I have to agree the BS "white glove" service provider has a lot to be desired (at least in Boston). I bought my natural gas BS from Trevor and it was delivered as a propane unit at the end of March. Supposedly it's an orifice size issue. I should have sent it back and waited the 6 - 8 weeks for a new one. Instead I took delivery. Trevor came out immediately and changed the stove top orifices but didn't have the parts or expertise to change the ovens. I could use the cooktop. If I used my broiler flames would shoot out of the oven when the door was open! Four months and multiple visits from Supreme appliance (at one point they broke another part) and still not fixed. At one time I was calling BS to get the right parts to Supreme. I have to say I wasn't pushing hard on Supreme Appliance because I was in a major renovation, I had another oven and my kitchen wasn't done yet. If I didn't call though (Supreme Appliance) they would not come. I have a 48" BS and it's a two person lift and scheduling was difficult. I would never use Supreme Appliance. Finally Trevor and I got fed up and BS got another company to fix my oven - Vesco from Quincy. All is fine now. I love my BS. At BS I worked with Matt.

So, those who have a BS and have been using it....would you buy it again or would you buy another brand? I need to make a decision soon and am really nervous about BS (my first choice....until I read about all the problems...)
Thanks for any info

dturoran, first, you should search the threads on Blue Star and you will begin to get a feel for both the evolution and the causals. It seems that there have been problems caused by bad service and customer care, and problems caused by things wrong with the range itself. Blue Star has been continuing to work on their service though for any individual your experience will be determined by the quality of the service person in your area as much or more so than the response of Blue Star HQ. Blue Star has also addressed some of the problems with a new release (V1) but there are still some potential Achilles heels -- ignitors (easily broken? but easily replaced) and the hinges (new gasket isolates them from heat but Blue Star still advises that you lube them). The net -net on all this is that things have definitely gotten better and continue to evolve. But all is not perfect and it is impossible to predict with certainty what kind of experience you may have at the outset. But, most people who have problems seem to get the issues resolved (with greater or lesser frustration) and then love the range.

You could avoid the oven issues, as we did, by getting a BS slide-in rangetop and then using wall ovens of whatever make pleases you. I know you'd have a hard time getting our wonderful Blue Star burners away from us, idiosyncratic fit and all.

Okay, I will say it, then.

odiegirl, I begin to suspect "bcstoveguy" is some kind of shill for Bluestar: he's a new user, only 4 posts, each hawking Bluestar, refuses to answer followups. The user behaves like somebody trying to spam the board with phony or commercially motivated posts in an attempt to jam the signal from all the complaints we have seen here from real users with real problems, both with their ranges and with Prizer Painter support.

I do not recommend manufacturers or distributors gaming this forum. People come here to read real experiences and real opinions, not to get smoke blown up their skirts by phonies. By the way, this does not mean that we do not want to hear from the pros, company reps, etc., far from it. Only that they not misrepresent themselves as customers when they are in fact the sellers.

Oh, yeah. bcstoveguy. If you are for real, sorry. Come on back and explain and I will retract. But you are coming across as a shill right now.

And FWIW, I have NO financial connection to any stove seller, maker, or other player in the appliance trade. I have a Bluestar range at home and find it an excellent performer, but I also sympathize with those persons who have not had such a pleasant term of ownership.

mojavean - I knew but I was trying to be sneaky and not so direct. The last time I questioned someone on this forum they sent me an email trying to straighten me out. Luckily, GW took care of it for me.

I am glad you are happy with your range mojavean. I would probably be happy with the cooking on the Culinarian but I just can't throw out my love for the looks of the Bluestar. I guess that is why I keep rooting for them.

I just called Bluestar and it seems that the number I had for Matt is now being answered by someone named Chris. I left a voicemail for him and I am hoping that he will call me back. I still have issues with my broiler lighting with a huge bang and ball of flame and the oven temperature calibration has never been right since I installed the stove 10 months ago. These problems have persisted even after several service calls with replacement of broiler parts, oven thermostat etc. I am really hoping I can get them fixed once and for all. So far no trouble with the hinges or burner ignitors though!

I needed Bluestar service last week, Chris returned my call, said he was going to send me an igniter, it arrived ups no problems.

Hey, luv2cookngrow, did you do the install yourself or did you have a service rep do it? Do you have one of the V1 models or is your range older?

