I personally would go with the American Range if you have a service provider nearby. I'm biased towards open burner stoves though, so that colors my perspective. I'm planning a remodel for this summer and we are going to get a 36" gas range to replace our 30" Viking open burner (which we have loved btw-too bad they stopped making them w/open burners). So I only considered open burner ranges. I haven't bought a range yet, but looked at the BS, the AR and the CC. I did not like the CC. The looks of the range and feel of the knobs didn't work for me. I've gone back and forth between the other two for a month or so now, and I decided to go with BS b/c I like how it looks a bit more, I like the burner setup, and the ones I've seen (various models and sizes) look solid w/no problems such as the door you mentioned. The AR is very nice looking, the knobs feel solid, the oven door was solid and moved easily, but it's a bit more industrial than the BS imo. The grates do sit quite high off the burners which I just didn't like the look of. I think it fits the overall look of the range but not quite what I want looks wise. I do think the high grates would make any simmer worry a non-issue though. However, I would be happy with either one of them. I don't think you can go wrong with the AR, it's a great range, and the open burners will delight you when you cook.

Thanks for the input, Malabacat! Do you have your BS range yet? Did you get the RNB? If so, could you tell me whether there are vents/holes on the sides of the oven door? The one they had at my local store (and they only had a 30" RNB on display) had holes on the sides of the doors, but the pictures I see online don't seem to show those holes. I think the holes on the sides of the doors are part of what made the door look weird to me, but I wonder whether maybe the store I was at had an older display model. I do think I would like the burner set up better on the BS (with two medium size burners in the middle) over the AR.... Ack - maybe I should add the BS back into the mix!

Anyone else with real world experience on an American Range Performer, Wolf AG (w/ sealed burners) or Thermador Pro Harmony AG????

I have had a 36" ARPS for 4 months. It rocks. Simmer is very gentle even on the big burners if you're using a big pan.

My big burners are rated at 22K not 25K, I saw another user with the same report in this forum. There's a pretty long recent ARPS thread linked in this post.

I agree that the open burners are delightful to work with.

I wouldn't really sweat having the burner big-medium arrangement for griddle use. It would be very easy to adjust to be even. Make no mistake, the medium burners at 18KBTU really can crank it out, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: American Range Performer Recent Buyers

I don't have my BS yet. We are starting our remodel in June so I'm trying to get as many decisions made as possible ahead of time. Good luck with your decision!

As someone who also struggled with the selection of a 36" range for our remodel considered quite a few options before narrowing the choice down to the Wolf and the AR Performer, I can empathize!

We have several friends who are very happy with their Wolf Ranges but they are the previous models with the open burners. We contacted the distributor and were told there were no open burner models available in our area. After that, we were able to see the AR and the Wolf side-by-side in a local appliance store which made the comparison in looks and features much simpler. We loved the industrial look of the AR - it is impressive and looks like a serious cooking machine - it's a great look for our new, contemporary kitchen. The open burners with the AR vs the sealed burner Wolf and the difference in price finalized the deal.

Our AR Performer (with burners rated at 25,000 BTUs btw) was installed about a week ago. We haven't had much chance to use it yet but so far, so good. Our friends and neighbors who have seen it are totally impressed and are asking for details - no doubt, some of them will be considering the AR Performer when they are in the market for a new range!

Good luck with finding the range that is perfect for you!

Thanks for the ARPS feedback, goldenguy and MzKiz. Would you both mind sharing which hood you decided on for the range? Our current plan is for a 42x24" hood made by the cabinet company w/ a 1100 cfm blower insert (PK2239). I don't think that blower will cover the entire opening for the hood and there would also be a liner that would go around the blower. Thoughts?

It is tough picking out a new range. I am looking for a third range in the space of 7 years to fill the space in my kitchen.

One thing I like about the prostyle ranges is the depth that allows the use of big pans. The Pro Harmony is cabinet depth so you lose this benefit.

