I've got the Bluestar 36" drop in and love it. When you say you're not worried about open vs sealed burners, do you mean you don't prefer one over the other? If so, consider the following questions... 1. Are you interested in even heat distirbution? 2. Are you going to do any wok cooking? 3. Do you want the heat to go into the pan rather than wasted up the sides? 4. Do you want to use your 8-12" pan, skillet, or pot on your high btu burner? These are just a few of the things that the Bluestar excels at due to their open burner design. I don't believe any other company has a pro level open burner drop-in cooktop. Only you can determine what you think you'll be happy with but I am certainly happier with my Bluestar then I ever was with the sealed burner cooktop I had before. IMHO, the question of "Bluestar vs. anyone else" *is* by definition a question of open vs sealed when it comes to cooktops. Good luck and happy cooking.

When making an investment in an appliance, you must consider what your number one objective is. While Miele is a fine manufacturer (I own a few) their niche isn't range/cooktop/rangetop. A simple metaphor to use is; would you go to a steak house and expect excellent seafood? The answer usually is a resounding "NO". You would go to a restaurant that specializes in seafood. The old saying, "Do one thing and do it well" is the word here. When purchasing something as important as a cooking appliance, you want to try and stay away from manufacturer's that produce a myriad of products. When making a decision about a range/cooktop/rangetop there are many things to consider. First do you want a professional look or a professional result? This may seem like an odd question to ask yourself but it is paramount to making an informed decision. Many home "Chefs" are after one thing and that is appearance. If this is your goal, then any one of the manufacturers' you have mentioned will work just fine. However, if you are an above average cook or even a professionl Chef, then the only decision you have to make is which manufacturer "Performs" the best. For this purpose WOLF or BLUESTAR are the obvious and only choices. Wolf offers a high BTU of 16,000 with a 500BTU simmer. Bluestar offers an unpresidented 22,000BTU and an incredible 300BTU simmer. WOW!!! Any professional Chef would not be caught dead with a cooktop or rangetop with "Sealed Burners". While it is true that a sealed burner is easier to keep clean you will never obtain near professional results. The reason for this is that a sealed burner cannot truly get as hot as an open burner. The surface area the flame comes into contact with a pan also becomes compromised. It is a simple matter of physics. Bluestar does not offer sealed burners due to this fact. Wolf however does. Wolf began as the only commercial maufacturer that modified their range/cooktop/rangetop for home use but now they offer sealed burners which do not comply with any restaurant standards. Bluestar however is the ONLY commercial maufacturer to offer a 22,000 BTU burner for home use in an Open Burner for home use. A truly professional appliance. Period. So when all is said and done ask yourself which is most imporant....Professional Appearance or Professional Results? If you choose the later then the obvious choices are BLUESTAR and WOLF. My personal preference is BLUESTAR because it comes as close to professional results without stepping into a commercial kitchen. If what you are after is appearance then any number of ranges/cooktops/rangetops will do. You can also save yourself a lot of money if all you want is a "nice" looking appliance. Unfortunatley a lot of people who are remodeling their kitchens only dabble in cooking and do not really understand the importance of the specifications outlined above. They end up purchasing an expensive range/cooktop/rangetop merely for the status of a name and not to use it to it's full potential. They purchase for the wrong reason(s). This becomes evident when someone doesn't understand the importance of sealed burner versus open burner. I hope this helps you to ask yourself what do you really want out of your appliance and what kind of a cook you are. Only you have that answer, but hopefully you have been armed with enough facts about the features that will help you to make the best decision for you and your family. Warmest Regards

The downdraft is useless whether you have a standard cooktop,pro cooktop or Bluestar. The questions are.... 1) How much grease can you live with? There are a few people on here that have a Bluestar with no ventilation and a few with MW hood ventilation. Are you a steak/fried chicken family or a vegetarian family. The more oil,lard,fatty foods you cook the more grime will end up on walls,cabinets,and ceilings. If you cook with little to no fat not that big of an issue. Some people are ok with this. Some clean from time to time while others paint from time to time. 2) How much heat can you live with? Are you a one burner cook or will you have 2/3 burners going full blast and 2/3 at medium. If you are a one burner cook then you should be fine. Using the Bluestar cooktop near its BTU potential would make most kitchens unbearably hot to most people IMO. A few people insist they only need an open kitchen window. If it was me I would rather have the Bluestar and adjust to the poor ventilation rather than not have the option of adjusting the burners to a full 22k. BTW Typical depth for a cooktop is 3-3.25". Bluestar is 5".

Harley is talking about this one below. It does not have the 2-piece bowl grate that you can use round bottom woks sans wok ring. It does not have a drip tray. You lift the top panel,place aluminum foil around the burners and replace from time to time. A little more involved that a drip tray. Knobs can get very warm and get dirty. They also interfere with large pots and pans. If those hastles are worth the $1k discount go for it.