Do you have a showroom where you can go to see them, and, hopefully, try cooking on them? Or know someone who has the AR or BS installed? The KA will be fine. The question is whether you would want the gonzo power that one of the others puts out. How it cooks is the most important thing. Do you want an easy home range? Star shaped burners? Etc. You've implied that any of them would look good, so find the one that cooks best for you.

I looked at the Five Star but it was just not "purdy" enough. I am not a gourmet cook. I guess I cook a lot of pasta, some stir fry (which is almost impossible right now) and we are big on breakfast on the weekends. We live in the SE so grilling out is an option pretty much year round. If I was going to do the less expensive range I would probably aim for a slide-in with a warming drawer. I don't think there are a lot of slide-ins with that option but I believe the KA does. I want something that is just going to work and I got scared away from anything loaded with electronics. I have not been happy with GE service on my existing appliances so I not in love with GE. Round and round I go...

The advantage of the gas is in the cooktop. The control is great. The disadvantage is the oven (hot spots and less overall control there). Something to consider if you bake a lot. :)

If you've already got electric service run to that location, take a good look at induction. It's fast becoming a very acceptable alternative to gas in terms of control and power, and it wouldn't require any modifications in your current service.

I ended up getting the Frigidaire Dual Fuel slide in with warming drawer. So far I'm quite happy with it. My splurge was my granite. But the range is still a big improvement over the all electric smooth top I had. Don't get me wrong, some of those higher end ones made me drool, esp the ones with colors! But in the end I went with a mid range option. (and I managed to find it at a great price locally) BTW, I do believe that it is essentially the same as the Kenmore Elite (both made by the same company) but someone can correct me if I'm mistaken.

But to answer your last question, I would spend the $$ if it was something I really, really wanted.

You need to figure out what kind of cooking you do and how that appliance will fit your needs. If you bake a lot an electric oven would be better but I still can turn out great cakes and cookies in a gas oven. Gas ovens are supposedly better with roasts and such. Electric range vs. gas is very different and is a personal preference.

I haven't gotten mine yet but thru the appliance forum I found out about Blue Star. I went for a test run at Eurostove and was blown away. When I called my DH about it he said I was sooo excited over the phone. I love to cook and am constantly using 4 burners and wishing for 2 - 4 more plus the oven and microwave. I entertain 2+ times a week. I'm getting the 48" 6 burner with grill. I've cooked on electric and always hated it - but it's a personal preference. Like plllog said, see if there's a show room nearby to try a test run.

I wish the induction ranges were further along in the amount of offerings. I think GE's comes out next month. Maybe that would be a good choice if I can forget my GE service history. I do bake cookies and cakes and such but nothing fancy. I was not aware that the gas ovens could be so uneven.

armomto3boys - Thanks for the recommendation on that one. I am going to start fresh in my search. My husband really wants a warming drawer.

I have already cut everything out of my budget that I can so the range would be the only splurge but still might be a budget breaker at this point. My original budget was inching toward $40k when I put on the brakes and rethought it. I am aiming for $20k with the help of IKEA.

Thanks for your input.

Keep in mind that some of the professional style ranges don't have self cleaning features and often have very small interior ovens. You need to think about how you cook and what's important to you. Have fun!

bostonpam - ooooh - I have to seem some pictures of that range in action.

I think I am looking for a reason to start cooking again. My old cooktop only has 3 "working" burners right now. It is impossible to simmer anything or stir fry. I have so many great memories of my dad's cooking and I want to start having those same experiences with my kids.

At first I thought any old range would do but then the more I researched it the more excited I got about having a range I could enjoy. I have a tendency to be a bit of a research queen but maybe I have, as someone put it, "shopped myself out of a" range. (Totally off topic but I did this once before when I was shopping for a piano. I thought anything was better than my old spinet but in the end only a 6' Schimmel was going to cut it. I probably don't deserve such a nice piano but I enjoy it every day.)

Thanks for helping me think this through.

