Are Rangemaster and/or Smeg cookers worth the extra cash?

[pepperrabbit]

We're extending our kitchen, DH does most of the cooking and would like a separate 5 or 7 ring gas hob and built in double oven.
The odd shape of our kitchen makes it tricky to have 2 spaces for cooking so we're looking at big range cooker as a possibility.
The Rangemaster seem to be maybe 30% more than bog standard - are we just paying for the name?
Any help appreciated - we currently have the mankiest gas cooker you can imagine and are slightly dazzled by the possibilities!

I have a 5 ring gas powered Rangemaster with double oven. It is a rented house. There is nothing wrong with it as such but would not choose to buy one.

The double oven is really useful but cooks a bit unevenly and the hob and the rings I find hard work to clean. My favourite choice for cooking would be an infra red or induction hob and a double electric convestion/fan oven. Even better a steam oven.

If I really had to have a hob type cooking device I would prefer a flat top single burner professional range.

Thanks for that, i'd never heard of a steam oven . We'll do some more research. Clearly there are options we hadn't even thought of - my MIL has just had an induction hob fitted and she's been really pleased with it, so I might sound her out.

I have a 5 gas ring with double electric oven Rangemaster. I do like it a lot but have to agree that the fan oven cooks a bit unevenly. Love having two ovens and the five rings as we do like cooking and am on the whole very pleased with it (had it for 5 years).

If we needed a new oven I'd definitely go for a range cooker again but wouldn't automatically just go for a Rangemaster although would give it strong consideration.

We have had an induction hob in the past and did not like it. I'd definitely go for gas for the rings.

I have a SMEG range cooker with 6 burners. It looks nice, the hob works fine, but the oven doesn't cook that evenly.

I have inherited a Smeg range with this house, that frankly I would pay you to take away.
Looks lovely, utterly impractical, crap to cook on.
If you're a member of Which they did a very big Range cooker review and Smeg came out poorly. Rangemaster did a lot better.

John Lewis salesman didn't rate Smeg and they sell them!

Smeg thumbs down - looks no purpose. I have a brittania which is fab but pricey - gas top, elec oven. Most people recommend the rangemaster but in comparrsion wasnt a touch on the brittania for build quality.

Dont forget with a range cooker you need decent extract system to outside air (Not recycle) once again not smeg. try erica or other good extract companies. It has to be lage enough as I have seen some systems far too narrow and short to cope with this.

I renovated a house and put in a cheap stainless steel range from somewhere like comet it was 549! I kept in touch with the buyer as we were in the same line of work and became friends. I subsequently put an expensive range in my new place which was smeg and it was hopeless meanwhile hers is still going 9 years on!

I've got a smeg range, it has had the engineer out for four different faults in the last 4 years. I managed to blow the main oven element after about 18 months! I wouldn't buy smeg again

You can get a range with an induction top now too you know. I believe Britannia and Mercury both do them.

Definite no to the Smeg then.
We've been to Wickes today and had a look at the examples there which were Rangemaster, but the really helpful lady has come up with a design that allows a 90cm hob and a double oven. She wasn't at all pushy, I was most impressed by the customer service.
DH nearly fell off his chair at the price (of the whole kitchen)
Thanks for all the advice.

i wouldn't recommend a britannia - ours looks great but was ridiculously expensive........ and my mum's bog standard oven is much, much better.

also 3 years in we have had a few (thankfully small) issues with things going wrong.

pepper I currently have a double neff oven and 90cm hob and I really like it Have always had ranges in the past but think will stick with this in the new house

Absolutely terrible customer care. Brand new cooker, edges so sharp on drawer I cut my finger, damaged hob, I would never have bought this. Looks cool but the apart from the wok burner the 1998 version was much better

Absolutely terrible customer care. Brand new cooker, edges so sharp on drawer I cut my finger, damaged hob, I would never have bought this. Looks cool but the apart from the wok burner the 1998 version was much better
I have wires hanging down -insulation flaking and the cookers not 3 months old
I am still waiting for a new drawer...looks like they want the old one as proof of injury Rangemaster