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Anybody have a trouble-free bluestar?

15 years ago

It seems there was a bit of a honeymoon period over here with the Bluestars.. I'm considering a 36" RCS for our new kitchen. I did a search for Bluestar here and it seems there are a lot of problems... is this an unreliable range? Now that people have had them a while, what's the general consensus?

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Comments (42)

Joe Blowe
15 years ago
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The squeaky wheels are getting all the press. All you're seeing is the negatives.

My RNB30 performs flawlessly day in, day out. Am I supposed to post over and over again that it does?
danielle00
Original Author
15 years ago
maybe you should to counteract all the negative stuff that comes up when you do a search for bluestar on here ;o) thanks for the info.
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Bluestar- Ever Had or Have Any Rebates, Incentives, etc?
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Comments (5)
I think Bluestar is a niche market product, for people who love to cook on a range or cooktop with residential industry leading features. The likes of Wolf, Viking, DCS, Dacor and others are all similar products. In the car market Rolls, Bentley, Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini are all niche market products with no incentives or rebates. Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai are all similar cars with incentives. I am not saying that Bluestar is the Bentley of ranges but i hope i get my point across. Now would they sell more if they had a rebate? possibly but then again people who buy Bluestar buy it for its features and ability to do its job and do it well. It can also be said that a manufacturer or retialer that is offering big incentives is in financial trouble in the economic climate, again I point to the car market. GE currently has big incentive, they were desperate to sell off the money losing appliances business. I would say that Wolf should be offering HUGE incentives been as they have a 28,000 unit recall ongoing or Sub Zero who has the worst in home repair rate in the US for refrigeration, both companies are shedding staff right now or Viking who loses market share every year. some of the above companies are in the niche product market also (to a degree) but IMO its their arrogance that prevents them from offering rebates or incentives. In regards to service, I agree Bluestar did have big service staff problems in the past, but I truly believe that those days are in the past. Matt and John really do have a handle on things. If you are under warranty you will get free service for 2 years. If you are out of warranty they will still help you but you need to pay for service/parts. If you call with a broken ceramic sparker don't expect to get one for free. They are not covered under the warranty, having said that they may send you one for free. If they don't send you one for free they cost less than $20. Now you can moan that you paid $$$$ for the range or you could have them send you one and fix it yourself in less than 5 mins. When you buy a car how much do you spend on annual service, oil, antifreeze, tires, brakes etc to stop it from breaking down? With a range most people do nothing a point in case. If the door seizes its probably because YOU did not read the manual which clearly says they need to be oiled. Again you can moan and post or you could call Bluestar or if its the weekend call your retailer they should be able to help you fix it in less than 10 mins. As we all know I am close to Bluestar, if I read a posting which reads like a poster is not getting good service I call Matt in the service dept, and I have to be honest and say very often there are two sides to a posting/story. Sure a Bluestar can have problems but so can any other range or product. In the end I have NEVER had a customer not get service from Bluestar. Further I have never failed to get an answer to a question in a respectable time frame, maybe not instantly as some customers expect but certainly in a time frame that is reasonable. I have even had customers call me to ask questions about Bluestar Service and on some occasions I have put the customer on hold and called Bluestar for a conference call and jumped Matt or John on the line to show Bluestar can be contacted. In conclusion I have more confidence in Bluestar appliances and there service department to give my customers good products and good after sales service than any other Manufacturer we sell.
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gw_monkeyjac
15 years ago
No problems here. I've had my 48" range with grill about 4 months. Haven't had any problems. I really put it to the test on Thanksgiving. I had both ovens and about 5 burners going at the same time. It performed flawlessly. You'll never experience anything like those 22K burners. I often wonder how I cooked anything before I had this range.
blindstar
15 years ago
48" cooktop with 24" charbroiler purchased from Eruostoves. No Problems.
parrym
15 years ago
No issues on my 30" RNB. Of course, I have only had it 2 days and have so far only heated water for tea (fast!!!) and made scrambled eggs.
cabman
15 years ago
Just had my 36" for a short time. Used it without any trouble. Fit and finish were very good. The oven temp was off 25 degrees, but that was taken care of with the white glove service. Everything is working perfectly. If you do a search you will find a number of people that dislike every brand. If you listen to them all you will end up cooking on an open fire. That is all that is 100% reliable. I read about them all. I settled on the Bluestar because it was the simplest stove with the fewest electronic things to go wrong. Plus the burners are great, I love the power.
danielle00
Original Author
15 years ago
if my husband had his way, we'd be cooking on an open fire (grill and woodburning oven outside).. I guess that can be our backup plan, cabman.

good to hear you like your bluestar.
tyguy
15 years ago
Another very satisfied owner here. Granted I have only had it for bit over 5 months now. I have a 48"RNB with grill and griddle and no problems at all. I can't say if the oven temp is off or not, I haven't bought a quality oven thermometer to find out, and unfortunately we Canadians are left out of the White Glove service treatment. I actually should check this out before the warranty is up, just in case.

