been a long time since I bought a stove and I need one for the new apartment I just moved to. I need zero bells and whistles – it just has to cook food. TIA!
No experience with either - just wanted to say Hi! Long time no see!
Hey emilybee wave! Good to see you too!
I checked on Consumer Reports and Kenmore has the best brand reliability for gas ranges although GE is just behind (and with the same score). They are probably both a safe bet then. Just FYI, I believe Kenmore, Whirpool, and Maytag are all made by the same manufacturer now, but still, Kenmore’s reliability is higher than the other two.
I’ve always had good luck with Kenmore appliances - except if you have anything with a computer chip they die after five years. I lost the broiler on my last stove because it was a $500 computer replacement for a stove that might have cost $600 new.
^^^ And that is why I have held on to my 30+yo stove. I have to keep buying new knobs for it, but it’s holding on.
Kenmore (Sears) contracts with different makers for their products. GE has gone up as they make many of their appliances in USA. Got to GARDENWEB, appliance section, for lots of recommendations.
We’ve bought Kenmore ranges for tenant units. They work fine.
Have had a GE gas stove for (XL 44) for maybe 12 or so years with only one major repair. They are meant to last 5 to 8 years. I stopped using the overnight oven clean feature about 5 years ago because I figured it would wear it out faster and if something does spill in the oven it will eventually get incinerated anyway. Who looks in there? Once I have a tried and true appliance I like to baby it because you never know when bringing a new appliance in the house whether it will bond with the others.
If I were looking for no frills, I’d Google Amish or Menonite. There moght be gas stoves out there with no electronic start, if that’s what you’re looking for. There might also be people with camps or cabins that use propane but have no electricity.
When I was looking into buying a wall oven, many consumer comments disliked the oven clean feature and it seems to lead to the most problems because the oven gets super hot for a long time - often frying out electrical parts. Maybe the OP’s $500 stove won’t even have a self clean function and that will get rid of that potential problem!
Sears no longer just has the Whirlpool Corp makes its Kenmore appliances. A Kenmore can be a GE, Frigidaire, or something from Whirlpool Corp (Maytag, KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Amana, etc).
look here
http://t.homedepot.com/s/stoves%20gas
Sears is in our check list for appliances - if you have other stores that advertise appliances, can also check around. We have one store here that sells a particular appliance line (so they have deals due to their volume and relationship with manufacturer). Sometimes by looking at the advertised deals and some checking around, you can get a feel for the best appliance for your needs. For example, I needed a new dryer and found a Whirlpool that fit my needs - got it through Home Depot as it was special price. If Sears had a special price on what I wanted, I would get that through them (years ago I got my front load washer through Sears).
As another mentioned, sometimes the electronics on an appliance goes - this happened to our GE double oven (and my H is a EE, who got the schematics from GE and tried to get it to continue working - it would not hold the temperature you set - it was on our upper electronic self cleaning oven versus the lower dial oven which was not self cleaning). Since the double oven was built it, it took a while to find a replacement double oven - which we were able to find (also GE) and H was able to remove other and install the new 
New one is working great and is all electronic and both ovens are self cleaning. I never run the self cleaning full cycle - but I wipe out stuff and try not to have stuff run over into the oven either. After the oven cools from the self cleaning portion I run, I wipe out the sediment - and if not easily removed, just run the self cleaning longer. Self cleaning takes a lot of energy and heats up the kitchen (not good on summers in the south).
Depending on gas or electric oven and what Consumer Reports says. Helps get you educated on the current lines and 411.
So apartments don’t come with ovens in your area? This could mean you’ll find them on Craigslist.
With 4th of July around the corner, this is the time that places like Lowes and HD have extra deals.
also look for “special purchases.” I had to buy a stove and a DW for one of my rentals in March. HD had a Special Purchase for Samsungs. I was able to buy both for a lot less than Samsungs normally cost. They look fab and they look a LOT more expensive than they were.
oh, and the oven has a “proofing” mode for making bread! who knew!?! lol It also has some “steam” feature for self-cleaning. Even tho the DW was amazingly inexpensive, it has the stainless interior and is soooo quiet that you’d swear that it wasn’t running.
got BOTH for under $800…seriously.
use their websites to find the best deals but go into the actual store to make the purchase because often there is some extra deal…like free delivery or an extra 10% or something. And ask what clearance appliances they have in stock. For another rental, I got another $100 knocked off the clearance price of a DW because the interior had a minor dent that no one would notice.
Since you’re looking for a gas appliance, go online and see if your gas company sells appliances or gives REBATES! Some gas companies give REBATES because they fear that you’ll change to electric.
I was wandering around either Lowe’s or Home Depot and they had some marked down floor model appliances randomly in the aisles by the garden supplies! I guess you could ask at customer service where they might have stashed the discounts.
I like Home Depot for the free delivery and installation. In the case of a gas appliance, you may be required to have the gas company or a plumber do the actual hook up. In some localities you have to have a permit inspection. I would get the GE because I’ve had three separate Sears delivery nightmares. I won’t make any appliance purchases from them again.
Just a quick note.
Beware using the self cleaning mode. On many ovens the electronic board is located right above the oven and the intense prolonged heat will destroy the board. This took out our top electric double wall oven.
Also beware ovens where steam escapes directly under the electronic pad. Often times steam gets in behind the electronic panel and will eventually destroy the components.
The bottom oven would not maintain the correct temperature and we would have needed to replace that device
( temp gauge)
Sadly we had to buy a new model of the same oven as nothing else would fit in the exact footprint. It has changed quite a bit.
Our new and improved oven has a fan and no exposed heating element on the bottom.
I find that the constantly running fan dries out my food. I haven’t tried it yet but I think I will add a shallow pan of water on a lower shelf . It is not a convection oven. I also can’t seem to get the hang of broiling a steak. Again it dries out.
Stupid oven.