Product review (4 stars): Not quite as great as the older model, still pretty good.
Replaced previous GE smoothtop cooking surface after 23 years of trouble-free service. (It blew its' circuits and would have cost more to fix than to replace.) I ordered this one and it arrived two days later. Although I was nervous about it, I managed to install it myself successfully. It looks good and it works fine. If I had never had the previous one, I would think the new one is perfect. BUT, having had the earlier one, I have two minor complaints. First, the new one definitely takes longer to heat up than the older one. Whether it is cooking an omelet at medium heat or trying to boil a large pot of water, it seems to take longer. (I have no documented measurements, only my subjective feelings.) My second minor complaint is that trying to keep this shiny black surface looking clean is difficult. The previous one was a speckled grey color and that masks a lot a surface splatter and streaks. This one shows every drop of oil, water, etc., so it need to be cleaned much more often. Nevertheless, this is a great price-performer.