The two most amazing features with the Bluestar are the open star burners ported ON TOP of the burner. There is not one single residential range that has a burner that can compare to the efficiency and even heating that these burners provide. The huge oven capacities are also things that are amazing.

I would almost say that this forum could be called "The Bluestar Forum". What I am trying to get at is, Bluestar is the most discussed professional range on this board....probably the most discussed appliance on the board, yet Viking has about half of the ENTIRE professional range market to themselves. We barely hear a peep here from Viking owners. So to sum up, I think Bluestar is disproportionately represented on this forum, and problems are always disproportionately written/complained about. Also keep in mind that the problems tend to stick out in peoples minds. There are plenty of people on here that have had problem free Bluestars, but you don't tend to remember people saying "Ya all is cool...I love my Bluestar", people tend to remember the big long horror story that is often documented with more passion than that of the good experiences.

Go ahead and buy that Bluestar!! And if it gives you problem free serive, just remember to come back here and tell everyone!! lol Anyway, whatever you decide I wish you luck on your purchase, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as I do my Bluestar.
jakkom
15 years ago
My nephew bought a 30" RCS on my recommendation four months ago, and loves it. No problems.
User
15 years ago
My Bluestar has been working perfectly for 2 years.
edlakin
15 years ago
30" RNB--no problems at all. had it for about six months.
twobengalsandme
15 years ago
36" RNB w/center grill, had it a couple of months. No problems so far, love it.
shknbk
15 years ago
I've had my 36" rangetop purchased from Eurostoves for 10 months. I needed one part replaced two months ago. No problem getting service and no problems since the part was replaced.
heimert
15 years ago
No operational issues. Two extremely minor cosmetic issues. 36" RNB.
alku05
15 years ago
I have a 36" rangetop that is 1.75 years old has been perfect since day one.
thull
15 years ago
36" RNB, 2.5 years, no issues.
jeffreyem
15 years ago
48" cooktop 2 months, fine so far, love it.
keitel
15 years ago
RNB 30" for 1 year. Had to replace (with no problems under warranty) the convection motor which worked but became incredibly loud. Otherwise, the thing has been problem-free and an absolute joy to cook on.
morton5
15 years ago
Had my 36" 6-burner RNB only three weeks, but no problems. I absolutely love it, so glad a decided on this range.
clean_freak
15 years ago
My 36" rangetop has been perfect for over 3 years now with daily (abusive) use - tons of wok cooking, deep frying and all kinds of messes. Everything cleans up great and everything works flawlessly. No problems ever.
peter-a
15 years ago
We bought the 30 inch wide Bluestar from Costco Canada several months ago, and I could not be happier. The oven is great, the four burners are hot, and the stove top pulls apart quite well for cleaning. No trouble with this stove at all!
cet2055
15 years ago
I've had a 30" RNB for about 6 months now. Love it with no problems--works great.
teresa_b
15 years ago
My 48 inch with a griddle is awesome. Even heating and ovens work great. I could not be happier and never a problem after 10 months. Love the fact that there are no electronics.

Teresa
breezy_2
15 years ago
danielle,

Let me get my 2 cents here as well. I have had my 60 inch RNB for over a year now and love it. It is every bit the brute power and performance written about on GW by many and a pure joy to cook on.

This thread does a good job of reflecting the value of the Bluestar make.

Good luck and enjoy! :)
ckag
15 years ago
I have a 36" with grille and have been using it heavily for around 9 months, Someone will have to pry this from my dead, cold hands to get it away from me!! Truly, it is the best thing I have ever owned. We use and enjoy all of the features and it is the centerpiece of the kitchen. Love it!
jojoco
15 years ago
36"RNB for 2 years/7 months. Works great. Starting to get the occasional clicking sound from ignitors, but I was aware of that issue before I bought it.
My only regret is that colors were not available when I bought it. I would have bought a red one in a heartbeat.
Jo
PRO
Trevor Lawson (Eurostoves Inc)
15 years ago
jojoco
you can upgrade to a color, if you would want :)
keitel
15 years ago
Does anyone have major discolouration on the metal between the bottom of the door and the kickplate? Mine looks pretty nasty. Kinda like grease (orangey/brown) has dripped there out the bottom of the door and even though I've cleaned it a few times it always comes back. You may have to bend down to look, but I'm curious.
mecataneo
15 years ago
my RNB 48 is a year old, has been serviced twice and still does not heat properly. thanksgiving turkey was cooked on one side and raw on the other. pies were burned on one half and uncooked on the other. still waiting for blue star service to return my call, last time it took weeks. i choose this range because i am a serious cook and it was highly recommended here. i'm sorry i did.
Joe Blowe
15 years ago
Mecataneo, thanks for registering today and posting your gripe. Do you exaggerate much in general, or do you really want us to believe that a BlueStar has the magical powers to cook one half of an item and leave the other half "raw"?

