Vintage is a brand of appliances made for one chain of appliance stores. The problem with 'house brands' is service and parts. The ONLY source for parts and service is the dealership that sold the products. If they go out of business, you are stuck. If they decide to change who makes their products, earlier customers often get stuck with impossible to repair items. Under the law, they are only required to supply parts during the warranty period. And unlike manufacturers, to whom repair parts can be a profitable business, a dealership seldom makes a lot of repair parts, so they have little incentive to keep a lot of parts around.

Caveat Emptor.

Have you checked the price on the Bluestar RCS series? It is 'only' 18K, and no convection, but otherwise the same product.

At this point, I'd consider the RCS if I could find a source to take a look at them. I went out today on my day off and managed to get darn peeved at appliance sales people in general and a few very specifically. There are only two "high end" appliance stores in Memphis, and I visited both after a short trip to the dentist. It's my day off and I'm in jeans, t-shirt, no makeup, and a pony tail. Not covered in drywall dust and reeking of BO, you understand, although I've been there on an emergency visit to a hardware store. [grin] I'm a KD, and I've been in retail in one form or another since high school. I know better than to judge a potential customer on how they're dressed or what they look like. A few of these guys in their short sleeved dress shirts and polyester ties need to learn that lesson. (And there I go judging someone by what they're wearing and how they look! LOL!) "Oh we don't sell those brands," was probably the nicest comment I got when I asked about Capital or Bluestar, or Bertazzoni or pretty much anything other than Viking or Wolf. (Viking does maintain a cooking school next door to one of the appliance showrooms, so perhaps it's understandable snobbery on their part.) The worst comment I got was from some unremarkable little twerpy guy trying his best to basically usher me from visibiltiy in their showroom by explaining to me that "You won't find a 36" range in anything but a very high end brand and you'll spend 10K or more". I told him I'd done my research even if he hadn't, and that I wasn't interested in Viking or any of the "usual boring blah overdone and poorly rated brands." THAT managed to at least drop his hand from my elbow and shut his mouth. hehe

I'm still doing my research, and I WILL eventually buy something. I'll probably spend more money than I want to, but it won't be locally.

Yeah, if the Berta just had a bit more "oomph" in the BTU department, it would be a choice of many more folks. I know it's not 36", but the new GE Cafe line has a 30" all gas range coming out. It's top is stainless, just like the doors (that black enamel top on the less expensive ranges is a pet peeve of mine.) It doesn't have infrared broiling, but it will have 2 ovens, a 18K power burner, oval griddle burner and griddle, and 2 15K power boil burners. It's suggested retail is right around $2500, which puts in right in there with a lot of other 30" ranges with some of the same capabilities, but not the highest priced 30" ranges.

I'd heard bad things about the Delonghi fit and finish, as well as some issues with parts being available. Never heard of Vintage and their website doesn't tell you much of anything at all.

I think you may have to sacrifice some of your priorities, and probably the first to go if you really want all of those things will either have to be size or budget. ;~( Sorry.

And, I completely sympathize with you on the snotty salespeople bit. I get it occasionally too, and I like to tell these folks that they only thing they should be interested in is the color of my money, not the maker of my clothes or car.

Go to Prizer-Painter's website and you can find the BS dealers in your area. If you can't you can contact them directly and buy it from them or the distributor (Signature Marketing) instead.

I have one of the RCS ranges (30") and the 18K BTU is just fine...I'm so loving it I've been cooking stuff I'd normally not bother with doing until the Fall/Winter. The thing has actually made my food better.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blue Star Manufacturer's Website

We have a Bertazzoni and it has plenty of oomph for us. The 36" models have one dual burner with a total of 15,000 BTUs. Boils a vat of water in no time flat.

The broiler does work great, too. I don't regret getting the Berta at all. It works and looks great, and the price beat everything else I was looking at. The service was outstanding too.

I know I am late to the party but Roy Good Appliance in Memphis now handles delonghi products and has ranges on display. You can check out the fit and finnish for yourself. For the price I dont't think there is a better combo of performance, looks, and fit and finnish.

What about Five Star?

I personally don't like five star. I think that it's asthetics leave something to be desired but that is my personal perspective. It may perform well but it just looks alot cheeper than it's price.