They didn't specify that information. I took it to be things like fans/ heating elements/screws/rack trays, etc. but I'm not really sure. Maybe a dealer here knows more.

How do you like the new Bluestar? Ours is on order.

Although I haven't used mine a lot yet, I've used it enough to know that I really enjoy it and haven't had any problems (other than getting used to things cooking faster on gas than electric!).

New to this group, sooo glad I found you. I had lots of questions and concerns and they were all answered as I read everyones comments.

We just got our BS RCS366BV2-NAT, it looks identical to MICHFBGAL's except my emblem is solid stainless steel no blue on it and is also raised does anyone know what NAT means? Does anyone elses have this at the end of their model #. I'm really excited about it. I fell in love with the star shape burners so much that I didnt give the oven too much thought. After it was delivered I was alittle worried about reviews stating concerns on the hot door, hot sides, hot knobs and door hinges expanding It made me question if I bought the right range . I got an awsome deal $2999.00 or at least I think it was a good deal. Judging from prices I saw on line. It was factory packaged, just didnt have a box so it was discounted. The store had 3 of these babies and sold them all in less than 2 days. We have not installed it yet as my husband wants to give the kitchen a little face lift so our new baby looks even more beautiful. Even thou it's beautiful the way it is now (in the garage) hope to have it up and running in about 1 week or 2 at the most. I will update as soon as I can.

Really enjoying these updates, especially since I'm going to have to wait till late fall to get to try mine (due to endless renovation delays.) Can't wait to report once I finally get to cook on this thing!

My RCS was finally installed. I completed the "burnoff" procedute. the range was warm at 300, and at 450 the drip trays did get hot. The other area that was hot were the vents on the back of the stove. Other than that it was fine. I haven't had a chance to cook but can't wait to cook on it tomorrow. I do have a question for anyone who has an RCS range, did your range come with a broiler pan? Not sure if they automatically come with one or not. I called the store where I purchased it and they said everything it came with was enclosed at the time we bough it and if it wasnt with the range, then it was probably only for RNB or Platinum series. I have called blue star but keep missing them because of the time difference.

All in all I'm very satisfied with new range and am sure anyone else who gets one will feel the same.

Vega - I have an RNB and I had to fill out a little card that came with it and then BS sent me a broiler pan. If I remember correctly, the RCS no longer comes with a broiler pan, and the RNB gets a free one if you request it.

Vega - my RCS did not come with a broiler pan. Enjoy!

Can someone please confirm whether this Bluestar model has open or sealed burners. I am confused because some internet sites said "open burners" while others said "sealed burners".

There are two different versions of RCS.

Open burner: http://www.bluestarcooking.com/products/freestanding-ranges/rcs-residential-culinary-series (e.g. model number RCS304BV2)

Sealed burner: http://www.bluestarcooking.com/products/freestanding-ranges/culinary-sealed-burner-series (e.g. model number RCS30SBV2)

@john_williams50... Does Bluestar make a 36" rangetop in the RCS series with a open and sealed burner version?

@pglover19

There are both open and sealed versions of 36" RCS series ranges (see above links) but I don't think that there any BlueStar rangetops with an RCS model designation.

Hello, I purchased the RCS366BV2 it is an open burner and I can confirm all of the changes Bluestar has Said. The door has more ventilation holes, the catch tray are compartment like,trays. the oven door does open all the way. And does have a soft close. I have read that the 36 also comes with sealed burners. Persoally I prefer the open burners. Let me know if you have any questions. We love our Bluestar and would buy another if the need ever arose again. Seems like everything cooks sooo much faster. I've never seen water boil so FAST. I will post some photos later when I get home and try to show the changes. .

Wanted to provide an update on my RCS366BV2 range. We had our oven igniter go out. Bluestar is sending a new one to a repair tech who is supposed to come in to replace it. We've only been using the range for a few months and use the oven 1-2x/week. A bit disappointing already needing a repair.

Does bluestar offer the option of red knobs?

Bluestar offers knobs in 750 colors, red included.

Thanks Debbi Branka!

We have red knobs on our RCS. What've had our RCS for about 6 months now and LOVE it! The burners, the oven and the broiler have been great. Still leaning the finer points of the convection. We use it daily.

Good to hear dgerboth36! I'm about to finally order one after much research and debate, can't wait!

