I don't mind my induction, it is a lot better than normal electric, and gas supply is inconvenient where I live. but from the point of view of cooking, there are some things I can only cook on gas. Induction has got a better heat for asian cooking cooking that normal electric, but because the heat still cycles up and down I find it quite challenging for certain things. The way it turns of when you lift off the pan is a pain for asian cooking, because you do need to lift it off occasionally. There are many hand made flat breads in the foods I want to cook i can't cook on the induction because the heat is not constant. Its just too temperamental. I also like to make crepes and each crepe will end up slightly different as the heat changes. So I would say, consider what you will be cooking. I like something with a high heat that I can keep steady but also turn right down to simmer when I need to. I like that about gas. The heat can be high and then you can kill it and let the food cook in its own heat.

Hi Kylie. Quality of an appliance is hard to answer. We've used all of the brands you've mentioned with varying results. And the manufacturers don't always play fair with what you are getting. I have been to China with the reps of a 'brand name' appliance company looking for new models that were simply a rebadged product. It was all about buy cost landed vs sell cost. Not one ounce of quality assurance and the features that the public were going to get were simply what the factory had already designed. We've always worked on the basis that Gaggenau are the most expensive, then Miele then Smeg, and that's how people perceive the quality. I've seen clients install all of the above, and not one of them doesn't have a story to tell about a dud. For ourselves, we use Smeg, as it is not the most expensive but is still recognized as a brand name. We had a dud cooktop for cleaning once but otherwise have had nothing but good experiences over many houses. We have installed Gaggenau for a client. Would I pay the money for it? Well, if I had their money I guess I would but as I don't I can't justify it as nothing more than a want (not a need) Cheers

I have been using it for about 1 year. It heats up on the power setting very quickly maybe marginally faster than gas which I had before. What I love about it is the ease of getting down to a simmer quickly and sustainably. With gas previously it was difficult to get to a simmer. I have used the flexipart only a few times and it seems easy to set and select. I would not get a hob less than 70cm if you want to put 4 pots or pans on at once. 70cm allows me to put on 3 med-large pots/pans and one smaller one without too much crowding. It has a timer on it and lets you know the time has elapsed. It would be better if the timer did turn the heat off in my opinion. Cleaning the top is easy with hot water if you get splatters on it. I haven't used induction before and I am very happy with this induction cooktop.

I have a flat top cooktop (not induction) with a stainless steel frame. When I purchased it I was concerned about ease of cleaning, but have found it to be quite good. It does have the advantage that spills stay on cooktop rather than running over onto the bench.