"plllog (and everyone else,) what would be the mid-range, but not top tier, gas ranges or gas cooktops? Your advice is beyond helpful!!" I think that we're back to the very good prior suggestion that you identify features -- down to the most basic functional attributes -- that are most important to you. 4 burners or 6? 30" 36" 48"? Are you really keen to have a grill or some particular type or output burner? In a range, something like a GE Cafe might be a nice jumping off point for somebody who likes a stainless range that has something of the pro-sumer-ish look to it, medium-high output sealed burners, etc. Getting something fundamentally different costs a bunch more money, not just a couple hundred bucks -- unless, of course, you find some screaming deal on a BlueStar, etc. That's a good sweet spot IF you want a 30" range and don't care about open burners, etc. The GE offers lots of features, but if it's not the type of thing you want, then it's not. One thing to notice is that price differences tend to shrink as you move from range choices to range top choices to cook top choices. If you are happy with a 36" cook top (and there are reasons to prefer the range top, etc.), then you might find a lot of value-for-money in looking at the higher-end offerings. For example, a 36" BlueStar cook top can be had for a couple grand -- that's a substantial up-charge over something good from the middle of the range, but it's a much smaller absolute difference in price than you'd seen in looking at ranges. If you don't want the higher output open burners, then you don't and the extra expense may be wasted -- but if you want them, it's a way to get something that's actually different without adding 3 or 5 or 10k to your bill.

For six-burner 36" ranges at less than $3k, the only choice that I know of is the NXR mentioned by Deeageaux. It just barely fits in the sub-$3k price range currently costing $2999.99 from Costco and several web retailers and regional stores. (That, btw, is a delivered-to-curb price.) The 36" NXR has six full range 15k btu-hr sealed brass burners. (Most other sub$3k 36" wide stoves use aluminum burners, instead.) As Deeageax says, there have been numbers of threads here about about NXR stoves, although most of them are about the the 30" models (which is what I own --- it costs about $1000 less.) Some friends of mine have had a 36" model for four years. Near as I can tell, the burners and oven perform the same as on my 30" model except for having two more burners and a bigger oven. Be aware that the convection fan housing projects out into the oven just enough to prevent you from using a full size -- 18 x 26 --- sheet pan if that is something you want to do. AFAIK, all of the other stoves in the sub-$3k 36" wide category are only five burner stoves. Bertazzoni -- also mentioned by Deeageaux, and Italian made, also costs $2999 (delivered price, IIRC), From postings here at GW, I gather that the oven has some limitations in size and how low the heat can go. (275F sticks n my mind but that might not be accurate.) IIRC, the burners are an 18k btu center burner, an 11k burner, a couple of 6k burners and a really small simmer burner. Berta also has a six burner unit but I think that was priced in the $5k to $6k range. My recollection is that it has aluminum burners. Verona -- another Italian made stove that costs (I think) between $2500 and $3k depending on the colors you choose. It might have only five burners and will be kind of similar to the Berta. I don't recall seeing much, if any, postings about it here. I also vaguely recall a Verona DF model with twin ovens, but I think that is up in the same price range as your first choices if not a great deal more expensive. Fisher and Paykel also has a 36" range in the $2500 price range, also a five burner stovetop. I had the impression it was an F&P/DCS response to VIking's less-expensive "Designer" series of appliances, Frigidaire also has a couple of "pro-style" ranges in the $2k to $3k ranges. When I went stove shopping last fall, Lowe's (I think) had a 36" Frigidaire "Pro" on display and priced around $2200 (as best I can recall). It had five burners which I recall being 16k btu, 14k btu, 12kBtu, 9k and 6k. The oven was small (as with the Bertas) and manual cleaning. I don't believe it had a convection fan, It had a stainless steel top with deeply recessed burner wells. Should mean stuff won't burn on as much and that it will be easier to clean. Never seen a review or discussion of it, so no first hand info on how it cooks. If you've got a little bit more space, Frigidaire is still making 40-inch wide stoves with twin ovens, convection, and self-cleaning oven. The stove top controls are on the cooktop surface (which is why it is a five burner not six burner unit.) These enjoyed some popularity here at GW about a decade ago. A friend has one and it is still going strong. She says it is easy for her to clean. If the current models are the same as hers, the burners are a a bit lightweight: 13k, a pair of 10k and a pair of 5k. I think Sears also had or has some of these under its Kenmore and Kenmore Elite brands. IKEA also had a 36 inch "Euro-style" gas range that ran about $2500 and was called the "Praktful." It was a shallow counter depth model made for IKEA by (I think) Fratelli Onofri in Italy. It may have been discontinued. My recollection is that it likewise had a five burner stovetop. There were postings about it here and at Chowhound a couple of years ago. Premiere Pro stoves have been discussed a number of times here and the majority opinion seemed to be they were not very good products. Costco had them in the on-line store for several months a couple of years ago but dropped them. My recollection is that the reviews at Coscto.com were strongly negative on build quality and function. (My memory from my stove shopping was that there was only only one positive review by a Costco customer.) I heard that Costco dropped them because they were getting too many returns. There was a thread here about a year ago that discussed "Premiere vs NXR" is you want to search further. When I was stove shopping, I also looked at the Cafe stoves like the one live_wire_oak has. While they are in the sub-$3k price range, they are 5 burner 30" wide stoves and not available in a 36" width. This post was edited by JWVideo on Sun, Jun 9, 13 at 16:41

eld, a few reactions to your comment. First, if you don't drive much in traffic or with stop and go conditions, it won't do much for you. Many people do drive in situations like that, especially those who commute to work in urban locations. Cars burn gas when idling so whatever is saved is more than nothing. It's low hanging fruit, the feature is cheap and will help and can't hurt. Second, it was developed in Europe, where auto engineers have been focused for years on wringing more performance and more efficiency out of engines. I have a few year old, not small German car with an engine that's maybe half the size of what was put in the same model a dozen years ago. It gets amazing mileage, in the high 20s in town and mid to high 30s on flat highways (at highway speeds). With a turbocharger, it's very fast and responsive at lower speeds. When I lived in Europe a few decades ago, I remember that when stopped for other than a short interval - a draw bridge, a level train crossing, a long signal- drivers turned off their engines. The start stop feature does that automatically for those who, like you and me, appreciate not having to think about it. It's not a big deal but I think it's a thoughtful one.

Small Engines ---- Faron are you familiar with Stihl MotoMix Premixed Fuel. I'm sure other manufacturers sell a similiar product. - We use it in our Stihl chainsaws at our place in upstate PA. " patented premixed fuel, specially blended for ultimate performance. Like a sports drink for your engine, this 50:1 mixture is a combination of premium non-ethanol, high-octane motor fuel and our highest-quality STIHL HP Ultra Oil. Clean and convenient, MotoMix® eliminates the hassle of mixing your own 2-stroke engine fuel while providing superior performance and lubrication. Plus, we stand behind this formulation by doubling the limited warranty when you include MotoMix® with your power tool purchase. STIHL MotoMix® contains no ethanol, allowing it to maintain stability for up to two years after the seal is broken - so it stays fresh in your equipment during long storage periods. I'm not sure which product DH buys but he also uses a fuel additive for our Kawasaki Mule. Maire