wall ovens and under counter refrigerators

[Cooler]

Why do wall ovens cost so much more than the oven, stove combination?

And why are the under counter drawer refrigerators so expensive?

http://www.sears.com/appliances-refriger...List=Brand

[Foggy]

Smaller market ??

[JGrout]

different construction methods based on the different application methods and safety of the appliance?

[Cooler]

My induction cook top was $1,800.00.

An induction range was running about $2,200.00.

A wall oven was costing about $1,600.00.


The drawer refrigerators are $2,600.00, about the same price as a premium full size refrigerator.  

I guess it is because it is a smaller market.  A friend came back from Europe and said that drawer refrigerators were common and much cheaper there.

[Robert Adams]

Full size fridges are mass produced here and the most common. The drawer ones aren't and eveven if they were as popular they would still be more just because of the type of construction. 


        They are more common for wine storage than fridges. Not my thing though as that means more bending over like those bottom freezer units that are popular now.

[FS7]

Why do wall ovens cost so much more than the oven, stove combination?

And why are the under counter drawer refrigerators so expensive?

http://www.sears.com/appliances-refriger...List=Brand

In my opinion it's almost solely because of the association of wall ovens with higher-end homes. When my wife and I built, the standard option was a double wall oven and a cooktop, but we ended up going for the standard range and saved something like $2700. It looks less "high end" but at no point have we ever needed any room beyond the single oven we have. Maybe it's different for other cooks, but I use the range a lot more. The built-in cooktop is generally smaller. Both parts in the separate cooktop/wall oven are harder to service. I don't get it.

[pprobus]

I think its the market.  When I still had a subscription to CR's website, I would look at their ratings for wall ovens and cooktops because the house we own has those and the issue for us is that to replace both with a range means having to get new cabinets (where our cooktop is, a range can easily fit into place, but then we'd lose all that storage under the cooktop and there would be a hole in the cabinet where the wall oven is), while we can replace each one individually to lessen the cost impact.  However, I noticed much fewer reviews for wall ovens and cooktops vs. ranges.   So I have to say that it is very likely the market.  If the market was larger I am sure they would more competitive with ranges. 

As far as advantages of one over another.  I grew up with a range, we had a range in our apartments, all single ovens.  My and my wife's whole experience with separate cooktop/wall oven (single oven) came with our current house.  One advantage I can see to having a wall oven over a range, especially now that I am older and have had back issues, is that you don't have to bend over to put things into the wall oven or take things out of it.  No advantage of a cooktop over a range that I can really see, both are at the same height.  I can't comment on whether separate cooktops/wall ovens are considered "higher end", the two houses that I know for certain have this arrangement in our circle of family and friends (ours and my sister-in-law's house) were both built in the '70's and I would not consider either house to be "higher end", even in their day, both houses strike me as built for blue collar middle class families.  My guesstimate is that this was a '70's trend, perhaps it has become adopted for higher end kitchens at some point, but I cannot comment on that.  I will say one thing, though, and perhaps this is because of things were built more rugged in the '70's, our cooktop and wall oven are original to the house, perhaps these separate units are still built to be more durable than ranges?  My sister and BIL have had their house for nearly 30 years and it seems they need to get a new range every 10 years or so.  Although I will say that our 70's era cooktop is a PITA to clean because you need tools to take apart the "burners", while the ranges we had in our apartments had socket that the "burners" plugged into, so you can take them out with no tools.  So when it comes time to "deep clean" the cooktop, I keep swearing I am going to replace it.


Paul

[Cooler]

I recently put in an induction cook top.  A great piece of equipment.  But they make single burner induction tops that can be inset in any counter and that would be a terrific adjunct to a stove.

I got hooked on the induction top when I was remodeling and I bought a portable single burner version.

I too am a victim of an existing layout.  The layout includes a cooktop (replaced) room for a smallish refrigerator (replaced) and a single 30" wall oven (not yet replaced).

I was thinking of augmenting the existing refrigerator with an under-counter two drawer unit.  But they are too expensive to make sense.  They  make under-counter sized mini-refrigerators and they are very cheap (less than $200.00) and I might settle on that, but it means a lot of kneeling down to access the contents.  Not ideal.

I wonder if I could fit drawer slides to the mini-fridge.  The door would still seal because of the magnetic seals.  But what would I attach the slides to?  And where to get stainless steel slides?

Could I  make a false casing with the slides and attach the door to the front of that casing?

[rwe2156]

Why does a refrigerator cost $2000?

Why does a dishwasher only cost $300.

Why are most appliances built with a 5 year lifespan?

[EricU]

wow, I guess I'm going to fix the clock on our oven, after 30-odd years it's making noise.