I just purchased one and the store did nothing to discourage me from SZ. I'll tell you that I have had a real difficult time in choosing between a Wolf all gas 30" range and the Bluestar 30" range even though the Bluestar burners are superior, in my opinion. The reason being that everywhere I went and every salesperson I spoke with raves about Wolf/SZ customer service and because I am buying a range and fridge I could get $1,000 off the range which would drop the price to $,2999 versus $4286 for the Bluestar. Wolf ovens have a top notch reputation. The Bluestar factory rep was in town this past weekend demoing the Bluestar range and I had quite a few conversations with him comparing various ranges. He was very honest and acknowledged that among the top brands there is very little difference in quality and that it pretty much comes down to personal preferences and customer service. He also said that Wolf was the gold standard in CS that they and others that recognize and value CS sought to achieve.

The biggest factor tipping me to paying more for the Bluestar is that having owned a Viking range top with the porcelain sheet and drip trays, I know that they are harder to keep clean because stuff always gets into the crevice between the sheet and the edges. This means one must pull out the entire sheet and it is too large for a sink or dishwasher making it slightly more tedious to clean. The other factor is the burner performance but I have to be honest with myself and question how often I will use the higher power.

One other thing the BS rep told me that I suspect is true for many home buyers is that having the Wolf range with its name recognition would be a factor if I ever went to sell. It crossed my mind but since the home I am purchasing will probably be my last I have discounted that factor. If I were younger and this was a stepping stone to a nicer home in the future that would probably be a bigger factor.

Our local 'high end' appliance store has lots of Sub-zeros on display and no discouragement from buying them (nor discouragement any other brand either, they are not pushy). My husband has a friend that runs an appliance store in another state (too far away for us to order from him so no pressure there), and he also said he would recommend Sub-zero for quality. We are about to pull the trigger on buying a Sub-zero frig so hopefully I will love it, like many others purport to love theirs. Our local store also services repairs everything they sell (pretty big region) so hopefully that will cover any issues that may crop up in the future. Although I could get the discount by buying a Wolf range, I chose to get a Bluestar (already put the order in). I see enough Bluestar ranges in design magazines and books (Micheal S. Smith's kitchens and baths book as one example) that I am not so worried about 'name recognition' for resale. Plus we plan to be in our house for the next 15-20 years at least, so we are buying appliances to suit our own fancies and needs, and not for resale or pleasing others. Plus our Sub will be paneled so its not like we'll have the 'name tag' out there for anyone to see anyhow :-)

One other thing - we were looking for a 48" panel-ready / integrated side by side, and pretty much every brand that offers that is expensive (Kitchen-aid and GE for example), in the same ballpark pricewise as Sub-zero.