I have a bluestar 36" but it has not been installed yet, waiting on the countertops to get finished.

Matt Schutte informed me that it has the new door with the updated hinge.

Of course I won't be able to help you with many of your other questions at this moment. Hopefully within a week I can have this range installed.

sayde - how is this survey really going to help your decision? What percentage of people with hinge problems will you find acceptable? Bluestar has known hinge/door design issues. I'm amazed that they can't seem to fix this problem. Seems like you'd be better off getting a Capital range or a Bluestar rangetop. Why take a risk that your Bluesar range won't have problems.

weissman, I am coming around to the same conclusion. Am committed to range now so the rangetop option is no longer possible. I have never used an oven much --may-be once or twice a month -- so have been thinking that I might never experience any problems. I had hoped that having input here might help me calibrate my probabilities. And I really like the BlueStar grate design.

But, even given all this, it seems almost perverse at this point not to pick what seems to be the better product from Capital.

But, even given all this, it seems almost perverse at this point not to pick what seems to be the better product from Capital.

As per the co-designer who from what I've gathered so far is the only one here who has ever played with the PROTOTYPE range!

deeageaux suggested the Culinarian following is a new cult. Is she right? Now I have no reason to doubt Eurostove's integrity and enthusiam but seriously if someone comes to my door claiming to be the new messiah I'll hand him a bottle of Poland Spring and ask for Cabernet.

Also, how soon do you need the range?

If you have plenty of time you can make your decision after there have been some capital sales made.

For what it's worth, I'll answer your poll questions.
I've had my RNB 30 for 13 months with the new door (not sure if the hinges are newer though). I use the oven on average once per week and have only lubricated maybe a total of 3 times. I'm not sure what sticking means. I have felt at times, before lubicating, that when I pull the handle while the oven is on, I have to exert a little more pull. Kind of like fighting a little suction pressure. I don't know if this is normal but it doesn't bother me anymore like it used to. In fact I don't notice this happening as much. Other than that I have 2 minor issues with the door 1)the door gives off a lot of heat still so you need to be careful and 2) the door when laying open flat is not totally flat. As such I can't slide my rolling rack out completely if it's on the bottom.

I do like the oven pre-heat time, the fan being not too noisy, the width of the oven racks allowing me more useable space (both for cooking/baking and to keep more food warm) the ease of cleaning the oven floor and sides. I have never experienced the loud banging sound others report in their ovens. Not crazy about the broiler being smaller so food may get burned towards the middle if you're not careful...and ideally for what I cook, the height to broil should be somewhere between the top 2 racks which I have to modify with different apparatus for height adjustments.

The oven does the baking and roasting quite well but would like to be able to measure the exact temperature from time to time to know that my calibration is as it should be.

judyfoodie, thanks for responding. I would be very happy if my experience was similar to what yours has been. I know I'm not going to get a true cross section of the world of Blue Star people from this poll but it does help to know that someone who has been using the oven about once a week for 13 months has not had the sticking/seizing up of the door. Thanks again!

I will need the range in the September-October timeframe. We're doing a lot of the work ourselves (restoring our original cabinets) so we don't know exactly when we'll be ready. I feel like I have may-be a couple of weeks before I need to place the order.

deeageaux suggested the Culinarian following is a new cult. Is she right? Now I have no reason to doubt Eurostove's integrity and enthusiam but seriously if someone comes to my door claiming to be the new messiah I'll hand him a bottle of Poland Spring and ask for Cabernet.

foodonastump,

A) I am a guy. My handle is a substitute for "Diego",a guys name,since "Diego" was already taken.

B)Bluestar owners have been said to be part of a "cult." Much like owners of Porche or Ferrari. When a machine performs to extreme levels,many times,it engenders a following that can be described as fanatic. Some would call it cultish.

C) My calling for the new cult to begin in a weberian scream was a tongue-in-cheek way of saying this may be such a product.

D) No one is claiming to be the new messiah. A trusted dealer is saying to those that wish to listen that there is a new standard in performance ranges. Nothing miraculous about that.No turning of water into wine. Just a better stove.

Perhaps some at Bluestar would find an oven door that does not overheat or sticks and cooktop ignitors that don't crack during regular use MIRACULOUS. lol

They have a new ignition system, repositioned the ignitor , and added a heat baffle to the oven to solve the sticking problem, it is the new series V1 range and is being released now along with the Marcus Samuelsson edition range

deeageaux - Sorry dude. Saw you called "she" uncorrected in another thread so I went with it.

