Your picture isn't coming through. Can you tell us the details on your performer? What size? What options?

Thanks!

Hmm, image worked in my preview, but not on the post once it went live... here's another try:

Hi, SeaKoz. I think my follow-up pic should be visible to all (I can see it, anyway...)

My AR is the ARROB-430 open burner model, 30". Straight up factory specs, no options. Comes with simmer and high power (25k BTU!) burners in front, and high and medium in back.

I can't wait to roast, bake, sear, boil and saute this weekend to put it through its paces. In the scant 30 min I had to play with it, my hopes are far exceeded and I hope that continues to be the case!

thanks.

Looks good, have you tried cooking with that wok yet?

Unfortunately, haven't had time to use the wok on it yet, but that's on the list for this weekend. I promise better pictures and a full report!

Can you post some photos this weekend of the unit with the burners in operation? Also, how high is the top of the grate with respect to the top of the countertop or stove top?

My apologies for not posting more... yesterday I had an appliance installer come to replace the 220V outlet behind the range (from the previous range, which was dual fuel) with a 110V, and also move the gas valve down lower for a flush installation. (The delivery installers had left it raised really high and away from the wall as these things needed to be done). So I was unable to do all the testing I wanted to, but I did make a stir-fry for dinner and the 25k burner was amazing with my cast-iron wok. (The power/heat was almost scary at first, but once I got used to it... awesome!) Did a quick bake of frozen croissants which came out perfect and evenly browned across the baking sheet. Today I'm hoping to bake some cookies and make scalloped potatoes and a tbd meat for dinner.

@eve72 - photos with burners coming up, hopefully a bit later today. The top of the grate is about 1.25" above the stove top. The burners do appear rather high above the burners, and that's the only thing that's taken some getting used to for me, aesthetically. But when the burner is in use, that space becomes completely inconsequential, and the flame is just where want it. The center grate, as you can see from the pictures, is still missing (my dealer thought it would ship with the range, but later found out it will be available, allegedly, in September. I'm not holding my breath, as I know all these manufacturers can take a long time to ship things like that. But the center gap is not all that wide, so moving pots over isn't difficult. I still look forward to that piece, though, as I think it will look better and that added surface will be nice for moving pots and pans off heat, or to another burner).

I haven't tested out any simmering yet, but so far I am really liking the size options of the burners; they are perfectly matched to my various pieces of cookware. (In my experience, all large-sized burners, regardless of power or how low they can go, are less than optimal when you are trying to use a smaller diameter pan).

So far, I am really impressed with the quality of this range. It's built like a tank; everything feels solid and heavy and commercial-strength (the oven racks, for example, are heavy, solid and completely smooth to slide in and out, which has been a major deficiency in many of the other ranges I've owned and looked at) and between that and the performance it is just a joy to touch and to use. The appliance installer who did the work yesterday deals with high-end ranges all the time here in Silicon Valley, and this was the first American he had seen; he was very interested and impressed and kept commenting about how well-built it was compared to most of the other brands he works with. My dad, who is a retired developer/builder of high-end custom homes and is familiar with all the top brands had a similar reaction.

Here are a few more quick shots of it:..

Cep55, you mentioned silicon valley. I assume you are in the bay area. Where did you get the range from? American's website does not work well in regards to the dealer locator. Sounds like bluestar and capital have a contender on their hands.
Also, do either of you (Cep55 or CWirick) know if American has the option of changing burner configuration?

That's exciting, @Cwirick, I am glad you are as pleased with yours as I am with mine!

@kinei, I am indeed in the Bay Area. I can't say for certain who told me, but I do believe you can order whatever burner configuration you would like. I bought mine at University Electric, and they have one on the floor, along with a Bluestar and Capital. It was extremely helpful to compare all three. They most definitely have a contender on their hands. I am not a price shopper, and with something like this that I will use every day and keep for a long time, I'll pay for whichever brand/model will provide the best performance, quality and satisfaction for me.In this case, I can honestly say that if the Performer were the same price or more than the Bluestar or Culinarian, I would choose it over them. They are both great ranges, but the Performer was the best one for me.

University Electric was very good to deal with (I have purchased other appliances from them as well).

Any reservation having the island backguard instead of a higher back? I'd worry about the grout getting blemished, but it may be in my head. Have you noticed anything?
Thanks.

@eve72 I couldn't say that would *never* happen (and I'm sure some materials are more delicate than others), but I did ask both the appliance dealer and the installer who came to deal with the gas and the electrical stuff and leveling yesterday (he's a contractor specializing in kitchen remodels) and both of them assured me the island kit was sufficient. I am not overly attached to my backsplash (there will be a remodel at some point in the next couple of years!), and if I were I might research this even further, but thus far I don't think there's a need for concern.

Thanks Cep55 for the info. Sadly they don't deliver to Berkeley. On the bright side, it looks like the appliance store a block from my work carries American Range.

Any updates?

