I've had the 30" self-cleaning DCS all gas range for over 7 years now and I've been very pleased. A few minor problems under warranty initially but no problem now for years. Like any brand, some units will have problems and people will post about them.

Some people on this forum don't like sealed burners and push BlueStar very heavily and it is a good range. I'm thrilled with the sealed burners on the DCS - I find them quite powerful and very easy to keep clean and actually keep my range clean!

We've had the RGT-366 range for 3 years and love it. The sealed drip pan area is stainless, cleans up easily, still looks as good as it did on day 1, and we cook a lot. I absolutely love the separate simmer ring on every burner. We've had huge lobster pots & 15" skillets on this range -- it handles everything. Love the rolling racks in the oven, and that it can handle full sheet pans.

Thanks for your input guys.

gizmonike: I was wondering what that top surface under the burners was made off. I figured it was stainless steel, but it looks so different than the rest of the range. It obviously has some king of special finish on it that gives it a matte look. Is it a coating, or just some kind of machining? Was this done to make it easier to clean? Based on your reports it sounds like it works well.

You mentioned how well the burners work with large pots, how do they do with small pots? Some reviewer said the flame diameter was so wide it went up the side of the pots too much. I did notice that the grates are very close to the burner tops on this range, so this would tend to make the flame spread horizontally more. What has your experience been in this regard?

Thanks,
Rich

With small pots you can't crank the flame all the way up without the flames going up the side of the pot but you don't need to. In my experience, the trick with this range is learning how low to keep the flame not how high. The only thing I ever crank the burners all the way up for is stir-frying in a wok or boiling a large pot of water and there's no problem with the flame in those situations.

I agree with gizmonike about the simmer on all the burners - it's awesome - I left things on by mistake for quite a while and never had anything burn.

The sealed drip area around the burners is a matte silvery metal, not brushed or the same shiny stainless as the exterior of the range. It does not appear to be coated but it is very smooth.

The simmer ring on all the burners is a great feature. I've cooked on wimpy gas cooktops that still needed a flame tamer, but the DCS goes low enough with the simmer ring to be a true simmer with any size pot.

When we were ready to buy our range, DCS had just changed the burner sizes from all the same size to 4 at 17,500 BTU and 2 smaller ones at 12,000, but with the same size grates all around, and added the fantastic rolling oven racks. At first I didn't like the idea of the smaller burners, but now I find that the smaller burners help tremendously with small pots. I agree with Weissman about the flame control; it's easy to crank the flame up too high at first but you don't need to. I don't think the grates are too close to the burner tops. I haven't noticed a tendency for the flame to spread; it's just that this is a powerful range.

I had an all gas 30 inch model for 5 years
overall solid machine
cons/ quirks when I turned oven up high sometimes the burners woul have difficulty turning on( the airflow exit is routed right at the stove top burners)
I would buy it again though, seems Luke it will last forever

Rich,
May I ask where you reside? I'm in NJ and the quote that i've got from my local dealer is $4725.00
Thanks
Lynn

I've had the same range for a year now. The ignitor for the oven did go out and a new one had to be ordered (and the guy had a heck of a time replacing it), but it was done relatively quickly and works great again. I really like the unit. It's powerful and hasn't impacted our gas bill in the least, so I'm guessing it's not a gas hog (and I cook a lot). -- I will say this, and the guy who fixed the ignitor agreed: it's good to have a range that is simple and inexpensive to fix. I was looking at the Dacor originally, but a computer panel and lots of digital features scared me off. The more toys, the more there is to break. In this case, big, brawny, and not too brainy are perfect. It does the job, it does it well, and it looks good too!

Lynn,
Sorry for the delay, I was away.
That price was from Reno's Appliances in Patterson, NJ. Also, DCS is offering a free dishwasher with the deal. After much thought, however, I have decided to go with Bluestar. I just really like their burners.

Rich,
Thank you very for your reply. I'm in South Jersey. Yes, I know about the promotion but am not sure if this brand is good and reliable. Unfortunately, there are not many reviews on them.
Thanks.
Lynn.

rjpjnk -
The matte surface is bead-blasted stainless steel. The intent is that it will not show smears and scratches as much. I was quizzing a salesman today; I think I want a DCS or Fisher-Paykel, but I've been scared off by some negative comments on consumer complaint sites.