Just to start, Bosch is a slide in, BS is a free standing. I looked at the Bosch and preferred the grates that came on their freestanding but didn't like the back controls. The grates were lower to the gas so I felt more efficient plus heavier duty. I do not have a BS but I certainly know people here love them!! For the reason you mentioned above, plain, simple, pro style work machine. No electronics which is often something that can go bad. You have to decide what you want. Have you done a search on this site for the Bosch you are interested in?

Yeah i have read on this forum that people are pretty happy with Bosch aswell.

The thing is both will cost me about the same price .... (Costco has started carrying Bluestar range at abt the same price as other non-pro brands)

I really wanna get the best range really ... any suggestions?

I would go with the all gas Bluestar if it is compatible with your present kitchen. I doubt Costco will carry it for an extended time at the present price. Later, if you become dissatisfied with it, you have the option of selling it for probably close to what you paid for it. The opposite scenario, Bosch first, dissatisfied, then replaced by Bluestar could be much more expensive by that time.

Good luck!

Depends on your needs but the Bluestar will likely offer you more bang for the buck

I also have the same dilemma, as I am purchasing new appliances and am stuck between the Bluestar at Costco and a slightly more expensive Electrolux gas range (CEW30GF6GS).

The Elux has an 18,000 BTU burner as well, and also has the fifth warming burner in the middle. It seems to be well regarded on the forums, so i'm not sure how to proceed.

Cooking is not just BTUs. The Electrolux is (I assume) a convection range, the Bluestar is not. The E is closed burner, the BS is open. And the BS at Costco may vary - one person on another thread listed the specs as three 15K burners and a simmer burner, with no 18K burner option. The BS has an infrared broiler, the E does not. The E probably has self-cleaning ovens, the BS does not.

Electrolux is the European equivalent of Whirlpool, with the same Big Corporate service. BS is a little guy strictly in the pro-style market, who is trying a little harder to compete with Wolf and Thermador.

I can't fit a 30" BS into my kitchen or I'd buy one in a heartbeat. But that's because I've owned two computer-controlled gas ranges in the last 20 years: a Kenmore/Frigidaire (Frigidaire is owned by Electrolux) and a Kenmore/Whirlpool. They have wonderful bells and whistles - timers, delay bake, self-clean. They have two PowerPlus burners with large insulated ovens.

BUT, they also have circuit boards that fry and die over time. And these boards are NOT cheap - $275 apiece! Both my ranges cost less than $1K each. But I have replaced the boards three times. Counting labor (but not the 5 days total waiting around for the repairman) I have spent over $1K keeping them running.

The last repair, I finally sprang for the extended warranty. I love to cook, and these ranges cook extremely well for the money - but the repair costs are ridiculous. These fancy electronics do not last in appliances that generate great heat/steam. My next range will not, under any circumstances, have electronics ever again.

The BS at Costco is limited. Mine got 3 ranges in and within a few days they were all gone (I was lucky and bought the floor model). Through a BS dealer, that is a $3,200 model. But you will not get a convection oven (which the Costco version has), and you get three 15,000btu with a simmer (where the regular version has two 15,000, one 18,000btu, and the simmer). IMO missing 3,000 btu's doesn't really make any difference. If you want cooking power, I would go with the BS.

An infrared broiler is excellent. I believe only the Blue Star has it on the ranges mentioned above.

jr_chef:

So this was a one time deal? Unfortunately, my local Costco's have all sold out of the Bluestar range. Is there any indication that they will be receiving more?

If not, my choice is easy. :)

jkom51:

Thanks for the thought out and informative reply. We will be getting an extended warranty for the range, so service costs are not a huge issue for us. Time spent out of service is definitely a consideration, but isn't that what a grill is for? ;)

My other consideration aside from the ultimate performance is the WAF. (wife acceptance factor) I have to be honest and say that her reaction to the Bluestar and it's plain, pro-style look wasn't exactly warm. She was much happier with the looks of the Electrolux and all it's bells and whistles. That, and the fact that it would match the refrigerator.

consider also that the bluestar has full motion grates, which, if you fancy yourself an amateur cook, you will really dig.... you can slide pans around easily without picking them up, spilling them, or bending over them.

