Lynx on the loose


 

Jon Tofte

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Some of our members have been sharing Facebook Marketplace finds in their locales. However, when I look at them, grills for sale in MY area start appearing below...I just finished saying I planned to stick with Webers. Then this pops up:

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https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/269147854038189/

I let one of these go a couple weeks ago (only $120). This one is asking $200 and has been listed for a week. Not even that far from me.

Well, money is low and tax work is piled up high, so I guess it is just another interesting item to post. I am sure you could spend quite a bit of money and sweat getting this up to par, and who can say based on the pictures whether you could really get it back to an almost new look. It would take that, I think, to flip it at a high enough price to warrant the risk and hard work.

I would love to try out one of these though. Maybe close to on a par with Larry's Wolf?
 
I wish it wasn't tax season and that I had money and room...

Check this out, and you will see why this Lynx listing really bugs me:

Listed Grill:

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https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/269147854038189/

Comparable New Model on BBQ Guys - For $7,219!!!!

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https://www.bbqguys.com/lynx/profes...rared-trident-burner-and-rotisserie-l36trf-lp

About all I can see different is that the old one doesn't have the illuminated knobs or inside light. Just add one of many available LED handle lights. This may seem like a big current generation Summit, but if you look at it it is really fairly simple. AND, it is all 304 stainless, not fake stainless and painted steel. Based on what I found with that TEC grill I flipped, there is a pretty good chance this could be cleaned up. It would require $200 to $300 parts. Big question is would someone pay say $900 if it was almost as shiny as new and had some new parts?
 
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I think if I got that and had it practically new for a total of$500 I wouldn't have a problem keeping it if nobody bought it.
 
I think if I got that and had it practically new for a total of$500 I wouldn't have a problem keeping it if nobody bought it.

That could be the last straw around this house. My interest is only if it can be flipped to make a really decent profit and, secondarily, to have an opportunity to examine one close up and try it out. At least then I could say I owned and used both a TEC and a Lynx. Can't afford the luxury of losing money - and time - on it, however.

These seem to have a fantastic reputation. I hope Larry and some others who may know anything will chime in. Am I crazy to pass on it?
 
I don't know much about them past their reputation. But I could imagine if it does need a bunch of replacement parts that could add up pretty fast. With that said, that or one like Larry's Wolf was the kids of grill's I was saving up for when I joined this place. As much as I've discovered how good the old Weber's are, I still wouldn't turn my nose up to a something like that if it were cheap enough. But I wouldn't be buying it for the purpose of flipping if I was looking at grill's like that.
 
Yeah, the big challenge on a higher end grill is the cost of parts. I bought a TEC for $100 from an owner who thought a little bit of grease and smoke stains meant the grill was washed up. Spent less than $100 on parts and with some serious cleaning flipped it for $500. The buyer immediately tried to flip it for $1,000! He wasn’t successful at that, but it appears it finally sold more like at $650, so for his patience he made some money on my work.


This a much bigger and appears to be even a better grill than the TEC. It retails for more than twice as much. The pictures don’t tell a lot, but if the bottom and back infrared burners are working well and the two regular all brass burners are too, replacing the heat distributors and ceramic is probably a $250 problem from what I have seen. New knobs - if absolutely necessary - would cost a little, too. The stainless body and grates look very redeemable if you are willing to put in the time and sweat - well sweat here in Florida anyway:rolleyes:...

I know I sound like I am on my way to get it, but many factors weigh heavily against that. I would have to convince my wife that this was a relatively easy $500 to $1000 profit waiting to happen. Since I have my own doubts, I probably can’t pull that off.
 
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About all I can see different is that the old one doesn't have the illuminated knobs or inside light. Just add one of many available LED handle lights. This may seem like a big current generation Summit, but if you look at it it is really fairly simple. AND, it is all 304 stainless, not fake stainless and painted steel. Based on what I found with that TEC grill I flipped, there is a pretty good chance this could be cleaned up. It would require $200 to $300 parts. Big question is would someone pay say $900 if it was almost as shiny as new and had some new parts?

Jon, I rebuilt one of the first generation of these last year to use at my business (Friday BBQs for the employees). The first gen didn't even have a thermometer or the drawers. I ended up spending about $400 on the rebuild, but over $200 of that was converting from NG to propane and changing out the grates because they were rusted out, early-model porcelain-coated type, which looks like you won't need with this one. In fact, other than maybe ignitors, I'm not sure you'd even have $100 in parts into this one. Another good thing is whatever parts you might need are more available and reasonably-priced for the later models. Also, Lynx posts schematics and P/Ns on their website, so you can search for the best prices on 'em.

As you know, I have an S-470 at home and can honestly tell you there is no comparison in quality whatsoever. The Lynx is an absolute tank compared to a Summit and certainly comparable to a Wolf. (In fact, it's so heavy, I suggest you strip it down first and get a helper to lift it.) To the best of my knowledge, Lynx manufactured for Viking, whereas (I think) Firemagic made Wolf. Larry would know for sure, but both are very high-end cookers in any case.

I would not at all worry about the lack of LED lights and such, as one of the "knocks" on late model Lynx has been failure of the fancy electronics anyway. Have no idea what it would sell for after a rehab, but it's definitely worth a whole lot more than $120 as-is and the more likely problem is you will probably want to keep it. My guess is that, a sophisticated buyer would see $1900 as a bargain. All I can tell ya' is, if that unit, at that price, showed up around here, it would be in my garage right now getting worked on and the Summit might very well be up on CL.
 
