I have seen a Bluestar in Ontario

16 years ago

I was in the Tasco store in Mississauga yesterday and was able to look at the Bluestar that they are now carrying.....

They had the 36" Heritage model on the floor - sort of tucked in beside a fridge - not really well displayed.

DH and I compared the fit and finish of the Bluestar to the Wolf that we did order (because I couldn't bring myself to order it sight unseen from the distributor in Quebec). I have to say that I was underwhelmed by the fit and finish of the display unit - am hoping that this was because it was their first in the showroom and that it is currently looking like an orphan. Sharp edges in places that I would have been certain to cut myself when cleaning the machine, poor aligment of various stove top parts (it looked like the whole grate assembly was about 1/4" to 3/8" out of alignment so the grates looked crooked) and the cast iron top was really rough - this would be the parts that the burner ring sit into - my impression is that this would be really tough to keep clean.

Now all of the things that I am chatting about are cosmetic to be sure and they are potentially meaningless when you use the machine but since I couldn't evaluate an operating range, this was all I had to go on - I am certain that all of the Bluestar owners out there are very happy with their purchases.....

The only other thing is that it looks like the mark up from the distributor to showroom is very high. This beast had a list price of $9500 CDN. Now I know that is not the price you would be paying at Tasco - it would be less but I think it would net out at closer to $7.5K after their discounts optimistically speaking. The Heritage must list higher than the regualr 36" 6 burner but the number that I was quoted for that was $5400 delivered direct from the distributor - not certain that the Heritage Grill and Broiler is worth another $2K or more but that's what I saw.....

So for those of you in Ontario that want to at least look at one and compare - TASCO does carry them and there is one in the store in Mississauga.

Marion K.

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Comments (5)

evergreendan
16 years ago
Owning a BlueStar and having looked at Wolf, I agree with your assessment about the fit-and-finish. The Bluestar isn't horrible, but the Wolf certainly looks better. The cast iron top (grates and pans) are tough to wipe clean because there are so many places to wipe. But they also go in the dishwasher, so they can be "deep cleaned" as often as you want. The good news is that you never have to scrub around the burners (becuase the go in the dishwasher). The burners themselves don't go in the dishwasher, but they seem to get hot enough that they clean themselves.

I don't think you would clean anyplace that you would cut yourself. The drip pan comes out, toss the foil, reline, and your back in business. Not much drips down there, though, unless you boil over or lose a chunk of food off your saute pan.

So, I agree that it is not as refined looking as the Wolf, and it is probably harder to keep absolutely spic-and-span clean, but it is probably easier to keep "pretty darn clean", which is what I aim for.

Now, isn't it Blue Jays you have up there in Toronto?
elizpiz
16 years ago
Coincidentally I also saw the BS yesterday at Tasco (on Dufferin) - same model. Certainly doesn't look as nice as some of the others on the floor, but as I'm looking at getting a BS cooktop, hard to truly compare and contrast. I'm most concerned with getting the best performance. I was impressed with the Capital products we saw, and am going to search for experience with Capital on this forum. I'm also going to check and see if buying a BS in the US is worth the hassle - with the dollar reaching parity, now would be the time to do it.
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Yep, have to take into consideration the size of the pans, 2 large (12"+) pans and they'll need to be offset, can't be side to side or front to back inline. One of the reasons I like the 22k's so much are that the flame pattern is larger in diameter and covers the bottom of a pan better, any pan. I have them adjusted so that they'll all simmer quite well, the reason the 8k gets used so little is that it's pattern is quite small and I don't use REALLY small pans that often. My DW likes it better as she has her 'egg' pan which is about 6" across and she tends to get things a bit hot on the other burners. She too actually reads directions and figures the dials are accurate, so has some issue w/the big burners unless she really intends to burn something (hard sear). I tend to look at the dials as a guide and 'read' the flame, I know how hot I want something so make the flame wherever I need it regardless of what the dial says. After a while you should know how far to turn the dial to get what you need without looking. I did have a learning curve, I've been using mine about 18 months (36" RNB) and have a better handle on it now. As far as the dials getting warm, I've never had that issue. Now the space in front of the griddle when it's on a higher setting gets freakin' hot! I'm surprised no one has ever mentioned that, you only need to put your hand there once and you'll remember not to do it again :)
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theknitter01
Original Author
16 years ago
I didn't see how the drip pan would come out but I also didn't spend a ton of time trying to figure out to disassemble it either. So the good news would be that it can go into the dishwasher.....

As for where you could cut yourself - on the Heritage (which I wouldn't buy if I was still in the decision making mode....) there is a spot below the broiler area that I would think needs to be wiped down periodically - that's where the sharp corner was and I think you would have to remember that there is that corner in order to avoid cutting yourself.....

I guess my biggest concern would be the cost of the unit which seems to be very high to me......I had heard that in Quebec the 36" 6 burner was going for 7K retail and was quoted 5400 from the distributor.....now it looks like you can't order from the distributor any more because they have retail locations in Ontario (which is good for the folks that need to see it/touch it before buying....but not so great from a pricing standpoint).

And to add insult to injury - our dollars are finally at par (or close enough that the difference doesn't matter) and we know that we are paying a significant upcharge on the same product as our friends in the US do - and I'm guessing the Canadian retailers aren't going to drop their prices very soon.

evergreendan - As for the Jays.....yes.....they are in Toronto and I happen to work for the company that owns the Jays.....you wouldn't happen to be from New York now would you????? How are things now?
keitel
16 years ago
The whole Blue Star in Ontario situation is just ridiculous. First, you can't see them or buy them but for over the phone from a guy in Quebec who, for all intents and purposes, was underwhelming in the confidence-instilling department. Then, mere months later, you can see and buy them in Ontario, can no longer buy them from the guy in Quebec, but, alas, they are now marked up at least 30%. Nice work Prizer-Painter; that's a great way to forge your way into a market of 10 000 000 people.
monte4714
16 years ago
several months ago your only option was the guy in quebec.
they have a new salesman lining up new dealers in and around toronto. check their web site for details.
just like buying mail order from eurostoves, real stores are usually higher. dealers set final price ???

I have seen a Bluestar in Ontario

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evergreendan

elizpiz

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I have seen a Bluestar in Ontario

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evergreendan

elizpiz

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theknitter01Original Author

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theknitter01
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