I have had a Bluestar 6 burner rangetop since 2012, and I would buy it again. As far as the burners go, the only part I have replaced are the delicate ceramic ignitors. I think they are about $50.00, but extremely easy to install yourself. You just remove the grate and bowl, then I believe there is a screw to remove. The ignitors just plug in. We have replaced 3 so far because we had the original "open" ceramic ignitors. New ones have a closed top.

Another thing about BS is that the stainless steel scratches easily. My husband set his coffee cup on the SS and turned the cup so he could pick it up by the handle. Yep! He scratched it when it was about a day old!

Sorry that I can't help you with the oven part. I can only say to stay away from American Range. My dual fuel double oven has been trouble since day 1. It cost me $750.00 to repair even though American Range sent me the free parts. ($250 was travel costs because A.R. did not have any techs close to me.) 2 years after repairing it, the exact same thing is happening with the gas oven. I have had 30-40 year old "cheap" ovens and never had to repair them. A.R. is just a poor quality product. I saw that my oven sells for over $12,000.00 now. Why is anyone buying them?

I have a Fivestar Range. I've had it for about six years now I think? I haven't had any issues with it so far, so no experience with service yet. My neighbor has one too and needed service. I think she said they sent someone from the factory in Tennessee...she was impressed with their service. Hers was under warranty, so there wasn't a charge. But it's been awhile ago, I would call them and ask them about service and service providers in your area, if any.

@jxamis

Are you in Canada that you can get a dual fuel BlueStar? Someone posted at one time that BS was bringing out DF in the US but haven’t seen it yet. What model BlueStar if not the DF?

Also what model of the FiveStar are you considering. They have a dual fuel, that includes a gas and electric oven with gas burners and another version that is an electric oven and gas burners. What is important about an electric oven to you?

What aspect of an “open burner” are you interested in? Manufactures mean different things by this term.

FiveStar is mostly referring to the open area on the tray. This affects the way you clean it. The actual burner is a ring burner and it does not have a removable cap but the burner ports are on the side of the ring. FiveStar tries to get a large range of heat out of one burner so has more flare than many other burners that may use a stacked burner or not as wide of range Of BTUs.

BlueStar has several other features other than the open burner tray that relate to performance. It is star shaped and and the burner ports go along the rays of the star. This disperses the heat over a greater area and keeps the flame more within the footprint of the burner. If you use heavy copper , aluminum or pans that incorporate significant amounts of these metals, this may not matter as much because the pan evens the heat out because those metals have great ability to transfer heat. If you use cast iron, steel or stainless cookware, the burner disperses the heat. There is no burner cap that increases flare as you turn the heat up. The BTUs on the BS RNB or Platinum are much higher than the open FiveStar. This design is helpful if you stir fry or just need a lot of heat fast because it keeps more of those BTUs to the center..

https://youtu.be/MZdZxyOUX58

With my BS, I can remove a grate to cook stir fry since the bowl is round and my wok has a round bottom (better than flat bottom). I can also turn my grates so they are a little farther away from the flame. This is important with high BTU gas stoves. Sometimes my highest and medium BTU burners are still too hot when turned all the way down. Sometimes, my lowest burner is too hot...like when melting chocolate. I think my installer saw the flame was very low and he adjusted it higher...it was supposed to be that low and I didn't realize he had changed it. Check then other brands for conveniences like these.

In regards to electric or gas...I used to get gas ovens because I could light them in a power outage, but I don't know if it can still be done with electronic ignition. I can light my BS rangetop with a match, but not my A.R. gas oven.

Also, some people say gas is better for roasting and braising and electric is better for baked goods. I have no idea if that is right. I use my electric broiler instead of my gas broiler usually because my electric broiler covers a larger surface than the flames of the gas broiler. The gas broiler tends to burn what is directly under it while the outer edges of the flame are still trying to broil.

With my BS, I have to use very low flames to use my All-Clad skillets.

