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Purchased! - Potential BlueStar Range Purchase


CentralMA

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On 5/1/2020 at 8:44 PM, paulraphael said:

You don't need 22K in a home kitchen. I probably have 900 and it doesn't hold me back. But if I COULD have 22K? Of course I'd love it. Maybe not for an added $1000, but if I could upgrade down the road for a few hundred, yes please.

 

There are some advantages to big-ass BTUs. Boiling pasta water in less time comes to mind. Preheating a pan for searing anything in about a minute. 

 

You can also rethink your pans. If you have that kind of horsepower, you really don't need energy storage. So you can exclusively use lightweight, responsive stuff, like thin spun steel or all-clad, or lighter weight commercial aluminum. You'll never have to wait around for a pan to preheat, and everything will be responsive. 

 

There are downsides. People not used to the power might freak out, or burn themselves, or destroy your cookware. You'll set your side towels on fire. But I'd take my chances.

 

For what it's worth, I've never cooked on BlueStar, but it's almost certainly what I'd pick if I had the $$$. I don't see anything else that's as serious, with open burners, and no b.s..

 

Gotta say, this was the reply that pushed me over the edge.

 

Do I really need it? 22K? Nah. Would I like it? Hell, yeah. Full size sheet pan? Do I need it? Nah. Would I like it? Hell, yes.

 

What pushed me over the edge to the RNB? There was a need for the government to throw money at us, my wife and I eventually got the check. I decided to push those $$$ to a local small business that sells BlueStars, something I've been coveting for some time. Paid for 1/2 the cost of the range. I win, and the small business wins. 

 

As for towels on fire, I've had fire extinguishers in my kitchen for years now. Have never had to use them. Damn it, bring it on!

 

Thank you Paul. Many thanks.

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On 5/29/2020 at 10:35 PM, CentralMA said:

Been a while.

 

Tripped the hammer. A new 30" RNB is on it's way. Two 22K, one 15K, one 9K burner. Full size sheet pan size oven. 

 

Way too much money, but I got some concessions. Saved about 10%.

 

Yay.

You will love it.  The price difference is amortized over the rest of your life. A buck a week.

 

Make sure the installer adjusts the simmer

 

Congratulations !

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I'll be sure to see that the installer adjusts the simmer. I'll be he.

 

I'll be picking it up from the appliance dealer, transporting the range to the house, and overseeing the installation. Gas fitter will be there for the install, and hopefully the final city inspection will be scheduled at that time, signing off on it all.

 

I'm looking forward to it all. 

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10 minutes ago, gfweb said:

The price difference is amortized over the rest of your life. A buck a week.

 

A buck a week? You're saying I'm going to live for another 96 years?

 

I hope that's not true....

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  • 1 month later...

Update:

 

Stove was ordered on May 29th, paid in full.

 

Received word today, Juy 14th, that the BlueStar mothership says it should ship from Pennsylvania this week.

 

Good news, I guess. Might not be able to pick it up for some time though, a wedding is in the way.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Pallet arrived intact, I'm told, on Friday the 24th. 7+ weeks from day of ordering. 

Oldest's wedding was yesterday. 

Store closed today.

Tomorrow is out, and am working on Tuesday.

So maybe Wednesday is pickup day.  

But I got the majority of the hood ductwork in place today. Will get that finished up in the morning.

Edited by CentralMA
typo (log)
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The BlueStar is in the house. And it's absolutely f'n gorgeous.

Of course, the recently installed outlet for it is in a bad place, will need to be moved. I've sent a message to the electrician (who I'm totally impressed with) that did much work to get this 50's house up to better standards.

The gas feed is in the perfect area. I've alerted my guy (who I'm also totally impressed with) to be ready to do the final hookup and inspection when the electrical is completed.

The appliance store, Brennan and MacKay in Milford NH, the sales and service are great.

But they sent the wrong knobs...wanted black, they sent stainless. They've assured me that I'll have the black in short time. The knobs by the way weigh about a pound each. 

 

Now...some tips.

On the pallet this monster is 375lbs. It's shipped attached to a pallet. Fit easily through my 32" door, with a lot of grunting. 

I pulled it into the house without unboxing. That was stupid.

Had I unboxed I could have pulled off near 100lbs of weight prior. Cast pieces on the top, the oven racks. Would have made it a lot easier.

 

Now the wait for the final install.

 

 

 

IMG_20200801_101936793_HDR.jpg

IMG_20200801_122348499.jpg

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On 5/31/2020 at 8:26 PM, gfweb said:

You will love it.  The price difference is amortized over the rest of your life. A buck a week.

 

Make sure the installer adjusts the simmer

 

Congratulations !

 

I spent some time with the installer at the sales office, he gave me the skinny on the simmer adjustments, and a bunch of other info. 

 

I seriously can't say enough good things about the store. If you're in the New England area, look them up. If they're too far from you, call them and ask for recommendations.

 

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Having a hard time getting the gas fitter and the electrician to respond...not sure why. Both paid in full, no issues during the upgrades.

 

But I did get the 7" vent hidden, looks OK, it'll be a very functional space. Cabinets are Ikea, had to modify what I just installed over the hood. A little more filler work is needed.

