They are pretty different, can you tell us what you are looking for in terms of capabilities? Fundamentally it's open burner versus sealed between these two.

-Stooxie

I want at least one high BTU output.
I want my pots/pans to spread out easily.

I have read this site for almost 9 years and now will be ready to pull the trigger, but still undecided.
I'm overwhelmed.
How much $$$ is it worth to get a few extra BTUs (I will be using propane).
I am concerned the knobs will get hot on the cooktop but I wonder if 6 burners at 17K or so will be overkill for just DH and I.
I thought about Bosch cooktop ...but not sure if spending a little more would give me a better product.

Thanks for letting me vent.

I'm sorry to muddy the waters, and not answer what you're asking...But need to ask why you aren't comparing BlueStar rangetop to Monogram rangetop, instead of cooktop to rangetop? Or why Wolf and Capital aren't under consideration?

Albert Lee should be able to get you either, and I like to deal with Mike Hoag at their Seattle store. I could also recommend Jim at Metropolitan in South Seattle, and at Anderson's in Fife, I think it was Chris who was a lot of help.

Rhome!! Hi!! *waving*

Perhaps I am not up on prices but I thought Bluestar rangetop was well over 3K; their cooktop was under 2K.
Wolf and Capital are also well over 3K...so that is why they are not under consideration.

I get a GE employee discount, but even still, once the Washington state taxes hit, it adds up. I was just notified that one of the vendors on line cannot sell bluestar to me because they are in california....Maybe I will contact Albert Lee and see if he can give me a quote.
I thought BlueStar was reviewed here as one of the best.
The online store suggested Wind Crest but I have not done any research on that brand yet.

Thanks for the feedback!

Not "well" over... Bluestar 6 burner range top is $3035 at ajmadison.com.

(...and the cooktop $1799 - so you're right, considerable price difference.)

Since price is a consideration you could get a NXR free standing range 30" with ALL burners that are 15,000btu and ALL burners go down to a VERY low simmer. Can use 4 large pots/pans on the range top at once. I was cooking with two 10" pots, one 12" cast iron skillet and my 16" Wok on mine last night.
Has a nice size convection oven and infrared broiler and can get it for between $1799-$2000 delivered to your door in Washington.

The Capital cooktop is around $1300. Sealed burners, but the center burner is 20K, and all burner simmer at 140 degrees.

I cannot get a range (stove) because the the previous owners built wall oven/micro and there is currently an electric cooktop (which we will convert to propane. We would have to rip out countertop/cabinets to fit a stove in....not the end of the world, but just more expense that would counter the benefits of getting a stove in the first place.

Capital is the one with that weird wok ring in the middle which means you can't use any other burners if you use it??
I'll check it out before we make any decisions. Sadly, all decisions are made on line. My appliance stores that Rhome indicated are 2-1/2 hours away by ferry.

Have you considered Caldera? I know Trailrunner, who cooks gourmet meals, stir fries, etc., etc., loves hers and I remember them being very reasonably priced. Not sure if you can get it locally, but I think you can see it on Universal-akb.com. Just another idea. The BlueStar looks nice.

I don't know enough about Monogram rangetops...Just had my bad oven experience with them. DCS used to make the components for their rangetops, which would be a good thing, IMO, but now that they make their own, I don't have the same confidence.

Caldera, as I understand, is no longer being mfg. So once they run out of inventory...that's it.
I wanted the 36" with knobs and it is no longer available.

GE is now (for better or worse) making their own stuff. Sigh.

Oh, sorry about the Caldera. I'm not up on these things!

Wow...hard to choose between the Monogram and the BlueStar then. I like a rangetop, but believe in BlueStar's burners. Their cooktop looks a lot like a rangetop in benefits (same good burner type, and you get the burner size offered by a rangetop), but with a lower profile. Monogram's burners of all the same power makes it tempting. But I'm not a GE fan at the moment. That and the open burners would push me back to BlueStar.

What about tossing in the Dacor Millennia DRT304SLP
It is 4 burners but rangetop so the full use of burners are available....
thoughts?

WHat would be the advantage over the BlueStar? Without knowing why you might like it better, I still prefer open burners. The Blue Star burners on the 36" look like they're still the full 12" size, aren't they?

Hi Rhome, yes, I think they are...I think the Dacor burners are 14" and DH prefers the knobs down below versus where they can get hot. I appreciate your virtual hand-holding on this.

Pluses and minuses. All hard to consider and wade through. I know how it is! So anytime... You know how/where to find me! ;-)

You say you would have to convert to propane. Do you really want gas that much?

I have a natural gas Blue Star range and love it so far -- have just started using it. But I do think it is somewhat of an "irrational" choice given all I've read about induction. If I were in the position you are in, having electric but not natural gas I would have chosen induction. Why have you not considered an induction cook top?

Rhome, thank you :-)
Sayde, I have well over $1000 worth of All-clad pots/pans in the aluminum series (MC3) which is not induction friendly. I could use my Le Creuset on induction but the thought of tossing my well-loved All-clad is not appealing. Since induction is out, propane is my next choice. I'm not a fan of electric (traditional) in any way, shape or form.
I love the open burner concept, but have never had it so probably won't know what I am missing.
I'm going by price as well as decent day-to-day use.

Appreciate the feedbacks.

wallycat, understand what you're saying about the All-Clad.

But it will cost something to implement Propane. And you could sell the All-Clad on eBay.

Really, I do not have a horse in this race, and in fact I have gas open burners and really like them. Just presenting options.

Thanks again.
We plan to install a propane fireplace, so the propane issue will happen regardless. Not a fan of the humming/buzzing I hear about induction.

If you'll get power outages like we do (which I'm assuming you will where you are), you'll appreciate the gas. ;-) Wish we had a fireplace, but I've been very thankful to have the ability to cook hot food.