deciding that you definitely want open burners really narrows things down considerably.

i had a dynasty (now jade) in my last kitchen and it was great. no issues with it and the service was through maytag's service network, so it wasn't hard to get people out who knew how to work on it. i got a great deal on it. since they've re-branded to jade, the prices have gone way way up.

i now have a bluestar and, so far, i like it better. i love the all cast iron top for easy cleanability, and i love the power.

i ruled out viking due to reading about so many service issues, and wolf, due my perception that i'd be paying for the brand name and all the advertising wolf/subzero does. but that's my perception based on conjecture, mostly. i've never used either brand.

I think the only ranges with open burners are Wolf, Bluestar, and Viking, at least that's what was available when I was looking. If you 're talking about the all-gas Wolf (which is the one with open burners), I don't know what bells and whistles you are talking about. I have this range in 36" and it is very plain - no electronics, timers, knob lighting, etc. One switch for the convection fan/cooling fan, one switch for the oven light, knobs for each burner and the oven. Pretty simple which is why I chose it - no electronics to break.

There is lots of info on this site re: the Wolf and Bluestar ranges, also Viking so do a search using the search feature and read through the various threads.
I chose Wolf because it was something I could obtain locally (thus I knew I could get proper, excellent service when/if I needed it). Wolf has excellent service. Also, when I looked at the ranges in person, I preferred Wolf's fit, finish, and build quality to the more industrial Bluestar and I didn't really need 22K burners for my style of cooking. My Wolf burners provide more than enough firepower for me. However, you will find a huge group of Bluestar owners on this forum who really love their stoves and wouldn't have anything else. When I was shopping, there was about $800.00 difference in price between the 36" Bluestar and Wolf models.

Have you considered the Five Star? It has open burners, much cheaper then Wolfe and Bluestar. Also, you can get a self clean model with the open burners. I don't believe Blue Star is self cleaning ever!! That would drive me crazy. Especially in a 48" size. That is a lot of oven to clean by hand. Just a thought re interior cleaning.

I would tend to echo the comments above. As a Lacanche buyer, I'd tend to agree that if what you're looking for is a "commercial style" range that Lacances don't really fit into this crowd.

Wolf, Viking, BlueStar, Five Star, etc are all similar enough in appearance (SS, big cast grills, etc) that most non-GW obsessives could not tell them apart without looking at the logo. Anyone could pick a Lacanche out of a lineup with the others. If that all-stainless, "all I care about is functionality" restaurant look is what you're going for then the Lacanche is definitely wrong.

My Lacanche bias does prompt me to ask, what was it about the burners that you "half way dismissed because of the burner sizes?" The Cluny 1400 which we ordered (which admittedly is 55'' wide, not 48'') can be configured with two 18K Classique open burners plus four smaller burners (two 15K and two 11K is the standard). Custom configurations can be chosen if that's not what you want, such as four 15K burners plus the two 18K Classiques. That compares favorably with the array of 15K burners with the closed, or 16K open burners on the Wolf, though it certainly falls short of the 22K BS burners.

Perhaps the concern is the desire to have all burners the same so there is no confusion over which one to choose. I'd argue that the array of burners is more efficient and allows better utilization of different sized pans, but certainly understand some folks preference for "equality."

My sister just installed a Wolf range top and wall ovens in her kitchen and I guess it is the wall ovens that have the fancy hide away touch controls. I was skeptical of Wolf after learning that they are now made by Sub-Zero. I know it is nothing like my mother's commercial Wolf she has had for 30 years. That is what I learned to cook on and never had an issue with too much heat or simmering and I believe her burners are 24k. I do like having all my burners the same size so I can put the pan anywhere on the stove. I figure I can turn a large burner down but only turn a small one up so high. I have 5 children so I'm usually cooking generous amounts at a time, and often!

I've noticed some ovens are porcelain and some (at least the Jade) oven is stainless steel. I am guessing porcelain is easier to clean, are there other advantages to one over the other?

As far as price, the Wolf is about $4k more than the Bluestar, although I will have to pay shipping. There is one company here that sells Bluestar but they don't even know it. The Jade is about $2k less than the Bluestar.

I will look into the Five Star some more.

Thanks!