Bruce,

Ah, c'mon...I was counting on you to weigh in with sound, practical advice. Is this another big fat loser - or at least not a promising money-maker - or is this a needle in a haystack that with some hard work and a few judiciously purchased parts could turn a really NICE, FAT profit?
 
That TEC looks just like the one I had only THREE times bigger! The small one I had was very nice with all 304 stainless, but honestly to me it didn't produce steaks any better than my Genesis with GrillGrates. For $100 it was a no brainer, but I wouldn't and couldn't ever go for two grand!
 
I think you'd have to told me back on that Lynx. Those are a nice piece. It could be only the ceramics are disintegrated and not the heat tents. I would think some similar sized off the shelf ceramics would do the trick otherwise it looks like you have all 300 series stainless there. Throw $150 out there.
As for Firemagic building Wolf units I can say for sure mine was NOT made by anyone other than Wolf. Wolf is now part of SubZero and perhaps on their new line of grills production may have been farmed out. But not my old tank
 
You may be able to flip for $700
That what the market is here.
Only saw two last year sold in a couple of days each for $700.
 
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You may be able to flip for $700
That what the market is here.
Only saw two last year sold in a couple of days each for $700.
Jon just be warned.....these are not Weber.....the two mentioned Lynx the owners were very arrogant, this is a different league.

Good advice and info, Chris. I am not sure what the story with this seller is. He sounds like he is just frustrated that his four figure grill needs parts and cleaning and just wants rid of it. With my wife’s very kind blessing I shot him a compromise offer of $175. We will see if any reply. I won’t sweat over this because it is out of the Weber league I plan to primarily concentrate on. Only interested if I can make some money and help redeem myself for spending too much on some losers. Your observations help confirm that they will sell easily at a realistic price. If the seller does respond, a lot will depend on what it really looks like under those nice, thick stainless grates.
 
Man with what Victor said im suprised you dont jump on it for a flip. Seems like short math to me. Although if your inventory is stacking up thats another issue.
 
Careful if you get it you may just realize it's too good to flip and want to keep it. I think I would. It's got the best of both worlds. Nice to have the N/S burner AND a rotisserie burner. That combination will give you the best pizza on the grill you have ever had short of this lakeside place in Italy I have been to. I know if I didn't use my Wolf for anything else I would keep it for pizza
 
Careful if you get it you may just realize it's too good to flip and want to keep it. I think I would. It's got the best of both worlds. Nice to have the N/S burner AND a rotisserie burner. That combination will give you the best pizza on the grill you have ever had short of this lakeside place in Italy I have been to. I know if I didn't use my Wolf for anything else I would keep it for pizza

Larry,

If I do get it and then wind up keeping it, I hope it also makes a comfortable bed. I will need it:eek:!

I do know it would be a treat to use it a few times. If it were to pan out, I will take your advice and try it out on pizza. The ceramic Green Egg is good for that, too, but I don't have the stone, etc. Getting the Lynx might be an excuse to get a pizza stone that would still work on my Egg after I flip the cat.
 
When using a grill like my Wolf or the Lynx a stone is not needed and just gets in the way. The secret to why a wood fired pizza tastes like it does and has the texture it does is due to the nature of having VERY high heat all around but not so much from the bottom. So the secret with the Wolf is my burners are only at mid setting while the IR burner is blasting full tilt. We through the pizza right on the grates (here is where QUALITY grates with good spacing really shine). While the bottom crisps up nicely the top is cooking really well from all that reflected heat pouring off the IR burner. Honestly I think the only thing that could make the Wolf better at this would be a heavy cast fire box so it would be a little more stable. As it is though it has the power to over come that short coming. But honestly I would not let that Lynx go. Heck I would dump my Weber Genesis if the Wolf wasn't so damn huge. I cannot justify firing up that huge grill many times just to grill a couple things. But oh boy when I need it I love it. Hell it takes more BTU of gas than my new furnace LOL
 
Larry,

Thanks for the pizza tips. I don't have any experience. I wonder if that concept would also apply to my Green Egg. It has a ceramic heat deflector, so keeping it at a moderate burn rate and just placing the pizza on the grates might be close to what you describe using your Wolf. If I get the Lynx I will try your method.

I have actually heard back from the seller who accepted my $175 offer. We will see. He told me the burners all work but that he rigged up chicken wire to replace the decayed ceramic trays and that the bottom infrared burner still works but the wire mesh on top is shot. (The rear infrared looks fine in the picture and presumably still works, too.) He also said that it needs to be worked on by "someone who knows what they are doing." Using chicken wire for repairs on a $7,000 grill doesn't sound like he fits the bill:rolleyes:.

I briefly looked and found that replacing both the regular burner trays and the infrared bottom burner mesh is pretty much standard fair maintenance for these grills. That isn't out of reach, but I know that if getting this really does pan out I will really have to be careful about not falling prey to ordering parts left and right or my profit potential will quickly erode.

I hear what you are saying about how nice it would be to keep;), but I will have to content myself with a brief ownership and hopefully a few cooks. The pitiful condition it sounds like he has allowed the inside to get to might make that very difficult. If I buy new parts I will not want to put any use on them so that the grill looks as new as possible. If it is not really usable as is, I may have to forgo trying it out:(.
 

 

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