Does anyone know if the one Costco.ca sells is the same as BV2 model? The model number is RCS366BCV2 for the RCS 36" open burner. I think the specs are very similar to the RCS366BV2 but the model number has an extra 'C' in it.

No full extension rack on the RCS, upgraded burners are in fact no available on the RCS either. Front of v2 cooler than the v1, control panel/plate rail is now one solid seamless piece. Door is much nicer looking, larger glass, again seamless around window, no bezel. Broiler pan is available for purchase on the RCS does not come with. Hope this helps!!!

You can upgrade the burners, they just have to be purchased separately.

Can anybody who has a new RCS oven, please let me know what is the model number on the base plate? I bought a brand new RCS304BCV2 from Costco, but the model number in the base plate shows RCS304BSS. When I inquired about it, Costco responded they were advised by the vendor that all their models are like that.

Can anybody please confirm that? I know RCS304BSS is an older version of the RCS (probably prior to 2011).

TheOtherGuy, How are you liking your Costco Bluestar? I'm very close to purchasing the same one myself. $3699.99 Canadian.

Hi Operator00, Did you buy the oven yet? I like it very much. I bought for the same price. Looks like that's not going down anywhere. But it's worth in my opinion. It is hot enough for all of my cooking. And the oven temperature are pretty accurate and stays accurate.

Hey thanks for the reply! At the moment I'm still debating over the RCS or RNB. From reading about it I would love the extra 22K BTU "UltraNova" burners on the RNB, and it looks like trying to upgrade an RCS is a hassle (Bluestar does everything they can to discourage it.)

I headed to Colony Warehouse about a week ago, and was misquoted $5150 for the RNB.. and should have taken it. They later corrected themselves via email to $6150. They didn't have any on display.

Tomorrow I'm headed to the other dealer in the lower mainland (Lucky Appliances in Abbotsford) to check them out in person, they quoted $5999 for the RNB over the phone. They apparently have a live test model, so I'll be trying to see if I can justify the extra $2300 to myself and my wife!.. or knock them down in price a bit.

One question for you, on the RCS can you still take the grill out for Wok cooking? As demonstrated in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgyfoFimLI0 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUDEYZfWcfU ? They don't advertise "Integrated wok cooking" on their site for the lower model.

Operator00: "... on the RCS can you still take the grill out for Wok cooking?..."

Yes, all Bluestar open burner ranges (RCS, RNB, Platinum) use the exact same grate components that allow "Integrated wok cooking".

Operator00: I find RCS as very powerful as it is. And when the burner is full on, I have to keep the vent at max setting. I only barely meet the gas range installation requirement( 30" minimum to the top and 18 " to the side cabinets), So I can't think of more powerful model for myself, unless I upgrade vent and the cabinetry. Right now itself, the cabinets get pretty hot. So consider that too.

Thanks again for the info. My kitchen should be well suited for it. I need to install a new vent anyways.

Looked at the 22k burners last night, absolutely love them, but if I went RNB I wouldn't be spending any money on customizations, and it appears other than the burner that's the only real difference... for $2000. The RPB didn't seem like enough difference either, $500 for 18k burners. Couldn't justify either cost difference and ordered the RCS last night.

It looks like my timing was good, when I ordered it said "back ordered - ships Nov 12-15" so I'll have to be patient, and now it says a big old "OUT OF STOCK" so who knows when they'll get more. Must have got the last one! http://www.costco.ca/BlueStar%E2%84%A2-Open-Burner-30-in.-Natural-Gas-Range-%7C-4-burner.product.100161072.html

Hello Everyone...

Excellent thread... It was informative in helping make my decision to order Costco's RCS366BCV2. like 0perator00 mine is also back ordered, and like many above I could not justify the extra expense for the RNB series. I was told at the local dealer that the quality of materials is sub-par; however, I have not seen anything to speak to that so I'm guessing that it is a sales ploy to get people to pay the extra cost.

After searching everywhere I am yet to find a proper review on the actual performance of the 15k btu open burner vs. the 18 or 22.

Can anyone relate their cooking experiences with the RCS 15K?

I will relay a comprehensive review up receipt of mine.

