Review on FRIGIDAIRE Professional 30-Inch Gas Cooktop: Stainless Steel, 5 Burners & Propane Convertible by Ruben Saunders

A very first review but so far I am very impressed with the whole process. Well packaged, shipped and delivered quickly, factory packaging is very high quality. I replaced a 15 year old 30" GE Profile gas cooktop with a tempered glass panel that accidentally shattered. This turned out to be an extremely easy replacement as the granite already in place was carved. My only regret in comparison is that my old hob had porcelain coated cast iron grids which I didn't really appreciate until this hob. Porcelain makes the sliding pin much less abrasive when "sliding". But to be honest, that's not this cooktop's fault, many high-end fireplaces have straight-line cast iron. It's just different. I'm a product designer and this is a very smart design for a 30 inch cooktop. Very reasonable space distribution to increase grilling area compared to user control. They are in front, well consolidated but quite large and well made. Love the fact that they are metal and removable for easy cleaning. There's no doubt that you need to be careful when removing and replacing the grates from the hob as the metal will scratch if carelessly slid on the stainless steel, but it's really just common sense. From a design/feature perspective, my only wish is that it has a single LED to indicate a burner is on, right in front of the buttons. My previous hob didn't work either, and I've been known to accidentally leave a stove on low. Not a deal breaker at all as that's my problem not the hobs but it's a nice feature and I almost bought a Bosch with this feature but unfortunately it was 5mm too wide. This one costs $450 less and I don't feel like it was a sacrifice, I'm impressed. Considering I only had it installed for 3 days I would say it is a great product and tremendous value. ![Update] - I have decided to take steps to improve the surface and finish of the standard grates, sanding and treating them. This turned out to be a BIG improvement. I first used 100 grit metal sandpaper on a vibratory sander and smoothed out the top surface where the pans would slide in and also rounded the bottom edges a bit that come into contact with the stainless steel cooktop just to smooth that out a bit too. It wasn't that difficult and took maybe 10 minutes. I didn't go crazy, just sanded enough to make the surface noticeably smoother. I then seasoned the grates and the included pan. I used the same cast iron best practice that you can find online. Cleaned and well dried grates covered with oil, in my case spray on rapeseed oil and rub in well with your hand. I left the rubber feet as they are heat resistant, I wouldn't take them off as they are glued on. Then 40 minutes in a preheated oven to 350 degrees. Then outside to cool off. The second coat, not as dense but still on all surfaces and back in the oven at 450 degrees. within 45 min. Be careful when opening the oven door, there will be some smoke, so make sure the kitchen is well ventilated. The finished surface is much smoother, much darker and has a beautiful aged cast iron rind. I also seasoned the burner caps to make them easier to clean and rust resistant. I am very happy with the results. It's worth the effort and I would recommend doing it right after installation. The pans also glide much smoother, not as smooth as the pre-cleaner but much better than the original.