I'm going to be getting the 36" bluestar when I renovate my kitchen in about 3 months... so definitely looking forward to it! I will stick to Bosch for dishwashers :)

I love my bosch, but if the price on the blue star is good, i know it is a little bit more powerful. My Bosch is fantastic, though-- I've cooked in professional kitchens and my particular Bosch model allows me to do everything I want/need to do at home (including stir fry and searing at a very high heat... likewise, it's simmer burner is fantastic).

I went to a store which had both Bosch and Electrolux slide-in gas range side by side. They both looked really cool ... the salesman however was really leaning towards the Bosch model. He mentioned Frigidaire owns Electrolux .. which was a bit of a shock to me as I have heard too many crap things about Frigidaire.

He was all praises for Bosch and gave them kudos for a simplistic design vs Electrolux .. what with all the touch icons etc.

Initially I loved Electrolux's wave touch design .. pretty futuristic... but my wife quickly got me to the ground and asked me will all this fancy electronics able to withstand various accidental spills on the touch panel??

I didn't really have to think hard to realize that its all good when the range is up and running .. but what if it fails? And given its ultimately a Frigidaire ... I started warming towards the Bosch range more.

What do u guys think?

Never rely on what salespeople tell you. 90% of them don't know what they're talking about. Electrolux owns Frigidaire, not the other way around! They are bringing their 'name brand' appliances to the US to differentiate that model line from the lower priced Frigidaire models. They also supply many of the Kenmore brand appliances.

Bosch is owned by Siemens, who also owns Thermador.

Like all appliance mfgs, certain appliances they will make are better than some of their others. You would probably be happy with either the Bosch or the BS. A good cook can cook on almost anything. If your wife prefers the Bosch, then I'm sure it will be fine.

I have cooked on a classic 1950 O'Keefe & Merritt and turned out spectacular 10-course Chinese banquets. My current range is a Kenmore/Whirlpool - certainly far less than the Lacanche Cormatin I'm seriously considering, but outside of the circuit board problem, it is a very good cooking appliance for the money. The vast majority of people who cook would be perfectly happy with the food it produces, I'm sure.

What you are paying for when you go "up a level" is the branding factor, a minor level of performance improvement (I'm sorry, but stirfrying is not the end-all and be-all of Chinese cooking), and looks. Mind you, when a kitchen remodel can cost anywhere from $50K to $150K, those are not minor details! But in this situation, only you can decide which one of two good choices you would like to have in YOUR kitchen.

Bosch is owned by Siemens, who also owns Thermador.

Well, don't believe all of what you read on the internet either ... ;-)
Bosch (and Siemens) is owned by BSH Inc. or Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate. Yes, BSH also owns Thermador. It also owns Gaggenau (as well as Neff, and a few other niche local names).

But this isn't in the least bit germane to the stove selection issue at hand ... ;-)

I have the same Bosch being discussed. Both the Bosch and Bluestar RNB were on my list. They were the final two selections actually.

The deciding factor that put the Bluestar out of the running was the terrible pricing on the BS here in Canada at the time.

With the deal mentioned in the OP however, I would vote for the Bosch. It's no contest because apart from the star burner shapes and the IR broiler, the BS has absolutely nothing over the Bosch. Since the BS model discussed in here is crippled with 15K burners, the scale tips handily toward the Bosch.

If you take a good look at them in person you'll find it's like comparing a nice Mercedes or BMW to a car you've made yourself in your back yard out of parts you've bought at Home Depot.

I could live with the unpolished build quality if it came with two 22K burners and other upgrades of the RNB model. The RCS at the same price as the Bosch (I'm guessing around $2500 Canadian) is not a great deal. Especially not when you can also pop an additional $400 and get the top 30" Capitol.

Bottom line is that I like the idea of the Bluestar, but I don't like the execution and the seriously unwarranted pricing. When you compare to other ranges at this price level you really have to turn a blind eye to materials and workmanship in favor of its unique features or you'll always be disappointed.

Bosch for the win in this specific case.

