no help? :(

It makes it difficult to give you a good answer since you have somewhat contradictory requirements. Mostly, you describe high-end features, which conflicts with your budget. You also ask for self-cleaning, which conflicts with high-end and with long-term reliability. I'd normally recommend Bluestar (the RCS might be in your price range), but you already discounted that brand. And on top of all that, your location makes it really difficult to find a brand that will be well supported.

You might have to decide what things you can compromise on, in order to get better recommendations.

A few years ago, Costco sold the Bluestar RCS in Canada. That used the be a great recommendation, as Costco has such excellent customer service. But I don't believe that offer is still available.

Yeah I figured the auto cleaning wouldnt fit with most gas ovens so its ok if its not there. Costco Canada still sells the Blue Star RCS366BCV2 at 5000$CAD (+-$3800USD) and some major store in Montreal sells the Blue Star RCS366BV2 for the same price. I dont really know what the difference is between both.

This is basically the same price as I would pay for the 36' Pro Line from Big Chill, which is basically a Blue Star range with some add-ons from Big Chill. The people from Big Chill answered me earlier today that the one year warranty would be supported and that service points in Montreal/Laval area would be the ones doing the service.

Everyone on here seems to go by Blue Star, there must be a reason..!

The open burner Bluestar is pretty amazing. I still love ours even eight years later. The RCS is a bit anemic compared to the RNB that we have. But even the RCS is excellent compared to many other brands. And for only about $200, you can find parts online to upgrade a burner to 22kBTU or even 25kBTU. IMHO, even if you upgrade a single burner, you'll probably be fine. I don't ever need multiple high-heat burners at the same time

Okay - here's a bit of thinking outside the box. Would you consider a vintage O'Keefe & Merritt range <https://www.ebay.ca/itm/36-OKeefe-Merritt-Stove-White-Porcelain-and-Chrome-1955-Vintage-Stove/303104508182?hash=item46926fc116:g:k7wAAOSw2NhceYdD>;

I have one that is quite similar but mine is circa 1948. Chuck Williams (started William Sonoma) had one, too - the man could have had any stove on earth.

I adore mine! I bought mine used in 1982. It had been steam cleaned and I would suggest doing that to this one if you buy it. You can take it to a place that "details" cars and steams the engines.

It's not self-cleaning but there are two pans in the bottom that come right out and can be cleaned. I've never cleaned the entire oven - any splatters burn off over time - it's always things that spill onto the oven floor that burn and cause a stove to smoke. This entire stove comes apart for cleaning. My yard man did this in my old basement laundry tubs just last week. SO easy - could even be done outside in nice weather.

The oven is great (it will hold a 22 lb turkey), bakes cakes very well. The burners are very adjustable. It's not "energy efficient - it has 5 pilot lights - but it's great to dry things or proof bread dough or thaw things. That "shelf" shown is really a cover for the burners that folds down. I LOVE this! I had dogs and it keeps the dog hair off the top of the stove where it will stick to any residue (such as comes from just cooking frozen peas!).

Mine has a broiler on the side and a griddle in the middle. If you're interested in this, ask more questions about it and ask for more pictures.

There are tons and tons of replacement parts available online. These stoves were mainly sold in CA and are considered to be "highly collectible". I'd make an offer that was WAY lower. Look on eBay for the price of an "unrestored" one and use that price as a guideline. The restored ones (often re-enamled in a bright color) bring the kind of price he's asking.

Thanks for the hint! Sadly, this doesnt fit well in the kitchen we're about to build..

I'm in rural Alberta several hours east of Edmonton near the Saskatchewan border, far from service, and for that reason needed/wanted a reliable workhorse of a range without a lot of bells and whistles, and electronics, to break down. Which is why we went with a BlueStar for our new house. We've been using it since June and it's been a delight.

From my own experience, the BlueStar meets your criteria for high quality build, good simmering, easy to clean, etc. I'm not sure of the size of the oven for 30" or 36" because ours is a 48".

I considered Bertazzoni and was dazzled by their beauty : ), but all of my research on GardenWeb/Houzz seemed to indicate that form trumps function, unfortunately.

As I recently wrote on another thread, I would never use the self-cleaning feature because it can considerably shorten the life of your range, and have had that confirmed by several independent repair people over the years. For our granny suite, I looked for a gas range without the self-clean feature because I don't want renters or guests using that feature and killing the range.

