i keep reinterating that bluestar with wihtout doubt the best pro range in the business-its for those who are really serious about their cooking in lieu of lines like wolf or viking
which is all marketing

BlueStars are even for those who ~aren't~ serious about their cooking. My wife and I are both amateurs and yet appreciate the precision of our 24" RNB. It makes us better cooks.

This post was edited by tinyhomebuilder on Sat, May 17, 14 at 18:51

woodsidecook, your thought process sounds familiar! I'm in a similar spot, considering similar options, but haven't made it to the finish line yet.
I also want to avoid the computerized control panel (if I can), but am very wary of the high cost of the "pro" tier.
I seriously considered American Range Performer, but despite positive reports, for my kitchen the grates seem too heavy and ponderous. I like the Bluestar I saw at an appliance store, but again, it's the price...How much did you end of paying for the RCS?
Our other option might be to compromise about the digital control, and go for the GE Cafe.

basic_kim i felt the same way about the AR performer, in spite of it seeming to be a better value (25k burners). the heavy grates seemed like they'd be a problem for me, which seems like a small issue to make the decision on, but i did. i go the RCS for 2699, before tax, installation, etc. I'm still very happy with the decision, happy to answer any other questions.

@woodsidecook: do you mind if I'm asking where did you get your (30" ?) RCS for 2699 before tax and installation?

That is a good price...thank you for sharing. And do let us know where you purchased it, if you can.
Any comments about cleaning?
Also, have you tried the broiler?
What did you have before (how does this compare)?
I've had a FiveStar (in the kitchen I'm leaving), which was fine in many ways, but a problematic design for cleaning under the burners (no drip pan). This was purchased in about 2006. I don't know what the btus are in the burners. My guess is that it's somewhat comparable to the BlueStar RCS, but the Bluestar has a better design. I am spoiled though with the easy, ordinary, mechanical knobs, no digital controls, etc.
The FiveStar never broke, no incidents at all in these years.

Thanks again for all.

The cleaning has been great. My standards are only medium, so the fact that it's not shiny and perfect is fine with me, and it shows little spots and crumbs much less than my previous white stovetop, and when i do set out to get it super clean, i have found that it's not hard to do. The broiler has worked well for me, i haven't done a lot of broiling so can't comment much more than that. I had a maytag previously, just the stove the house came with, and i was fine cooking on it until the digital controls went bust and we had to replace, and now i'm getting spoiled for this better stove. so much more heat and control and HUGE oven.

I found it on craigslist, advertised by an appliance store in Daly City, CA- so had to buy locally, they wouldn't ship it. it was a place that buys a whole truckload and then sells them, so able to offer a better price. I was actually prepared to pay the regular price but hadn't yet pulled the trigger and then i found this one and that made me pull the trigger. very happy i did.

FYI, I've been quoted $3000 for the Bluestar RCS at an appliance dealer in NJ.
The GE Cafe Series CGS985SETSS would be $3200 at AJ Madison.
It's kind of an interesting comparison.
I'm still thinking that I will go with the Bluestar RCS....
Any additional thoughts or experiences to share concerning your Bluestar RCS will be much appreciated.

Just wanted to post an update now that i've lived with my RCS for 7 months. I still really love it and have had no problems whatsoever, and i still really love it. Huge oven, bakes perfectly, cleanup is easy. I'll post again if any issues arise.

Have you baked multiple racks of things (such as cookies) and still had it bake perfectly? Do you use full size baking pans, the big 18" x 26" ones? Do you shuffle your pans, or leave them alone for the entire baking time? These are the questions I'm having a hard time finding answers to. I'm very happy to hear you are still really loving your RCS.

Thanks!

I'm pleased to hear you are happy with your choice of range. Recently, I asked this forum for reviews of the RCS and have been hearing that buying the sealed-burner version of the Blue Star is akin to heresy -- you buy a Blue Star for the open burners or you don't buy one at all! I am breathing a little easier, now that I know there are, indeed, happy RCS owners. Keep us informed!

The burners aren't sealed , they just don' go to 22k btus, they're 15k with a 9k simmer burner. I think the lower btus are what some think are heresy, but for me they've been adequate

Also- laughable. I haven't tried multiple cookie sheets, turning, etc so i cant answer your questions. Sorry!

dc

The RCS is an open burner range. The Culinary Series is the closed burner one that I think you were asking about.

And BTW, I agree with what all those othe posters said about buying a closed burner Blue Star. If I were getting a closed burner range, I would get a Wolf. You get a Blue Star because of the awesome open burners.

Thanks for the 7 mth update! I'm so glad you love your RCS so much. As hard as I tried I couldn't get my dh to go for the RNB. He felt we'd never ever need the 22K burners so why spend the extra $. So we bought a 36" RCS. It's not installed yet but despite wanting the RNB I know that the RCS is very powerful and I can't wait to cook on it when we finally get to move back in to our house.

Oh, yes -- mixed up my ranges. Sorry for my post, but really happy for you and your RCS!

Oh, yes -- mixed up my ranges. Sorry for my post, but really happy for you and your RCS!

I have just purchased a BS 30" RCS range too. Yes, it would be nice to have at least one 18k/22k burner but I really don't feel I made a bad choice with the RCS. At the current price point this is a great deal for an open burner style range. I was looking at Wolf and Viking but the open burners won out in the end...plus the BS was $1500. less than the Wolf or Viking.