mrsr, I agree it is wasteful to ditch a functioning appliance to keep up with trends. I battled with myself over this issue, but for me the other issue is one of function. My husband and I like to cook together and find that our 30in 4 burner ge profile(which works fine) pits us against each other for elbow room and burner selection. Since our cabinets (late 70's builder grade) are literally coming apart at the seams we are planning on a kitchen reno; making this the opportune time for moving up to a larger range. Do people really invest the money, time and hassle of a kitchen reno to keep up with trends? Don't most people really want a timeless kitchen that will function well, please the senses, reflect oneÂs individuality and if they have to move, not send buyers out the door screaming in horror?

beekeeperswife- Our Garland range (the precursor to Bluestar) is 36" wide, with a 36" wide shelf and ss backsplash (not tiled in, it's a sheet of ss). The hood is 42" and where the range hood meets the backsplash there is about 1.5" gap on either side. It does not bother us, but we're not that detail oriented, YMMV. The warming shelf is a great place to store the kitchen timer, mortar & pestle, salt shakers and pepper mill, and a great plate warmer. The rangehood is vintage Broan, so no heat lamps, but if you are cooking either in the oven or on the rangetop, the plates will warm up nicely there. WRT the underside getting gummed up, we're not clean freaks, and the cleanliness of the underside of anything never weighs on my mind, so I've never even looked. There is a lip, so the underside is about 2" up underneath (if that makes sense). When I clean the shelf itself I swipe the finished edge of the lip and call it good. Good luck- sandyponder

Here are the facts: Our crates are solid 7/16" plywood wrapped with structural 2x4's all round, internally. We get nothing but compliments on our crating and I have a list of many clients who can attest to that. We bolt our projects to the crate, wrap them in plastic and put numerous stickers and markings on the crate to ensure the forklift driver cares for what he is transporting/moving. We have had somewhere in the range of 6 damaged crates over the past 6 years, with some crates going as far as Alaska. On 350+ shipments that is a margin of 1-2% damage, which is quite good. 2006-2008 0 damaged shipments, I had 3 in 2008, this one in 2010 and I have had 2 in the past 2 years. Almost all of the damages were the result of a fork being driven through the crate. Now, let's put this in perspective, Imagine a forklift, that can weigh well over 1000 lbs, with two forks on the end that taper off to about 1/4" in thickness at the edge of the fork, which are made of hardened steel. If a guy drove that forklift into a concrete wall at 3 mph, what do you think would happen to the concrete wall? Do you think the concrete would absorb the shock? No it wouldn't I have done it. The point I am trying to make is that there are some things regarding transportation of goods that you just can't control and accidents and damage will happen. Moving on... we have a terms of sale that clearly states to check over contents and the crate prior to signing for them; unfortunately the freight industry is full of workers who don't put "taking care of their crates" at the top of their core values. I have learned my lesson in the past by not operating with a terms of sale and notifying, prior to shipment and throughout the course of doing business with us, that you MUST look over everything before signing. This is exactly what our terms of sale currently says in regards to shipping: "Customer is responsible for acceptance of shipment regarding initial inspection of product at time of delivery. Once product is signed for from the shipper, the customer accepts all responsibility for any damages to product. However, if damage to the item is noticed after the shipment has been signed for, the customer needs to let all items remain in their place and call VCW immediately. We will do our best to resolve the issue, but once the item has been signed we make no guarantee to how the matter will be resolved. Please inspect carefully before signing for delivery." In this particular case, several weeks had passed before the client realized that the bottom of the crate had been compromised, resulting in a slight dent in the back top portion of the hood. I never saw pics of the actual crate where it was damaged, but I did see pics of the damage itself and here is what I suggested: First, considering this was signed for as received in good condition and a considerable amount of time had passed, filing a claim was out the window and beyond the point of possible. I tolld the client to ship the hood back to me and I would repair for free assuming I didn't have to rebuild the entire hood, which judging from the pictures, it looked like it would be an easy fix. In my opinion, that seems like a rather fair gesture in itself. I worked with client to make several suggestions to resolve the issue after they decided they didn't want to send the unit back to me, the words "that's how we pack them, your on your own," never came out of my mouth or any other of my employees. All of this could've been avoided if 1 the crate and its contents were thoroughly check, like we ask in our terms of sale that the client had signed. I don't think that it was my responsibility to absorb over $600+ in shipping costs over something that should've been handled the way that we asked and clearly stated in our terms of sale, prior to shipment. Lastly, CKS hoods are not handcrafted in America.

Thank you all for all your help. michoumonster - I actually saw that hood and saved it. I think I like the darker copper better than that one. Thank you for your help :) hollysprings - I actually found a few wood hoods that are paintable. Heres one: http://www.futurofuturo.com/wall-range-hood-WL36MASSACHUSETTS.php IâÂÂm not really sure which route to go. I can paint it to match the cabinets since the cabinet company sells paint or a can still look for a copper/bronze hood. I feel like I should have planned this out better before I ordered the cabinets. I was originally going with a stainless steel hood with a mosaic tile all the way up, I may still do this, but I just love the look of these hoods. IâÂÂm attaching a photo of my setup. Of course the colors will be different when done. What kind of hood do you think would look best? Also, my hardware will be a bronze color. Thanks for the help These are actually my cabinets in reverse - the dark will be the permiter cabinets and the light will be the island This is my hardware and my island color. I got the hardware for free not sure if ill use it.