Good news - I had a VERY encouraging phone call with Mandy at Bluestar today. I called and left a message with Chris and Mandy returned my call later that day. She basically confirmed that I very likely need the oven thermostat to be calibrated - that is why the replacement still did not fix my oven temp problem. Apparently they are aware of of the broiler ignition issues and are working on a fix - I am on the list for the fix when it is available. She very kindly is sending me the newer grates designed for the V1 stove which should fit my range better and be less wobbly than the old ones. All in all it was a very encouraging conversation. If everything follows through then I think I can say that things are definitely on the up on the Bluestar service front.

@buffalotina: do you have the pre-V1 rnb?

luv2cookngrow? Hello? Did you fix the ignitor yourself? Are you here?

buffalotina, when you get the new grids can you give me a description of what the differences are? I have problems with my center grids (spacers?) on my 30" RNB, they are a completely different texture/finish than the rest of the grates. It is impossible to clean them with anything as it just shreds it, as the finish is *very* rough. Sponge, shred. Rag, shred. Scrubby, shred. And then I get to find ways to try and get all of the lint off. Thankfully I haven't spilled anything significant on them as I don't think it would ever come clean.

I got a replacement dial for the oven, the edges were chipped on the factory installed one...the letters/numbers are much better on the new control dial, be nice if they would replace all of them so they'd match as the color/sheen is a bit different between old vs new.

I did finally get my local service company to schedule a visit to replace a valve (that they broke...), my simmer burner still takes forever to light. Overall I love the stove, everything about using it is pretty much amazing. The oven is great, my temperature is within 2-3 degrees.

mojavean, sorry we were away for the weekend. Yes, I put it on, one screw, one wire, quick fix, I thought it would be better than waiting a couple of days for a service guy. Yes we have a V1

ok so I have read all the blogs...I live in rural missouri..fell in love with bluestar, but now I am scared! I cant even find anyone that sells them! help!

Try this link. The listings might be dated. You can always check with the distributor for current info.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bluestar

Cool, luv2. I did my own ignitor also, not worth waiting for somebody to come out here, not that anyone would anyway! I live out with the Coyotes.

Anyway, glad you had good service!

We got our BS 36" 6 burner RNB (propane) about 2 months ago and love it. It has performed well from the first day of installation. We are in eastern PA and the white glove service was fine. The guy seemed knowledgeable and had worked on several in the past and appeared to know what he was doing. We just received our double 36" wall ovens and they will be installed on Thursday. I will post an update after we try them out.

anyone know where to buy a bluestar range in missouri?

Well my news continues to be good! I spoke with Mandy again yesterday and she has sent me out the new grates and within an hour or two I had a call from my local service company scheduling the oven thermostat calibration. I am psyched! This is an awesome range but I have been plagued by niggling problems and it looks like they will all be solved soon. They are still working on the broiler ignition fix so we will address that later (I want a final fix not another interim one :)). But the big difference and great relief is the response and communication! Mandy is great and seems very knowledgeable and has been really easy to talk to and maintains good communication. That makes all the difference.

ebean: I have the old pre V1. I just saw the pic you posted of yours - looks awesome.

xipper - I will let you know about the grates. I am getting a new oven dial too - I hope it matches the other knobs. If not I will enquire with Mandy. BTW, I am sure the simmer burner takes so long because it is a long tube to the back of the range and there are fewer holes so less gas. I find the same thing, but it is much faster to light if you have a pan on it first - I always do that.

This new approach to service at Bluestar is VERY welcome - instead of feeling depressed about my range I am now feeling so much better about my choice. There is no doubt it is a great cooking machine...but unless it's working as it should it can be a downer.

Good to hear about BS's customer service!
Any brand of appliance can have issues it is how they are handled that really makes the difference.

BS is a wonderful range and CS is stepping up to the plate, very good news indeed!

I too have just communicated with Mandy at Bluestar Cust Service via email. I have now encountered the dreaded Stuck Oven Door issue twice in the last two weeks. I lube every week, but it didn't help much. BS is sending out an updated door, so hopefully, that will help.

While I was at it, I also mentioned the broiler issue (small explosion when it lights) and the fact that the simmer adjustment screws will not turn (bent screwdriver trying). BS is working on a fix for the broiler (as mentioned above) and is sending new gas valves for the burners.

Good service so far and much better than a year ago. I hope this will be the last of the issues for a long time. I think I have gotten my fair share of BS bugs out there.

- Buffalotina: Not sure what your oven calibration issues are but FYI - I had a non-linear thermostat in mine as originally shipped. It could be set fine at 350, but would be too low at high temp and too high at low temp. It took two visits, and several nights of experiments, to figure out what was going on.

