I don't know if this will help but when I went through this my local high end appliance store suggested Monogram. They had done a series of tests and their findings were that Monogram was near the top of the pack in all categories. The fact that it was far cheaper than the Wolf and Viking I was also considering was pretty compelling. And I haave had Monogram wall ovens (one is an Advantium) for the past 3 years and absolutely love them.

Wish I could offer more info. Mine is sitting on the pallet in my livingroom waiting to be installed later this week so I can't give you real world use facts...

it's such an unzenlike question!
look to the positive.
i have a new 30" bluestar rnb and i love it so far. it's a very cool 'box of fire' with no bells and whistles. just the way i wanted it.
they will all be wonderful. until they break.

I've always wanted an Aga :)

zenfoodist - I hear you...I was a mess about my stove, but honestly I think you are looking at well loved products and short of any really ugly feedback about repairs or service on the stoves, I think you will be in good shape (that is without knowing what your priorities are :)

I had decided upfront that I didn't want to spend $5 K on my stove (I have a pretty bad tile and stone addiction that I had to feed and it would really be overkill where I live :) and had read about the stoves that were not as standard issue (electronic controls on the back), but were better priced than the Wolf and Viking. I checked out the American Range, the Capitol and the Bluestar, all in one (long) night. After all that research and obsessing I realized they were all good products with their pros and cons and picked the one I thought I would be the most comfortable with. I wanted something simple that I could just turn on and get flame (but also a convection oven :)

I got the 30" RCS - I didn't want to pay the extra $ for the additional BTU for the Nova burner (all my past cooking experience had been on standard issue gas stoves so the RCS power burner blew that out of the water.)

ebean is right - it is a 'box of fire' and I know people say that a good cook can use any stove, but I really do prefer cooking on this to my previous low end stoves. I cook, alot, and bake no complaints about the results. I am trying to adjust to the "woosh" - power I am not used to but getting there. Honestly as I try to remember the difference between the three products I can't other than the open versus sealed burners (but I think Capitol was coming out with an open burner.)

I really have enjoyed the open burner. For me it is easier to keep clean - or maybe the cast iron looks fine when it is not perfect versus stainless. The best is it just doesn't give me a minute of thought - it just works. But that is only my experience and I have only been using it for 3 months.

If you love the wolf or the la c (pretty french thing :) get it, but if you don't love them save yourself a few dollars and go with the blue star. Unless you live in a upscale neighborhood and people expect a wolf. I live in an area that is slowly gentrifying and nobody even knows what the blue star is (and I don't care :)

Good luck.