Hyperbole won't get you far on this board...
User
15 years ago
keitel, I just checked, and mine is normal, a few crumbs on the top of the vented kickplate, but that's all. I noticed the screws to remove the kickplate.
mecataneo
15 years ago
nothing magical about uneven heating. the inner part of one side of the turkey was perfect the other was red and bloody. i should have photographed it.
User
15 years ago
Perhaps it was a 1/2 frozen turkey. (If you like, you can lift out the oven floor, turn on your oven and watch the burner- if you wait till the oven is pre-heated-the whole oven will be hot).
ya_think
15 years ago
I envy those whose experience with ovens has led them to believe that uneven heat is magical or a simply a matter of insufficient preheating.
lstevel
15 years ago
2 1/2 years for my 48" BlueStar. No problems except for a couple ignitors that fractured and failed. I had a few bad encounters with BS's Peter Bloodgood, so am pleased he has moved on to a better place. My stove is still the highlight of the kitchen and many visitors want to showcase their cooking abilities. I am pleased with my choice.
breezy_2
15 years ago
Odd...mecataneo bought a Bluestar based on recommendations here on GW, has had unresolved problems for a year now and registers for the first time yesterday to complain. I suspect joe's skepticism is well placed especially given the description of the complaint.
edlakin
15 years ago
that's what i thought as well. plus, it's nearly impossible to get the results the guy described. in an oven where one side of the burner was working and the other wasn't, you still wouldn't get food that was half burnt/half raw. it would cook unevenly (and more slowly, since the set temp wouldn't be achieved), but you wouldn't get what the guy described. the heat would still disperse over the full area of the oven.
parrym
15 years ago
2 weeks and going strong for my 30" RNB. Just had the WGS yesterday and everything checked out. I had thought the oven was running low to the knob setting. He went through a checkout routine at 250, 350, 450deg using a thermocouple and it tracked very well. Apparently the $5 oven thermo I picked up at walmart wasn't as accurate as I had assumed.

I think, from a thermodynamic standpoint, the only way to get a half cooked, half bloody turkey would be to either use the broiler (only top would be cooked) or if the bird was not fully thawed (likely). Even if the oven burner was plugged on one side (difficult to envision how that could happen), the big steel plate that is the oven floor would even the temps out to some extend. Not an ideal cooking situation, by any means, but would not lead to the results previously stated.
danielle00
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for all the input. Perhaps the half-raw turkey poster does not have a level range. I had that problem myself with a 30" Bosch all-gas range I had in my previous home. Once we leveled it out, things worked a lot better. It's also possible to lose heat from one side of the door (something we also had investigated).

Anyway, it's good to hear some good Bluestar comments.. when I did the search here initially, it seemed there were a lot of negative comments and unhappy customers.
stuckintheberg
15 years ago
My 48" rangetop is going on three years next month and my only regret is not getting a 24" grill and bypassing the griddle entirely. But that's my foolish decision. If some of my other upscale appliances were as trouble free, I'd be a happy woman.
homechef6
15 years ago
Yes, Danielle00, I'm happy to reassure you that there REALLY IS a "trouble-free BlueStar." I'm supremely happy with my BlueStar 30" RCS which I continuously put to hard use. Got it in September 08 and have not had any problem no matter how much I push it cooking for my family of 8 - 18 folks. Simmering, braising, broiling, baking - BlueStar does it ALL and does it better than any range I've used over the past 30 years. Just baked the most perfect batch of Buttermilk Biscuits this morning totally on the spur of the moment. Performs superbly, cleans up looking like new and in answer to the questions above, no discoloration anywhere. Best purchase I've ever made! Go for it!
judyfoodie
15 years ago
I am currently toying with the idea of buying the extended warranty on a 30inch RNB just because of all the negative posts that I've read about. Because of the lack of electronics and the simplicity of the BS plus the extra year warranty with the white glove service and last but not least the great reviews here, should I pass on the extra warranty?

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