I sure hope this new range will be everything it's cracked up to be. I'd just hate to see it get a "cult following" because you see where that leads us. You think after all these years we'd still have the same old posts about silly defects like stuck hinges if there wasn't such a vocal crowd defending the brand all along? Time and time again the same tired excuses: "All brands have the same problems with spark modules and igniters, it's just that this brand's owners congregate here so you read more about them," or, "I'm sorry you got a lemon, but all mfrs make lemons," going against any voice of reason that says "Hmmm, a lot of posts about oven door issues. A lot of posts about igniters. Maybe (duh?) we're seeing a trend?"

I'm just suggesting let's be cautious. And objective. If they want to claim they're the best let's hold them to a higher standard. Let's not allow them to push out crap because they can.

I have a 30" RNB.
It is approx 18m old.
Door has vents on the sides.
I use it several times a week (including 500+ every Friday for pizza night).
I lube it every few weeks or when ever it feels sticky. I have never had it freeze.
I do not have the oven floor 'banging' issue.
The door gets real hot at high temps, but is reasonable at a typical 350 deg.
The temp calibration is spot on now.
I have had the oven thermostat and glow plug replaced under warranty.
Other than that, the oven works very well.
The burners are spectacular.
And it's real pretty in black.

I can understand the urge to toss your lot in with the new Capital range. At the time, the open burners were the deciding factor for me. If I had to do it over again now, I'm sure I would agonize quite a bit with 2 to choose from.

My only advice is that the Bluestar was a track record with this range, so you know what you will be getting quality-wise, what the problem areas are, and what the solutions entail.

No one knows how the new Capital will perform over time. Will the Roti motors seize up with use? Will there be poor casting of the burners causing chipping and blocked gas ports? Will the whole thing burst into flames on every other full moon?

Who knows exactly what the problem areas will be, so just don't go in expecting perfection due to newness. Every design requires a balance of performance, cost and reliability. Time will tell how well Capital manages to balance this metrics.

Well, the Culinarian and Prestige oven are the same. And the Prestige oven has been out 3 years. Including the roto.

There are only a handful of owners that post here though.

Plus you can extrapolate to some degree what the reliability of the Culinarian will based on the quality of Capital ranges made since Capital was founded in 2001.

Granted, there is some chance the differences in the Culinarian may turn out to be horrible. Such as the cooktop and the paint job.

You have to weight that versus Bluestar's track record and the chances these new fixes will work.

I may be wrong, but I thought the oven door/floor issues were mainly on 30" ranges.

So, if you have been using a Blue Star range, would you please, please respond here and tell:

--How long you have been using the range
36 RNB; 4 years

--How frequently you use the oven
not very- once a week or so; ideally zero in summer

--Are you lubricating the hinges and if so how frequently?
Never

--Have you had any problems with the oven door sticking
Never

--Do you have (or had) the old door, new door (with more vents) or-- both?
Range was purchased almost 5 years ago, so presumably old

--Is the oven behaving well in other respects?
Pretty much- the thermostat died over the holidays; DIY replacement cost ~$120 and took 75 minutes, including screwups putting the control panel back on

Thank you parrym and thull.

In my research thus far it seems most of the hinge problems have been on 30 inch models, but I'm also told that there are the overwhelming majority of units are 30 inches, so that could explain it . . .

--How long you have been using the range 1 year
--How frequently you use the oven 5 times a week
--Are you lubricating the hinges and if so how frequently? Never
--Have you had any problems with the oven door sticking No problems
--Do you have (or had) the old door, new door (with more vents) or-- both? Not sure..How many vents are more?
--Is the oven behaving well in other respects? yes it is fine. I do need to adjust the temps one day, but for now I know it is 30 degree low.

guadalupe, you have posted about some of the improvements. Thank you. Do you feel that they will successfully fix the heat and other problems? Will the quality of the Marcus also be put into the V1? If you have any other additional information on the V1 it would be so appreciated it you would post them.

Thanks all for sharing experiences. It seems that there really is no way to predict whether you're going to be one of the lucky ones who are problem-free.

I have been using my 30" Bluestar range for around 6 months now & use the oven a few times a week on average. No problems with the hinges so far. I have the vents in the door. I am lubing now with the Haynes 500 plus grease which is food grade and easy to smooth on the hinge. There is a thread here somewhere where the various lubricant options are discussed. I am trying to grease the hinges around once a month or so, it takes no time but remembering to do it is the issue. I am not going to worry about the hinges, if they stick I am sure Bluestar will help out. Good luck in your decision!

I have the 36" RCS model. Range has been in place since November, 09. We use the oven on average of about once every three weeks. (Most of our baking is small batch stuff that is much more quickly and easily done in the Speed Oven.)

