Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
virginiavictorian

Which 36 in. pro style gas range- features, reliability,USA,$

virginiavictorian
13 years ago

Hello All - I've been doing some searching on a pro style 36" range. I've decided to go all gas for simplicity and reliability and just cannot afford $4k or more. I would really like to pay less than $3k.

I've been pouring over the posts on NXR, Bertazzoni, Fratelli-onofri, American Range, etc. I'm tempted by the fridgidare pro and kenmore elite 36" ranges for the price - but the ovens appear not to be large for the 36" width (and they don't really have truly pro looks). The NXR ranges look great but the made in china, purchasing it from a remote seller, and a couple of warning posts on here have me nervous.

Are there any made in USA alternatives? Where are Bertazzoni and Fratelli Onofri ranges made - Italy - or also China?

Are there all gas pro style ranges with at least programmable cooking times (so i could set it to bake and it would turn itself off)? though I like the thought of less electronics that could fail someday.

Has anyone measured the oven on the NXR? I'd love to know the WxDxH.

Anyone who has bought one of these more 'affordable' pro style ranges let me know your experiences.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Comments (45)

  • antss
    13 years ago

    "Are there any made in USA alternatives?"

    Yes, but they're just not in you're price range especially at There are a few Berta and Fratelli threads around here, just do a search.

  • wingnut330
    13 years ago

    In our area I think the 36' Wolf with non sealed burners is around $3200. American made, high quality but $200 over your budget.

  • deeageaux
    13 years ago

    Wingnut,

    What range and area is that?

    The Wolf R366 in Los Angeles is $4900.

    I know LA is probably higher than some places in Middle America but $1700?

  • deeageaux
    13 years ago

    Are there all gas pro style ranges with at least programmable cooking times (so i could set it to bake and it would turn itself off)?

    No, not that are semi-pro in terms of function.

    There maybe some with pro-style looks depending on your definition of "pro-style"

    This Bluestar is made in Pennsylvania normally sells for about $3800-$3900 but is being sold in a no reserve auction on ebay by a top rated seller.It is the RCS366BSS not the RNB everyone talks about here. It has one 18k BTU as the power burner as opposed to two 22k BTU buners.

    However, it will not sell for $5k. More like $2400-$3000 plus $300 in shipping. It has one small scratch in the back that will not be visible after installation.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Blues Star on 'Bay

  • flwrs_n_co
    13 years ago

    Wow! what a deal on a Blue Star! It doesn't have convection, but since I've never had a convection oven it wouldn't matter to me. Too bad I'm just not ready to buy my appliances yet. :(

  • deeageaux
    13 years ago

    Hmm RCS sold for $2750.

    Anybody here buy it?

  • virginiavictorian
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks folks.

    On the China thing give me a break. i'm posing the question for some made in usa options - nobody said it hadd be the same price or whining if it was more expensive than the chinese made - just seeing if there was something well below that $5k price range that was made here. I would pay more to support some native manufacturing - not sure if I can pay double. I certainly wasn't saying - give me a cheap range and oh yeah, make it made in usa - as if I don't understand wage/environmental/labor price pressures of globalization (though I'd say our greedy corporations and wall street culture that takes jobs off shore even when products could be profitable here - they're just more profitable in undeveloped nations - and since we allow and encourage our corporations (now viewed as people with free speech by our esteemed high court) to try and make every single dollar possible without regards to obligation to workers or society at large - who cares if every job is shipped to the pacific rim - while the fat cats and stock holders get paid. I used to love milwaukee tools - now made in china. it sucks. I'll pay more for USA why don't they give us the damn chance.

    Anyway, that's my rant - back to the range for around $3k (perhaps up to $4k for made in USA). I don't know how unreasonable it is to ask about ranges in this range that have some 'pro looks' and might be substantially made in USA.

    $3-$4k is a lot of money to me.

    If I can't get USA then I would choose another democracy/advanced society as country of origin.

    I'll look at the Fratelli.

  • sara_the_brit_z6_ct
    13 years ago

    Bertazzoni is made in Italy too.

  • alexrander
    13 years ago

    You might try calling a store called Dvorson's, (you can find them on the internet). They sell a residential gas range made in America called "American Residential Range"(do not get the commercial model)... Anyway, a friend of mine got a pretty good deal on one a few years ago. She's extremely happy and they are very well made. She's had no problems at all, and they have convection and IR broilers and sealed top burners. The price is about $5,000 for the 36 inch model, but like I said, if you call them they may do much better. Also, as someone mentioned, Bluestar has a less fancy range, the RCS series and that might come in a 36" model and may or may not have convection fan at a much better price than the top models .