Cooking BTU's and ventilation needs go hand in glove together. You can't consider one without the other. The KA will probably be OK with the size vent pipe that you have and a 500-600 cfm (cubic feet per minute) hood. Those are still pretty pricy. The other two will need substantially more cfm for venting, and you may need to increase the size of your vent pipe to accommodate the upgraded vent hood's requirements. The venting will be even more spendy for more cfm.

If your budget is approaching the yellow zone, it might be shoved all the way into the red by the range and the vent costs.

live_wire_oak - I guess I budgeted for the hood but now I see that I only have a 6'' diameter pipe. I would have to replace that and I would have the additional cost of the gas line. I have gas service for the water heater which is below the kitchen in an unfinished portion of the basement. Do you have any idea how much it would cost to run a line for the range?

Maybe I should just stick to a smoothtop electric for now. I could use the same ventilation duct. The induction ranges are still an idea but they aren't many choices. The GE one due out in July looks like it will be around $3k.

Thank you very much for the advice on the vent.

odiegirl - I am strongly leaning towards the Bluestar with a Prestige 600 CFM hood. I checked the Prestige website and found that their hood specifies a 6" duct so that might be doable for you.

Running a gas line should not be a major expense.

Good luck!

Tina

Thanks Tina. That is very helpful. I am either going to get exactly what I want or just get something super economical that I don't mind ditching later. The induction would be a great alternative but once I get up over $3k I might as well go back to looking at Blue Star.

Christine

FYI: I was in Sears the other day and they have a 30" Kenmore induction freestanding range. Don't know if anyone's had experience w/ it yet, though -- don't know who really makes it -- I think it was about $2400

I was curious and went to the Sears website: looks like their induction may be made by Electrolux? On sale for $2700, w/convection oven: 7 reviewers all LOVED it.

Thanks rjr. I got on the gas range track and forgot to check on the Kenmore induction range. I know they also have a slide in version which I like the look of better. The GE version that I saw online somewhere was freestanding with the controls in the back. It seems like there should be more manufacturers coming out with induction ranges but maybe it is more complicated than I think or they don't think the market is there?

Whatever you do, please go LOOK at the Kenmore induction range.

DH and I went to look at it a couple weeks ago. Personally, i was underwhelmed -- but that could just have been me.

The oven shelves felt flimsy. They felt much less sturdy than my 20 year old Kenmore that wasn't top of the line then!

The burner layout to me is bad. The large induction units are both in the front which means if you have 4 items going, you're going to be reaching over the large pots in the front to get to the smaller items in the back.

The warming drawer wasn't much IMO either. It was really more like a pot/pan storage drawer with a heating element -- no insulation at all.

We've really wanted induction but have to do a below counter oven. I had high hopes for the Sears unit but knocked it off my list after looking. Perhaps it will do more for you...just don't buy it based on reviews.

Oh...and I had to argue with the salesman that they even HAD a slide in. He insisted they didn't. I had to go online there in the store and show it to him.

I have a gas cooktop, not a range, so can't speak to that aspect, but I just wanted to say that you will love, love, love cooking w/ gas, especially if you stir-fry and do a lot of breakfasts. It's great to have the control of gas for pancakes, bacon, etc. If you decide to not splurge on a BS yet, please still get a gas range! You'll enjoy it until you ditch it!

As far as the ovens go, I know that real baking experts prefer electric ovens, but I baked for years w/ a gas oven and it was perfectly fine. It was also sort of nice not to have to worry about the convection/cooling fan noise.

I do agree about the venting...we went a little nuts and got a 1400 cfm hood, and I absolutely love turning those burners up high and not worrying about the smoke alarm anymore.

Good luck!

toomuchstuph - Thanks for sharing your experience with the Kenmore. It seems almost like a half-hearted attempt on their part to come up with that range.

hollhlh - You can tell I am nervous about switching to gas. On the other hand, I feel like if I don't do something to improve my day to day cooking experience I am not getting much out of my kitchen renovation. Thanks for your encouragement. Onward I go!