Hisencn, Uniflasys...What's in a name? ALSO Silver A Grate Option


 
Jon Tofte

Jon Tofte

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I am gathering my entries for my Stainless Grate Showdown. I also decided to give up on my rusty cast iron grates for now and go all the way on my Silver A restore. I bought a set of Hisencn stainless rod grates for the Silver A (and some later Spirit grills) I found on eBay for $30.50 after an eBay coupon. So, I was comparing the one set of "Uniflasys" grates I still had left and in the package with this new Hisencn purchase:

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The Uniflasys company name seems to be phasing out. It is not even on the packaging. But look how similar the packaging looks in style and graphics to the Hisencn. I agree with earlier suggestions these are coming from the same place in China:rolleyes:.

Silver A Grate

One thing worth mentioning is that although this Hisencn Silver A grate has bars that are smaller than their Silver B equivalent - maybe 6mm - there are MORE bars and the spacing between them is much less. I measured almost exactly a half inch space on the Silver A grate between each bar but on the Uniflasys - now Hisencn - Silver B grates the spacing was about 3/4 of an inch. If not really enough to lose a steak in, that's enough to get a big thumbs down from Larry for sure! I think even he would agree, though, that a half inch is pretty good for a low-cost option.

Looks like a better deal than anything I could find on Amazon, and I think will help make this grill really pop - if I EVER get it all done.
 
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I will be interested to see if the Hiscen grates fit well on the Silver A....they are terrible on the Silver B/1000 grills.
 
Ahhh. OK. Yah, I am not impressed with the Hiscen/Uniflasy grates. They could add a couple more bars and make the fitment a tad better and have a good product without having to raise the price much.
 
LMichaels said:
I don't agree even for a low cost option. That is obscene
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Larry,

I can only assume you are referring to the Hisencn grates for the Silver B. 3/4 of an inch is definitely not first class and probably too wide for a number of things a person might want to grill. But their grates for the Silver A are only 1/2" apart. I just measured my "rcplanebuyer" grates and they are 3/8" apart. I don't see how an 1/8" takes a grate from first class best to "obscene". I think many would agree that a half inch is plenty tight enough for most applications. Dave's grates are no-holds-barred the best, but spacing an extra 1/8" would make little difference to many if not most users, at least in my opinion.
 
Bruce said:
I will be interested to see if the Hiscen grates fit well on the Silver A....they are terrible on the Silver B/1000 grills.
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Bruce,

Here are some pictures putting them in my still unfinished Silver A. I think they look good overall. 6mm is bit thin, but they make up for it by putting the rods a good bit closer together than they do on their Silver B grates:

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As far as fit, they are about a 1/4" shorter than the edges of the firebox. This is what most Weber grates are, too. I tried but couldn't get them to fall in, but maybe if you had a badly warped box it might be different.

The main thing with these is that they put the cross bar supports very close to the edges. You cannot center the grates with both crossbars resting inside the "lips" of the firebox. However, if you set it so that the rear crossbar rests ON the lip and the front one are below, the grate anchors in very snugly. Maybe not the classiest design, but it works. I think my $30 is well invested since it will make my Silver A really pop...at least I HOPE so:rolleyes:!

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Yes, Jon, those look fine for a Silver A solution. Just not impressed with their Silver B version at all.
 
If you are willing to pony up for almost twice as much, Shinestar and Xhome on Amazon both have almost identical grates for the Silver A with 7mm and 16 bars per grate. The added thickness makes the spacing even tighter. I could see that for a “keeper” grill, but for a flip - especially a smaller Silver A - I don’t think you will get that extra amount back in a sale. Amazon is now showing a Uniflasy Silver A grate set that looks like my Hisencn for $29.
 
3/4" is obscene IMO. Even 1/2" is unacceptable for me especially with the thinner rods. With thicker rods the 3/8" spacing becomes FAR more usable because the angle of attack is far less. Meaning when doing more delicate foods (fish fillets, pizza crusts, thinner cuts of meat and so on) not to mention not having to worry about smaller items falling through. I have mentioned this before. When you interact with your grill the thing that you interact with the most is the grates and how well or badly they perform. Really good grates can make a mediocre grill feel and perform far better than it is while really poor ones can ruin how well a good grill will work. Just like cooking on a stove. Using cheap cookware on a $5000 range will still give you crappy results. Use excellent cookware on a poor range and you will get FAR better results
 
I hope that when my stainless steel showdown is complete to be able to address at least some of these issues and observations. One thing that is becoming clear to me is that there is a divide between what a person restoring grills for resale can hope to get their money out of vs. what experienced grillers who care a lot about grills themselves- like most of us here - would consider “decent.” The average buyer most “flip grills” are sold to might put some value on stainless vs. old porcelain plated steel, but very few would ever be willing to pay the incremental difference that going from inexpensive stainless rods to quality ones requires.

So, for restoration and sell, I think we have to accept some compromise. The lower price grates pop up and disappear on Amazon (and sometimes on eBay). These companies change names and prices like modern day baseball managers change pitchers. You have to keep shopping with your eyes open and be ready to pounce.

To get to a middle of the road solution with reasonably decent (no, not ideal...) thickness and spacing - such as Qulimetal or Hongso - you will have to be willing to pay more. Whether that can be offset by a higher selling price is the $64K question. What do you guys think?
 
Jon
It will be a rare person buying a resale grill who will truly appreciate a high quality set of grates. Hell, just look at the disparity here among so called aficionados.
 
LMichaels said:
Jon
It will be a rare person buying a resale grill who will truly appreciate a high quality set of grates. Hell, just look at the disparity here among so called aficionados.
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I agree. The buyers of rehabs .... bought a rehab.
 
LMichaels said:
...among so called aficionados.
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People can value these things differently and not be wrong. If you're grilling lots of pencil-thin asparagus, a grate with tight spacing is probably a must. If you're doing a lot of griddling on your grill, who cares about grate quality and rod spacing? It's all a matter of how you use your grill.

I would agree with the sentiment that most people buying a resale grill are value-oriented and aren't looking for the very best grates. They will upgrade to that on their own if it's important to them.
 
LMichaels said:
Jon
It will be a rare person buying a resale grill who will truly appreciate a high quality set of grates. Hell, just look at the disparity here among so called aficionados.
Click to expand...

Yep, I think that is so regarding almost all resale buyers. So, that means offering grates that have spacing and thickness below what we may want for ourselves. I may try offering an "updgrade option" on my next Genesis restore, but I doubt I will get a bite.

For us who do care, I think there is plenty of room for variety as Chris suggests. There isn't a right or wrong answer. It depends on how and what you grill, what you personally like, can afford, etc.
 
All good points and I have kind of settled in the middle by using the Honsgo grates on my rehabs. The elcheapo grates make me feel appologetic when i am showing a rehabbed grill. I feel good highlighting a $50 Honsgo set however. But, I just cannot justify going with 9mm, $100 plus grates either on a rehab.

I have a set of the cheaper Hiscen grates still in packaging in my garage. I figure if a buyer is hemming and hawing about the price, I can knock offer to knock $20 off the price if he is willing to go with the cheaper grates.

But, now those grates that Stephan linked to seem to be full 7mm grates and might be a great set for the price. It does look like they have two less bars per half set however. But, only a set in hand will verify that fact.
 
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