Miles:

In my experience, the Bluestar 15K burner is excellent and is my "go to" burner for every day cooking. It has a really nice range between low and high. On low, it will gently simmer a small pot of liquid and, on high, it will easily sear meat (and stir fry in a round bottom wok). For cooking rice, I use the smaller simmer burner since rice tends to burn on the 15K at its lowest setting. The higher power Bluestar burners are great for bringing a stockpot of liquid to a boil faster (e.g 50% faster on the 22K) but the 15K will reach the same result in a few extra minutes. They will also sear larger quantities of meat at a time, but you have to be a bit more watchful with them because they can burn food very quickly if you are not careful.

I second guessed myself after my last post on here! Ended up cancelling with Costco and going with the RPB from a local dealer for ~$500 more. It does seem like a large price difference to only go from 15k to 18k on one burner... but I have no regrets. In the end I expect this monster to last me a good couple of decades at least, and didn't want to regret not getting a little more power.

Originally I planned on upgrading the 18k to 22k (even bought the "Oriface #47 P/N 709547" for the 22k).. but the 18k is amazing enough for me and I haven't bothered (yet.) That was another reason for the upgraded purchase, from what I understand the 18k Burner Head – 729801 / 22k Burner Head - 729804 are both the same item, so you only need to change the orifice to upgrade the 18k to 22k. If you want to upgrade the 15k you need a new burner head as well which you simply can't easily find (BS won't sell it to you from what I hear.)

Honestly the difference between 15k to 18k is more significant than expected as well, the spread of the flames is much larger due to the double amount of orifices on the burner head itself. It's my go-to for searing and wok cooking. I'm sure you could sear _almost_ as well with the 15k, with a little more patience. The wok cooking though, the added amount of flames causes them to significantly climb the sides of the wok on the 18k, so I believe it does make a large difference there.

Sorry if I'm tossing a wrench into your decision make Miles, feel free to ask me any other questions.

Oh, and I'm pretty certain the RCS / RPB / RNB are the same except for the burner setup. I believe I did check with BS on this at the time of my purchase.

Thank you so much for your quick reply:) Not wrench necessarily, but more or less confirming what my gut is telling me.

It is unfortunate, but the RPB is no longer available through my local dealer (Abbotsford, B.C.), and the next cheapest model (RNB) was quoted to me at around 8k. It's so hard to justify double the cost, not that I can afford it at this time... lol. I'll eventually have to try my luck at securing an upgraded burner somehow.

That said, regardless of "searing" or intense wok cooking... If I was used to an average gas stove (18.5K sealed burner max) or electric smooth top, will the 15K BS open burner surpass my expectations of cooking control for everyday uses?

Or is 15K in your opinion underpowered or underwhelming (i.e. hurry up pan... heat up)?

I have covered bbq area off the kitchen where I generally sear on an infrared burner... and I probably use a wok on my stove about once month;However with the integrated cooker I was intending on hopefully getting more into it. Is it possible heat the wok up for an extra min or so to get it blazing hot?

thanks again I really really appreciate your advice...

I can stir fry on my induction cooktop just fine. The trick is to use a saute pan, not a wok, and cook the ingredients in batches. The pan will get more than hot enough. There are also woks designed for induction cooking. I haven't tried one, but I expect the difference to be that they would be much slower heating up. A saute pan heats up enough to smoke the oil in just a few seconds.

John:

Thanks!

Miles,

I'm in Vancouver, purchased my RPB from Lucky's Appliances in Abbotsford. It was either them or Colony in North Vancouver. Colony didn't seem to want my business and had none on display. Lucky's has a fully functional BlueStar in their show room which sold me on it, no complaints about them at all. RNB was too much of a jump for me too. AFAIK both of them use the same local distributor which is http://www.echelonhomeproducts.ca/ 

Doing a quick google it looks like BlueStar themselves probably discontinued the RPB as I don't see it listed anymore on any sites, you could always call BlueStar directly and confirm this, they're super helpful.

Honestly the BlueStar is my first proper cook top, and I only use the 18k burner with the wok, so I can't offer a proper comparison. I'm sure the 15k burner will be just fine.. just not quite as fun. By no means is the 15k a "hurry up and wait" burner. You may have a harder time getting the wok hei (breath of the wok) with the smaller flame as well though. My Chinese wife/inlaws don't even cook with the 18k cranked up because they aren't used to that much heat.

I'm jealous you have an infrared burner outside! After using the infrared on the BlueStar I've regretted not getting a BBQ with one. Those things are ridiculously hot!

