Just thought I would post a comment in this thread and this forum as the comments and reports on this site really helped in my decision in late 2010 with my decision to purchase a new Blue Star RNB304BBS V1 range on November 23rd 2010. It took a long while to finally arrive out here in California, but it did on January 25th and was put into service on the 26th. We live in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and were concerned with the effects of our 3600 foot altitude on the range's performance, since our local gas company tech had related several horror stories about Wolfe and Viking owners being unable to get their burner performance dialed in correctly even after repeated attempts and factory service calls. We are also on LP here, so the range was ordered from the factory for LP use. We had this same gas company tech do the hookup and testing of our new V1, and although the tech had never worked on a Blue Star before, he and I both found the design to be laughably simple compared to the GE Profile range we had bought and later returned out of dissatisfaction with its performance. And to both of our delights, the BS needed only very minor adjustments to the venturis of the top burners and the oven in order to get them all PERFECTLY ADJUSTED! The tech remarked that out of the hundreds of ranges he had worked on, including many high end models, our BlueStar was by far the easiest adjustment session he had ever done. He also was VERY impressed with the overall build quality and of course, the 22k burners! When the range arrived the day before the above hook up, we did find a few problems: One of the top bowl grates had a chip in the coating caused by a very small hairline crack in it, and there was an odd blemish on the stainless steel of the 8" backplate we had ordered to replace the factory installed Island trim package. I placed a call to BlueStar Warranty Service and spoke with a woman named Mandy. I told her about the grate and the backplate issues. She asked me to inspect the other three grates while I was on the phone, and I relayed to her that the other three looked fine. To my surprise she told me that they would ship me FOUR new grates just to be on the safe side! These things are like 20 lbs of solid cast iron, and I don't think they are cheap to purchase, so that was an impressive offer! She also said they would ship a new 8" backplate out as well. They didn't need to see photos, or offer up any additional proof of the problems other than my word, and they also did not want me to bother sending the problem parts back. Mandy told me to just dispose of them as I saw fit, and in the case of the grates, just keep the extras in case I ever needed to replace one down the road. (based on my experience with cast iron, I doubt I will ever need them, but what the hell!) I have to say that based on some of the comments and complaints I had read on this forum, I was VERY concerned about what might happen if I ran into any problems with my new BlueStar range, but after that 5 minute call to the factory, I came away most impressed! I can't recall a time where a manufacturer was so prompt in handling a problem, and replacing the parts with no questions asked! In terms of the range itself, we couldn't be happier! It is a pleasure to cook on both on the stove top and with the oven. This thing is hands down one of the most satisfying purchases I have made in a very long time. Considering how simple the design is, I feel that I could probably take care of any future adjustments or parts replacements myself. The inner workings of a BlueStar compared to other stoves reminds me of the difference between working on my 1966 Mustang and my 2004 Honda Accord V6! ;o) (In other words, I wouldn't dare touch my Honda's engine, but I never had any fear of rolling up my sleeves to work on that 289 V-8) Cheers. []Rick.

Glennsfc, you are correct about doing all the research before buying a floor. I had read all the reviews and I knew I was taking a chance on this flooring. I was hoping I would be one of the lucky ones who wouldn't have any problems. And I am happy with it for the reasons I stated. I just wish it had been more durable. And Duraceramic is more expensive than most tile, but costs less to install. Overall, it costs about the same as tile. And doug_gb, yes, tile and wood are ABSOLUTELY better products. But no matter how much poly you apply to wood, it will warp if you have enough standing water. It's not exactly the best product to use in a kitchen, although many people do and probably don't have any issues with it. And tile is hard. If I stand on it for too long, for even an hour or so, my back and legs ache. I can stand on my duraceramic floor while cooking and doing dishes and not have a problem. And tile IS cold. I have tile on my floor around my fireplace. It's right next to the duraceramic. The tile is cold to the touch while the duraceramic feels the same temperature as the room. I wish I had a way to test the actual temperature difference, but the tile IS definitely colder. (And I have tile that is farther away from the fireplace that is still cold, while the duraceramic next to the fireplace still feels like room temp. So, it doesn't have anything to do with distance to the fireplace. It is the tile.) But we are planning on redoing our master bathroom soon, and we'll probably have to replace the vinyl floor with tile, just for resale value. And odds are I will put in tile when we have to replace the duraceramic. And then I'll be over in the tile forums complaining about how much colder my house is and how my back and legs always hurt... I just don't think you can find perfection in a flooring product. You've just got to look for what's most important to you. So, I wanted to let people know that there are good things about duraceramic, but that the tradeoff (durability) just might not be worth it to them.

So I took the drive to SLT and was disappointed to see that their steel is 14x14 rather than a more standard 14x16. I already don't like the 14" dimension on my stone (although I realize it's about as deep as reasonably fits in a residential oven) but I wasn't willing to sacrifice the width. I should have looked it up online first instead of assuming it would be a standard size. While there I doublechecked at bakingsteel, yes theirs are 14x16 and I and saw that for $20 more they have one that's 3/8" thick rather than 1/4". Might just go for that one for the heck of it, I find there's a distinct difference that I prefer between pizzas I've cooked on a stone as opposed to a pan, and I hope I'll see added improvement with a steel.

Of course after spending quite some time writing my reply and uploading and posting more pics, we have a power outage and I lose everything that I typed.... so here we try again... I photoshopped the tables next to the fabrics... #1 Marrakesh (note once again that the light blue flower is actually pearly off white) #2 Morocco (light blue flower=pearly off white) #3 Honey Ivy #4 Brown Cypress #5 Mykonos Leaf Now onto the questions and comments... equest- there is no rusty red on #1- the points are brown squirrel- thanks for the links, the tables are very pretty. We had originally picked something like those last year, but i fell in love with the mosaic tables when i saw them. I really like the dark brown tile table as well-my favorite of all your links. We are looking for a large oval or rectangular table though... Keep in mind that the medallion pillows will be in the 'chat group' so they won't be directly next to the mosaic table. the only thing near the dining table is the dark orange fabric. sujafr- thanks for the advice.The table we will be getting will be a 72' x 42' oval. They only have pictures of the round ones in the catalog. I believe the table legs are not at the edges. I spoke with the company and the only maintenance needed is to seal it yearly with a marble/granite sealer and to make sure it's covered in the winter to prevent cracking from moisture. Threedgrad- I actually posted a thread asking about the tables about 2 weeks ago. The company is KNF designs and they sell a few of their designs through frontgate(that's how i found them). I'll post the link- you need to download their pdf catalog. They have many beautiful tables in many colors(the colors are more vivid than the pics IRL). The catalog reminds me of an inn we stayed at for our anniversary last year in Santa Fe- called the Inn of the Five Graces. It's courtyard and room decor is what inspired our patio. funkyart- the pillows are from restoration hardware. they come in several colors. I really like the red and orange ones as well. Here is a link that might be useful: KNF designs