  • southgeorgia_girl
    13 years ago

    I bought the Blue Star on ebay for $2750. Sitting in my garage waiting for install. Shipped from California in great shape.

  • salmon_slayer
    13 years ago

    Get the Wolf - no question about standing behind their product or delivering an outstanding product. we paid less for ours (bay area, Ca.)

  • llaatt22
    13 years ago

    One interesting feature on the ag Bertas is the oven temp is valve controlled so it runs steady like the top burners on a gas stove. The problem with that is the oven minimum temp available is a bit higher than thermostat controlled on/off type ovens which can run unattended at lower temps if that matters to you.

  • sgshrchef
    13 years ago

    Does Wolf really have a semi-open burner? How much difference would there be with 19,000 vs 16,000 BTU's? Wolf is very well thought of. Is Capital not as sought after because no one knows about it-or because others are just much better. I need to make a decision this week and Garden Web is great-but incredibly addicting-and I can find good and bad about everything!!!

  • gregfl
    13 years ago

    Shshrchef, the wolf "semi open burner" is really a gimmick. we are using it in my cooking school class my wife and I are taking right now. It looks great, the grates are really heavy and nice, and I suspect overall it is a pretty good range compared to other closed range tops. However, the little tiny middle simmrt burner is too small, and when you turn it up you create a huge hot ring that cooks stuff on the rim of the pan, not in the center. I found myself the other day moving the onions I was sweating into a big ring. It doesn't cook any better than our cheapie crappy jenn-aire cooktop we are using at home, and actually it simmers much worse.

  • Nunyabiz1
    13 years ago

    For the price you are looking for the NXR is your ONLY choice.
    and for the most part it is NOT made in China.
    It is put together in both China and California from largely some of the best parts available from Germany, Italy, USA and Australia.
    You can get a 36" NXR stove for about $3200 and nothing else even comes close in quality for that price.
    As far as the manure "antss" spewed, that is pure reich wing nonsense they believe from watching too much Faux news.

  • cat_mom
    13 years ago

    We have a Wolf AG range w/ the "semi-open" burner. Burners work just fine, and simmer is very good..

  • geo91324
    13 years ago

    Quoting Nunyabiz1: "As far as the manure "antss" spewed, that is pure reich wing nonsense they believe from watching too much Faux news."

    Cute. Stupid and moronic, but cute.

    What antss said is correct. What Nunyabiz1 said is wrong. NXR *is* made in China. NXR is a subsidiary of a Chinese company. It uses some foreign parts, but the vast majority of the range is manufactured in China and the whole thing is assembled in China. Their offices in the USA are strictly sales, warehousing, and distribution.

    That doesn't make NXR a bad product. It just makes NXR "Made in China."

  • gerrygr
    13 years ago

    I'm not an engineer, nor do I play one on TV, but isn't a stove just a heavy steel box, with a gas pipe, an ignitor & a diffuser? And in that standpoint, the piping, the ignitor & diffuser are the most important parts - which are all sourced from well known international manufacturers. That leaves China as the place of assembly and source of steel for the box. So while NXR is definitely made in China, the critical components & design are not.

  • dodge59
    13 years ago

    Interesting that Nunyabiz1 doesn't like "Faux" News.

    I guess He wants to "Morph into a Mushroom" as
    CBS, NBC, CNBC, ABC just feed him the "Liberal Line of "BS", and keep him "In the Dark"

    It would really be nice to have an Independent News Network not connectedd to the Government, and right now "Faux" is a close as it gets to "Independent".

    Example, OBlama, Loaned 2 Billion Dollars to a Central or South American company for "Oil Exploration". All of any "found oil" is already spoken for by China and indeed the oil will go there, we won't get a drop out of it!

    With our economy, we shouldn't be loaning money to anybody. Course Oblama didn't want the public to know about the loan, and "True to Form" the liberal Media
    "Kept Quiet" --about it, Were it not for "Faux" we would never have known.

    Yep, govt along with liberal media is agrowing Mushrooms, but I ain't one of them!!

    Sorry about the "Digression" but in the name of knowledge, I felt it best to respond to the "Miss (ed) information"!

    Gary

  • Nunyabiz1
    13 years ago

    No such thing as "liberal media" that is a reich wing lie for the past 30 years.
    You have extreme reich wing propaganda which is Faux news then you have rest of the media like CBS, NBC ABC CNN etc that at least don't just blatantly lie like Faux does but they neglect to tell the known facts in many cases.
    MSNBC is about as close to actual news as you can get on regular US TV/Cable.
    They are at best "Centrist" which is what all news is supposed to be, there is no liberal media however.
    Faux is as FAR as it gets from Independent they are a direct propaganda arm of the extremist reich wing in this country.

