Oh - a few more details. I'm looking for a 36" model, and have been looking at the RNB364GSS Blue Star. Thanks!!

Hi stannley, I don't have a Blue Star. But I have enjoyed reading about them on GW (NXR too). You may want to also post your question on the kitchen forum.

There are several threads on here about NXR. I have one, and most of my experiences are in those threads, but I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. I wanted sealed burners, so between that and my budget, I did not look at Blue Star. I did, however, look at the Capital range side by side with NXR, and preferred NXR.
I have the 30" NXR DRGB3001.

I have the RNB 36 inch Bluestar and LOVE it! Can't speak at all to anything else you're looking at, but have had the BS for 4-5 years now. The 22k burners are awesome, especially for stir-fries, pasta, blanching, etc. Add a pound of pasta, green beans, whatever to a pot of boiling water and you're back up to temp in a minute or two at the most. Anything you need high heat for, there's nothing better. It does actually change the way things taste if you can get the wok, fry-pan, etc. hot enough. You actually sear vs. steam. My stir fry dishes are completely different now because of the BS. Plus, because of the burner design, the heat distribution is very even. The broiler is second to none as well. I hardly broiled anything before I got my BS, but now broil all the time. It really makes a difference. As for the open burners vs. sealed, that's a personal preference thing. I think they're a snap. Spillovers simply run down into the drip pan, which I've lined with foil. I think I've changed the foil once, maybe twice since I've owned the thing, and I'm pretty messy. I can wreck a kitchen when I'm really working. Anyway, I can't recommend the BS RNB highly enough. Some people have complained about it's utilitarian looks. I guess that's personal preference as well. I dig it's no frills look. It's got lots of thrills where I need it, in the heat production. Best of luck in your shopping. Have fun with it!

I think the main difference between Blue Star and NXR is open vs. sealed burners. Another one you may want to look at is Capital. They have Precision line with sealed burners, similar to NXR and Culinarian open burner, like Blue Star. They are all great ranges, whichever you get depends on your personal preferences.

I have a 3 year old Bluestar. I love it. Burners are all cast iron, with cast iron bowls and the flames go up not sideways. Also the flames are in the pattern of a circle with 8 fingers , so the heat is spread more evenly over the bottom of the pots. Supposedly the newer Bluestars have a better fit and fewer problems, but I love the looks of mine and the only problem was -I had to grease the door hinges with a white silicone grease (I used a bicycle product called Jonnisnot!), because the door did get sticky after a couple years - especially at higher temp. Since I started reading these forums I see there is a new Capital with open burners as well- they have some options available for the oven like a rotisserie and self-cleaning mode. And despite the hype, I think the Bluestar has better burners.

One thing to consider: According to Cook's Illustrated, one needs at least 20,000 btu's to effectively stir-fry in a round-bottom wok. Anything less tends to 'steam' the food rather than sear it, unless you switch to a flat-bottom wok or frying pan. I don't know if this is accurate or not. However, I do know that the 22,000 btu burners on the BS, especially with the grate removed and the wok placed right into the burner, works extremely well. The flame comes up and around the wok, heating much of the cooking surface. Plus, and probably more importantly, the wok comes back to temperature extremely quickly after adding the food. It's awesome! I just looked at NXR's website, and their burners rate to 15,000 btu's. Perhaps, you can special order higher? Didn't look real closely either, so perhaps that's an option they offer. Don't know Capital at all. Anyway, since you mentioned stir-frying in your original post, I thought I'd share that little tid-bit. Happy hunting!

Thanks to everyone for generously sharing your experiences and thoughts about this choice. In the end I went with....ready for this.....a Bertazzoni! I may have been influenced by the salesperson, but he convinced me. I live in St. Louis and don't know if Capital is available here, but the dealer I visited had virtually anything else you might consider. I'll let you know how I feel about it once we get it installed. Happy cooking!

Burners and oven turn on completely different on a Bertazzoni than on the American made ranges. You might make sure you can deal with that.