@Peke

I just posted what I think is the difference in gas and electric ovens and why here.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5995799/kitchenaid-commercial-range-gas-vs-dual-fuel#n=2

Do you use low flame on AC because that is enough heat for what you are cooking or are you afraid of damaging it? My sister had one I think delaminate and I am thinking it got too hot.

@wekick

You've given me a lot to think about, thank you. I use Calphalon tri-ply or carbon steel pans. Both conduct heat well, which is why I thought the lower btu on the 5 star would be sufficient. If I go with the BS I would likely get a gas cook top and electric oven...which is a lot to consider financially.

The dry heat of electric is great for baking. When cookinf meats etc that need more humidity I (maybe stupidly) pour a bit of water into the bottom.

I want an open burner as I feel they disperse heat better, and more evenly. Also, I really hate cleaning a sealed burner. BS's pull out tray is far easier imo. I cannot find whether 5star has that option so, I'm guessing they dont. In which case, I am not sure how cleaning it will work.

@jxamis

This is an excellent article on the performance of various kinds of cookware on a gas ring burner.

https://www.centurylife.org/cookware-even-heating-rankings-butane-propane-natural-gas-etc/

The carbon steel is not all that even heating but does hold a lot of heat.

I posted a link above on Peke’s post that is a discussion about why an electric oven is not “dry heat”. You cannot keep meat fibers moist by adding any external humidity. It depends on the internal temperature of the meat. In something like a braise meat is cooked to a higher temperature and the fibers have expelled their moisture but are bathed by fat and melted connective tissue giving the perception of moisture.

An open burner in and of itself does not disperse heat any better. It is still a ring burner.

The star shape is what does disperse the heat over a greater area as explained above.

The BS cooktop has the same star burner but does not clean up the same way at all.

Maybe consider the BlueStar RCS which has lower BTUs but still has the star burner. It is quite a bit less than the RNB.

https://www.bluestarcooking.com/cooking/ranges/36-rcs-series-range/

I would be very reluctant to buy a DF oven from Capital especially with not knowing what is going on with service. Their electric oven has been the subject of several threads here and their engineer at the time came on this forum But admitted the ovens aren’t for everyone- that would be anyone who opens and closes the oven frequently. for cookies or appetizers.

As you seem to really have a handle on ranges, is there a brand other than BS that you think is reliable and worth the price? Ilve, LaCornue, GE Cafe etc etc?

As much as I love my BS, I am not sure I would get another one. I really don't need those high BTU burners. I prefer low and slow cooking. With those high BTU burners, I had to get a high cfm vent hood which cost about $1200.00 seven years ago. I think I would settle for the easiest to clean and easiest to repair.

That was one of the reasons I passed on the BlueStar during my recent gas range purchase search, i.e., the high BTU burners. The range I ended up purchasing has maximum BTU burners of 18,000 which is plenty powerful for my cooking needs. I've had my new range for a month now and there have only been a couple of times I've used the 18,000 BTU burners at full strength.

Smetimes I can't get my burners low enough. I know I can turn the grate to make the pot set further away from the burner, but by the time I realize the burner is too hot, the grate is too hot to turn. Plus, I don't like having a hot pot of liquid or grease setting up high on a Ledge where I could knock it off.

@Peke - maybe a silly question, but you never know: have you adjusted your low burner setting on your Bluestar burners?

Youtube: Low setting adjustment BS burners

No, I have not. I guess I should not have assumed they were correct from the factory. Thanks for the link.

@jxamis , you've probably made your decision by now, but I just posted my comments and questions about our FiveStar range on this post: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4379186/5-star-range-review#n=82 . The things I don't like have to do with the gas ovens, which sounds like you won't have if you have dual fuel.

@Architectural Notice what range did you get? Is it gas or duel fuel? What do you love and not love about it?

@Denise Meyer, I have the 30" gas F&P range.

Things I love about it:

Powerful, responsive burners.

Stainless steel top (I much prefer it to the black enamel)

Telescopic oven racks (come standard with the range)

Soft close oven door

Things I don't love about it:

No low simmer burners (1,000 BTU is the lowest)

The oven isn't real large but it suits my needs. I don't bake much or cook elaborate dinners where I need a large oven.