    Odds are what ever Faux spewed about Obama was the usual bald faced lie.
    You and those that listen to faux are the manure that grows the mushrooms unfortunately.

    If you want to listen to REAL news, totally unbiased, actual journalism then you need to listen to "DemocracyNow" found on some satellite and a few cable but you can download and watch it on your PC or Iphone.
    If you think for one second you are getting any factual news from Faux then you are sadly mistaken, they are without question THE worst source of news on the planet.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Liberal Media Myth

  • Nunyabiz1
    13 years ago

    No actually I am not wrong.
    NXR is partially assembled in China from parts that come from all over the world, the best burners from Germany, great hinges from Italy and so on quite a bit is also assembled in California. The stainless panels may be made in China but that is about it.
    And what Antss said is just reich wing nonsense that I guarantee they got from watching faux news.

  • Nunyabiz1
    13 years ago

    """Example, OBlama, Loaned 2 Billion Dollars to a Central or South American company for "Oil Exploration". All of any "found oil" is already spoken for by China and indeed the oil will go there, we won't get a drop out of it!""
    ------------------------------------

    FWIW I decided to check into your faux news allegations and it took me exactly 5 seconds to debunk it as the usual bald faced lies. This is what anyone can do if they actually cared about factual news & reality, unfortunately the Faux news crowd does not and are perfectly happy being fed a steady diet of pure BS on a daily basis because that is what they WANT to hear.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Faux News Lies

  • geo91324
    13 years ago

    COOL IT.

    If you want to argue about whether NXR is made in China, fine.

    If you want to spew your version of political genius, find another forum.

  • Nunyabiz1
    13 years ago

    No problem, I didn't feel right about arguing this in this forum anyway, just felt compelled to state a fact is all.

    As far as NXR "made" in China, I guess in one way it "technically" is, however in reality it is mostly "made" almost everywhere but China at least all the most important parts are. It is however mostly if not entirely "assembled" in China.

  • alexrander
    13 years ago

    There is a forum here, called "Hot Topics", it's a good place to vent. As Phil Ochs sang, "Love me, I'm a Liberal" (just saw the movie about him)...

    And for a good American made range at about $3,000-(more or less depending on promotions) I'd get the RCS model of the Bluestar.

  • Nunyabiz1
    13 years ago

    Wow did not realize that 36" Blue Star was only around $3000, that would be a very good option.
    Oddly enough the 30" NXR stoves are WAY cheaper than their 36" models.
    30" is between $1800-$2300
    36" is between $2700-$3400

    So about a $1000 difference between 30-36"

    If I lived in Canada I might very well have bought a Blue Star from Costco for about the same price that I got the NXR for, but do not live in Canada so cheapest price I could find for a 30" Blue Star RCS was around $2500.
    For $1800 I am way more than happy with the NXR so far.

    Cooks great, very nice infrared broiler, the 4 15000btu burners are all I need. Just a very solid well built stove.
    I am sure I would be way happy with a $1800 Blue Star also.

    Only worry I would have is that I have seen a lot more complaints about Blue Star than I have NXR.

  • beth4
    13 years ago

    Alexr --- I'm sorry to hijack this thread...but I'm curious about the Phil Ochs movie you saw. What was its name, and was it a video you rented? As a folk guitar player in the '60s --- didn't we all do that then?? --- I loved his songs....especially "Changes". But he died so young...

    I'll crawl out of this thread now, but I really would like to know about the Phil Ochs film.

  • alexrander
    13 years ago

    I live in Berkeley, maybe that explains it. But it was showing at a regular theater, the Elmwood, and the name of the movie is "There But for Fortune".

    Here is a link that might be useful: Phil Ochs link to movie

  • gerrygr
    13 years ago

    Went to the local showroom - Reno's in Paterson, NJ and they had the 36" NXR at $2,400.

    Nice looking unit, but I couldn't get beyond the grates. The main thing about a stove this size is that you will be using big pots on it and you will be moving things around on the cook top, and the high placement of the grates and the large space taken by the griddle, with nothing to level out grates across the sufrace would be a problem for us.

    Also, the manger said that new Fratelli Onofris were going to hit the US very soon and he was very excited about the new line.

  • Nunyabiz1
    13 years ago

    People must move huge heavy pots on their stoves one heck of a lot more than I ever have.
    I have the option to get a center grate on my 30" NXR but I see absolutely no need for it so decided not to waste the money on it.

    What do other stoves with a griddle in the middle have?
    I don't recall seeing any of them that are flat across the griddle from grate to grate without the griddle cover.

