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.
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.
Features:
This grill is also available in 27, 30, 42, and 54 inches.
You can also buy a Lynx Professional four ways:
Features:
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.
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
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.
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 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.
Features:
The Hestan professional grills are also available in 30 and 42 inches.
The color options are extra.
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.
The rotisserie is hot enough to be used as a secondary cooking surface for parties.
Their thick diamond cut grates hold temperatures better than regular stainless or porcelain grates.
Features:
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 GMBR36 |
Hestan GMBR42 |
Lynx L36ATR |
Lynx L42ATR |
|
|
Fuel Type: |
Natural Gas (NG) or Liquid Propane (LP) |
Natural Gas (NG) or Liquid Propane (LP) |
Natural Gas (NG) or Liquid Propane (LP) |
Natural Gas (NG) or Liquid Propane (LP) |
|
Grill Type: |
Built-In or Freestanding |
Built-In or Freestanding |
Built-In or Freestanding |
Built-In or Freestanding |
|
BTU Output (Main Burners): |
Up to a total of 75,000 BTU |
Up to a total of 75,000 BTU |
Up to a total of 69,000 |
Up to a total of 69,000 |
|
Smoking Capabilities: |
Not Integrated (Surface Accessory) |
Not Integrated (Surface Accessory) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Rotisserie: |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Side Burner: |
Optional |
Optional |
Optional |
Optional |
|
Infrared: |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Finish: |
12 Designer Color Options |
12 Designer Color Options |
Stainless Steel |
Stainless Steel |
|
Warranty: |
1-year parts and labor |
1-year parts and labor |
1-year parts and labor |
1-year parts and labor |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hestan is better with a variable 12,000-18,000 BTU dedicated infrared burner versus 14,000 for Lynx.
Back when I was teaching sales, I would never allow a salesperson to talk about a stove grate.
Hestan's grates are diamond cut and thicker to technically retain heat better than regular stainless grates.
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.
Hestan has beautiful colors. Their colors are well executed.
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.
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