Counterfeiting NXRs? Seems unlikely to me because there just is not enough money in it to make it worthwhile for criminals. I mean, the NXR is already pretty much a knock-off and the margins are so thin as it is. Also, Hyxion Metal Works is the only source for Duro and Duro is the only importer, so who could even find a place to sell a counterfeit? As several of us discovered a couple of years ago, Duro gets the stoves FOB Shenzen, China, which means that everything is Duro's risk from that point on. (See the link below). Hyxion's factory practices seem pretty good, for the most part. At least no worse than the 6% to 8% defect rates of the major manufactuters of gas stoves sold in this country. But, every manufacturer is going to have some lemons escape its quality control. Every brand of stove has to be shipped from factories to get to customers, and so every brand of stove will inevitably have some units that get damaged in shipping. It seems to me that the very thin margins on the NXR will be a pretty strong incentive for Duro trying to to quickly and cheaply patch up and re-sell any damaged goods or returns. Combine that with servicers who may not know what they are doing and there being no money to fund training programs --- and that's a recipe that readily explains what happened to bmorpanic, Janemadcap, and that poor guy who posted at Consumer Reports about a getting lemon of a 48" NXR. As I've said before, poor warranty support can be and has been a risk that has to be consdered by anybody shopping for a stove from a small volume brand. I certainly understand Gr8day's "never buying an appliance online." For me, it isn't the fear of getting a counterfeit -- well, maybe from unknown sellers who might pop up on craigslist or eBay and maybe put fake Viking badges on NXRs --- but what I really fear is finding myself as one of the unfortunate 8% who get a defective product and face seeming insuperable difficulties getting a refund or a repair. For me, the Costco full-refund satisfaction guarantee was enough to overcome my paranoia about large online purchases -- hey, I could have taken it back if I just didn't like the stove after six months, never mind warranty issues, Otherwise, even with major brand appliances, I want a local face and somebody who will feel accountable to me in ways that a distant online vendor will not. Here is a link that might be useful: Random NXR info from 2012

Don't know if the NXR could be said to boost resale values of the house more than the Berta ranges or vice versa. Neither brand is well known. The Bertas do look spiffier and you can get them with colored finishes.. The NXR is, frankly, plain and definitely industrial looking. THe NXR might look fine, though. Have you seen the Fine Homebulding spread that I've linked to below? It's an article about a transitional neighboorhood reno (Bay Area, though) with a 36" NXR and a Kobe hood. Gives an idea of possibilities. The Berta range and hood combo sounds like quite the deal. Is that dual-fuel Berta a 36" or a 30" unit? Price seems way low for a 36" dual fuel Berta. Last I recall hearing here was that a 36" all-gas Berta could be had for $2999 but that the dual fuel models were a lot more expensive. Also, what do you know about the hood that goes with the Berta range? Here is a link that might be useful: Fine Homebuilding: Alex Nerland's kitchen with NXR This post was edited by JWVideo on Wed, Sep 4, 13 at 18:57

There are numbers of long threads on NXRs here. The site-search engine can be hit or miss. Go out to google/ask/bing/whatever and type "gardenweb + nxr" and you'll have reading for a week. Note that the NXR line was recently "refreshed" to move the NXR product line further upscale, so the price has gone up a bit from when most of the threads were written. Near as I can tell, the main changes are: (a) an upgraded burner ignitor control unit (prior model was the less expensive kind that sparked all four ignitors and the new one has independent control channels for each burner) and (b) updated appearance with more LED indicator lights and beefier control knobs. Otherwise, the new models work like the older ones (NRG and DGRB) so the older discussions should still be applicable. For a comparison of the GE Cafe and the NXR, have a look at this thread on that very subject. As far as I can tell, nothing has changed in the last 3½ years since that thread started. One thing on reading reviews about the Cafe models, there were some very negative reviews when the line came out in the 2010-2012 period. GE made some changes that mostly took care of those problems. Concentrate on reviews after 2012. Another thing to bear in mind is that GE sells a ton of them. If 10% of buyers have problems, that is a lot of potential posters. It is an axiom here that unhappy customers are more likely to post than happy ones. That said, the main longevity concern with any major brand stove (induction, gas, electric or dual fuel) is electronic control systems. Consider five year extended warranties if you can get one for $200 or so. Read the fine print. Some have better coverage and terms than others. (Another subject you can research here, too.) We've had a couple of threads discussing the Thor ranges which have recently appeared on the market. Probably the most informative one is this thread which is titled for "Kucht" ranges. FYI, NXR, Thor and Kucht are all just brand names used by American and Canadian import companies/resellers/branders. The stoves are all contracted from, designed by, and fabricated-assembled by Hyxxion Metal Works in China. In terms of avoiding mistakes or being stuck with lemons, consider buying your stove from vendors with absolute satisfaction guarantees. Costco, for example, famously has that kind of guarantee. That means you can just return the stove if you get a freight damaged unit, or receive a lemon, or just plain don't like the stove after a few weeks use. On hoods, you might want to start a separate thread with your requirements in the title. Also, try posting that question in the Kitchens forum, too, which is where design mavens hang out. One suggestion, though, is to consider getting a 36" wide hood if you can fit one in. The extra width will do a better job of collecting vapors and heat from the stovetop and oven vent. This just a suggestion. If you can't fit one in to your kitchen space or budget, you can't do it. We work with the kitchens and budgets we have.

It's not so much that you have to use a screwdriver to operate a Bluestar, as it is that a Bluestar is so easy to service that even a homeowner can do that -- often with nothing more than a screwdriver. All those things that you would typically initiate an expensive service call for, with Bluestar, you have the choice. Do what you do with all the other brands and call a service technician -- or fix it yourself, as that's often cheaper and faster. And it's not as if your Bluestar range should require unusual servicing. Things that will fail are igniters. But in particular the glowbar igniters are disposal items on all these ranges regardless of brand. They are designed to wear out after a couple of years. Other than that, all that is needed is occasional deep cleaning, and maybe a drop of lubricant on the oven door hinges once a year. What you should do though is insist on proper installation by a reputable installer. There are a couple of adjustments that might or might not have to be made at installation time. Some of them might only be needed, if you live at higher altitudes. But it doesn't hurt to have somebody check all the set points for minimum and maximum power, and for oven temperatures. These should be one-time adjustments. When we bought our range, Bluestar actually had a white-glove installation service that did these things and then gave you an extra year of warranty. But I don't think this offer exists any more though. So, take this up with your local appliance store.