Slide-in ranges have become increasingly more popular over the past several years, and are currently sold by almost every major kitchen appliance brand. They are actually very similar to the common free-standing ranges, except for these small differences:
- The location of the controls, which are up on front, rather than on the back-splash of the stove.
- The top is about 2" wider than standard models.
- The sides are unfinished, allowing the stove to easily fit between 2 kitchen cabinets.
According to thousands of user opinions, slide-in models are very attractive and create a sleek, clean line in the kitchen. However, slide-in stoves cost about $1000 more than free-standing ones on average, and are considered more difficult to operate. The majority of the gas models receive very low customer satisfaction ratings.
But there are a few exceptions, such as the best-rated models (shown below), which receive decent scores for several factors, particularly appearance.