"ap" writes:

Hello,
We have had a whirlpool gas range with electronic ignition. The range
is about 7 years old and gives us trouble sparking the pilot light. It
takes
a while to light up and there is some gas smell.

Quantify "a while."


We are fairly heavy users of the stove and home cook all meals.

We are considering purchasing a new range. A few questions:

Some stores carry the older pilot light models (w/o the electronic
ignition).
Are these models better in terms of lighting up immediately?

No.


Which models/brands do you recommend and have worked well for you?

I have a 1 year old GE that was rated a best buy by Consumer Reports
and it's been a treat. Sears carries these, fwiw.

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/ki...anges-reviews/

Also, with gas ranges, do you occasionally smell gas and does your
pilot light ever go out?

I had pilots before, and won't go back. On my stove, there's only
more than asecond delay lighting the big burner if I already have a
pot on top of it. I light it without a pot on top and it fires right
up.

If you're smelling gas, have the gas company out to sniff to locate
where it's coming from, then have your current range serviced.

--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/