# New Stove!!  Smooth top or coil?



## Victoria (Sep 12, 2008)

My thirty year old stove has died - sad, but true!  As I have shopped around I am getting a mixed message about smooth vs coil.  Will I need new saucepans for a smooth top?  Will the top break easily?  Is it dangerous with children around?  It looks so much neater, and I am sure it must be easier to keep clean.  Any help in making this decision would be helpful.  Thanks.


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## Steamboat Bill (Sep 12, 2008)

Gas is the best, but I like a smooth top for electric.


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## dwsupt (Sep 12, 2008)

We just got a flat top in Nov. of 2007.(GE) My wife loves it. Boil overs and messes don't ruin the pans with crud. You do have to keep them clean. Yes depending on your pans, they may need replaced. You can not have anything without a flat bottom, nor can it be glass (Vision cookware). As far as burn hazards, I'm not sure they are any more dangerous than a hot metal coil. Ours has a red light that stays lit while the cooktop is hot so that you know to stay away. Over all we like it.


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## laura1957 (Sep 12, 2008)

My sister-in-law has had a flat top for years and loves it.  I wish I had an electric stove - I would definately go with the flat.


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## JudyH (Sep 12, 2008)

Well, I hate an electric stove, but I'm stuck with one.  Gas heats up so much faster, and when its off, its off.  Easier to regulate.

But I have always had a flat top and I like it very much, I have no problems with it at all.  Burnt on marks are a little hard to scrub off, but not a problem.  I never put glass or corning ware on the flat top, but I didn't put it on gas either.


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## swift (Sep 12, 2008)

I love my new Induction stovetop!!! http://www.jennair.com/catalog/prod...E_SESSION_ID=85336d22c0a850ac5bb918cb72dc07e8

It boils water in seconds!! It is also safer around children because the cooktop heats the food not the pan. Downside is it doesn't work with all pans. The pans need to be magnetic another words, stainless steel or cast iron. This was not a big deal for me becuase most of my cookware was stainless steel and I also had my favorite cast iron pans so I was good to go! Here is a thread I started just before I purchased it. http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73432&highlight=induction


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## suesam (Sep 12, 2008)

We just switched from a coiled to a flat, glass topped stove. I hate it. The maintenance to clean it is absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. I have two teenage sons and a husband and I can tell you that thing is never clean. It takes forever to clean, unless it is done immediately and in our busy household that never happens. When it was about 2 weeks old there was a piece of food stuck to the bottom of a pan and somehow the glass cook top is now chipped. We are getting a new one but the poor repairman broke the new glass top putting it on the other day so now we are waiting for another new top. The glass top is extremely temperamental and I certainly had no idea. We have no business having something that takes that much care in this house with all males and me.  I hate the thing, would love to switch back, but can't afford that with college payments! Our stove is a downdraft so was very pricey. Big mistake. 


Sue


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## abbekit (Sep 12, 2008)

Love my flat top stove!  Had one in my old house and put one in this house right after we moved in.  The newer ones heat up quickly and are supposed to cook as well as gas.  I've never cooked on gas so I can't compare but I love the flat top stoves.  

You do need to use flat bottom pans and any cheap pans that are warped don't heat up properly.

I think it is pretty hard to crack or break the glass.  I've been using this type stove for more than a dozen years and have never had a problem.

It is so easy to clean.  The one I have now looks brand new after five years of use.


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## suesam (Sep 12, 2008)

abbekit- 
I feel like I must be doing something wrong that others actually like these glass top stove...not to mention mine was cracked after about 2 weeks of use! And then the repairman broke the next one putting it in! Our stove is a jenn air down draft and the top is black glass. It is way too temperamental for us.  I was also told I can not use it to can tomatoes. I really did not care about that in February when we bought it but now that my garden is full of tomatoes I am starting to care! 


Sue


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## Wonka (Sep 12, 2008)

suesam said:


> abbekit-
> I feel like I must be doing something wrong that others actually like these glass top stove...not to mention mine was cracked after about 2 weeks of use! And then the repairman broke the next one putting it in! Our stove is a jenn air down draft and the top is black glass. It is way too temperamental for us.  I was also told I can not use it to can tomatoes. I really did not care about that in February when we bought it but now that my garden is full of tomatoes I am starting to care!
> 
> 
> Sue



I also have a Jenn-Aire black, flat top.  I sure wish gas was available.  I hate cooking with electric, but have for the past 30 years.  The glass flat tops are very hard to keep clean, and burned on spills are very difficult (some never quite come clean).  Also, it's extremely difficult to keep a constant heat on an electric stove....very hard when making candies, cheese, or things that require exacting temperatures.  I do like the flat top better than coils, but can't explain why.


