Hestan vs. Lynx Professional Grills (Reviews / Ratings / Prices)

If you're looking for a premium grill, you'll step into the world of higher output, faster cooking, and better searing capability.

The best brands are Lynx, Kalamazoo, DCS, and Hestan for premium grills.

Among the best BBQ grills, Weber has always dominated the lower to mid-priced, while Lynx and Kalamazoo historically have been on the cutting edge of better professional grills.

In 2017, Hestan launched a trendy yet different professional grill. It has quickly surpassed many other premium grills in popularity.

Now, Lynx and Hestan are the two most compared professional grills across the country.

In this article, you will learn about the critical features for both Hestan and Lynx, followed by a side-by-side comparison.

First, let's look at both brands starting with Lynx Professional Grills.

Lynx

Lynx Professional Built-In BBQ Grills at Yale Appliance in Framingham 

For more than 30 years, Lynx Professional Grills, founded in 1996, has been manufacturing stainless steel products for the commercial restaurant industry.

Since then, they have improved their grills and were the first to have an easy opening cover, LED lights, and high output burners.

Lynx was also the first with a better-infrared sear because you can change the temperature from 300 to 1000 degrees for searing a variety of food.

Vegetables and fruits brown at lower temperatures and proteins like steak and burgers at higher temperatures.

Most manufacturers offer one or two temperature choices for infrared searing.

Lynx professional grills are available in 5 different sizes in built-in or with a cart. The following are prices for gas and infrared combinations.

Lynx Pro BBQ Grill L36TRFLP - $7,219

Features:

• Cast ceramic burners at 25,000 BTUs EA
• Control illumination with blue LED's
• Halogen grill surface light
• Heat stabilizing design
• Temperature gauge
• Fluid rotation handle
• Lynx Hood Assist Kit
• Stainless steel grilling grates
• Dual-position rotisserie with heavy-duty, 3-speed motor and rear infrared burner (14,000 BTU's) Heavy-duty welded construction eliminates gaps where grease and moisture can collect
• Premium smoker box included

This grill is also available in 27, 30, 42, and 54 inches. 

• Lynx 30-Inch Built-In Grill - 1 Trident w/ Rotisserie LP L30TR - $4,159
• Lynx 42-Inch Built-In Grill - 1 Trident w/ Rotisserie NG L42TR -$6,849
• Lynx 54-Inch Built-In Grill - 1 Trident w/ Rotisserie LP L54TR -$7,819

You can also buy a Lynx Professional four ways:

1. MyChef with Trident (Infrared) burners
2. All Trident Burners
3. 2 Gas burners and 1 Trident burner
4. All gas burners

Features:

Lynx BBQ Grill Overview

Lynx, known for its brass burners, introduced an industry exclusive in 2016 - the Trident Infrared Burner.

Infrared is a more focused heat for better searing. Gas burners diffuse the heat and do not sear as well or cook as fast.

Lynx Professional Grill Infrared Burners

This allows the entire grill surface to sear meats at high heat and cook fish and chicken at lower temperatures. As we said, the burners range from 300-1,000 degrees, just like their regular infrared sear.

In 2018, Lynx changed its cast brass burners to ceramic. All metal can corrode over time, even cast.

Ceramic does not weather. Plus the burner ports are not exposed and will not be clogged by the drippings over time

Smart Grills

Lynx is a pioneer in Smart cooking technology. Their MyChef app allows you to download recipes through an app on your phone.

MyChef works with sensors in the grill and will send you alerts to flip that burger. It can also remember how you like your food.

So if you like your burger medium-rare, the grill can be programmed to cook it precisely that way.

Budget Friendly: Lynx Sedona BBQ Grill L700PSFLP - $4,409

They also make their entry-level line known as the Lynx Sedona, which is a cheaper import.

This is their older grill line featuring 23,000 BTU burners instead of the PRO's 25,000 BTU. It's also lighter in overall construction with their former and less powerful infrared sear.

For this comparison, we are looking at only their Pro line for both companies.

Hestan Grills

Hestan Professional Built-In BBQ Grills at Yale Appliance in Hanover

Hestan is a subsidiary of Meyer Corporation, the largest cookware supplier in the USA. Before producing outdoor kitchens, Hestan's engineers studied alongside chefs in commercial kitchens for many years.

The grills are manufactured entirely in the company's 70,000+ square-foot, state-of-the-art headquarters in Anaheim, California.

Hestan 36-Inch Grill with Double Side Burners GMBR36 - $11,738

Features:

• Heavy-duty Horizon Hood ™ opens easily with spring-assisted hinges and holds it in place at your desired height for easy access.
• Halogen Stadium Lights™ illuminate the entire cooking area with motion-activated under-hood lighting.
• Patent pending ceramic infrared top burner delivers 12,000 to 18,000 BTUs – perfect for searing/finishing and cooking with the included rotisserie.
• Trellis Burner™ design delivers 25,000 BTUs of high-performance power with more excellent heat coverage and precision control.
• DiamondCut Grates™ create a superior grilling surface and better heat distribution with ultra-heavy-duty 5/16″ stainless steel (lasered in-house).
• High-performance variable ceramic infrared sear burners offer 25,000 BTUs each.
• Flip-to-clean radiant tray with monogrammed ceramic briquettes generates smoky flavor from drippings.
• Concealed whisper-quiet rotisserie motor system features a chain-driven, single-speed, 6 rpm, 50-lb motor.
• Patent-pending stainless steel DiamondCut™ warming rack is lasered in-house with three vertical positions and offers concealed storage when not in use.
• One-push automatic ignition system fires up the grill with a single click.
• LED front control panel lighting makes controls easy to operate even at night.
• Available in Natural Gas (NG) or Liquid Propane (LP).

