I've had my 36" range Bluestar for almost seven years and we have replaced every single ignitor at least two times, many three or more. We've also had issues where we have had to replace the entire burner because the screws had rusted into place (our original range was built without stainless steel screws ... oops) and then they've broken off when we tried to make the ignitor change. In addition, we've had to have the spark modules (ignitor control boxes) replaced twice on one side, once on the other. On several occasions, "shorts" (that's the term we were told by repair people), have caused the wires to melt and fuse together--meaning the ignitor wire that goes from the ignitor itself and then plugs into another wire that goes into the spark module fused--requiring replacement of not only the ignitor, but the second wire (which also requires removal of the front plate). We also continue to have issues with all of our burners clicking constantly, even when the lit burner is fully on, unless the flame is on full high. (But only on two of the six burners.) So, yes, replacing an ignitor is a fairly trivial, if annoying and potentially expensive prospect, IF you don't also have melted wires, rusted screws that shear off when you try to remove the ignitor or broken spark modules. Oh, and you can actually get Bluestar to send you the ignitors you order and pay for in the first place. That's never really gone smoothly for me, either. In my experience, 6-12 week waits are the norm for parts from Bluestar. Plus, once you get the parts, you better hope they're right. We've had at least four replacement ignitors that didn't work, right out of the bag: cracked in shipment. The fragile, unprotected ceramic ignitors are sent loose--hitting against each other, if you order more than one--in small bubble mailers. A little rough handling in route and you're bound to get at least one pre-cracked ignitor per-batch ... At $25/pop, for what I've been told by several service people is a "$3 part." (But we've also not found off-brand ignitors that fit the Bluestar without modification.) "Stooxie," and others, I'm glad it hasn't happened to you but the ignitor issue (no air quotes) is, or at least, was, NOT "nonsensical." It's possible they've addressed these problems in later models, but I can attest the issue is most certainly a legit one. I don't have one, but I was very impressed with the Capital Culinarian, for many reasons, but at least in part because they had a large metal shield covering part of their ceramic ignitors, making me think they'll be a LOT less fragile. Oh and, in terms of Bluestar issues ... I will also say that, it's likely these are not current concerns, but we were certainly not thrilled to need two oven door replacements (locking itself shut) and a new oven bottom (support collapsed) ... Just more "non-issues" experienced by myself and many other Bluestar owners of the same generation. When the range works, it's impressive, but the shoddy build-quality I've seen (mine also came with loose screws floating free and missing parts) and abysmal customer service means I would never, ever buy another Bluestar, no matter what their next, latest-greatest is. They may have cleaned up their act now, but they treated their early adopters like Beta testers ... Without the service and support such positions usually come with. EDITED TO ADD: I'm not saying no one else should buy a Bluestar, or that they haven't solved the problems I've described above in later builds (I haven't cooked on one built later than mine, but I've read anecdotal evidence seems to indicate at least some changes have been made). I'm simply saying that I, personally, based solely on my own experience, would not. This post was edited by applnut on Tue, Apr 30, 13 at 8:57

dreamojean: Thank you for taking the time to put this list together. I've spent months educating myself on the various lines, yet I am still not sure on a few things. You mention the Columbia cabinets in your descriptions, but it isnt in the list. Do you know where it would land in terms of quality / cost?

American Woodmark according to its' voluntary reporting to Kitchen and Bath Busines is a 100% stock manufacturer (see link). Kraftmaid is a semi-custom line. Stock versus Semi-custom has nothing to do with the quality of the cabinet construction but will effect how verstaile the product is (semi-custom by definition should have more options than stock and more available finishes). Lines are quite different in Canada but I have never been that impressed with the construction specs for the Kraftmaid given the price point but the box stores here (Rona & HD) don't set up vignettes for Kraftmaid in store so I have never seen them in person. The stock lines at HD in Canada (by Fabritec) have better construction specs than both Thomasville and Kraftmaid IMO (quality construction in the cabinet is not the same as quality in the finishing). I think the finishing issue may come down to expectation. If your design was done using American Woodmark it can certainly be replicated using Kraftmaid but part of what you are paying for with Kraftmaid is the semi-custom versatility so I would want to be able to do things design wise I couldn't with the stock line (or what are you paying more for?). I looked at stock, semi-custom and custom and found I could get custom for what semi-custom would cost (this is very common in many markets). In our case we also found we didn't have to make very many compromises in our design to do it with a stock line for about a 1\3 saving (with comparable construction and materials between the lines). As in this thread I have only heard good things about American Woodmark quality. Here is a link that might be useful: Whos who in cabinets 2008

In our 2001 house, we used Thomasville cabinets ordered through HD. Shortly after we installed them, Thomasville changed their supplier, as caryscott mentioned above, so today's TVs are made by someone else. I loved that kitchen -- the quality was nice and HD took care of a couple issues promptly and perfectly. I'm one of those people who had a very good HD experience. My 2001 cabinets were cream colored with a golden glaze. The quality was very nice and they held up beautifully. My only complaint was that the frames were not glazed, and in fact were just a bit whiter than the doors. When they were installed, it wasn't much of an issue, but by the time we moved out of the house, in 2008, the difference had become much more noticeable -- enough to annoy me! The buyers didn't mention it, so maybe it was more obvious to me than anyone else. The cabinets in the new house have just gone in this week. The main kitchen and pantry are Shiloh, but several other rooms have KM cabinets, and they look wonderful, as do the Shiloh. Good luck!!