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## AwayWeGo (Sep 12, 2008)

*The Fire Next Time.*

I like those gas ranges -- natural gas or LP gas _mox nix_ -- where I can see the actual tongues of fire bumping up against the bottom of the pan. 





-- hotlinked --​
What I'm really waiting for is gas-fired _microwaves_.  

I'm not expecting those to appear in the showrooms any time soon. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## saf512 (Sep 12, 2008)

My parents bought a flat top stove and then sold it 3 months later because they hated it!  They disliked the fact that it was hard to keep clean, it was not obvious when the range was hot and the temperature was very difficult to control (for temperature sensitive foods). 
Both my parent and I now have a gas range and love it.
Good luck with your decision.


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## ctreelmom (Sep 12, 2008)

I too have a Jen-Air downdraft and it's the most bizarre arrangement I've ever seen (it came with my house).  It has two coil burners on one side and  a pop out cartridge on the other that's two smooth, black glass burners.  I guess there are grill and griddle cartridges available, but I don't have them.

I HATE the smooth side because the cartridge has a little rim around it that prevents my biggest pots from coming in direct contact with the surface and they take FOREVER to get hot.  Stupid design, or what?  So, since I cook a lot, and in big batches, I use the coil side more often.  HOWEVER, the smooth side is the easiest thing in the world to clean.  If something burns on, all you do is take a razor blade and scrape it off after it cools.  I bought a bottle of the special cleaner, but rarely use it.  Just a little dish washing liquid on a sponge, or Windex and paper towels usually does the trick.  I only use the white cleaner when I've done a lot of frying, as in a big batch of chicken cutlets and the top gets greasy.


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## abbekit (Sep 12, 2008)

I'm surprised that people say they find it hard to clean the flat glass cooktop.  I've used one for over a dozen years and it cleans like a charm.

Mine came with a razor blade paint scraper tool that I use if something is burned on.  Just scrape it off.  Then I use the special glass cooktop cleaner.  Just a small amount with a damp sponge will clean up basic spills.  Then if necessary I use a regular glass cleaner or a vinegar/water solution that I would use on windows to make the glass shine like new.


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## Timeshare Von (Sep 12, 2008)

I had always wanted a flattop so I was ecstatic when the house we bought in Ames had one.  I loved it for the ease of cleaning (my job) . . . my husband hated it for cooking (his job).

Go figure!


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## pjrose (Sep 12, 2008)

Smooth Top, Smooth Top, Smooth Top.

Oh yeah - did I mention Smooth Top?

More even than coil, easy to clean, and looks great.  

Re cooking - I used to prefer gas, but the smooth top is almost as good, and is just so easy to keep clean and looks so good that even if I ever have the choice of gas I'll probably choose a smooth top.  

We use Calphalon anodized aluminum, stainless steel with and without copper bottoms, Corning Ware, misc. enameled nonsticks, and few enameled cast iron ones.  We are not rough with the stovetop, and have never had a problem.  I certainly wouldn't want to plop the big cast iron dutch oven down on it hard, but then I wouldn't do that on a coil stove or on my countertop either.

I wipe splatters off with a damp sponge - just as I wipe my countertops and sink after doing the dishes.  Then every so often (3-4 weeks - depending on if there are any burned on spots) we dump a bunch of baking soda on it and work on burned spots with a damp sponge for a few minutes.  It came with a razor-blade like scraper for tough cleaning - we have yet to need it, after 9 years of using the stove.

I'd be hesitant if I or my family tended to be rough on things, but otherwise, Smooth Top all the way.