No problems with the door at all. I never lube the hinges or anything. But I have never had to lube the hinges on any oven we ever owned, so that is expected behavior.

Oven does give us the old sheet-metal bang every now and then when it is warming up, but every oven we have ever owned made noise as they heated up. The bottom plate of the oven is made of a very heavy gauge sheet stock and when it bangs, it bangs loud. No big deal.

The oven is pretty cavernous. But big means longer warmups. I figure about 25 minutes to get to temp as opposed to what I am used to with our older 30" standard ranges, which was from 10 to 15 minutes.

But the results of baking in the Bluestar are great. It will hold a full commercial baking sheet if you have one. I like it because I can fit two rectangular pizza stones on the bottom rack. The oven heat is very even with only the slightest delta in browness front to rear. I can finish homemade pizzas without spinning them, which is pretty good. You can fit 4 9" quiches on one shelf if you want.

I have not used the broiler in the oven at all. All of my broiling is done in our speed oven as it is so much faster and doesn't heat up the house as much.

I am considering purchasing a RCS 30" Range and was wondering about the ease or difficulty of cleaning up the burners since it is an open burner. I was told that the pipes inside and the grating get dirty and are harder to clean than other professional ovens. Can anyone speak to this?

Thanks,
Dana

How long you have been using the range?

I have had the range for 6 years.

How frequently you use the oven?

I use the oven daily.

Are you lubricating the hinges and if so how frequently?

I lubricate the hinges on a monthly basis.

Have you had any problems with the oven door sticking?

Yes, I have had problems since day 1.

Do you have (or had) the old door, new door (with more vents) or-- both?

I have the old door.

Is the oven behaving well in other respects?

Unfortunately not. The temperatures are off and need frequent adjustment.

I have been using my RNB304 since 2003 I bought it right after the departure magazine article where they tested all the ranges. I have had no door sticking issue and do not lubricate, the range is in constant use. I did have a banging oven floor and a noisy convection fan, they replaced both at no charge in 2008 when they came up with a solution that worked, they did it at no charge because other attempts failed to solve the problem overall very happy

We've had our 30" RNB for two years. The oven gets used a lot, as often as 4 times a week when my wife is baking all of our bread. During those two years we had periodic troubles with the door sticking, so I greased the hinges frequently. Finally the door stuck so hard that getting it open damaged the inner panel. Unfortunately, it was essential that it be opened, because it had our Thanksgiving food in it.

That sounds grim, but Michael at Bluestar service responded promptly to my email, ordered a new door (reportedly with design fixes), kept me informed as to when to expect it to arrive, and, most importantly, came through exactly as promised. The new door was very easy to install and it works great. I can't say I was thrilled about the hinge problem, but I was very satisfied with the way that Bluestar remedied it.

Apart from the hinge issue, the range remains a joy to use.

Our Blue Star stove is the 48 inch with two ovens. Big oven door is frozen shut on right hinge and we're not sure what to do. How can it be opened? Forcing seems like it is damaging the door. Help please.

Mr. Barner, have you contacted Bluestar or the selling dealer yet?

I've had my range in use for about 9 months with absolutely no problems. I use it probably twice a week. I have only lubricated the hinges once still installation. Am I flirting with disaster?? I did have to have the door replaced at the time of installation because the installer/movers dented it when delivering it, so I am assuming I have the newer style door. I am perfectly happy with my range. The cooktop is a breeze to keep clean. I am a happy, happy girl with my BS. The only down side is keeping things at a simmer on the simmer burner; it simmers too hot for most things and I use a simmer plate on top of the burner to cool things down...other than that I love it!!

Hey Cheyenne, you can adjust that simmer down lower, by removing the knob and using a thin flat blade screwdriver.

Thanks alexr, we've tried that and it's still not low enough for us!! It's just a small thing, we've adapted...

I am coming to this topic late in the game, but I also have the 48" range and the door began to stick early on. I have owned it for roughly 3-4 years. The door fully locked on me last week so found this info thread. Is there a simple fix? High temperature grease? Replacement hinges? And if so, are they available as a DIY for owners? Full door replacement better option? Thank you for any info!

The hinges on the oven door on my RCS 30" failed after 2 years, nine months. Considering the price of the range, I was surprised that it was of such inferior quality. Then, reading that this is a common problem with the range, made me wary of getting a new door. Blue Star offered to replace it, for just under a thousand dollars. I should have taken them up on it, but I thought it could be repaired. I was wrong there, too. There are other design and engineering flaws that make this range a real lemon. I'll have it repaired and sell it as soon as I can.