I'm interested in this thread as well. I found a blue star 36" range on AJ Madison for $3999 but my local dealer is quoting me around $6999 for the unit. There doesn't seem to be many 36" options in a reasonable price point.

Following

for $3K you have NXR and Verona, brand new. Everything else is more expensive.

Or you could try to get a floor model, or scratch and dent, or used.

Have you looked at Premier Pro Series?

http://www.premierrange.com/rangeP36.php

I've had mine for 5ish years, zero problems. Oven holds heat nice and even, burners are big in the back, little in the front.

Thanks for recommending. I will check it out.

Anyone heard of or have any experience with Hallman? Seems to be sold by Home Depot

@Rita

NXR, Verona and Hallman, chinese-made I would avoid.

My recommendation, take a good hard look at Bertazzoni.

Specifically: http://us.bertazzoni.com/products/master-series/ran/36-5-burner-gas-oven-0

Should be selling for around: $3,199. But lacks self cleaning.

If you can stretch a bit, you would do well to push for:

http://us.bertazzoni.com/products/professional-series/ran/36-6-burner-gas-oven

Should be selling right around $4,500. Amazing oven for the money. Still easily 1500+ less than the big dogs at Wolf, Miele, Capital, etc.

...

Anthony

Appliance Buyer's Guide

I don't know that I'd agree with The Kitchenworks' rec of Bertazzoni. They look great, but do a search on this forum for the negative experiences. Also, oven size is small, and there is no thermometer setting - you need to have your own thermometer in the oven, and check it regularly to bring to the correct temp.

Here are two threads which give pros and cons:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2334749/bertazzoni-gas-range-comprehensive-review?n=57

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2276006/bertazzoni-gas-range?n=22

@friedajune what do you mean by there is no thermometer setting? Every Bertazzoni range has markings on the oven control knob in F for the desired temperature setting just like every other gas range on the market. The light goes out when the desired temperature is reached. I have one in my showroom I could take a pic... do you mean some other kind of temp setting? Like a probe?

The Kitchenworks - you are right, I misspoke. What I have read a number of times is that the Bertazzoni oven temperature thermostat doesn't have a precise setting. There are markings on the dial, but not at precise temperature increments. The recommendation is to have a thermometer in the oven in order to know the exact temperature. In addition, the Master series models won't go below 275.

What I have read most is that the oven cavity is small, and that on the cooktop grates you cannot use smaller pots because they will tip over. It would be great if you could provide your experiences with these issues.

Anybody have experience with blue star or big chill which is in that price range

Be sure that you purchase something that can be serviced easily. Price is an important consideration. Service is a huge issue IMO.

We are looking at getting the NXR. I have been doing reviews of online material for over 6 months and it is enough to make my eyes bleed at times. While NXR is manufactured in China, they get their parts from a variety of places.

@cxj_13 -- service is your main issue, the price savings just isn't worth it. I would only look at Bertazzoni, Fisher & Paykel, or Viking 3 Series if I was looking for a cheaper, high quality gas range. They can all be serviced relatively easily throughout the entire US.

Anthony

Appliance Buyer's Guide

@cxsj_13 - I respectfully disagree with The Kitchenworks. See my post above about Bertazzoni - the picture I posted is the "Pro series" range which shows how the oven dial is not precise. The oven is small too. The lower-cost Bertazzoni "master series" oven dial is worse - see The Kitchenworks' link above to this range, and you can see the photo for yourself. Regarding Viking ranges - the Viking brand has been excoriated on this forum for years, and I have not seen anything that indicates that Viking has improved.

Fisher & Paykel, and its sub DCS, make good ranges, but your choice of NXR indicates you may not have the budget for those.

I am linking to a long thread on this forum about the NXR ranges that I think would be a good read for you: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2245200/a-review-of-my-new-nxr-range?n=146

@friedajune thank you for being respectful. Everyone has different opinions and experiences to share on here, it's nice to be able to have a fruitful discussion and give the OP's lots of viewpoints and anecdotes.

We are now considering upping the budget and leaning on the RNB blue star 36" range. As I am not finding many options that we like in the $3K range.

I'm looking at the blue star or big chill 36 inch - Looking at stainless and Big chill is considerably Cheeper the bs for stainless model . It is sister company with many same components. But I can't find much recent feed back on them

@Rita - the RNB series is solid range, customer service is a little spotty for Bluestar but the range itself is a workhorse.

I have a family of 7 with 3 big high protein eating teen boys and vegetarian twin daughters so more burners would be great and oven space for team dinners and holidays would be nice . My daughters and I bake a lot too do I'd like a good baking oven and an easy to clean range top

I'm also considering the 36" RNB after overwhelming research! I am concerned with the iffy customer service reviews and history of door/hinge issues, hot door complaints etc. The more I research, the more I feel paralyzed with indecision. At some point soon I will have to go for it and hope for the best! I live 45 mins outside of Reading, PA, the home of BlueStar ranges, so if I have endless issues they won't address, I have no problem showing up on their doorstep :)

@YMM - thank you so much for sharing your perspective. We actually would be sacrificing counter space to move up to the 36". Like you stated, I thought that the 30" was limiting our potential. You have certainly provided some food for thought.

BTW, how do you like your Bluestar?

@kooopons - I feel your pain on sifting through the amount of information and feeling the paralysis of making a decision.

kooopons:

BlueStar made a bunch of design changes for the currently shipping ranges (RCS V2, RNB V2, and Platinum) that addressed the problems found on some earlier models. These changes include modifications (or completely new design) of: oven door, oven floor, oven walls, convection fan blade, burner mounting rails, igniters, and visible sheet metal parts. They also moved to a new factory in Blandon, PA about a year ago with a bunch of new employees.

Notice the lack of BlueStar complaints on GardenWeb in the last year or so.

John, thank you so much for sharing this information. It certainly goes a long way in allieviating my concerns. How do I verify if I am getting the latest model?

Rita Puri-Hartman:

For RNB 36", the model number would be RNB366BV2 (V2 = version 2).

Also, I think that the first four digits of the serial number is the manufacture date.