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## janapur (Sep 12, 2008)

suesam said:


> abbekit-
> I feel like I must be doing something wrong that others actually like these glass top stove...not to mention mine was cracked after about 2 weeks of use! And then the repairman broke the next one putting it in! Our stove is a jenn air down draft and the top is black glass. It is way too temperamental for us.  I was also told I can not use it to can tomatoes. I really did not care about that in February when we bought it but now that my garden is full of tomatoes I am starting to care!
> 
> 
> Sue



You are not alone! My next house will be gas and I will never go back. I thought our new glass top (purchased 3 yrs ago) was so cool because it was bisque on bisque- unlike the others with a black glass top. Impossible to keep clean . . . even when I don't spill or boil over. My mom just got one and I told her to make sure the glass is BLACK so you don't see the constant ring. Every time she's at my house she thanks me again for telling her to go with black. We have black on our new one at the cabin (where I also wish we had gas available) and it is so much nicer. Odd isn't it that both homes are fully electric with no propane or natural gas. Hmmmph!

Jana


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## vivalour (Sep 12, 2008)

We have  a high-end black glasstop stove and I have hated it every day of the past 10 years   because:
1, it is always dirty and hard to clean -- even with special cleanser
2. (this may be solved in newer, induction models, but) the heat level is almost impossible to regulate. As a result, the heat is always either too high or too low.  

I would trade it in a second for a gas stove. Even our old GE electric coil countertop was much easier to cook on  and regulate ---and we had paired it with a great wall oven from Italy. 

If you really want to buy a glasstop, see if you can test one at a friend's place or at the store, and then you can make an informed decision.


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## AwayWeGo (Sep 12, 2008)

*Or, In The Alternative . . .*




vivalour said:


> If you really want to buy a glasstop, see if you can test one at a friend's place or at the store, and then you can make an informed decision.


. . . take a week at a timeshare resort that's equipped with those tricky flat-top electric ranges & see what it's like cooking on 1 for 7 days. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## John37130 (Sep 12, 2008)

*Definitely smooth top*

I've lived many places, and I've had multiple electic (coils) and gas ranges.  
I had always liked cooking with gas.  I though it was much better than electric coils.  However, when we moved six years ago and bought a new hours, the buidler had already installed a smooth top ... so we gave it a try.

I love the smooth top, and I wouldn't go back to either gas or electric coil.  It heats up much faster than an electric coil stove, and it's easy to keep clean.  It may take a little time to scrape off something when it cooks over, but it's faster than cleaning out and polishing all of those little metal trays.  I'll take a smooth top any day.


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## Wonka (Sep 12, 2008)

abbekit said:


> I'm surprised that people say they find it hard to clean the flat glass cooktop.  I've used one for over a dozen years and it cleans like a charm.
> 
> Mine came with a razor blade paint scraper tool that I use if something is burned on.  Just scrape it off.  Then I use the special glass cooktop cleaner.  Just a small amount with a damp sponge will clean up basic spills.  Then if necessary I use a regular glass cleaner or a vinegar/water solution that I would use on windows to make the glass shine like new.



We've had several flat top glass, and both also had the scrapers, etc.  I guess I'm a real "klutz" because each time it didn't take long for something to boil over and stain the glass such that it could never be completely cleaned.  I guess I'm just not careful enough.  I find the black surface streaks and looks lousy most of the time, unless I use the special cleaner and windex.  I also hate having to remove the knobs and trying to clean around them.


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## debraxh (Sep 13, 2008)

Another happy glass-top customer here, mine is now  more than 12 years old.  Apparently brand and quality vary greatly, based on the responses to this thread.

My DH is clumsy and not "gentle", yet nothing he has done (or dropped on it) has damaged the cooktop.  I find it very easy to keep clean, just wipe-up like the counter tops.  For burned on spills, a little bon ami works like a charm. Still looks like new.

Although the color is called white, it's mostly black with white specks, knobs & trim.  The two main (front) burners are halogen which heat up/cool down quickly, and are very responsive to temperature setting changes. I have a variety of pots & pans and they all work fine.

If mine breaks down, I'll replace it with a similar model.


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## pranas (Sep 13, 2008)

Smooth top only for me. My mother had one in the 60's and loved it. I have had one for fifteen years and love it.


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## TerriJ (Sep 13, 2008)

Another vote for the smooth black electric stovetop.  I have had one for 17 years or so and really like it. We got it at Sears and brought it with us when we moved.  You do have to wipe it down like a countertop, but that is not a problem.  I like how neat it looks and that I can put stuff on it when needed.


