Having lived with our GE Cafe Gas Range for over five years (and having since replaced it), an updated review is in order! When it comes to renovating, I take making recommendations very seriously and try to steer others in the best direction for their home and renovation. As an interior designer, I want my clients to put their complete trust in me. If you’re appliance shopping, I hope this honest review is helpful! Here are my thoughts on the Professional 36″ Gas GE Cafe Range. Click through for my detailed review, personal experience, and professional opinion on this particular range. Learn about its performance, reliability issues, and whether it’s the right choice for your kitchen.
I hope this post saves others money, time, and the trouble of installing a GE Cafe range in their own kitchen. I’ve mentioned it before on Instagram and still receive multiple messages asking for feedback on this particular range, and if it’s worth the money (almost $7,000!). In short, for a high-end kitchen appliance- I’d say no. Sadly, we experienced multiple issues with our range and I can’t recommend it based on our personal experience. After using it extensively (5+ years), I’ve gathered some insights that might help you decide if it’s the right fit for your home.
Aesthetic Appeal
The matte black finish paired with stainless handles added a minimalistic, industrial, and elegant touch to our kitchen. I really liked the aesthetic! Stylistically, it’s not going to go out of style anytime soon, and it pairs well with other appliances. It’s also available in multiple finishes. I landed on this range because it felt like the perfect focal point to install beneath the range hood… and visually speaking, it’s wonderful.
We’ve had electric, induction, and gas cooktops in our previous homes, and my personal favorite of the three is gas. We opted to buy a professional gas range for our kitchen remodel and I was very excited to have a high-end gas cooktop and oven for our space… especially given how often we cook. I also really enjoy spending time in the kitchen baking. Upon moving in, the existing range was electric, so I was eager to upgrade to something more functional for our family- and aesthetically pleasing. Here’s a quick before… the Cafe Range was a definite upgrade (or so we thought).
Reliability Concerns
While beautiful and in some areas functional, I cannot recommend our existing GE Cafe gas range. The issue we had multiple times (nine, to be exact) is this… upon turning on the oven, it refuses to heat up. It stays completely cool to the touch. You can hear it trying to heat (clicking away), but the gas never ignites. Basically, the igniter fails quite frequently and when it decides to stop working- that means we have to replace the part altogether. The top burners and warmers work wonderfully, but the oven igniter has proven to be a MAJOR issue time and time again. When the igniter fails, rendering it unusable until repaired- it poses a significant inconvenience for our cooking routine.
We’re a household that cooks and uses the oven quite often- at least 4-5 times a week for dinner, and more often when hosting. Unfortunately, the igniter issue caused us to waste hundreds of dollars on food since installing the range. It has a tendency to go out at inopportune times… twice while we were hosting friends & family- once during Memorial Day weekend, and most recently during our New Year’s Eve party. It’s just a very inconvenient situation that has turned out to be costly and annoying- especially given the cost of this high-end appliance advertised as a professional range.
Replacing the Igniter
If you’re having the same issue with your GE Cafe Gas Range and are curious how to fix this problem… this is the part you’ll need to order and replace: oven range igniter. While the part is relatively inexpensive (under $30), if we weren’t proficient in replacing this piece, we also would have incurred the cost of hiring a technician. You may need to factor in labor if you’re not comfortable swapping parts.
Customer Service Experience
A few months into owning this range, we had our first experience with the igniter failing. I immediately called customer service to see what could be done. After hours on hold for the support team, it was determined we would have to pay for a technician visit and nothing would be covered, despite it still being under warranty.
Luckily, Emmett & I problem solved, did some research, and were able to figure out what exactly was going on and resolve the issue on our own. The second time it happened, we were annoyed, but knew how to proceed… perhaps we just got a lemon or simply had bad luck? The third time it happened, we had lost all patience and I decided to email, as well as message GE on Instagram. Nothing was resolved, no one tried to help or even get in touch with me, and at that point- after so many messages from others echoing the same issue, I realized this was going to be an ongoing issue.
Performance Overview
When you spent $6k on a major kitchen appliance, you hope it will function as expected, and at the very least- have an adequate warranty to cover issues or decent customer service to troubleshoot. We bought our range new, kept it for five years, and had to replace the igniter 11 times.
The first time I shared this issue on Instagram, I received hundreds of messages from people who had the exact same problem. It was really disheartening to hear SO many of you have experienced the same issue and frustration. That’s really what pushed me to write a blog post and give this topic a permanent place to live. I hope when people are on the hunt for a new range and are Googling reviews for this particular model, they stumble across this post.
As beautiful as this range is, and as much as I love the burners, warmers, and the overall aesthetic- the oven igniter is a deal breaker.
Alternatives Considered
After wasting time, plenty of food, and going through the hassle of pulling the very heavy range out of its position (scratching our hardwoods along the way), I truly wish we would have spent our money on a different option. The streamlined aesthetic is not worth the issues we had. We were to the point of storing backup igniters in one of our kitchen drawers. That’s when I knew we needed to find a better option.
We spent a year saving to replace the range and ultimately landed on Big Chill’s Classic Range, pictured above and below. You can find my honest review of the Big Chill Classic Range, here… which is glowing, in comparison. It fits the aesthetic, has amazing reviews, and we’ve had zero issues after a year of use. If you’re in need of more options, I polled my trusted designer friends and these were the highest recommended professional range brand-, with similar styles and price points (all are 36″):
Conclusion
While the GE Café 36″ Gas Range boasts impressive aesthetics, our repeated issues with the oven’s igniter and functionality lead me to advise caution for potential buyers. I’m thankful we were able to replace it for a better option!
FAQ
That would be a hard pass from me. I would never recommend this range to a design client or friend.
They were zero help and when I approached them on social media, they were non responsive. Despite having a warranty and the igniter failing within the first year- we paid for all replacements out-of-pocket.
Big Chill offers hundreds of colors, which is really fun from a design point of view! I ended up color matching our cabinetry to give our kitchen a color drenched, monochromatic aesthetic.
Do any of you have this particular GE Cafe range? If so, have you been happy with it? Have you had the same issue? Feel free to leave any questions for me in the comment section below. I’d also love to hear if you have a range you really like- please share your recommendations with all of us! Not every home appliance, renovation product, fixture, or material proves to be a win… especially after having lived with it for some time. Please know, I’ll always report back and share our experience- especially if it’s negative and something consumers need to be aware of. I hope this is helpful info for anyone who is in the market for a range and was considering this model.
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