This is a quick and dirty iPhone photo for which I apologize, but unfortunately I have to go back to work so better photos will have to wait. I will provide reports as I start to use it, as well.

So far, the burners are awesome and I love the feel and function of the knobs. Turned the oven to 350 to check it out/start the burn off, and there is no gas smell and it hit temp very quickly and seems to be dead-on, according to my oven thermometer.

More to come...

Christina

Thanks!

My AR is the ARROB-430 open burner model, 30". Straight up factory specs, no options. Comes with simmer and high power (25k BTU!) burners in front, and high and medium in back.

I can't wait to roast, bake, sear, boil and saute this weekend to put it through its paces. In the scant 30 min I had to play with it, my hopes are far exceeded and I hope that continues to be the case!

thanks.

@eve72 - photos with burners coming up, hopefully a bit later today. The top of the grate is about 1.25" above the stove top. The burners do appear rather high above the burners, and that's the only thing that's taken some getting used to for me, aesthetically. But when the burner is in use, that space becomes completely inconsequential, and the flame is just where want it. The center grate, as you can see from the pictures, is still missing (my dealer thought it would ship with the range, but later found out it will be available, allegedly, in September. I'm not holding my breath, as I know all these manufacturers can take a long time to ship things like that. But the center gap is not all that wide, so moving pots over isn't difficult. I still look forward to that piece, though, as I think it will look better and that added surface will be nice for moving pots and pans off heat, or to another burner).

I haven't tested out any simmering yet, but so far I am really liking the size options of the burners; they are perfectly matched to my various pieces of cookware. (In my experience, all large-sized burners, regardless of power or how low they can go, are less than optimal when you are trying to use a smaller diameter pan).

So far, I am really impressed with the quality of this range. It's built like a tank; everything feels solid and heavy and commercial-strength (the oven racks, for example, are heavy, solid and completely smooth to slide in and out, which has been a major deficiency in many of the other ranges I've owned and looked at) and between that and the performance it is just a joy to touch and to use. The appliance installer who did the work yesterday deals with high-end ranges all the time here in Silicon Valley, and this was the first American he had seen; he was very interested and impressed and kept commenting about how well-built it was compared to most of the other brands he works with. My dad, who is a retired developer/builder of high-end custom homes and is familiar with all the top brands had a similar reaction.

Here are a few more quick shots of it:..

Definitely worth checking out if you're shopping BS or Capital.

@kinei, I am indeed in the Bay Area. I can't say for certain who told me, but I do believe you can order whatever burner configuration you would like. I bought mine at University Electric, and they have one on the floor, along with a Bluestar and Capital. It was extremely helpful to compare all three. They most definitely have a contender on their hands. I am not a price shopper, and with something like this that I will use every day and keep for a long time, I'll pay for whichever brand/model will provide the best performance, quality and satisfaction for me.In this case, I can honestly say that if the Performer were the same price or more than the Bluestar or Culinarian, I would choose it over them. They are both great ranges, but the Performer was the best one for me.

University Electric was very good to deal with (I have purchased other appliances from them as well).

The high power burners are just awesome, and continue to impress me with stir-frying and searing. I am also really pleased with the simmer capabilities on both the small and large burners. Quite a gentle simmer can be held.

All my foodie friends who've seen the AR have been impressed and envious, and those who know ranges are generally very surprised that it costs less (substantially so) than the BS or CC.

I definitely recommend the American Range Performer!

I can't comment on what would happen if it was in stock waiting. They may be able to get you a grate later.

How are things going with your Performer now? Would you do it again? Or, are you now wishing you'd bought the BS instead?

One more thing: Somewhere you mention you had a Viking VGIC. I am also looking at that as a possibility. How do the Performer and the Viking compare? Thanks.

I believe Cep55's photo shows her range not fully pushed against the wall due to an electrical outlet being in the way and needing to be moved.

That is correct, in the first pic the range was about 3-4" extra inches away from the wall, because I had to have the outlet behind it moved further down. My cabinets are standard 24" depth, and now the range works perfectly with them; the frame of the range body is basically almost flush with the cabinets and the door panel is beyond the cabinet depth, which to me looks just right.

Beautiful range hood. What is its cfm rating?
Thanks for sharing your photos and experience.