If I had a tight budget, I'd go for a 30" BlueStar rather than a 36" in a different brand. We made a bunch of compromises to facilitate the purchase of the BlueStar, including Ikea cabinetry and holding off on the purchase of a matched all-fridge and all-freezer, side by side, in the walk-in pantry next to the pantry (we have our old unmatched fridge and all-freezer in there right now).

Is your ventilation and make up air in a separate budget, or does that have to cover both?

beckysharp : thanks for the great feedback! The 36" RCS unit could fit our budget right now. What I loved about the Big Chill pro is that they come in different colors and the green one would fit our kitchen sooooo well. From what I've read, the pro units from Big Chill are basically RCS units with modified options (color paint, cosmetic details, etc.) but they only offer a 1 year warranty.

The Cook's Kitchen : budget is only for the range itself

What I loved about the Big Chill pro is that they come in different colors and the green one would fit our kitchen sooooo well.

I can understand that : ) . My big splurges were the 48" size and the cobalt blue color to match my blue transferware.

It helped that in our old house, where we lived for 25 years, our range was an 1950s O'Keefe & Merritt much like the one Anglo described, which we bought from the original owner for $25. I told my husband if we amortize the cost of both ranges over about 40 years, it would be a deal lol.

I havent read enough about the difference between those to actually be influenced by either open or sealed.

I love what I saw from Fisher Paykel in terms of reviews and quality but the oven is sooo small + they dont have any other color than standard stainless in my price range. But until end of June, they offer a 5 year warranty on all there appliances here in Quebec, which is a solid plus.

Yes, absolutely get the uncapped star-shaped burners. They are similar in design to what restaurants have been doing for decades, and they do work really well in distributing heat evenly. Also, the open burner design makes clean-up really easy. Usually, you just need to wipe the grates with a damp cloth and you are done -- and two or three times a year, you can clean out the drip trays and put down a new piece of aluminum foil.

On the other hand, the closed and capped burners are just like any other residential brand. Boring and not particularly exceptional. If that's what you were getting, then I don't think Bluestar stands out in any way from the mass of other brands.

Its really tough to figure all this out. You guys have to consider that I am moving from a standard $500 white electric oven hehe

Get the model from Costco and enjoy! It'll be so much better than anything you had before. And if after a few years you find that 15kBTU isn't enough, then search online for how to convert one of the burners to 18kBTU, 22kBTU or even more, if you are really adventurous. Bluestar doesn't want you to do this, so they won't sell you the parts, and I won't post any links here.

But suffice it to say, there are places that sell you the RNB burner heads and you can just swap them out for what you have in your RCS. And the gas orifice (aka jet) is an industry standard part with Bluestar ranges. You can buy that for a few dollars from any restaurant supply store. There are charts online that show you which orifice size goes with which power rating. Bluestar ranges all use pretty standard components, so these adjustments are easy to make by any technician.

That's really the recurring theme. Bluestar is easy to service, and it uses the same standard components that many commercial stoves use. So, a lot of the repairs are well within what a good technician can do, even if they have never worked on Bluestar before.

Its really tough to figure all this out. You guys have to consider that I am moving from a standard $500 white electric oven hehe

I moved on from a secondhand 1950s gas range we bought for $25 CAN lol. That's why I spent several years reading through the GardenWeb archives : )

A lot of it comes down to how and what you cook, and what your non-negotiable must-haves are. Good luck!

KDRS407VSS should be in your price range. However, I would take some time looking at costco.ca, they have Bluestar, Bertazzoni, Fulgor, all in your price range online. Also consider looking for Brigade if you can find it, it is Vikings Canadian Division. Lastly, find a large company (Canadian Appliance Source has a showroom in Montreal) and stop in to see what they have on clearance and end of life. I was in a similar store last week that had thermador ranges for $4500 for a 36" all gas.

Costco.ca has Bluestar and Bertazzoni but no Fulgor. I am also planning to visit the CAS store in Laval or Montreal next week and have a look since the deal at Big Chill is still valid for another 2 months.

I have a Fivestar range and love it. You can get it 30" or 36", all gas, sealed or open burners. A 30" would be in your budget...just not sure shipping to Canada. Check it out:

https://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/TTN2817BW.html

Also looking to buy a 36” range with a similar budget, curious if you ended up choosing one?