    The 36" NXR has a griddle cover that comes with it that makes it flush with the grates.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • Nunyabiz1
    13 years ago

    Best option for a 36" stove if you want a griddle is to have a removable griddle.
    You get 6 burners, no gap, grates all the way across and you get any size griddle you want and can place the griddle where you want so can have 4 burners together and griddle on either side.

  • jerzee22
    12 years ago

    I'm starting the search for a 36" gas stove. I don't want to spend more than $4,000.00. I'm getting very confused because I'm reading negative reviews (although some are a few years old) about all of them. What about the American Range-they just started selling that in NJ & the salesman don't even have any knowledge abouth them.

  • roxy63
    12 years ago

    I wanted an all gas range with sealed gas burners and did check out American Range in the store. Search American Range. They have had their share of issues as well.

    I ruled out Blue Star and American Range wall ovens because of the problems I read here on Garden Web.

    I saw Bertazzoni (spelling?) in person and thought is was cheaply made, very tinny and flimsy with a small 3.2 cubic oven. It too has some bad reviews.

    I considered NXR because it had the features I wanted and positive reviews here and on other review websites. DuroCorp is making the NXR in a 430 grade SS and not the original 304. I will be researching the difference.

    I will say that Phil K. posted the same exact negative NXR review on Price Grabber under a different username pkwan_88.(PKwan88) Suspicious, like he wants it to look like more than 1 person had this problem? He doesn't say who he bought his range from and claims his chipping was within the first week and after more oven use. Then he says "We even when (went) to to a local place to check it out and didn't see any of the chipping issues mentioned in the blogs". Well, rather moronic comment since no one would see the chipping caused by oven usage on a new showroom model.

    Another NXR paint chipping post is on AJMadison with a username of "HonestAbe." Seriously...

    I checked under Libby's email address and only found 1 review she/he ever made which happens to be the negative remark about the NXR.

    Our local Maryland distributor no longer provides our stores with NXR. He would not tell me why, but agreed that it was a nice range for the price point. I will have to purchase from another state if I plan to buy an NXR.

    A while back I drove to Silver Spring MD to look at an NXR. That store only had the 30" although I wanted the 36". I am remodeling my kitchen and still plan to buy an NXR. Too many good reviews from people who post specifics in performance, where they purchase, pics of their ovens etc to believe the few bad comments I have been able to find.

    It seems NXR posses a real threat to a lot of people and the pressure from the more expensive name brands and their employees could be attempting to sabotage NXR.

  • deeageaux
    12 years ago

    DuroCorp is making the NXR in a 430 grade SS and not the original 304. I will be researching the difference.

    304SS has 18-20% chromium-nickel alloy and is not magnetic.

    420SS has 12-14% chromium-nickel alloy and is magnetic. Similar to original SS formula and more prone to rust. Highly "polishable" or can take an edge and used mainly for cutlery. It cost less money.

    Although many people here claimed NXR was using 304 I could see in the store that they were a different color than other pro-style ranges.

    It seems NXR posses a real threat to a lot of people and the pressure from the more expensive name brands and their employees could be attempting to sabotage NXR.

    What a load of bovine feces.

    I don't work for any appliance maker, dealer, or store.

    This is still a free country and everyone is free to buy cheap Chinese feces.

    There was a time when anything made in Japan was c$#^. The day may come when "Made in China" has the same connotations as "Made in Japan" but today is not that day.

    Because there are some brands that are made in the USA that have poor quality does not make country of origin irrelevant.GW has been good at identifying those brands and warning potential customers.

    DuroCorp has not been in the pro-style range business long but parent company NexGrill has been in the SS outdoor BBQ business for a while. And you don't have read through bbq sites long to find out what a POS those grills are years down the road when FireMagic,Capital, and other high end bbqs look and perform as new.

    There are so few stores that carry NXR it can't be a threat to more expensive brand names. It will take years, quality improvements, and building of brand equity for that to happen.

    Everyone here that buys a brand not favored by the the majority of GW members does not post alot of poor reviews. Almost none at all compared to other sites. It seems they don't want to here " I told you so."

    The slightest problem with any brand favored here is met with "Hey guys you said to buy this brand, and my simmer temperature is 150 degrees not the claimed 145 degrees" type post.

    Again,everyone is free to read all the info and spend their dollars the way they see fit.

  • Nunyabiz1
    12 years ago

    Well ours is without question made of 304 stainless.

    But honestly I don't really see a problem using 430 SS either, depends on the way it was built as in some cases the 430 is better because it holds a weld better and can bend to certain specifications better without cracking.

