Barnacle Bill The Sailor
This is replacing a 30" LG LCE3010SB cooktop that's about 12 years old. The glass was pretty nasty looking by that time despite a diligent effort to keep it clean and periodic cleaning with polishing compound and an electric polishing pad. The glass had a few chips in it from a collision with a pot at some point. And the big double ring burner had lost its outer ring. Time for something new.
Oddly enough the LG unit is being discontinued at this very moment. Most places are selling them between $800 and $1100 with one competitor running a "closeout" sale at $560.
The LG had 5 burners but one spot was wasted with a 100W warning burner. Starting from the left front the burners were as follows.
1. Front left: 6" 1200W round
2. Rear left: 8" 1900W round
3. Rear center: 7" 1500W round
4. Right rear: 6" 100W round warming burner
5.) Right front 9"/ 6" 1400W / 3000W round dual ring burner
Total output 7700W recommended dual 30 amp circuit breaker.
I found this Karinear unit on Amazon. There were also several other Chinese branded cooktops that look to be identical to this one. They are probably all coming from the same factory and being sold through a bunch of startup brands. I chose the Karinear brand based on the number of reviews and the content of those reviews. And of course the price. This was $263.
So how does it stack up to the outgoing LG it's replacing?
1. Front left: 5.5" / 9.0" 1000W / 2200W round dual ring
2. Rear left: 6.5 inch 1200W round
3. Rear center: 6.5" / 10.63" 1100W / 2000W dual element oval burner
4. Right rear: 7.9" 1800W round
5.) Right front 96.5" 1200W round
Total output 8400W recommended dual 40 amp circuit breaker.
Price: The Karinear was somewhere between 50% - 67% less expensive than a direct replacement of the LG cooktop depending on if I could get my hands on a closeout unit or had to pay normal pricing. That means I could buy 2 or 3 of the Karinear units for the price of one LG. OK, that's a significant price difference.
Cooktop Layout: The LG only really had 4 burners because the 4th spot was a relatively useless 100W warming zone. But it had a big burner which was 2 concentric rings with a 3000W output. Not surprisingly, that big burner was what eventually failed. The 2nd biggest burner was 1900W.
The Karinear has 5 actual burners you can cook on. But the big 2 ring burner is only 2200W. However there is a 2nd oval burner with 2 element and a 2000W output. But does the max output really matter? More on that in a minute. I actually did some testing.
Controls: Both the LG and the Karinear use a glass top with capacitive touch controls for a totally smooth surface that's easy to clean, easy to slide a pot around on, and very clean looking.
Both the LG and Karinear control interfaces are well designed and really intuitive. I lived with the LG controls for years and never felt annoyed. The Karinear controls didn't even require reading the manual. It was obvious how the burner controls and the added features worked from just looking at the interface design. I only bothered to read the manual after the fact to be sure I wasn't missing anything. I wasn't. I really appreciate good industrial design and simple control interfaces. Karinear knocked it out of the park here.
I'm giving the win to Karinear on the controls. The LG controls took up a lot of space in the center of the glass. If you dragged a pot across the surface and managed to touch the pot against the control area the entire control system would go nuts and start blinking, forcing a shut off and restart. Not a big deal, just a little annoying. The Karinear packs the controls into a smaller space right near the edge of the glass so, it leaves much more of the space open for moving stuff around on the glass top. And the Karinear interface design won't allow it to go nuts even of you manage to slide a pot across the controls area. It also looks sleeker and less cluttered even though it has more features. It's a more clever design overall.
Features: Both units have the basics covered when it comes to safety. There's a "HOT SURFACE" warning for each burner. There's a setting indicator for each burner, 1-2-3-4-5 etc. There's a universal On/Off switch for the cooktop. And there's a child safety lockout on both units. Both have over temperature protection and cooling systems.
But Karinear adds a few features the LG lacked.
Pause: If you need to walk away for a few minutes you can pause the burner. It shuts off and then when you return and hit the pause button again, it resumes heating at the same preset level. Of course you can always just move the pot off the burner or shut off the burner and restart it. But the pause button gives you a quick one button solution. Not sure it will get used much but, it's a thoughtful feature.
Auto Shutoff: The Karinear will automatically shut off burners after a fixed period if left on accidentally when it detects a burner with no cookware on it. This could be a biggie for peace of mind. Say you're 1 hour into a vacation drive and wondering if you shut off a burner..... no worries. Say you've got an elderly parent who has trouble remembering to shut off bruners..... no worries.
Level 1-2-3: 8 min shut off
Level 4-5-6: 4 min shut off
Level 7-8-9: 2 min shut off
Timer: You can set any burner up to shut off after a number of minutes you specify (up to 99). When it shuts off it also beeps for 30 seconds to notify you cooking is done. Probably not something that will get used a lot but it may come in handy once in a while. I'm thinking rice that needs to simmer for 20 min.
Other design stuff. The glass appears to be the same thickness on both the LG and Karinear. But, the LG glass is unprotected. That's how I got a couple of chips in mine. Karinear wrapped the glass top in a band of stainless steel. That may provide a little more impact resistance.
Both units appear well built, well shielded, with well designed cabling, and both fit my 30" cutout. So both are easy to install or pop out. Both came with foam tape to seal the perimeter of the glass to the counter. Figure on about an hour to pull out the old unit and install the new one.
Both units are certified by UL (Underwriters Labs) for USA safety regulations.
I can't remember the packaging for the LG but I assume it was good. The packaging for the Karinear was very good with cardboard and high density foam. It arrived with no damage and all the parts that are supposed to be included. No complaints here.
Conclusion: Is the Karinear as good as or better than the LG unit it's replacing? Talk to me in 5 years, LOL. But at this price, the features, design, controls, and build quality look every bit as good as the LG. If it lasts, the savings are huge. If it doesn't, I'm out 33-50% of the cash. I can buy 2 or 3 of these for the price of one LG. It's a gamble I'm willing to take.
As for the burners, "better" is a subjective judgement. 4 burners + a warming zone on the LG vs 5 functional burners for cooking on the Karinear. A single 3000W high power burner on the LG vs 2 2200W burners on the Karinear. Honestly, I can't remember ever having all 4 burners going at once on the LG. So having a 5 burners is probably not a deal breaker. And the 3000W burner is faster no doubt. But is a few minutes a big deal when boiling water to make pasta? Not really. Not for me.
I tested the LG 1900W burner against the Karinear 2200W and 2000W burners since the 3000W burner on the LG is the one that died. Here are the results for heating 4.5 quarts (4.25 L) of water starting with a room temp pot and 60 deg F water from the tap and ending at a rolling boil.
LG 1900W round burner - 23 min with uncovered pot
Karinear 2200W round burner - 28 min with uncovered pot
Karinear 2000W oval burner - 26 min with uncovered pot
Karinear 2200W round burner - 18 min WITH COVERED POT
None of that was a deal breaker for me.
Hope this helps anyone looking at this cooktop make their decision.
| Brand Name | Karinear |
|---|---|
| Model Info | 23029 |
| Item Weight | 11.33 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 23.62 x 11.81 x 19.69 inches |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Item model number | 23029 |
| Installation Type | Freestanding or drop in |
| Part Number | 23029 |
| Special Features | Safety Lock, Timer, Cool Surface Indicator, Automatic Shut-Off |
| Burner type | Radiant |
| Heating Elements | 2 |
| Color | 220V-2-Zones |
| Voltage | 220 Volts |
| Wattage | 3000 watts |
| Fuel type | electric |
| Material Type | vitroceramic glass |
| Included Components | scraper |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
Jodie