Hi Folks,

1. If your having issues with getting your Bluestar product fixed maybe you should contact your selling dealer! NOT Bluestar direct as I would not expect you to call Toyota japan if your car needs to be fixed.

2. Bluestar is the manufacture and only deals with retail and wholesale outlets, again, calling direct or emailing direct to the manufacture is the worst and slowest process. Have your selling dealer contact Bluestar direct for you if required. If you live outside your selling dealers service area and require service contact the closet selling dealer for help as they should have answers for you. Not getting satisfaction from your selling deal then contact that dealers distributor as they are next in line.

3. Most service issues can be taken care of simply by a qualified gas servicer or even your self with a little direction as Bluestar builds a very nice simple serviceable product. Should the servicer need assistance they can reference guides on the Bluestar website, the guides show correct install and recommended procedures or they can contact Bluestar service dept direct.

Now with that said, I am a Bluestar Dealer and Servicer. You can rest assured Bluestar goes out of its way like any company to help, I have never had an issue in three years of doing business with them. If i do have a service issue bluestar ships me the parts asap and i take care of my clients problems. Thats how it works.

Curious that our "Canadian Expert" never has time to leave us any hardware problem tips, only dissertations about chain of command. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

parrym: Sounds like our units were put out on the day...my original oven thermostat was also nonlinear. I experimented endlessly over the winter burning who knows how much gas and determined that it ran quite a bit too hot at low temps (300 - 400) but was just about right at 425. The thermostat was replaced but without calibration. I now think that it is reasonably linear but it runs too hot. Mandy said it should have been calibrated and that appt. is tomorrow.

I also have the broiler explosion: what I find is that if I warm the oven a bit first then the broiler lights gently. But that is annoying and of course it will cause more use of the oven ignitor than is necessary. I am hoping the fix, when it arrives, will not be too intrusive.

BTW, did you get any information about exactly which part of the hinge we should be lubing? I have found that to be very unclear and I'm not at all convinced I am attacking the right area.

I agree the service seems to have stepped up dramatically which is great.

buffalotina - I have a spray lube that I apply to both sides of the hinge. Best I can tell, the majority of the hinge mechanism is inside the door, so I spray a little longer there.

Hope all goes well for you.

parrym and others - to lubricate the hinges, do you just put vegetable oil(or the like) in a spray bottle and spray? I haven't had any issues yet with the door sticking(hope i'm not jinxing myself) and i'd like it to stay that way. Just not exactly sure what to do.

thanks-

Yes they still are in business. I phoned them today and they answered on the first or second ring. I spoke to Michael in the service dept and he was extremely helpful. I do not own a Blue Star oven yet but really want to.

Malhgold:

Don't use any "normal" lube on the hinges as that might make things worse. There is a good discussion in the first thread on the link.
The problem does not appear to be widespread but it seems like it might involve overheating of the hinge assemblies by excess heat reaching them within the sides of some ovens and then flowing along the hinge metal to the internal door spring assemblies where it can sometimes produce binding. It seems strange that the exact reason for this problem is so difficult to nail down and correct.

Here is a link that might be useful: oven hinge thread

This thread is very confusing; everyone seems to be having significant quality and customer services issues, but still loves Bluestar.

For example: xipper has mismatched grids that can't be cleaned, sent a chipped unit, mismatched colors on replacement parts, and a simmer burner that won't light correctly, but loves the stove.

I must be missing something b/c nothing in this thread encourages me to buy a Bluestar.

@xipper: I had the same issues with the rough texture of the old center grates - I even posted once asking what kind of cloth to use :). I gave up using cloths or sponges of any kind, even the green scrubbies, and use a nylon brush now. A bigger issue was that they were ill-fitting and one of them would barely fit between the bowls. I ended up scratching the backsplash one day trying to force it in. Mandy kindly just replaced them with the new ones which are definitely much better - smoother finish and more regular shape. Although I have not tried cleaning them yet I think they are going to be better. A service tech dropped my oven dial and chipped it and again Mandy just sent the new one. I agree the markings are nicer, but as you say, the sheen is a bit different from the old knobs. I will use it anyway - pretty soon it will be all covered in fingerprints in any case! Mandy has been great and extremely responsive - amazing that I can now communicate with Bluestar! Long may it continue.

