Smeg A2 5

After just over two years use the inner glass shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. Smeg had no interest at all and told me to contact an authorised dealer to replace the glass - at a huge cost I found! Not happy at all and I will just have to buy and fit the glass myself. This must represent a severe safety issue but they simply don't appear to care.

In the three years we've had this oven we have had the thermostat and the main element replaced. The glass on the door of the main oven has shattered twice within three months. Luckily we bought with a 5 year extended guarantee. I think the quality of components used is little short of scandalous. And I can tell you that when 'safety' glass shatters it leaves small splinters of glass everywhere, which would be fatal if ingested. Service is slow, grumpy and unapologetic. That said the wide and flat surface of the hob (which is generally very good indeed and has not malfunctioned) is extremely useful for storing and serving. The small oven doesn't hold regular sized pans but works very well for cakes and bread.

The Smeg A2 5 is an attractive cooker. Reasonably reliable but very expensive to get it repaired.