Best Electric Cooktops for Built-In and Countertop Kitchens

How the Five Compare on the Numbers

The five cooktops here are sold as 24, 30, 30, 36 and 36 inch models, and two of them publish dimension fields that cannot be those sizes. The Summit Appliance CR5B36T9B publishes 35.5 inches of width and is the heaviest at 40.0 pounds. The GIHETKUT 30 inch publishes 30.32 inches of width and 3.15 inches of height. The NOXTON is the lightest at 16.5 pounds, and it is the only 24 inch model.

Wattage also separates them. The Karinear 36 inch publishes a 9200W total, the highest here. The GIHETKUT 30 inch publishes 7200W and the RambleWood EC4-60 publishes 6000W. Burner counts run from four on the GIHETKUT, RambleWood and NOXTON to five on the Karinear and Summit Appliance. Three of the five publish a cut-out size, which is the figure that decides whether a cooktop fits an existing opening.

The table does not tell you how evenly a cooktop heats, how quickly a pan reaches temperature, or how the controls feel in use. It also cannot reconcile the dimension fields on the RambleWood EC4-60 and the NOXTON 24 inch with the sizes those makers put in their own titles. Where the two disagree this page uses the maker’s own words, which is why the RambleWood reads as a 30 by 20 inch panel and the NOXTON as a 24 inch model.

Cut-Out Size and Installation

Why the cut-out decides the purchase

A cooktop drops into an opening cut in the counter. If the opening is already there, the published cut-out size is the only figure that matters. The RambleWood EC4-60 publishes a cut-out of 29.5 inches by 19.3 inches. The Karinear 36 inch publishes a cut-out of 34.25 inches by 19.3 inches. The Summit Appliance CR5B36T9B publishes a cut-out of 34 3/4 inches by 19 5/8 inches. No other model on this list publishes a cut-out size.

The published overall dimensions are a separate matter. The GIHETKUT 30 inch is 30.32 inches wide and 20.47 inches deep. The Karinear 36 inch states 35.43 by 20.47 inches for the cooktop itself, against the 34.25 by 19.3 inch cut-out, so its dimension fields hold the opening rather than the panel. The Summit Appliance CR5B36T9B is 35.5 inches wide and 20.5 inches deep against a 34 3/4 inch cut-out. A unit is always wider than its cut-out.

Hardwiring and power

Four of these five state 220 to 240 volts and the Summit Appliance CR5B36T9B states 208 to 240. The Karinear 36 inch states a 40A hardwiring requirement and no 110V plug. The GIHETKUT 30 inch states no plug is included. The RambleWood EC4-60 states a 30Amp input requirement. The Summit Appliance CR5B36T9B states that a cord is not included. The NOXTON 24 inch states 220-240v hardwire in its title.

The published wattage totals vary with the burner count. The Karinear 36 inch publishes 9200W across five burners. The GIHETKUT 30 inch publishes 7200W across four, two at 1600W and two at 2000W. The RambleWood EC4-60 publishes 6000W across four, two at 1800W and two at 1200W. The Summit Appliance CR5B36T9B publishes a 3000W element, a 2200W element, 1200W burners and a 100W warming zone, but no total. The NOXTON 24 inch publishes 1800W, 1200W, 1800W and 1200W, and no total.

Burner Layout and Controls

Dual ring and triple ring elements

The Summit Appliance CR5B36T9B has two extra large dual ring elements, a 2200W 9 inch and a 3000W 9 3/4 inch, which can switch to an inner 5 1/2 inch element. The Karinear 36 inch has dual ring and triple ring burners on the lower left and center positions. The GIHETKUT 30 inch, the RambleWood EC4-60 and the NOXTON 24 inch publish fixed elements with no inner ring, so three of the five give you one pan size per burner.

These layouts change which pans fit. A dual ring element can take a small saucepan on the inner ring or a wok on the full ring. A fixed element takes one pan size. The published features do not state the diameter of the fixed burners on the GIHETKUT, RambleWood or NOXTON, so the pan sizes they accept are not published.