Malhgold:
BS recommends a 'high temp, food safe, silicon based lube'. I have a can of stuff from LPS (500deg, NSF rated) that I ordered from the Granger catalog.

SPF5209:
I can understand how you would feel looking at the BS situation from these boards. Keep in mind that with any tool, the unhappy ones are the most vocal. The happy ones are busy doing their thing.

When I bought mine, I was fully aware of many of the potential quality issues. I have run in to most of them so far, but the service from BS has been on par good enough. There is no question that the performance of the range far exceeds anything currently available, which is why I bought it in the first place. At some point, Capital will start shipping a true competitor, and then we will see how that goes for people.

If I were looking to purchase again, it would be a close two horse race. Might come down to things like color or rotisserie. Who knows, I'm just glad I don't have to agonize anymore and can enjoy cooking on my BS... that is, when the door isn't stuck shut.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Lube

Howdy, spf5209,

That is one of the great things about Gardenweb; you get to hear both sides. I get a little concerned sometimes when we have posts from new posters and all they ever talk about is how great ONE brand is over anything else.

That will never be the truth. It makes me begin to suspect that some of them are shills for the companies they tout, even employees posting from the company's own network!

As far as Bluestar, there is NO DOUBT that this company has had and continues to experience serious quality control issues. The door hinge problem has plagued dozens of owners here, the noise, explosive oven ignition, fragile and vulnerable burner ignitors, etc., as well as other problems that seem to have been corrected like the center grates on the 30s and the spark modules. Here's the thing about Bluestar. It is a cook's stove. The top is all cast iron, it has incredibly great performance from the tiny keep-warm flame of the simmer burner to the blowtorch UNB. The oven is cavernous and very even heating and the bangs you hear as it heats up are due to the heavy steel used in the walls and floor. It is a bit rough looking and you have to put up with idiosyncrasies but for some people nothing less will do.

As far as the Culinarian, I like the concept of the design. Sealed burners of the types you see in pro line ranges today just will not compete with what you are going to get out of the Bluestar nor the Culinarian. I think the bowl/burner layout of the Bluestar is better than the more complex tray and rail setup in the Culinarian, but that is basically a quibble. I do know for a fact that Mr. Kalsi is not immune to mistakes. I bought one of his patio heaters from him back when he was the CEO of DCS and when the steel burner mantle deformed and blew out within a couple of years his company would do nothing about it. So do not imagine the seas will always remain smooth with Capital if they run into a serious defect problem with this new range.

Just to clarify: Service tech came out Friday and said there is NO CALIBRATION that can be done on the oven thermostat. He said he had looked for that adjustment on the last appt. and did not find it. He checked with Chris at Bluestar before coming out to my house and confirmed that. He did agree/confirm that my oven is running half a notch too hot - consistently - that is probably ca.15 F. He did not recommend trying yet another thermostat because he said it very well could be worse. I agree with him: now that the question of whether or not it is off has been answered I am happy enough to just mentally adjust and set the dial half a notch lower.

Second, the tech also seemed to think that the broiler explosion is nature of the beast. What put my mind at rest is that he said it is safe. That is what I have been looking for: just confirmation of whether it is OK to use the broiler in this condition or not. If Bluestar does develop some improvement I will be glad to hear about it, but for now my mind is at rest regarding the oven and broiler.

This service visit combined with the new responsiveness of Mandy et al. means I am now feeling MUCH better about my range. It has always cooked fantastically - now I am set to enjoy cooking on it even more.

@buffalotina:
I'm confused.... if the oven is running too hot, can't you simply pull out the oven knob and turn the set screw down a bit? That would move the temp (at say 350deg) down a bit.

Maybe what you are seeing is not what I 'm thinking, but you can adjust the oven temp up or down with the set screw in the knob. However, if you are only off by 15deg, I'd be fine with that too.

The sides of my bluestar get Extremely Hot when I have the oven on- SDoes anyone know if something can be installed between the oven sides and the kitchen cabinets? I'm wondering if they forgot to insulate it.

@parrym: Heck - that is exactly the sort of thing I was expecting the tech to do on Friday last!!! However he arrived with the news, apparently confirmed with Chris at Bluestar that morning, that there is NO adjustment of the thermostat that can be done!! This was after Mandy ordered the service call in order to calibrate the oven. I am VERY confused at this point. Mojavean posted about the oven calibration on another thread and I just posted asking about it. It is off by half a notch, not huge, but still annoying enough. Do you have any pics you can show me of the set screw you are referring to? I will pull my knob off tonight and take a look...Thanks!