Yes, in fact I meant to post over the weekend and got sidetracked. Still loving the AR. I've baked cookies and cakes, made sauces, roasted a chicken, pan-seared pork chops, broiled steaks and done several stir-fries in my cast-iron wok. Everything has been flawless, and all the controls feel so quality and professional. It's a joy to cook on this range.

The high power burners are just awesome, and continue to impress me with stir-frying and searing. I am also really pleased with the simmer capabilities on both the small and large burners. Quite a gentle simmer can be held.

All my foodie friends who've seen the AR have been impressed and envious, and those who know ranges are generally very surprised that it costs less (substantially so) than the BS or CC.

I definitely recommend the American Range Performer!

Regarding the question of the island backguard--my 36" all-gas AR is about two years old. I have the island backguard against a tile backsplash that sticks up about 4 inches below a pass-through to the dining room. After a couple of years, there is definitely some discoloration on the tile from the oven ventiliation that comes out of the backguard. The tiles get quite warm from the hot air from the oven that is discharged through the backguard. Also, there is some moisture that forms on the backsplash while the oven is in use. If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten the 4" backguard for my oven.

Just an FYI - I'm currently range shopping and a dealer told me a middle grate isn't available for the American. I've discovered, however, that different dealers have a different stories about many things. Planning on going to University next.

I emailed american and they responded that the center grate is included with all newly minted performers. So if you order one and it is not "in stock" somewhere, it should come with the center grate out of the box.

I can't comment on what would happen if it was in stock waiting. They may be able to get you a grate later.

Christina--

How are things going with your Performer now? Would you do it again? Or, are you now wishing you'd bought the BS instead?

One more thing: Somewhere you mention you had a Viking VGIC. I am also looking at that as a possibility. How do the Performer and the Viking compare? Thanks.

Cep55, are your cabinets 24 inch depth or something deeper? Top photo seems like the range is sticking out much further? Thank you

We were set to buy this as a replacement for an older 30" range until we discovered it is a little deeper than many of the other brands. It wouldn't work in our configuration because of its depth because we wouldn't have been able to open a drawer on the adjacent side of the L where this would be placed..

"Cep55, are your cabinets 24 inch depth or something deeper? Top photo seems like the range is sticking out much further? Thank you"

I believe Cep55's photo shows her range not fully pushed against the wall due to an electrical outlet being in the way and needing to be moved.

Hello, all -

That is correct, in the first pic the range was about 3-4" extra inches away from the wall, because I had to have the outlet behind it moved further down. My cabinets are standard 24" depth, and now the range works perfectly with them; the frame of the range body is basically almost flush with the cabinets and the door panel is beyond the cabinet depth, which to me looks just right.

Cep55,

Beautiful range hood. What is its cfm rating?
Thanks for sharing your photos and experience.

I'm currently in the market for a new 36" range, to go along with a remodel. Now that you've had the range for about a year, any comments on how it's held up? In particular, since my wife and I are messy cooks, how easy is the top to clean? Any concerns now that you wish you had bought differently?
Thanks!

This is a great post! Thank you Cep55. I can't see anywhere that you mentioned how much cfm your hood is. Can you please let us know the next time you see this? Does this range heat your kitchen up substantially or does your hood help to keep it cooled down? Thank you for posting the pictures. I'm a visual person & can see how great it looks than just looking at a picture of a range w/out cabinetry!

I'd also like to hear comments a yr or so later! Are you still having a romance w/ it?!

Thanks again!

Is that a Kobe hood? model?

nice stuff

Is that a Kobe hood? model?

nice stuff

Like a lot of "posters" I have been studying residential professional ranges for months. We are getting ready to break ground on a new home and really wanted a great stove but just could not justify > 3k no matter how much I wanted it (I learned a long time ago the difference between "need" and "want"). Although I loved the BlueStar and American just last week I pretty much decided on an NXR due to the price.

Lucky for me that today I stopped into a high end appliance store close to Pittsburgh PA to look around and I found a 30" American Performer floor model for $1995!!! No kidding! The store is changing distributers and clearing out the current stock.

With propane conversion (by them), tax, shipping, and installation, I got out of there for just under $2500. They are also warehousing it until installation too which is months away.

Thanks to the posts on this site and other research I was knowledgeable and was able to make a decision on the fly.

Keep up the good work!

Here's a pic of my range. I can't wait to use it!

Here tis, right side up!

Gary

Well... for those of you looking at American Ranges, I have to reign in some of my praise. Yes, the performance is very good and there are some nice aspects. However... mine is less than two years old (six months out of warranty) and the repair guy just left. There are THREE parts that need to be replaced for TWO separate problems. It will cost over $600. (Any more than that and I would have seriously considered ripping it out and buying a CC or BlueStar.) The module that controls ignition AND the regulator need replacing. (STRONG gas smell, even when the range is not running - like, need to leave a window open - was the symptom, and that's due to a faulty regulator. The ignition issue just cropped up in the last few days. Two burners that won't light half the time, and once they do often start clicking.

