Ranges

RogerD

VIP/Donor
May 23, 2010
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BiggestLittleCity
lasercd,

your'e right....sorry about that.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
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Seattle, WA
So the Wolf indeed is the tallest of the bunch (37" and not adjustable), but clearly seems the best made/fit/finish. I didn't particularly care for the Therm at all in comparison.

Dacor made a nice, lower height range---but seems cheaper than the rest (and still retails for 3800).

So that leaves Viking---appears with the height adjustment they have and the open burners that you can still order---and 750 off right now, that is going to be the range of choice. Reliability is still my concern there...

That said, I'm off to see a Blue Star just in case-- i believe it's similar to Wolf in height so won't work.
One of the issues with BS oven was that it was not insulated enough and the door would extremely hot. So it was a safety hazard for people with small children. I looked at it and the reason was simple. If you open the oven door and compare it to others, you see that they did not put the seal all the way around the door. So the heat pours out of the section that is open. Maybe they have fixed it now. But take a look.

BTW, I coined the abbreviation "BS" for Blue Star on Garden Web and it stuck! :). Not sure the manufacturer was to happy though. Maybe next time they think of a name whose abbreviation is more positive :).
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Manila, Philippines
I went Wolf with the built in Grill option. I have absolutely no regrets! :)
 

KeithR

VIP/Donor
May 7, 2010
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Encino, CA
Well it's interesting--- decided to measure my countertops and they are 36.25"ish. That said, my current KA is 39.50" tall including grates! So I think I've been looking to the wrong criterion. All of these ranges should support a 36.25" counter level (maybe not Wolf-though salesman said no problem).

So I went to stores today figuring out height including grates---Blue Star seems the best actually. They only rise a bit more than 1/2" over the counter. The Viking was 1.25" over the counter---as was Wolf.

That said, the BS is $1200 more than a 30" Viking (which has a $750 rebate currently) and that's not insignificant. I will be around 37.5" tall with a Viking, while only 36.5" with a BS---compared to my 39.5" now.
 

RBFC

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Albuquerque, NM
www.fightingconcepts.com
Did you take into account the adjustable footings and the possibility that you could remove a layer of flooring just under where you wish to place the feet? That might give you enough room to choose the range you want.

Lee
 

KeithR

VIP/Donor
May 7, 2010
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Encino, CA
Yeah, the adjustable height would be more applicable if I didn't have counters on both sides. Then I would just go for the lowest one possible---and perhaps take out the bottom tile as you note (great idea btw).

Do you guys have the side of the range flush with counter top or slightly higher (not the grates, just the range itself)? There is some comment on UL installations have to be above the counter, but I can't seem to figure it out.

It's down to Viking vs. Blue Star. After using the open burners in the store, seem to make a lot of sense and Amir's comments seem to agree with mine. I'm just getting total height calculations for both ranges and will make the decision. I believe it will be Viking due to price.
 

lasercd

Member Sponsor
Oct 28, 2010
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Voorhees, NJ
www.lasercd.com
The sides of the range are perfectly flush with the counter top. You can adjust the feet on all ranges - you need to be able to keep it level.

I never saw the Blue Star range but I was interested in them since they are made relatively local (Reading PA I recall). They have this new Marcus Samuelsson line that looked pretty sexy. The general consensus seemed to be that the overall quality/fit and finish of the Blue Star was not up to the same standards as Wolf or Viking.

We had access to all brands and the salesman steered us towards Wolf, which was my wife's first choice to begin with. The Viking range looked very nice as well. Not sure why the salesman liked Wolf over Viking - maybe he makes a better commission.
 

KeithR

VIP/Donor
May 7, 2010
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Encino, CA
Well, I'm going rogue and with BlueStar now---the burners really are amazing once you demo them. I will go with the lower model that prices right under the Viking.

If I didn't care about cooking on open burners, would go Wolf in a heartbeat.
 

rblnr

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 3, 2010
2,151
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NYC/NJ
We have a DCS that works really well. My wife loves it. We have counters on both sides btw and it's flush. What's noticeable to me most of all is how well it works at low level simmering. Frankly though, after a lot of research when we renovated four years ago, I think Consumer Reports ratings are just fine for things like stoves, ranges and refrigerators, and mostly we're buying for looks on stuff like this.
 

Garth

Member Sponsor
Feb 23, 2014
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I have a cobalt blue 4 oven AGA. It runs at full temperature 24/7 I would have no other cooker a AGA is a way of life the only other cooker I use is a Big Green Egg charcoal cooker .

Warning a AGA makes all other cooker prices seem cheap.It cost a lot to own and a lot to fuel and I still would not be without it. Old design old looking old idea high price and heavy. It makes the kitchen and great to cook with.
 

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