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## suesam (Sep 13, 2008)

I agree you really want to try one EXACTLY like you are getting. Mine is NOTHING like cleaning the countertop. It is MUCH harder than that and we would ALWAYS have to use the special cleaner to keep that thing looking nice. 
I am sure 10 years from now I will still be cursing the thing so make sure you know what you are getting and do not make the same mistake I did!! 

Good Luck!! 

Sue


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## EvelynK72 (Sep 13, 2008)

JudyH said:


> Well, I hate an electric stove, but I'm stuck with one. Gas heats up so much faster, and when its off, its off. Easier to regulate.
> 
> But I have always had a flat top and I like it very much, I have no problems with it at all. Burnt on marks are a little hard to scrub off, but not a problem. I never put glass or corning ware on the flat top, but I didn't put it on gas either.


 
So why can't you use glass or corningware on the flat tops - do they not heat well or evenly?  Or do the glass "pots" break?  Am considering a flat top also, but I do use a fair number of corningware & visions pots. 

Thanks.
Evelyn


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## Kay H (Sep 13, 2008)

EvelynK72 said:


> So why can't you use glass or corningware on the flat tops - do they not heat well or evenly?  Or do the glass "pots" break?  Am considering a flat top also, but I do use a fair number of corningware & visions pots.
> 
> Thanks.
> Evelyn



When I got my smooth top stove I was told by the installer that glass cookware would scratch the glass stove top.  Never tried to prove him wrong.

In my previous house I had a white  smooth top stove and it definitely did not clean as nicely as my current black one does.  Maybe they were new on the market and not perfected yet.

I don't know if I LOVE mine but it is certainly no harder to clean than taking the burners apart, scrubbing those silver inserts and replacing them with new ones when they no longer cleaned up.


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## wauhob3 (Sep 13, 2008)

I never found mine hard to clean and love it. There's no where for spills to go like there is in coil electric stoves. The only problem would occur if someone overflows and it isn;t wiped up and then you cook on the burnt food over and over. I imagine that would be hard to clean up but why would anyone do that. Its the same as if you never wipe counters off then it'll get nastier and nastier making it harder to clean. 

I think the glass pot warning is because if you cook at extreme temps with the old visionware there was a danger of fusing the glasses together. I doubt it was common.


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## swift (Sep 13, 2008)

My induction cooktop is a breeze to clean up. Because the cooktop heats the food not so much the pan so spils don't get cooked to the surface of the cooktop.  Induction doesn't heat the burner, it heats the pan using electro-magnetic technology. The magnets cause the metal particles in the pan to vibrate and rub against each other causing friction... and friction results in heat. This direct heat is quicker and more responsive than any other cooking method around because you don't have to wait for the pan to heat up... it's instantly hot once you turn the burner on.


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## Beaglemom3 (Sep 13, 2008)

I was told by the appliance salesperson that you could not put cast iron on the smooth/flat top, so I opted for the coiled model.


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## swift (Sep 13, 2008)

Beaglemom3 said:


> I was told by the appliance salesperson that you could not put cast iron on the smooth/flat top, so I opted for the coiled model.



I use mine all the time. As long as a magnet will stick to the bottom of the pan you can use it. In the older models people were very concerned about scratching the surface. The newer surfaces are much better.


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## pjrose (Sep 13, 2008)

EvelynK72 said:


> So why can't you use glass or corningware on the flat tops - do they not heat well or evenly?  Or do the glass "pots" break?  Am considering a flat top also, but I do use a fair number of corningware & visions pots.
> 
> Thanks.
> Evelyn



There are several different heating technologies under the flat tops.  

We use Corningware on ours.


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## vivalour (Sep 13, 2008)

The moral of the story is, you have to know exactly what you are buying, from the cooking technology under the glass, to the control buttons/pads, to the glass surface itself.  Ours is a pain to clean (not like any counters I've ever met); a pain to control for low heat; a loser all around.


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## JudyH (Sep 13, 2008)

I just don't cook in glass cause its too hard to clean.  I'm a rather lazy cook.


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## PrairieGirl (Sep 13, 2008)

*new cleaning tool for a flat cooktop*

Don't know if it is only available in Canada, but if you have trouble cleaning your flat cooktop, give the new sponge by Vileda made specifically for that purpose a try - it is amazing!

