Our house is quite old and it still had the original gas stove range. The insulation was nonexistent and it wasn't working too well, so we decided to replace it with a modern gas range. We found one from Lowe's, a Whirlpool stainless steel freestanding gas range. The MSRP is $600, though we paid about $750 for the five year protection plan included in the price. There was a cheaper model for $400, but this one was stainless steel to match our other appliances and had more spacing of the burners for our large pots. Safety was our biggest concern with a gas stove. Many people suggested we replace the gas range with electric, and so we looked at them too, but the gas ranges were cheaper, and not subject to power outages as in the case of long term electrical outages during hurricanes in our area. Whirpoll had the best reputation for quality and safety of their appliances, as well as energy star ratings.

The one we purchased so far has been a good buy. The operating knobs are in an ergonomic and easy to reach position. Operation is very easy and straightforward. The oven has 4.4 cubic feet and two shelves inside. The burners are cast iron and not likely to be worn down any time soon, although they are a bit large for my liking, when compared to our older range. The burners put out 7,500 BTUs. There is also a broiler drawer, which was broken on our old range, and so we didn't use it much at first, but have recently started to, and it works great.

Unlike our old range, this one has a window in the oven so we can keep an eye on cooking food without having to open the door. This range doesn't come with new hoses and hookup, which is the only real problem I had with it, and we had to buy those separately. It has been a great stove, and a much safer one than our old stove.