So, needless to say, I'm really unhappy at the moment. I've contacted my American dealer, and also sent a message to the company, to see if they might be able to work with me on a replacement or help me out some with the repair costs. What they do next will be quite a defining move as far as my opinion of the company and how I feel about my range, and recommending it to others.

This post was edited by Cep55 on Fri, Mar 14, 14 at 18:38

I'm happy to report that American is exceeding my expectations in handling this situation. My local American dealer, from whom I bought the range, just called to say that he spoke with the president of the distributor. American will cover the costs of my repairs (in fact, they're having the repair company send the bill directly to them.) He also said they are very confident in the quality of this range, and that once these components are replaced it will be absolutely reliable. (I got the sense that they've perhaps continued to increase their quality and make improvements since I bought mine.) I believe that, because there aren't very many components, and the overall construction of the range is head and shoulders above the competitors. It's a tank. And more powerful than anything else I could get for my home.

It was out of warranty, and despite my frustration they certainly could have told me tough luck. (That's what KitchenAid did when my two-year-old refrigerator leaked all over the floor. But that's another story!) But American has instead exceeded my expectations and offered to make things right and address my problem completely. That restores my faith in my range, which I have absolutely loved up until the problems occurred. If anything, I think I'll feel even more strongly positive about it now, because I know American stands behind it. Not many companies handle things this way anymore!

Will update once the repairs are complete (in a few days, once parts come in.)

This post was edited by Cep55 on Tue, Mar 18, 14 at 19:56

That's great Cep. Nice to know there's a company out there that actually appreciates it's customers. That speaks volumes! I know this post will help a lot of people.

I just bought the American Range and it will be arriving in 2 weeks. Question is, is the 4" optional backguard necessary or worth getting (about $200-$250)?

I know it "looks" better, and should offer some "protection" to your blacksplash from the heat and/or flames as another poster mentioned.

WHAT WIDTHS DOES IT COME IN?

I got the 30 inch model so I would assume the backguard would be 30 inches wide by 4 inches high.

Question - as someone who was planning to purchase a BlueStar or other open burner range (in a couple months or so), I saw this posting about American Range. How do you feel about it a couple of years later?

I have one. It's a nice range.

The company has *&$% for support though and I would not encourage anyone to purchase an AR because of that.

Yep - definitely stay away. It was leaking gas, problem kept reoccurring. Couldn't fix it, wouldn't fix it. They finally took notice when I got the local news channel's consumer advocacy group involved.

Even then, incredibly underhanded/incompetent (at the VP level) down to every last detail. (Finally got them to replace it when I consulted a lawyer and used his language/phrasing.) Flat-out lies. Over and over. I've never seen anything like it.

Turned out my range had actually been converted from LP to natural gas, and the conversion wasn't done correctly. It was hilarious, because the company was pointing fingers like "Aha, THAT'S what happened, like they were trying to blame me or my retailer (University Electric in Santa Clara, who's been in business for over 100 years and has an excellent reputation. Plus, I ORDERED the natural gas version, which University ordered from the American Range factory, and University has documentation of this.)

Stay far, far away. No company is perfect, as far as customer service, but these guys have zero integrity. Get a Blue Star or Capital, or anything else. This was an incredibly upsetting and frustrating 10 months of my life dealing with their BS.

That is one sad story and I'm really sorry that you had to deal with that disaster. Thanks for posting the update. Were you able to get your money back - and if so, what did you select as a replacement?

We've just started to look at new appliances in preparation for a move into a new home in late spring.

I wanted my money back, because I hated the sight of that range after dealing with these characters. But they wouldn't agree to that. They did, at the last possible moment, provide the replacement (actually it was a day after the deadline I'd given them.) This happened only after I'd threatened legal action, after they'd jerked me around for almost a year; that was what I finally had to do to get them to make good on their promised resolution. If I'd gone with something else, it would have been Blue Star, for similar capacity/specs.

(Incidentally, I've talked with numerous people who've had very similar experiences to mine, so the quality issues are not uncommon. Nor the poor customer service/lack of integrity issues, unfortunately! (I have email threads that you wouldn't believe. On and on, and they can't keep their story straight.)

Good luck with your appliance selection, that's a fun process! And I'm sure you'll end up with a great range. Just make sure it doesn't say "American Range" on it.

I have a Capital range top, and I could say Capital's customer service is wonderful for my cases. I am in Canada. Basically, when I noticed an issue, I did diagnostic myself (no serious issues, and quite straightforward), and let Capital know what parts could be wrong. And they sent the parts from HQ. For example, I had an clicking issue on the simmer. It could be the burner cap as I noticed the position of the hole for flame sensing was a bit off, or, less likely, a defective ignition module. I explained the situation and sent some pictures to the support, Capital sent both parts and more actually. It was the burner cap as expected. Capital even willing to send three standard burner caps because I mentioned some of mine are sort of discolored. I declined the offer after I learnt it was normal. :-) I am very satisfied with Capital's support, and I can see that they try what they can to let users enjoy their products.