    A range made of 430SS inside your house is not going to rust anyway, that is pure nonsense. I DO however think that 430 SS could have more adverse reactions to acidic type foods such as say Tomato Sauce or Lemon juice Vs 304.
    maybe if you sat it in a corner of an abandoned house for 30 years maybe, but if you use it everyday in a house with AC it is not going to rust, but it very well could have more staining with acidic foods.

    I think that 304 stainless is critical on a BBQ grill, but not so much on an indoor stove. But I am still glad mine is made of 304 Stainless anyway.
    But there are many things made of 400 series stainless that work just fine, never rust, one I can think of is most "Food Slicers, Deli meat slicers etc" are made of 400 series stainless. Car exhaust pipes are usually made of 409 stainless because of the better welding and heat resistance.

    I once had the pleasure of meeting an old guy out in California, he lived in the middle of no where on many acres of land and when I met him I drove through the classic old gate with elk antlers on top and his house was built in around the 1830's, was an old adobe that was built by a Mexican General when California was actually Mexico.
    House still stands today with the same tile roof, just one addition was added on about 100 years ago but other than that was all original, No AC.
    He had as his stove a old wood stove that was thickly enameled color of like a seafoam blue/green and all the corners and edges were all Stainless Steel.
    Had to be a 400 series stainless because I don't think the 300 series was even in use yet.

    That stove looked like it brand spanking new and at the time I saw it was about 90+ years old.
    Not a speck of rust on it, of course it was thick as hell but still the surface was still like new.

    I actually find products "Made in USA" about 75% of the time to be pure crap in every way.
    I bet 95% of the world views items "made in USA" exactly the way people like Deeageaux does about China.

    In general about every product I see with "Made in Germany" tag on it is probably about the only one I can generally count on being very well made, I can usually count on a high price for that item also.

    Most of the working parts in the NXR come from every place except China, it is basically just "Assembled" in China and who better to assemble than those that have been assembling things for decades.
    Also it is probably the larger brand name companies that are forcing retailers not to carry a quality product that cost far less, that happens all the time in every category of product.

  • sisterscooking
    12 years ago

    I am going to chime in here. I have to buy a 36" range this week. I was close to buying Blue Star , now I am told Blue Star is not selling their RCS series in new England. This leaves me with their RNB at around $5800. The price I was quoted on a Wolf AG was $5600 (not even close to $3400). The CC was even higher. So basically, I cant find anything for less than $5600.

  • Nunyabiz1
    12 years ago

    Here is an NXR 36" 6 burner for $3000.00

    at AJ Madison, although says it wont be in stock til basically January 1st.

    Here is one in Texas for I assume $2800.

    http://austexhd.com/products/nxr/nrg3602.html

    Dvorsons has the 6 burner in stock, it is $3300.00

    http://nxrstoves.com/

    Close to as nice as the Wolf at exactly 1/2 the price if you can get it for $2800.

    Here is a link that might be useful: NXR AJ Madison

  • angie_diy
    12 years ago

    Sisterscooking: who told you that the RCS was not being sold in NE? I suggest you check with bluestar directly about that. Check the recent thread below:

    Here is a link that might be useful: thread debunking RCS 's demise

  • Caddidaddy55
    12 years ago

    You realize this thread is over a year old. The OP has most likely made her decision by now.

  • Nunyabiz1
    12 years ago

    but the other 2 that posted on the 14th and 15th are the ones asking the question.
    Although would have thought they would have started a new post

  • sisterscooking
    12 years ago

    Wow, that's interesting. Especially when I thought I finally found a rep that knew what they were talking about. There are not many that carry Blue Star around here. And yes I did start a different thread but then I saw this one and had to jump in. I will call Blue Star tomorrow.

  • jlirot
    12 years ago

    nunnya: i'm going to check out the nxr in the next couple of weeks. i found one near me. i'm in san diego and they're up in oc. i really want a 'nearly professional' stove and have a hard time coming up with 10K for one... been looking at used and can find a wolf etc around the 3K mark. but, buying it new has it's advantages too...

    cheers,

    j

  • bobknife99
    11 years ago

    VIKING! They are made in Greenwood Mississippi USA! "US Appliance" sells the Viking 36" Gas Cooktop Professional Series $1,939.00
    How did you all miss this?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Viking

  • Tom2013
    11 years ago

    What you are showing is not a range but a cooktop. Also, if you look at the reviews by individuals and CR magazine you will see that Viking is one of the most problamtic ranges on the market. If you have access to CR mag, you can watch a video where they bought one range that had an electrical problem and then bought another identical range and that too had an electrical problem. Viking now offers a 3 year warranty probaly becaause of all the bad press but there are many better options out there than Viking and they are also American made. Hopefully with a little more pride.