We have a Blue Star 36" RNB range on order. We looked closely at the Wolf. We had heard that the oven works well but felt that the burners were very ordinary. Sealed burners with a 15k max are nothing we couldn't get from an average Sears or GE range for 20% of the price. We felt that the Blue Star's open burners were far superior than the sealed burners on the Wolf, and they aren't generally available on a home range. Aesthetics were similar for both. And if it's red knobs you want, they're available on the Blue Star too.

We purchased the Blue Star 36" with sealed burners and have been happily using it for the last 6 months. This is our first range of this quality, having stepped up from a 10 year-old gas, 30" Frigidaire "Professional". The Frigidaire was a big disappointment - with burners that failed, and a black stove top that was impossible to clean - food baked onto the top easily and then wouldn't come off.

The Blue Star has changed the quality of our cooking. The heat from the burners is notably stronger than the Frigidaire's. So, for example, we are now able to make better stir fries, and boil water way faster. The added BTUs really takes some getting used to, but we are really happy with the new power. If anything, it might be useful to have a second "simmer" burner. We also like being able to have several large pots fitting nicely on the stove at once.

I was really worried about the clean-up factor. Bottom line is that it is super easy. We wipe down oil on the stainless steel with a damp cloth - and then wipe with a towel. Very fast. The black range top is easy to clean with a wet rag, or with a spritz of grease cutter. Downside of clean up is that you need to wait for the very hot grates to cool down, which is not quick. But, this is true of any of these professional models. We don't fuss much over the grates themselves. Mostly, quick wipes as needed.

We spent a lot of time considering the open burner verses the sealed. Very glad we chose the sealed - I don't think I would have been comfortable leaving drips and crumbs build-up and then doing an occasional internal clean. And, the process of lining with tin foil, and cleaning parts wasn't tempting.

Convection oven works well - I can't say I notice a huge difference over prior oven. Big plus is the width which allows for 2 big cookie sheets side by side.

Downsides are few:

- Wish the oven racks were ez glide.

- Would be handy to have a smaller grate over the simmer burner for a small pot like a butter warmer.

- Would be helpful to know the oven temperature.

Overall - I think this was a great purchase, and am also happy with the cost savings over the competitors.

so what did you end up with, Lauren? And are you happy with it?

What did you end up choosing? Are you happy with your decision?

We ended up with the 6 burner Blue Star. Love it. Cooks evenly, works great, is a real workhorse. We saved a little money by not getting the higher output burners. So we have 5 regular burners and one simmer burner. I am really glad we did not go with the hotter burners. The flame is very hot and I find works best with heavy bottom pans. We also use diffusers as sometimes the low heat is too hot and the simmer burner flame is not as large as the other burners so for large pans we like to simmer on the bigger burners. Only other down side is that the gas oven takes quite awhile to heat up. But it works great and we are very happy with our purchase. It also looks very cool - like a commercial stove in our kitchen. Here are some pics of the stove and our completed kitchen.

Following up my earlier post on the Blue Star 36" with sealed burners. I have changed my views. I no longer am not a happy customer and would not recommend this stove. The oven has broken twice in just over a year, the second time when it was out of warranty but luckily covered by an extended warranty. Not the quality I would expect. In addition, the black stove top surface both shows every water mark, and has accumulated some stains which are difficult to remove. We also now have some discoloration on a bit of the stainless steel which may have come after using high heat under our wok. Yes - it is just a stove, and perfection is not required, but know what to expect. The knobs do get very hot when the oven is on (despite the fact that this the updated model which addressed this issue.) Wish the oven had a self clean function, and a burner grate that could support a very small pot like a butter melter. On the plus side, the burners are powerful and the space on the range top is great as well as in the oven.

Thanks for the update. I was going to buy this exact range and now am doubting its reliability.

We bought a Bluestar range last year and I would recommend to stay away from it. Neither quality control nor customer service is there. We personally would never buy any product from BlueStar again. I am happy that at least we decided against the Bluestar Fridge when we made our purchase.

I've had my BlueStar 36" RNB for almost a year now and love it! The burners are amazing! I had one issue with a melted wire and their customer service was excellent. Bluestar even followed up with me the day before Thanksgiving to make sure the problem had been resolved and I was able to cook my family meal the next day. No complaints here.