Knobs, touch controls and timers

The GIHETKUT 30 inch uses knob controls with 9 heat levels. The RambleWood EC4-60 uses precision analog control with 9 power levels. The Karinear 36 inch gives each burner an individual knob for 9 power levels plus touch controls for a 99 minute timer. The NOXTON 24 inch and the Summit Appliance CR5B36T9B both use touch controls, the Summit on a front centered digital panel it states is ADA compliant.

Timers are not universal. The GIHETKUT 30 inch publishes a 99 minute timer and the Karinear 36 inch publishes the same figure. The Summit Appliance CR5B36T9B publishes automatic shut off and a safety cut-off without a timer figure. The RambleWood EC4-60 and the NOXTON 24 inch publish no timer at all, so two of the five let you set a time and three do not.

Safety, Cleaning and What Each Maker Guarantees

Locks, cut-offs and heat indicators

Four of the five publish a child lock in some form. The GIHETKUT lists over-heating protection, a hot surface indicator, a child lock and auto-shutoff together. The Karinear goes further and says how its lock is set, by pressing plus and minus until the display reads Lo, alongside overheat protection. The Summit Appliance lists indicator lights, a child lock, a safety cut-off and automatic shut off on a digital panel it states is ADA compliant.

The NOXTON publishes a child key and a heater indicator rather than a lock by that name, and adds round edges with no sharp corners plus CE and GS approval. The RambleWood is the one listing with no lock of any kind in its features: it publishes a residual heat indicator and a UL safety approved German EGO burner and regulator, which is an argument about the component rather than the interface.

Glass, scrapers and warranty

All five are ceramic or glass topped and four describe the surface. The RambleWood names Italian ILVA ceramic glass, the NOXTON names black polished vitro ceramic glass, and the Karinear and Summit Appliance both describe a black glass surface that wipes clean with a cloth. The GIHETKUT names infrared heating technology and leaves its surface material unstated.

Only the RambleWood publishes a warranty period, one year, stated twice in its own bullets. The GIHETKUT says its cooktop comes with a guarantee and never says for how long. The Karinear, the NOXTON and the Summit Appliance publish no warranty at all. Two of the five include a scraper in the box, the Karinear and the NOXTON, and the Summit Appliance states that a cord is not included.

Which One Fits Your Kitchen

You have a 36 inch opening and want the largest published width. The Summit Appliance CR5B36T9B is 35.5 inches wide and 40.0 pounds, with two dual ring elements and a published cut-out of 34 3/4 inches by 19 5/8 inches.

You have a 36 inch opening and want the highest published wattage. The Karinear 36 inch publishes a 9200W total across five burners, with dual ring and triple ring elements and a 99 minute timer.

You have a 30 inch opening and want a published wattage total. The GIHETKUT 30 inch publishes 7200W across four burners, with knob controls, a 99 minute timer and a child lock.

You have a 30 inch opening and want a published cut-out size. The RambleWood EC4-60 publishes a 29.5 inch by 19.3 inch cut-out and a 6000W total, with a residual heat indicator.

You have a small space and want the lightest unit. The NOXTON 24 inch is 16.5 pounds, the lightest here, and the only 24 inch model, with four burners at 1800W, 1200W, 1800W and 1200W on independent touch control. Its dimension fields are not usable.

What We Could Not Verify

Several figures that would help a buyer are not published by the manufacturers.

• The manufacturer does not publish a cut-out size for the GIHETKUT 30 inch or the NOXTON 24 inch.
• The manufacturer does not publish an element wattage breakdown for the Karinear 36 inch, only the 9200W total.
• The manufacturer does not publish a wattage total for the Summit Appliance CR5B36T9B, which lists 3000W, 2200W, 1200W and 100W elements separately.
• The manufacturer does not publish a total wattage for the NOXTON 24 inch beyond the four individual burner figures.
• Neither the RambleWood EC4-60 nor the NOXTON 24 inch corrects its dimension fields, which hold centimeter sized figures in inch slots on both listings.
• The manufacturer does not publish the diameter of the fixed burners on the GIHETKUT 30 inch, the RambleWood EC4-60 or the NOXTON 24 inch.