I really don't think you need the 22,000 btu burners. I've been cooking on my (Costco) 15,000 btu burners for the last 2 weeks and its fast. I find most of the time the dial is at "Low." I kick it up to "High" when I need to boil water, sear, or stir fry something quickly. Maybe the 22,000 btu burner would stir fry something in only 15 seconds vs 22 seconds with a 22,000 burner, but I find I need to be watching what I'm cooking or it gets extra crispy very quickly. I can't see how anyone thinks the BS isn't made very well, it's 400lb of solid steel. There isn't very many parts, there is nothing digital (no expensive circuit boards to replace). It's simply a cooking machine designed for people who really cook. If you want the polished pro-look, get the Bosch, since you probably won't be happy with the BS. FYI - the Canadian prices is $1,995 for the BS.

>>model discussed in here is crippled with 15K burners

that's a good one - a few years ago 15K burners were considered super-powered!

Jr. chief, How do you like your Bluestar? What a good deal - especially considering it came with the convection.

You know, I have to laugh at the "unpolished build wuality" comments of the Bluestar. C'mon - its a freaking range made for cooking. Well built at that. You would think from some comments like the one above one would find unfinished sheet metal slapped together with some mismatched nuts and bolts. Sheesh

As far as sheet metal work is concerned, BS *is* unpolished. The way you can tell is the edges, whether they are sharp, their tolerances, etc. Look at the insulation strip in the oven. It doesn't go most of the way around like others do. Translation: a lot of heat gets out to the point where folks are concerned about how hot the bottom gets.

Mind you, I am with you on whether some of this matters in a cooking appliance. But as an engineer and long time woodworker used to examining machine build quality, BS ranks in the middle at best. I have seen worse sheet metal to be sure. But they could surely do better. My wish is that BS makes improvements in this area to make their product more compelling. I just donÂt like to pay for premium products but have their build quality be much less than mass market products at half the priceÂ.

I have a 48" Blue Star cooktop w/ griddle. I love the high 22K BTU burners. The cooktop arrived with both 22K burners in the front. I wanted one 22K BTU in the back near the center to boil water and improve steam capture. The other big burner is fine in the front for my wok. To change the front burner to the back requires removal of the bowls and grates to expose the burners and tubes. Next pull out the burners and venturi tubes by a backward and up motion. Then turn the burners (attached to the tubes) up-side-down and unscrew two phillips screws on the back of the burner. Do the same to the 15K BTU burner with the longer tube(in the back). Attach the big burner to the back venturi tube and the 15K burner to the front tube. You can leave the gaskets in place since they are the same. Now you must change the orifices for each burner. The orifice fittings are located in the front. The orifice is a brass fitting that is screwed onto the end of the valve. The orifice fitting is exposed when you remove the venturi tube. Orifice removal requires a socket wrench with an extension to undo the fitting from the valve. The 22K burner has a larger orifice and has to match the burner to give sufficient flow of gas. The valves are all the same but the orifices must match the burner BTU size. I think this procedure will make you enjoy your Blue Star more.
I also adjusted the low flame by turning a set screw in the stem of the valve. Remove the black knob. Give it a hard straight pull or wiggle it to get it off. Move the valve to the low setting. Then with a small straight slot screw driver turn the set screw clockwise to lower the flame just before the sparking device starts clicking. You can turn it counterclockwise if you go too far to get the perfect setting. Don't try this with a griddle burner since it is only a on-off valve that is controlled by a thermostat and switch. You can do this and you will be pleased with the results. Most gas stoves operate on the same priciple. If you have no clue about the process call an expert to do it.

Whether it's unpolished or not, every single person who has seen it has said "WOW!" They all immediately think this is a real restaurant range, not the shiny "pro look" ranges you see at most appliance stores and every new starter home.

I do agree about the comment about the lack of insulation around the bottom of the oven, I certainly see condensation when the oven is on (which the manual said I would see). I would suspect this is some type of intentional design, I would think in the 100+ years BS has been in business this has been brought up before and would have been fixed if needed. Right now, if I had the room, I would buy the 48" BS with the 22,000btu burners and griddle, but I don't. I made my decision based on the 30" competing ranges at $2k where KA, Jennair, Sears with nowhere near the btu power (& infrared broiler) of the BS.