 

Still too hot to get up in the attic to finish the vent out the side of the house, I can never seem to get started early enough in the morning while it's still a reasonable temperature up there. Maybe tomorrow morning.

 

 

IMG_20200804_170001304.jpg

IMG_20200805_102752560.jpg

Edited by CentralMA (log)
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On 8/1/2020 at 4:15 PM, weinoo said:

Nice! Enjoy. 

 

As usual, I'm jealous of the ability to vent outside your house.

 

Come visit. You can share in my enjoyment of running the ductwork.

 

It's actually not too bad right now up there. Once I installed the 90º bend I blasted the hood fan on high...it's starting to almost feel air conditioned up there.

I'm hoping to have this completed by the end of the day, then just need to wait for the electrician to modify the location of the outlet.

 

The range weighs in at about 275lbs stripped of all of the cast iron top pieces, racks, etc. I talked to my gas fitter about getting it installed, he told me I'd need 3 or 4 big guys.

Then I found a rental place nearby that offers these, looks like fun. 

 

 

And here's the progress:

 

 

 

IMG_20200806_123139501.jpg

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Ha! I see that your right upper cabinet is exactly as wide as a Symfonisk. That’s convenient 😃
 

Here’s a BlueStar thing I haven’t seen mentioned elsewhere: they make a set of gauges for setting the aperture of your air shutters (as seen in this video), but they don’t come with the unit, nor are they sold via BlueStar’s website. I asked my dealer if he had a set I could borrow and he had BlueStar send one to me gratis. With them I was able to confirm that my shutters were at factory spec, but perhaps more importantly, if I should ever decide to try tweaking them, I’ll be able to return them to spec if need be. 

Edited by mumkin (log)
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That Symfonisk certainly isn't a high quality item, but it does the job for the purpose I have it in. I go between NPR and BBC Radio Scotland during the day and evening. When I purchased that cabinet a few days ago I stopped by the Scratch and Dent area of the New Haven Ikea, sitting there right in front was a (weird) black Symfonisk Lamp, usually $175, marked down to $99. With their return policy I couldn't resist. We'll see if I keep it.

 

Good to know about the gauges. I may give the store a call to see if they're available. They've got the replacement black knobs on order for me, not sure how soon they'll arrive.

 

Electrician and gas fitter have both been in touch. That's good.

 

And I gave up the ductwork install. Got too hot up there by 2:00PM. Just another 4' and the vent cut in the sidewall to do. That's tomorrow morning.

 

Quick question: did your range come with the broiler pan and accessories? Or is that a purchase item as standard?

 

And a quick edit: Did a quick Google for "BlueStar Broiler Pan", the first hit was this: https://www.bluestarcooking.com/support/redeem-your-broiler-pan/

Looks like a freebie....

Edited by CentralMA
Answered my own question (log)
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5 hours ago, CentralMA said:

 

Come visit. You can share in my enjoyment of running the ductwork.

 

No, no, no...I'll come visit AFTER all the work is done; you don't want my help, I'd just be in the way!

 

In Central MA - are you near a cannabis store? 

Edited by weinoo (log)

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

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50 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

No, no, no...I'll come visit AFTER all the work is done; you don't want my help, I'd just be in the way!

 

In Central MA - are you need a cannabis store? 

 

A true friend....

 

Cannabis store? I've no need for one, gave that stuff up 47 years ago. Had a good 5 year run though, good times. Back when a nickel bag was $5, a lid was $15.

 My kids though, I think one of them keeps them in business.

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19 hours ago, CentralMA said:

 

 

 

The range weighs in at about 275lbs stripped of all of the cast iron top pieces, racks, etc. I talked to my gas fitter about getting it installed, he told me I'd need 3 or 4 big guys.

Then I found a rental place nearby that offers these, looks like fun.

 

 

Buddy of mine bought a milling machine, about 3500 pounds, at an auction.  He hired a rigging company to move it and install it in his basement.  He was a little surprised when the truck showed up, and the only one on it was the driver.  Dude had a collection of pretty impressive jacks, air bags, rollers, and big levers.  (and a forklift to get it to the door.). 

 

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18 minutes ago, weinoo said:

How close u are to the store, for when I come to visit.

 

Ahhh....I see. 

 

You'd rather store bought than home grown? I may know a guy, that may know a guy, that has an uncle who has an aunt. Or an aunt that has an uncle. I always get that mixed up.

 

https://www.cultivatemass.com

 

Google says about 12 minutes. There are closer places, but I've been told this is the better choice. My daughter prefers this one.

 

What a strange twist this thread has taken.

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We've had a lot of tree damage, power outages up here in the MA area over the past couple of days. At 11:00 this morning I had a box fan running on low, a LED shop light plugged in and on, and 2 refrigerators active, one that is a recent purchase 24" Bosch.

The fan started running on high speed, sounding higher than it's usual high speed for about 30 seconds. Then died, acrid smell around. Same type of smell from the Bosch refrigerator. LED shoplight is now inoperable. No other appliances other than a modem, a router, and an Ikea gateway hub. 

Got a call into NationalGrid at 11:10, they're sending someone out.

No outage, just a surge.

And on it goes.

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