Viking 7 Series vs. Blue Star

9 years ago

Help! I cannot make a decision!

I am doing a complete kitchen renovation and need to make a choice for a 36" commercial/professional stainless range/oven.

I am a passionate cook who only uses the oven for a few major holidays per year (think Thanksgiving) when I have 15-20 people over. I am torn between the new Viking 7 Series and a Blue Star. The chef in me says get the Blue Star with its larger capacity oven and "workhorse" reputation. However, I am concerned with the heat emanating from the door and the temperature of the door itself since I the oven will be in a enclosed space and we usually have small children milling about.

The Viking 7 series seems promising with the 6 year warranty. With its more powerful burners, and a new manufacturer, it seems like a promising contender.

I have to purchase a new dishwasher, fridge, and hood, and the price of the Viking is about $2,000 more than the Blue Star package.

I plan to stay in my house another 15-20 years, so resale value is not my highest priority. Nor is the "impressing my neighbor" factor.

Any other suggestions for additional brands? Is there anything that I should be aware of?

I have been reading all the Garden Web blogs, which has touched on this topic, but mostly focused on the Viking 3 and 5 series. Thank you!

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Comments (7)

eam44
9 years ago
Consider posting on the appliances forum as they are highly knowledgeable over there, but just the mention of the name Viking is going to elicit cries of shock and horror. This is a very pro-BlueStar, anti-Viking crowd based on member experiences over many years. If this latest series of Viking is any good, you won't feel the tide change for another few years at least.

I have three suggestions: 1.) consider a dual fuel range if budget allows, 2.) consider the Capital Culinarian as well, and 3.) dial back on your desire for more "power." It's much harder to find a burner that'll give you a good, even, slow simmer or melt than it is to find a burner that will give you an adequate sear. Also remember that with more BTUs you'll need a vent hood that can move more cfm and these usually require make-up-air that is both expensive and in some cases vexing to manage.

Good luck!
jgopp
9 years ago
PracticalCook: Let me start by saying that I have a couple Viking appliances in my house. I don't know anything about Blue Star in experience.

I have had a terrible time with my Viking appliances. I had many malfunctions with my range hood which were not remedied until I took on them legally. It was an absolute nightmare for me. I'm not saying that this will be your experience but it was awful for me.
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rococogurl
9 years ago
I would not go with either of those. Like jgopp, I've had awful experience with Viking. Ten years of repairs.

The horror stories on Blue Star are legion and go back for years on the AF. Brand new ranges often require repairs --- what's that all about? The company doesn't seem to be able to fix some things and the back and forth with the company goes on for months.

Our DD has a Wolf dual fuel. I've cooked on it and it does a very good job. There's enough power to sear and the simmer is good. Ovens are huge but steady. Previously they had a Viking a-g and it took half an hour to boil 2 quarts of water.

Lacanchers love their ranges -- it's difficult to remember complaints and the importer manages to provide superior service. They have options for a big burner or simmer plate as well. Plus grill/griddle.

I think the "pro" range market is a bit of a scandal. Prices are astronomical and the best quality on many of those ranges is looks.

Drink the kool aid if you like. But it's kool aid.
bowbat
9 years ago
Add me to the list of those with a bad Viking experience. Lots of very expensive repairs, literally the worst appliance I've ever owned. It soured me a bit on the concept of "professional-level" appliances in general.

That said, our Viking range hood was fantastic.
brightm
9 years ago
We have purchased a BS, but we're just doing demo today. From our research, it seems the hot door issue has been resolved. If that's a major concern, I'd go ask to cook something at a dealer's place, or at least leave the oven on for a substantial period of time while you wander around. We don't have kids, so reading plenty that it's been remedied was good enough for us.

Service, I've read both good and bad. It's very important to read the dates of the bad things you've read. You're keen to notice that conversations are about V3 or 5, but remember to look at dates of complaints on BS too.
julieste
9 years ago
Have you looked at American Range? I think this might be the answer you are looking for. The Performer series has open burners like the Bluestar and has the extremely high heat burners like the Bluestar. After lots and lots of comparison shopping, including the brands you are thinking of, we were set to buy an American Range Performer. Then we did a double check on measurements and found that for our odd kitchen configuration the handle of the range would protrude 1/8" too far for a drawer on the adjacent leg of our L layout to open properly. We ended up with a Wolf we found on closeout because it is one of the last Wolf models with the true open burner; we've been happy with it.

When shopping another feature comparison you need to make that not many people think to look into is the size and functioning of the broiler. Yes, there are tons of Bluestar fanboys over on the appliance forum, and even they complain about the Bluestar's overly small broiler.
calumin
9 years ago
The best thing about BlueStar is the range & burners. The oven is okay. Having said that, if your primary oven concern is the exterior temperature I wouldn't worry about it.

Bluestar problems from many years ago don't really matter much, because they have fixed many problems from early days. There are many more people who really like BlueStar than who don't.