One side is a bit rough for spilled over cooked-on food and the other side is smooth.  It is impregnated with some type of cleaner so the ONLY thing you do is get it wet, use it and then rinse it out - water only.  I have had NO trouble with it scratching the surface (of course it claims that it won't, but I was still a bit uneasy).

Seems to work way better than that razor blade scraper thingy on stubborn spills and the smooth side leaves a totally streak free finish.  I would not have believed that cleaning up the flat cooktop could be made this easy.

LeAnn


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## vivalour (Sep 14, 2008)

<<Don't know if it is only available in Canada, but if you have trouble cleaning your flat cooktop, give the new sponge by Vileda made specifically for that purpose a try - it is amazing!>>

Thanks, I will check out my neigbourhood WalMart (Ontario). So far, a LOT of elbow grease is only thing that has worked -- temporarily. Even water drops get baked into the glass as stains!


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## shugga (Sep 14, 2008)

*I prefer gas, but now in NC I have electric.*

I have a Kenmore glass top range and use a product that I get at Bed Bath and Beyond, called Bar Keeper's Friend, to clean it.  (the liquid)  That and a plastic scrubbie clean it wonderfully.


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## shmoore (Sep 14, 2008)

I have had my GE Profile smooth top for about 15 years and love it. I think I'm only on my 3rd or 4th bottle of special cleaner. Soap and hot water usually work and I often don't clean it more than twice weekly. I had to get flat bottom pans and I love them too. I got the Circulon. Now I hate to cook on the coil type stoves when we go on vacation. I always did hate cleaning the pans and trying to get the coils level.


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## Victoria (Sep 17, 2008)

Thanks everyone for all your help!  I still am not sure what route to go - possibly leaning toward a smooth top after looking how messed up the old coils are.  I will have an intelligent talk with the salesman - thanks to you all - and see what conclusion we reach.  I'm off shopping now!!!


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## Icc5 (Sep 17, 2008)

*Having it put in*

Having a flat glass top put it and the contractor by accident put his knee through it.  He is replacing it.  It is a 36 in. Kitchen Aid.  Lucky for him we could still get another one for $1130 instead of the $1400 we see if for at other places.
Bart


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## sammy (Sep 22, 2008)

I cook a lot.  While I prefer gas on stainless, there are benefits to the electric smoohttop.  

I have a black smoothtop now.  Here are some other things to consider:

- not all smoothtops are equal.  I believe (reserach this because I may have mixed up the names) Frigidaire is the most durable top.  My GE is just OK.  I had a salesman take a knife to the Frigidaire (I think) and it was unharmed.  Impressive.  

- black smoothtops are more finicky than the grey speckled ones becuase any tiny burn or whatever REALLY shows; the speckles ones are very forgiving.  So they require fewer rigorous cleans.  If I get another smoothtop, it will be speckled.

- I have had coils, too, and while smoothtops can take a little elbow grease from time to time, it is NOTHING compared to the TLC required in cleaning up the coils and drip pans.  

- I do have a little trouble with pans slipping around a tad.  I am used to heavy wrought iron type grates on my gas stoves so this slippery glass is quite different.  On the other hand, it makes it really nice to cook with really huge pots - or double pans for pancakes.  

- Pick a cooktop with the arrangement of big/small heating elements that are most comfortable and most like the way you cook.


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## Fitzriley (Sep 22, 2008)

I didn't read all the way to the beginning, so this may have already been mentioned, but here is my story...

I love my glass top, but my teenager stood on it to get something off the top of the fridge and, of course, it cracked. Rather expensive to replace. I had scratched it by cooking jiffy pop popcorn when I first got it and didn't know better, so I got a new one after she stepped on it and have been more careful since. 

I love it, hate coils.


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## nightnurse613 (Jan 6, 2009)

I have managed to keep up with cleaning my glass top but, my husband is a very messy cook.  Things splatter, oil gets on burner then gets on bottom of pan. Now I have stainless steel pans that the bottom has a coating of yucky grease.  As soon as he puts them on the glass top-you got it- a greasy mess. Other than hiring your neighbors, is there a lazy person's way to clean the grease off of the bottom of stainless steel pans?  Anyone ever use the magic bullet?  I have bought some aluminum cleaners but, whew! they take a lot of work!  Any other secrets.  By the way, I bought some Fuller spray off of QVC which I use on my glass top-works pretty good-but I still need the razor scraper! HELP!


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