@lamermaid: Yep, my oven sides get extremely hot too - or rather the adjacent cabinetry. I was really concerned for a while. Have now decided there is not much I can do about it and just hoping it does not discolor/warp the cabinet fronts or the boxes. One assumes it is to code.

Tina

New owner of a BlueStar RNB60 here, with two 30" ovens. I'm still getting to know this big beast. Mojavean, do you really mean it about the "bang" when it heats up--is this to be expected? I saw one thread about this (can't find it now) after I purchased. Each of my ovens does it and it is LOUD! There are no flames;) but it makes the dog jump. Bluestar is sending replacement parts to my contractor, which I think means oven floors, but I'm not sure. Other BS owners: can this be fixed? I am generally loving the BS except for the noise and the not-so-low simmer burner, which I'm researching, thanks for all the advice.

@parrym: Per another thread Mojavean seems to imply there may be a set screw that is masked by white silicone in the end of the shaft that holds the knob. However, it seems that it is not certain that it is a set screw and that messing with it might cause even more trouble! However, you sound as though you have actually DONE this...any info? Thanks! At this point it is more my curiosity than a desperate need to adjust the thing: Now that it is confirmed how much it is off it is much easier to make a compensation when I set the dial.

It quiets down a bit, Rose. That or I just don't notice it as much.

But maybe the new panels will help. I never once owned an oven that did not make some kind of noise associated with thermal expansion, but the Bluestar is something else. But, go in and lift up on the floor panel and you will know why. It is heavy. It's like banging one of those big Chinese gong cymbals.

Anyway, it is a problem, but it seems to have dissipated on mine and I don't worry about it.

@buffalotina:
There is a set screw behind a little silicon putty if you pull off the knob. It's the same for the oven as it is for the burner knobs. Page 22 of the Owner's Manual talks about adjusting the burners via the set screw. Oven thermostat is the same idea.

Here is the procedure for calibrating the oven I got from Trevor @ Eurostoves.

If you can't read it, let me know and I will email.

Threads like this, to me, really highlight the stupidity of Bluestar. If nothing else, they 'fired' the best advertiser and advocate for their product. Trevor spread and continues to spread more goodwill for Bluestar than anything else they could ever afford to pay for. Who else gets this kind of mileage on the internet? Unreal.

@parrym: OMG!!! That is the exact putty that Mojavean talked of and it seems that there IS an adjustment screw - you know more than my service tech does! Yes, please do email me Exhibit A (aka Bluestar's own instructions - I see the fax header shows it came from them). Although I think my oven is likely within the specs mentioned there, I don't like having the wool pulled over my eyes regarding this calibration issue. Thank you!!

Well for those following the story regarding my oven temp & broiler ignition issues I have very good news to report. My oven & broiler are FIXED!! After the failed service call where I was told by the tech that there was no adjustment of the oven temp calibration, Mandy at Bluestar called me to say they had developed a fix for the exploding broiler. Another service call was set up to deploy that fix and Mandy also confirmed the details of the oven temp. calibration procedure with me. Indeed there is a silicone plug that can be removed to reveal a set screw. That can be turned to adjust the temp. setting of the oven. The service call was a success: we recalibrated the oven (though most definitely the screw had to be turned the opposite way that it said in the instructions). The tech also installed the new bracket that holds the broiler glow plug closer to the broiler. The result is that my oven temp. is now bang on right AND the broiler lights gently within around 30 seconds! That is a night and day difference from the previous almost 2 minute delay that resulted in a mini-explosion/ball of fire. I am really thrilled and I think Mandy has been really really good. She kindly sent me new grates that fit better and are less wobbly than my old ones which were quite wobbly.

I am now in cooking heaven! It is so much quicker to get the oven to the right temp for baking now because I was always overshooting and then having to let it cool, adjust the dial etc. Also I used to turn the broiler on and leave the room until it was lit because it scared me so much. Now I can use it without worry. Hopefully this is the end of my Bluestar service needs for a while. One good thing is that I have had so much done that I can see it is really simple to work on this range.

Tina, that is fabulous news, and very encouraging. Sounds like not only are there fixes but also that the "new" customer service is making sure that the fixes get implemented. I am so glad to read this!

My color sample is now ordered and I'm waiting to receive it. I will be posting all the details of my Blue Star experience as they occur. Thank you again Tina!!!