The Hestan professional grills are also available in 30 and 42 inches.

• Hestan 30-inch Professional Built-In Grill GMBR30 - $4,949
• Hestan 42-Inch Grill With GMBR42 - $12,638

The color options are extra.

Hestan BBQ Grill Overview

Style and performance: Heston's professional grills also can be custom tailored with colors to make your own.

Hestan has the hottest rotisserie burner. At 12- 18,000 BTU, it will quickly and more evenly cook the meats on your rotisserie.

Unlike Lynx and most other grills, it is variable from 12-18,000 BTU.

Hestan Rotisserie

The rotisserie is hot enough to be used as a secondary cooking surface for parties.

Hestan Grates

Their thick diamond cut grates hold temperatures better than regular stainless or porcelain grates.

Budget-Friendly: Hestan Aspire 36-Inch BBQ Grill - $3,899 built-in or $4,848 with cart

Features:

• 647 Sq. In. Primary Grilling Surface
• 83,000 Total BTUs
• Ceramic Infrared Rotisserie Burner
• External Rotisserie Motor

Built-In: EMBR36 - $3,899

Hestan Grill Cart ECD36 - $949 

Heston's entry-level line, known as the Aspire, features standard 304 stainless burners at 23,000 BTUs. You can order this grill with five custom finishes instead of the 12 on the pro series. The rotisserie burner also drops from 18,000 to 14,000 BTU.

It's similar to the Lynx Sedona but is made in the US.

You can read more about all of Hestan’s grills, including the Hestan Aspire, by clicking here.

Hestan vs. Lynx Professional BBQ Grills

I'm sure you have noticed these grills have many similarities - high-quality construction, stainless steel grates, and high-powered infrared sears.

Both can smoke as well. Lynx has a box, Hestan has a tray. Neither are smokers but can infuse some smokiness into your food.

Hestan BBQ Grill Drawer

Both have ceramic grates to add heat and reduce flare-ups. You can clean both by turning them over.

Let's cover how the Lynx and Hestan pro-style grills differ.

Burners

Lynx has ceramic burners, and Hestan's are Chromium, which resists tarnishing and has a high melting point. This will stand up to the elements better in variable weather like the Northeast.

Ceramic is a new burner in the industry as of 2018, but both burners will have lifetime guarantees.

Lynx Professional Grill Burners and Ceramic Briquettes at Yale Appliance in Boston

The Lynx ceramic is also designed with the ports underneath, so the drippings cannot clog the burner ports and reduce efficiency.

Chromium is good metal, but metal can rust over time especially on the coast (like Massachusetts)

Even Marine Grade metal will have surface rust over time. So in 15 years, ceramic may be the better choice.

Pro Tip: Always cover your grill and wipe it down to keep rusting to a minimum.

Searing

Both units have an infrared sear. Both are variable as well. Lynx is 300-1000 degrees. Hestan is 400-1000.

Lynx does make an all infrared sear grill, so all the burners are infrared, not just one.

Lynx has more options, all sear burners, all burners, or a combination of both. Hestan has just the combination of gas and infrared.

Rotisserie

Hestan Professional BBQ Grill Rotisserie on Display at Yale Appliance in Boston

Hestan is better with a variable 12,000-18,000 BTU dedicated infrared burner versus 14,000 for Lynx.

Grates

Back when I was teaching sales, I would never allow a salesperson to talk about a stove grate.

Hestan Professional BBQ Grill Grates on Display at Yale Appliance in Boston

Hestan's grates are diamond cut and thicker to technically retain heat better than regular stainless grates.

Smart

Lynx has Smart technology, and Hestan does not. Unlike many appliances, the Lynx MyChef is, in fact, Smart with some cool functionality improved upon since 2015.

Colors

Hestan has beautiful colors. Their colors are well executed.

Key Takeaways

There is no clear better grill between the two in many instances. They have so many similarities in output, briquettes, smoking capability, and variable infrared.

I like the Lynx ceramic burner because ceramic doesn't get weathered. Both brands do, however, have a lifetime warranty in the burners.

There may be a better brand for you, depending on how you cook.

Hestan is more of a stylish grill. It has better rotisserie. Its grates are thicker and will retain heat better. Hestan may be better for an all burner grill.

Lynx is a smart grill. If you want that functionality. Lynx is your only choice. If you like the speed and searing capability of infrared, Lynx has the all infrared grill.

Lynx is better for all infrared.

For a combination of gas burners and infrared, it is almost a tie. Hestan does have the better rotisserie versus the better ceramic burner of the Lynx.

Which do you prefer?

Additional Resources

Get the Yale BBQ Grill Buying Guide with features, specs, and inside tips to all the brands. Over 800,000 people have already found answers in a Yale Guide.

Related Articles:

• Hestan vs. Kalamazoo Built-In Professional Grills
• Lynx Sedona vs. Lynx Professional BBQ Grills
• Best BBQ Grills in Boston
• Top Mistakes to Avoid When Buying an Outdoor Grill
• Can't decide what grill is best for you? Try our BBQ Grill Configurator