The burners on all prostyle ranges are wider sealed or open, so you will have small pans enveloped on high heat. Most come with at least one small pan burner though. My current range is a Wolf DF with sealed burners and I like the burners. I can use a 7 inch, shallow sauce pan on the burners and it will heat evenly but the key is having cookware that is heat conductive. For smaller pans, I use the small pan burner. In evaluating a burner, look at the BTU range high and low to evaluate the heat you will use. To compare apples and oranges you need the actual BTU number not "140 degree simmer". Next look at the burner configuration. Star shaped burners have the burner ports spread over a greater area. Some have the ports oriented in such a way that when you turn the heat up the flame flares to the side of the rays. This keeps the foot print of the heat about the same but in order to take advantage of that you will have to size your pans to the burner. This is useful if you cook with pans that have poor heat conduction like cast iron or thin metal. Other burners have the ports oriented toward the outside. When you turn them up they will flare more toward the outside, expanding the heat foot print. This is good if you use bigger pans. Sealed and open will do that but the amount of flare depends on the way they are engineered. If your pans conduct heat well(thick aluminum or thick copper) you will maximize the usefulness of any burner. There are all kinds of videos on youtube and if you can't see a range in person that will give you an idea of the size of flames in relation to your pot and you can also find videos about what is involved in cleaning the burners. They are all different. Some are marketing videos so you have to take with a grain of salt but you can see the burners in action.

The reason I am getting rid of my Wolf is that the blue enamel started chipping at 4.5 years old. They won't give me a price to fix it but only that the labor starts at $800. In light of the ongoing issues with Wolf Blue enamel and the fact that they will only warranty the repair for a year or maybe even less I don't want to reinvest. The AG range does not have the blue enamel though. One thing to consider is that someone related on another thread that they talked to Wolf and Wolf now will only warranty the interiors of their ovens for 60 days. The actual wording of the warranty does not mention porcelain interiors but only stainless so not sure how they can do that. I liked the AP too but they do not have any warranty on the interiors or glass of their ranges so that is a deal breaker for me given the history of revolving appliances in my kitchen.

I have a 36" Blue Star RNB. I got it in October 2012. Yes, it does have the holes on the side of the door.

I love this range. The burners have really changed my life, as far as cooking goes. It is a joy to use them and I look forward to preparing every meal. I use my big burners most of the time. The simmer burner does come in handy for some things but I think I use it less than other folks seem to.

Cleaning is so easy it's a joke. The cast iron grates just season with use and look great all the time. I sweep crumbs into the drip trays below and clean them every couple of weeks.

We have a grill that looks perfect. My housekeeper takes it apart every couple of weeks to clean it and replace all the foils in the drip trays which is way more than necessary but she is pretty compulsive.

The oven is huge and cooks evenly. I do use my Miele speed oven when I can because it heats up quicker but there are times when the big gas oven is what I want. Like when finishing pan-roasted meats.

I love the lack of electronics. I mean, I really, really love that.

Downsides? The convection fan is loud but I rarely use it anyway. Fit and finish? It is not up to Wolf standards, but it is fine. I view function as most important.

I have dealt with customer service a couple of times and they were very responsive. I had some trouble lighting my grill for a few days after my housekeeper would clean it and I thought the convection fan was too loud. They came right out and replaced the grill burner and the fan. Grill lighting continued to be an issue but I figured out that my housekeeper was getting the insides of the burner wet and until they dried out after a few days some of the burner holes would not light. So it wasn't a BS problem. All is fine now once I directed her to use less water when cleaning the grill burner. The fan is still loud.

All in all, I am a really happy camper.

One more thing. Like you, I haven't done wok cooking but want to start. I finally bought a round-bottomed wok this week and will do my first Blue Star stir fry tonight. The awesome thing is that the grate comes out and the wok sits right in the flame. You don't need a wok ring. When I seasoned the wok the other night, the heat generated was awesome.

Can't wait for dinner!

I, too, went with the 36" BS RNB. I'm moving in very soon so I hope to let you know how it goes. I will say this, the delivery men COULD NOT BELIEVE how heavy it was. They had to go up stairs with it and were definitely worn out. Barely got it up. (messed the stain on the steps - had to repaint). It is not a flimsy piece at all.

I was faced with this same choice, along with a Capital Culinarian, and considered Thermador, Dacor, and Wolf. Neither AR nor BS are available where I live, but was able to see a BS in Las Vegas. I didn't like the look as much as I'd hoped, and realized with basically all the surface being cast iron, it was going to look awful all the time. The AR design seemed better for my needs, though I still haven't seen or touched one in person.

Living near the ocean in Hawaii has been murder on the cast iron grates on my existing range and even the uncoated cast iron parts of my new Le Creuset pot began rusting in the first few weeks. Locally there is no one who has ever serviced either brand so I'm hoping I don't get a lemon. I was able to order from a company (Pacific Source) that does business here on the Big Island. Ordered a month ago and will be at least another month until it arrives.

This post was edited by robguz24 on Mon, Jul 7, 14 at 3:47