Hello everyone--I haven't posted for a while--most of my GW activity was 2006-2008 on the Kitchen site, though I've popped in here occasionally. I have a few comments and questions and forgive me if I seem to hop around

My RNB36 BS has had several problems from the beginning that were never really resolved because the service person sent by the appliance company convinced me that it was working the way it should. I cook a lot and intensely and LOVE the 22k burners. My simmer burner started that clicking deal about a year and one half ago, so I contacted BS rather than the appliance company I did not trust. BS sent me a new replacement ceramic ignitor which did not fix the clicking. I called BS back and they told me that the next most probable solution (they did not say what) required a service call and gave me the name of local company that does strictly service. The White Glove/2 yr warranty began right after I bought my BS, so I nearly choked when I called the service co was told they charged $170 for the first half-hour, plus parts, etc., so I procrastinated on calling them, as I had found work-arounds to my issues. I experienced the exploding oven issue as well, but was able to use my wall oven for almost everything.(Monogram-bought extended warranty after 3 svc calls in 1st year). Last week, I decided to bite the bullet and get the BS fixed because I certainly was not getting $5000 out of it.

I went onto Eurostoves website looking for the videos Trevor made, but couldn't find the proper link-nor any link. I called Eurostoves to ask if they still sold BS. When they said no, I said "so I guess Trevor doesn't work there any more," to which she replied "he's standing right here" and handed the phone to him.

Even though he no longer had the BS affiliation, he still spent 30 minutes on the phone with me giving advice and pointers, PLUS, before hanging up he told me to have my husband call him later as he would be there until 11PM.

I can't believe this man's generosity, especially since he no longer has anything to gain. He was this generous with his time 3-4 years ago, even when I told him I would not buy a range from him because he was one state away.

With the information from Trevor, my husband then took the front panel off, swapped out the wires from the burners to determine the electronic module was causing the simmer burner's problems. He replaced the ceramic igniter on the 22k burner, and then removed the oven floor and adjusted the air intake, which was way off, on the burner. I ordered a new electronic module for $85 and am looking forward to a perfectly functioning range.

My husband thought adjusting the oven burner air intake would solve the exploding oven problem, but in reading this thread, I now wonder whether it could actually have been the broiler.

Here's what I need help with:

1. Could someone please direct me to a thread that deals with the exploding broiler issue? I haven't used the broiler much because it is so tiny and I find it hard to accurately position the pan below. and I can't always check the doneness of the food without straining my neck or struggling with pulling out the shelf. Is this normal? If so, why does everyone rave about their broiler? Is there any documentation, or video resource on using the broiler?

2. Posting the oven calibration instructions was a fabulous idea. If anyone else has any official BS documentation regarding repairs or adjustments, could you please post them as well? It's obvious that many BS owners are hands-on people and would love that kind of resource.

Thanks

chdoc - I'm in St. Louis and you can purchase the Bluestar ranges at Construction Appliance Supply in Fenton - they have a nice website with links to all of the sites for appliances they carry.

Here is a link that might be useful: Construction Appliance Supply

Hmmm... I feel even better now about my decision to buy the bluestar 36" rangetop and a separate double-wall oven (no oven door hinge issues :-).

Just chiming in now to state that the range top has performed flawlessly since I installed it, but I did have cause to interact with Bluestar service due to cosmetic damage the unit sustained in shipment.

I had purchased from AJ Madison, and because the lead time was so long on the Bluestar unit, I photographed everything as I unboxed it and accepted delivery. AJM looped the aforementioned Matt at Bluestar into my email thread about the shipping damage, then Michael had replacement parts shipped to the company they contracted for the wg service. So far, so good.

The wg service guy who showed up with the replacement parts was so-so, but honestly everything was pretty well adjusted from the factory. Unfortunately, the replacement side rail received from BS was the wrong size. I'm still trying to get the proper replacement, but now I gather the guys I was cheerfully dealing with (until they went silent on me) don't work there anymore. Guess I'll start over...

Glad to hear things seem to be getting sorted out there. My experience tells me their heart's in the right place but they need a better process for tracking service incidents.

I love my rangetop and the star burners - I've learned to adjust things myself and I expect it'll last forever.

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.

Posted by parrym (My Page) on Wed, Sep 22, 10 at 13:03
....the simmer adjustment screws will not turn (bent screwdriver trying). ....

I was trying to lower my simmer burner a touch, and realized I can't turn the simmer burner set screw or the 15K burner set screw. The 22K burner set screws turn just fine.

Is there a trick to adjusting the simmer or 15K burners?