Thanks, Dee. I'm only prepping for the earthquake apocalypse and will probably have severed gas lines anyway so I guess I can do without a matchlight oven. (The hurricane or zombie apocalypses will probably at least leave the gas on.)

Are there really only the three open burner range lines out now for residential? Oh, NXR, but for some reason I'm not considering that one.

The new RCS30 doesn't have the gym locker bottom. I am getting some pricing and applying softeners to dh.

I didn't faint at the first quote but I had to put it down and make a cuppa tea.

Hehe. I just got back from the (semi-)local "high end" appliance store and of course they didn't have the Capital or AR on the floor. "We don't sell many of those." Gee. Could it be because they aren't on display??

Interesting how appliance snobbery has changed in just 5 years. When I was doing my last kitchen, this place was way too upscale to have BS and now they're pushing them hard.

Nothing looks as good as the orange Bertazzoni though...

>>>Are there really only the three open burner range lines out now for residential? Oh, NXR, but for some reason I'm not considering that one. NXRs only have sealed burners but you might want to check out Five Star and Viking both of whom still make residential, all-gas, open-burner ranges in the pro-style segment which is where you seem to be looking.

As Deeageaux noted, there are many other open burner residential ranges but they are aimed at markets other than you (at least until the zombie apocalypse, earthquake, megastorms, etc.) If interested, try a google/bing/whatever search on "ranges with open burners + aj madison" (or substitute any other favorite retail site) and you'll find brands including Frigidaire, Hotpoint/GE, Peerless-Premier, Brown Stove Works, Summit and Whirlpool.

>Are there really only the three open burner range lines out now for residential?

There are only three (the ones dee mentions) with a commercial style open burner. All the other "open burner" residential ranges are a design very similar to todays sealed burners. I had an "open burner" viking and the burner performance and its inefficiency was almost identical to its sealed model.

Thanks guys.

Our local apocalypse is overdue and will most likely interrupt gas service so I won't worry about that.

The link below is an example of what Tyguy is talking about when he says that other open burner units use a design similar to [many of] today's sealed burners. This is from a page with images of Jade ranges, another brand of open burner residential range. (AFAIK, Dvorson's is the only retailer, and brand is owned by the Middleby Group which acquired Viking last year, so its future as a brand is in doubt.) You need to scroll down the page to see the burners.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jade residential range images

Thanks jw...those photos illustrate a typical residential open burner quite well

This post was edited by tyguy on Mon, Nov 18, 13 at 4:37

Stay away from American. If you get a good model you are fine, if you get a lemon they do not back their products. I have one of each and would not purchase even the good one if I had it to do over because of how I have been treated.