My Wolf gets very hot. My then-12 month old son loved the stove and liked to lick the glass and reach up to the burner knobs. It took about 4 days of consistently firm NOs to get him to stop touching it and he hasn't laid a finger on it since.

Thanks. I have already ruled out the Wolf -- I had stainless appliances in my last house and hated them. For our new old house, we want a color and something retro/vintage looking. Of course, I'm going to stop my babies from licking a hot stove, but I'd rather avoid a dangerous situation as much as possible.

From what I understand, all of the "big" gas stoves (Bluestar, AGA, Wolf, Viking) are no different. It's the nature of gas and they're definitely going to get hot, regardless of their colour.

I only have a rangetop so I can't comment on how hot range ovens get, but I wanted to tell you that I find the Bluestar very easy to clean. I like the way that I can take it apart and soak the burner bowls if needed. Most of the time they don't need soaking, but I prefer to take them to the sink and wash them there. I just find that easier than trying to scrub off cooked on stuff at the range. Also, unlike shiny black surfaces which show everything, the matte black Bluestar surface looks clean even when it's not pristine. That's a definite plus in my book.

Is it difficult to clean out the Blue Star drip pan? I had a sealed burner cooktop in our last house and found that pretty easy to clean.

Not at all. The drip pan is stainless and sits about 4 inches below the burner grates. Food, crumbs, or liquid that falls through, just sit on the drip pan, it's not hot since it's under the heat of the burners, you just slide it out and wipe...except most of us put a couple of sheets of aluminum foil down, and just throw it away when it gets too messy.

The burners themselves are a dream to use.
The OVEN: The front of the oven will get hot in some areas, after a while, esp. at higher temps.

Also,if you broil with the door open, the knobs will get hot (it helps to slide the drip tray out a couple of inches). Some brands won't allow open door broiling.

As I've explained in another thread, I'm buying an Aga 6-4 which has yet to be delivered. As such, I can't tell as yet how hot to the touch this range can get. Just don't be too quickly deterred by the oven sizes as they are deceptively smaller in appearance than they are in actual size. If you are really concerned, bring some of your pots and pans to the store with you for oven size testing.

Btw, I decided on the 6-4 when I realized in the midst of my kitchen remodel that I would have to replace my beloved antique stove. Like you, I was in the market not only for a great functional range but also one that would be especially appropriate in looks for my vintage/cottage style kitchen. Once I saw the 6-4 (in claret red) I was totally smitten.