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In the same position as you, I was shocked by built-in oven prices, particularly for a double oven. Aha, I thought, IKEA are a good source of bargains.
Result: the cost of a Valfri double oven is $1,299.
I wonder what the same oven costs in the UK (where came from, about 6 years ago), I thought?
The answer: Ā£400! At current exchange rates thatās about $720 or less. (And donāt forget that VAT - the equivalent of GST - is 20% in the UK!)
It is pervasive as you have learned. You can pick virtually anything, especially electrical items, and our local costs are often +40% and far higher than the EU or US.
I have come to realise a part of it is our variable exchange rate (xrate risk factored in) and tax compliance, add shipping and local rents and wages, but no matter how one dices the difference[quote=āWright4321, post:3, topic:15226ā]
We are being ripped off!
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If it was because of tariffs protecting local manufacturing that might be one discussion, but it is not.
Unfortunately āiconsā such as Gerry Harvey complain local noncompetitiveness is because of GST and our pollies-in-business-pockets listen, but as you rightly noted, 20% VAT is included in the foreign price comparison, all are retail comparisons, and countries such as Germany (and others) also have high wages and so on, and apparently get by quite well.
Iāve had an induction cooktop for a few years now and love it.
Iāve just bought an induction oven and am waiting for it to arrive. Iāll do a review on it once Iāve been using it for a month or two but does anyone else have an induction oven? If so, what are your thoughts.
Hi @maxim, I had to search for the definition of induction oven, and Iām not too much the wiser. One article explained that it is like a regular oven with the addition of an induction plate at the bottom, where you can place something like a Dutch oven. But most product pages I came across just seem to describe a regular electric oven. Can you enlighten me ?
The transition from a gas or electric stove to induction is fairly straightforward as you are using a heated container to cook food in all cases. The content is heated by contact with the container but the way that the container is heated is different in each case. The advantage of induction is greater efficiency and fine control.
I note that the example given also has a āforced air rear ringā this seems the same as a fan-forced electric oven. The grill and the fan are both 2550 W but the total is only 2700 W so I guess both cannot be on together.
It isnāt clear if in induction only mode the whole pot is heated or just the bottom? This article raises more questions for me than it answers as it is not clear how, or if, the many ways that a modern non-induction oven may heat the content is replaced. For example, in an electric oven once the oven is hot much of the effect is from re-radiation from the walls. Does that happen with the induction version? If it does how is the induction much more efficient if you are still heating the whole box?
Regardless of efficiency questions I would like to hear from knowledgeable users what the practical real-world consequences of having an induction option are. I get the feeling the transition may not be as direct or simple as for stove tops and that you may miss out on some things.
Thanks @maxim. Iād not heard of induction ovens before.ā We too have an induction cook top and love it even though we had to change all our cookware for it. (Passed our old stuff to a mate so it went to a good home.)
I look forward to hearing how the induction oven works in āreal lifeā.
Choiceās usability rating & displayed price should reflect that
in your reviews, use the number of runners - and better still the locations - rather than Yes or No
Just had a quick look at ovens to check if they address our ovenās deficiencies. Our current oven we were lucky to score a bargain display model from the upper range at the closure of Megamart. Guests continue to comment on the ease of use & safety of the 3 telescopic runners.
What stunned us on our quick look was still the prevalence of old rail sliders. A premium or any oven without 3 or more telescopic runners just doesnāt cut it today. From what I could see, even lower quality telescopic runners were far better than none. It also seems to be a price gouging opportunity. Some were selling the option for $300 per PAIR, while you could also buy a complete oven with 3 pair for near $1000.
Be sure to test how easy it is to clean them. Our oven has 3, not adjustable and not in the most optimal positions to use two racks at a time. They have to be removed for pyrolitic cleaning and are buggers to clean. I would gladly have the old fashioned rails that were better spaced and more easily cleanable.
Safety? I can see benefits but not overwhelmingly so. When our oven door is opened the fan and element shuts off until it is closed again. I can take the baking pan or tray out quite quickly and easily whereby pulling a telescoping rack out, taking the pan off, and returning everything loses a lot more heat.
To each their own, and I could well be the outlier.
Thanks @Kanga2 . When we review ease of use, we do take the telescopic runners into account when assessing ease of using the shelves. We donāt buy additional runners when we buy ovens to test so the price should reflect what comes with the model.
We do have data on how many sets of telescopic runners the ovens have, it may take some time to retrospectively compile this but itās something we could consider from this time forward.
Perhaps a design issues for usability to take into account. Our runners are fixed (AEG) & removable in seconds. Itās not pyrolytic & weāve never done more than superficial cleaning to the runners and looking fine after 15 years of reasonable use.
I can imagine what you bake may influence. The heavier the items, the better are the telescopic.
I notice we are frequently outliers - a thought which came to mind a few minutes ago commenting on messaging apps.
Good point. I rarely cook anything heavier than 2-3 kgs and more often use 2 racks rather than just one, so our pet annoyances might also differ because of what and how we cook.
Well, having looked at more over the weekend, Iām even more convinced on my original statements.
However, runners on many models are badly placed to our liking, and even as new, donāt run well.
It reinforced that the runners in our old AEG are placed very well. Weāve cancelled any upgrade thought.