Can't help you on anything but the BlueStar. Those are manufactured in the United States and are solid. The customer service would be great. I'd visit a dealer locally and see what their experience with BlueStar has been for more information, and perhaps you could progress with the decision by getting some in-person advice. We have a showroom called Jarrell in Dallas, Texas, that handles BlueStar and has quite a number of units on display. They are manufactured in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

BluesRangetar rangetop burners are so easy to install when they go out. I replace them myself. They just plug in.

Now American Range........Do a search here on Houzz. I had 2 double wall ovens in one year. Problems persisted after the warranty, and American Range sent me parts. The problem was that not one local appliance repairman wanted to work on them. So, I had 1 unusable gas oven for over 3 years until I found a repairman. Hundreds of dollars in labor, and a couple hundred dollar trip charge for something that should have been fixed under warranty. American Range refused to answer my emails. Even when I showed them my original emails detailing the problems during the warranty time period, they did nothing to fix it. They could not find an appliance repairman either, but they sent the parts. (Two were wrong parts.)

As for the 1 electric oven that was usable, it burned everything on top because the broiler comes on while baking. That is how American Range designed it to bring the oven back up to the correct temperature. It is a design flaw, but American Range will not admit it.

American Range....buyer beware.

Of those you listed, for me and how we cook, I'd say Bluestar but RNB rather than RCS.

Bluestar. No question. Buy one and never look back.

American Range -- what Peke said and for an example of the mixed reviews here you could start with this this thread. Also would be a good idea to check out the user guides for surprises. A few years back there were complaints here that AR ranges cannot be match lit and would not work in power outages. (That apparently was in the user guide.)

NXR -- I've had the prior model (DRGB3001) for 8 years and been well pleased with it The AK3001 is slightly gussied up with a different burner arrangement. My DRGB has four dual-stacked 15k Isphording burners, the AK has two flat capped 9k simmer burners and two 18k Isphording dual stacked burners, plus individual burner ignitors (so a little more electronics but no more than the Bluestars) and LEDs for the active burner control knobs. The big burners are best suited to bigger pots (ones with 10" or 12" diameter bases.

A couple of recommendations from past threads on NXRs to consider:

(a) buy only from vendors with satisfaction guarantees, (like Costco) so you can take it back for a full refund if you get a lemon or you find you just don't like it. (BTW, Costco currently seems to be out of the 30-inch models.)

and

(b) post-sale service availability is hit or miss, so don't buy an NXR if you can't do, or don't like doing, or don't have time to do DIY maintenance.

NXRs started out as knock-offs of the Wolf and DCS range designs from the 1980s. Kind of like buying 1960s and 70s vintage four-wheel-drive vehicles, or if, say, Hyundai started making replica Dodge Powerwagons, Ford Broncos, Jeeps, etc. Like old trucks, they will need upkeep. For instance, cleaning out jets when the burners start clicking. and occasional parts replacements such as oven glow-bar igniters, for example. For those, you can buy generic replacements used in lots of other stoves. If you are considering this, have a look at this long-running thread on DIY support for NXRs: "If Susan fixed her NXR oven ignitor u can 2!" --- see if that attracts or repels you.

Blue Star I have limited experience with Blue Stars (mostly back when they were making them for Garland's residential line) but the "exploding ranges" stuff was user error -- users running the convection fan before the bake or broil burner ignited. That was something the user guide explicitly said not to try. Some people did it anyway. Now, an interlock shuts off the convection fan whenever the oven igniter starts heating up and keeps it off for as long as the oven burner is cycled on.

Now, here is a question for you: does your "undersized, spartan, overperforming workspace" already have an externally venting range hood? If not, do we need to tell you that you need to do something about it before you bring in one of these fire breathers?

Before making a decision I spent at least 2 years researching ranges. We owned a 48” Thermador for more than 14 years and put at least $2,000 into parts to repair the repeated problems we experienced. That said we researched ranges that were not completely computer run. I believe I read every review I could find. And even watched some professional chef reviews. In the end we decided on a Bluestar.

Our 48” RNB arrived in October and I have no regrets! Everything about this range I love. My Christmas cookies all came out perfect; nicely browned outside and moist on the inside. Cheesecake, brownies, bread, and pizza have all baked beautifully. Meats and casseroles cooked evenly and on time. My old Thermador has not baked evenly in a very long time and often stopped in the middle of baking. The small RNB oven does a wonderful job. Both ovens heat up quickly. My old small oven was useless. It took nearly an hour to heat up and twice as long to cook. In the small oven, I cooked two 9 x 13 dishes at once on Christmas day and they were both finished at the same time. I could never do that in my Thermador. And the ovens clean up easily, if you just take a few minutes after a spill and clean it.

We love the open burners and would never go back to sealed burners. Searing and Wok cooking is unbelievable. I cook with cast iron pans and love that the burners are all cast iron. They are much easier to keep clean and nice looking. Since I do a lot of cooking, the stainless sealed burners on my Thermador lost their shine and became discolored in a couple of years. Those who are concerned about rust will find these burners do not rust unless you allow water to sit on them. I also love the trays underneath that catch spills and debris. I put them in the dishwasher every couple of weeks and the come out like new.

My RNB came with an integrated rolled steel griddle. I am very happy with the steel griddle. It heats evenly and cleans up easily. My old griddle came with a non-stick surface which eventually came off and left debris in our food. It did not clean up well at all. Steel or cast iron is the way to go.

Today I am still in love with my Bluestar and recommend it any chance I get. I think my family must get tired of hearing me say, “I love this range”.

I would trade my American Range Hybrid double wall oven for a Bluestar single oven in a heartbeat.

I have a BS 30 inch RNB, and mostly love it, but the oven does take quite a while to heat up. I used an American Range in a rental cottage a year or two ago - while rental ranges can get more abuse, it was in horrid shape, which would make me question how well it was built in the first place.

Bluestar 100%
Zline is a poor man’s wanna be with horrendous issues such as carbon monoxide emissions - oven temp fluctuations as well as uneven baking -burners won’t adjust to simmer!
They have made them so attractive that people are buying with buyers remorse after the first of many issues.
Invest in USA made ranges and not Chinese mass production junk ! Bluestar also makes Big Chill Ranges for a lower price point .