Looking for a quick confirmation that the RCS open burners are porcelain-coated cast iron, as are all the other lines in Bluestar's range. The website features link for the RCS models do not provide this detail, although it does for every other range! If you own an RCS open burner and are willing to provide any thoughts about the materials used for the burner grates and bowls, I'd appreciate hearing.

The burner grates and bowls on my RCS are exactly the same as those used on the RNB ranges. In fact, here is the link to order replacements on Bluestar's web site:

http://bluestar-store.mwrc.net/en/product.php?product_id=37762

Does anyone have any experience with the sealed RCS series? Seems like more firepower than the open ones but I dunno if the gains are minimized due to the different architecture...

Just have to weigh in on this 15k vs 22k Bluestar burner discussion. I started out purchasing a 30" BS RCS range. I should say that I do cook with a passion and have had some experience in a professional kitchen setting. Early on in my experience with my new BS range I realized that I wanted (needed) more BTU's for my style of cooking. I went from the RCS 3 x 15k and a simmer burner to a 2 x 22k up front 1 x 15k and a simmer burner. Anyone who is saying the 22k isn't worth the $$$ for the upgrade hasn't used both burners side by side. I get it that budget controls what we can purchase, nothing wrong with the 15k BS open burner, it cooks really well but when you get to the 22k it is a BIG difference. I have a lot of versatility with this configuration when cooking with several pans/pots at the same time. I use my 22k burners for most of my cooking, including simmering on my medium to large pots and pans. My opinion is, if you can afford it go for the 22k-25k burners. You will not be disappointed.

" I dunno if the gains are minimized due to the different architecture..."

It depends on the ability of your pan to capture the heat. A capped burner has more flare when you turn the burner up to high. If you are using a 14" pan it is a good thing. If you have a smaller pan you may not be able to turn the heat up all the way. For some it balances out because they use the highest heat on the biggest pans. Other cooks want to keep the high heat in a smaller area for something like wok cooking or if they have smaller pans. If the heat goes around the pan, your BTUs are being lost.

" Early on in my experience with my new BS range I realized that I wanted (needed) more BTU's for my style of cooking. "

It is key to have an understanding of your own needs in the kitchen.

"Anyone who is saying the 22k isn't worth the $$$ for the upgrade hasn't used both burners side by side. "

While I would agree that there is a big difference in output between the two BS uncapped burners, I would disagree with this. I know many passionate cooks, that are perfectly happy with 15K or much less. I personally cook currently on commercial burners and in that setting, the beasts are useful but at home I just don't even turn my 15K burners up all the way all that often. I also know two chefs. One just has a regular all gas low BTU range at home and the other has a commercial range in his kitchen. We don't all think the same.

Well I just bought the 15k uncapped RCS and I guess I'll see how it goes! I'm going from a 16k capped DCS range and I've (almost) always felt it powerful enough for my needs so I'm optimistic that I won't be disappointed.

D Kelly:

Be sure to have your installer go through the air shutter adjustment process on the top burners as well as the oven. Also, the simmer levels on all of the top burners should be adjusted. These simple procedures (that you can also do yourself) are described in the user manual and also in videos on Bluestar's web site and only need to be done once. Some of the complaints that you might have read here were clearly due to incomplete/improper installation.

BTW, I had a 30" Wolf all gas range for a short time before I got my Bluestar 30" RCS (both with 15K burners). I very much prefer the Bluestar's burner performance over the Wolf's.

Thanks for the tips and for your insight; I knew about the simmer adjust but was less aware of the air shutter. I'll be sure to make sure both are seen to!

kfunky_gw Mo how'd you go from the 15K to 22K? Did you get rid of your RCS and upgrade to an RNB? I thought the 22K burners weren't available to be upgraded on an RCS? I tried to buy from Guaranteed Parts in Canada, only to be told that Bluestar required the correct serial # and photos of the damaged burners, before they would allow the purchase of the 22K burner. Would like to trade my 15K for a 22K or 25K personally.

Before purchasing my Bluestar range I read through this thread and it was very informative and helpful. I decided to go with the 30" RPB and ordered it in December. The sales person told me I had to pay in full then however the "new" model was't available until January 2018. When I received my range in January the model # said RPB304BSS which I thought was an older model. And to be honest it looks like a 2011 range with an updated door. Do any Bluster owners out there have any insight? BTW my invoice says I paid for a RPB304BV2.