Empava 36" Recessed Gas Stove Cooktop with 5 Italy SABAF Sealed Burner NG/LPG Convertible in Stainless Steel

Pros: Not a glass cooktop and is stainless steel.It would be easy to install if it came with brackets but this is a bear minimal setup if you have an old cooktop being replacedClosed burner black top covers if you cook often then you want it to be removed quickly for cleaning.If you do a lot of cooking and had an old stainless steel one before then appearance wise this is perfect. I expect performance to be as the same as my old cooktop which had 5 burners. My only issue is the quality control on the thermocouplers on these because the last Chinese made one I had the thermocoupler failed on the main one.Cons: Everything is either made in China and has different sizes prepare to pay a professional for replacing valves and labor to cut your existing setup for this to fit.I still prefer my old 4 burner because it was made in the United States however I have a mother that doesn't understand the world is getting worse with inferior products now and we now live in a throwaway society. You cannot expect to find the same type of pipes and stuff that is durable and last a long time because lack of quality control and industry standard no longer exists.Other Thoughts:If you want to live then hire a professional contractor to do the installation. Old cooktops do not use old style connectors anymore and you will never be able to find adapters to fit a new valve. Cutting and installing a new cooktop to replace the old standard will be around 700-1000 because unlike the past everything is made in China and nothing is a Universal standard anymore that is why I miss the good old days. I hired an unprofessional for my last cooktop and he used the old regulator and pipe (which industry standard said to replace every five years), and the stuff leaked. What was worse is it was glass so temperature variation without using any kind of cover will lead to breakage of glass which happened in my case. My mother hated me putting the covers on and that is when it happened when she took them offOld style gas valves will not fit the new style connectors. The old shut off valve does need to be replaced with the new style. All the existing parts on the old stove or any that connected it to the old stove must all be replaced with the new style.If the valve is the only old part, it must be replaced. Have a plumber do the work to ensure leak free installation and a proper connection. Most, if not all, appliance delivery & setup personal will not do all the installation work required so if it is an old gas cooktop bite the bullet and hire a professional. Replacing gas shut off valves is one of those things an installer will not do unless he is a plumber and contractor . The valve is not an expensive part but labor and replacement is 200 unless you know how to do it which I recommend you do not if you do not know what you are doing.

So the old cooktop died and it was time to look for a replacement. We have a stainless refrigerator and dishwasher so we were looking for something to match. We came across this brand on Lowe’s website and then started shopping based on price and availability. Ultimately Amazon booth had it in stock and was priced the lowest. Purchase made and since it was a Prime item, it arrived two days later.So there’s good and not so good about this cooktop. Notice my choice of words there. I chose not to say bad, and that’s because there really hasn’t been anything bad to date. Let’s start with the good. Although this company has several “fancy” layouts for their line of cooktops, I feel this one has the most surface area. The thought is when I put pots on there they aren’t going to tip over because the grate curves in. I installed this myself and it’s really straight forward. One thing that wasn’t mentioned anywhere and I had to dig into the manufacturer website to find out but the gas hookup is in the back right corner and the electrical cord is in the middle back. Just things that could be a deciding factor when purchasing.Pulled the unit out of the box, which is packaged in a way to prevent dents and scratches. I was initially concerned about how lightweight it is and assumed it would just slide all over whilst cooking. Connected the gas and electrical, applied the included foam “gasket” to the edges and dropped it into the existing cooktop hole. Once everything was in place with the grills on top, I was no longer worrying about the unit moving about.Now to the not so good.I would/do have a concern that someone is going to drop a heavy pot on the edge of the cooktop and put a decent dent in it. The gauge of the metal used is not very thick at all and I’m just waiting for the day. The other thing that I’m not thrilled with and this may just be the learning curve of the new cooktop but turning in the gas AND igniting the flame is not intuitive.All in all, four out of five stars I think is fair as it could swing either way over time.

It's great so far. The middle burner is more efficient than my old one

Very bad qality… dnt buy

Easy to install, looks and works great !

Replaced an old Braun with this cook surface and using daily for 8 months. First, the look is spectacular. The heavy and raised cast iron/powder coated grills look on the professional side, as does the entire cooktop. Its stunning really. The stainless has a micro-brushed surface. It's VERY easy to clean with just a damp cloth, just lift off the grilles and wipe. Burners seem top notch. my only beef is that the smallest burner is still too hot on lowest setting to slow simmer anything. So I just offset the pot and okay. Considering price differential of the name brands, this is really an excellent buy. I think side by side, would be difficult to tell which was the more expensive one. Regarding installation, I had to enlarge the cutout some (wider) to get it to fit.Note: I don't write many reviews, except for exceptional cases in either direction.

I’ve used it for two years now. Works great. It has plenty of fire power. Easy to clean. Reliable. I have one issue with it, the lowest heat on every burner is too hot for simmering. But that’s easily solved by using a heat diffuser. This cooktop is a great value.

Opened box today to install and found one of the fins on center grate was broken . Can I get a replacement grate for center burner