Wall Ovens: Expert and User Reviews

Our AssessmentConsumerReports.org includes ratings on its site for 20 electric wall ovens, but only some of these models have actually been tested; others are recommended based on their similarity to tested models that are no longer available. Each oven is rated on capacity, baking and broiling, and three models are recommended. Tests of baking performance involve baking cakes and cookies on two racks to see whether they browned evenly. Broiling performance is tested by broiling a pan of hamburgers and checking the high-heat searing ability. Most of the rated ovens include a convection feature, which saves roasting time and improves browning. Most of them also include a smooth cover over the baking element to protect it from drips, and several have a temperature probe for roasting meats. There are also a few reviews from users available on the site, as well as a handy buyer's guide that can be viewed without a subscription.

Our AssessmentThis Australian magazine conducts testing similar to ConsumerReports.org. Its latest round of testing covers 19 electric wall ovens. Editors cook various pastries, meats and pizza, and they also evaluate each model for ease of use. While this is a thorough report with clearly explained ratings, the tested models are not available in the United States.

Our AssessmentConsumerReports.org editors discuss nine of the most hyped kitchen products and recommend what to buy. One of the kitchen trends mentioned, speed cooking, is included on some wall ovens. Speed cooking combines baking with microwave technology to cut cooking time, but editors report mixed results with this feature and say convection ovens are a better choice. The article also notes that pro-style ranges costing more than $4,000 normally don't offer any performance benefits over cheaper ranges -- an observation that applies to wall ovens as well.

Our AssessmentSears.com allows consumers to post reviews of appliances and wall ovens. The site sells hundreds of wall ovens, and it's the only retailer that sells Kenmore appliances. Unfortunately, few wall ovens have more than one or two consumer reviews. However, the Whirlpool RBS245PRQ stands out with a 4-star average rating (out of 5) from about a dozen consumers.

Our AssessmentBuzzillions.com compiles owner reviews from several appliance retailers, including AJMadison.com and ABT.com. This is helpful for getting an overall picture of user opinion, but the way the site ranks products can be confusing. Some wall ovens with only a few reviews are ranked ahead of others with more reviews and higher average ratings. Most ovens have only a few ratings here, but we found four wall ovens with at least 10 comments and high overall ratings. Interestingly, three of the four are gas ovens, which are less common than electric models and are not widely reviewed.

Our AssessmentLike Epinions.com, this site offers owner-written reviews on a range of products. Reviews here are often more detailed than at other sites, and the site offers a handy summary of pros and cons for each model. About 75 wall ovens have been reviewed here, but most have no more than five or six comments from users. The GE Profile PT960SMSS earns very high overall ratings from more than 10 owners, but it has been discontinued.

Our AssessmentConsumerGuide.com is a website that reviews many types of consumer products, including appliances like wall ovens. There are 13 reviews for gas wall ovens, and five products are recommended as Best Buys; however, for electric ovens, only the three "spotlight reviews" are shown. Stranger still, of those three reviews, the one product named as a Best Buy actually gets lower overall scores than the other two. No new reviews have been added to the site in more than three years, and three of the seven recommended products are no longer available. Moreover, all the reviews appear to be based on the ovens' features; there's no indication that the editors have done any hands-on testing.

Our AssessmentGardenWeb.com forums are full of discussions on every sort of appliance, including wall ovens. Some threads discuss the pros and cons of a cooktop/wall oven combo as compared to a range; others consider the merits of particular brands. High-end brands, such as Miele, Bosch and Gaggenau, are discussed often. However, you won't find any ratings or direct comparisons between specific models here.