You might want to look into Lacanche. I also looked into the brands you listed above but the Lacanche best met my needs.

The ovens look small and I have concerns about that. How sturdy is the grill on top? Can you slide a pot from one burner to the next easily?

Also, any service issues?

Blue Star looks good but seems very hit or miss

Redoing the kitchen. Has to be a range bc of space constraints. Will have a wall oven too and that will be electric. I do not want duel fuel because I like that you get a better sear on meat with gas. I looked again today and now leaning Thermador Pro Grand... GE... Blue Star

Following. I am in the market for the same. Depending on where you are located, experienced service and parts availability are something to take into consideration. I was going to head with BlueStar purely for its power, but am now leaning towards Thermador for that reason, plus the very low simmering ability is valuable to me.

Highly recommend BlueStar for everything you are mentioning. And yes, you can easily slide cast iron pots from one burner to the next. I have the 30" RNB and am very happy with it (2 years in December). I also have the electric wall oven. Love it too, although I love the range more. The appliance store we bought from is an hour away. While they did charge for delivery, they have been out twice on service calls (for the wall oven, not the range) and BlueStar covers that. I have had no trouble communicating with BlueStar or getting service, even though it's far. They stand behind their product and I am happy to recommend them.

Oh, and cvmingoia, my simmer burner on my BS is amazing, I think. I can put a large pot of sauce from fridge to simmer and it warms up perfectly and doesn't scorch. Also, you can raise the grate if you want an even softer heat. I think my simmer is 5000 btu (but it's been a while since I researched so I could be off).

I saw all three yesterday. I don't like the construction of the Capital hence my lack of interest in that. I do like the look of the Lacanche, Aga, Bertazzoni - but I don't think they are the best matches for me.

I am a pretty serious amateur cook but that said, I need more of a workhorse with great flexibility than anything else. The biggest selling point of the Thermador over the other two is the star-shaped burner with a solid surface for cleanup. There are a lot of cruddy places for things to fall inside the Blue Star (at least the model I saw), but I do like the open burners and I can't deny that price factors in. GE has lots of bells and whistles but in the end I think the Thermador and Blue Star will probably both have a better stovetop.

Unfortunately there are a lot of negative reviews here about Blue Star, and I have personal blech experience with Monogram, but I hear there have been big changes since my last range was made.

One of my good friends suggested I put all three names in a hat and pull one out...

I think there are even more negative reviews about Thermador on here. But in the end, it's your range and your decision. I hate to see anyone miss out on what I feel is the "wonderfulll-ness" of cooking on a BS :) Good luck to you!

When reading Bluestar reviews, keep in mind that the currently shipping models are not the same as the ones that were reviewed more than a year (or two) ago. There have been a bunch of internal design changes that have addressed the complaints over the years.

We just switched from a 2011ish RNB30 Bluestar to a 48" Wolf dual fuel after a kitchen renovation. I had a love/hate relationship with the Bluestar. It was the main reason for having to redo the kitchen as the oven door didn't seal properly and burned the cabinets next to the range. Even after that I was tempted to get a new one (my wife thought I was an idiot). Loved the burners and the huge oven. But the way to get a huge oven is to reduce the insulation in the oven and the door. The thing was always hot. The open burners were great and I loved the power but after cooking on the Wolf I find I don't need the big power and I really like the simmer settings on the Wolf. As john-williams and others have said, some of the problems have probably been dealt with.

I contacted Wolf to arrange a test drive, and I would like to do the same with Thermador, GE and Blue Star. I feel like if I can see them in action I will know what I really think... because there aren't that many superficial practical differences. Thermador, GE and Blue Star have the same size ovens. I just want what is going to work best and be least likely to break down on me.

now, if I could pick colors and the rest of the appliances I'd be set...