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


 
Bruce,

That is certainly an honorable way to go. Your idea for your last Hisencn is kind of the "upgrade in reverse" strategy:D!

One thing I am hoping to get out of doing my comparison is to make my own mind up about what to use as "standard" for rehab grills. I have gotten most of the grates together I plan to review, but I haven't done any detailed study of them yet. I really like the Qlimetal company and products, but the Hongso ones seem to be extremely competitive - and priced a notch lower. I hope my test results and what I publish will help others evaluate even as I make up my own mind.

It is pretty annoying, though, that in just the time I have put into this project, the availability (not to mention the brand names:rolleyes:) of lower-price brands has changed on Amazon. Then, they constantly tinker around with pricing - especially when you get the word out to us about a good deal:eek:!

When I finally use up (or sell off separately) all these grates, I probably will need to be more judicious about squandering my Discover/Chase points on Amazon and instead save them for jumping up to the mid-level grates for further restores. That is if I ever get to them:(...
 
Jon, I wonder if you would notice any difference in price paid for flip grills even if you used ... pretty much any new grates. I think the rehab buyer basically wants none of the work and all of the glory, and I think you could probably explain to them the importance of good grates, but sell them grills with really inexpensive, but new grates. I think "new" is more important than "good" and as we have seen in this discussion, I think if they want better grates, they can go get them themselves. Long winded, but my opinion here is that "new" is more important than "good" but I could be wrong.
 
Jon, after you finish the grates comparison, I expect to see a Flavorizer bar one in short order. ;)
 
THyde,

I think I agree with you, at least for the vast majority of buyers. There is a guy near me trying to sell a 3-burner side control Spirit (as you know basically a classic Genesis under the hood) which appears to have Dave Santana "rcplanebuyer" grates and flavorizer bars. He wants $250 which is too high anyway for his unattractive grill. But he is especially hurt because his pictures "show off" the grates he brags about and they are FILTHY! He would sell it much quicker, I think, with shiny NEW lesser grates which goes along with what you are saying. (p.s. I am waiting him out - two weeks now - to see if I can land a set of rc's grates for a good deal just for being willing to clean them up.)

There may be a few buyers who would pony up for really nice grates (or as Bruce is thinking chince out for even CHEAPER grates). If I can get somewhere with my backlog I may try that.

For the Silver A, I used your line of reasoning to conclude that no matter what I could do with the rusted, porcelain plated cast iron grates the grill came with, I would come out ahead by spending $30 for a shiny new set (admittedly not the very best) of stainless grates. I think it will work and that for most users would be perfectly acceptable. At least I won't worry my buyer will sink their teeth into a chip of porcelain I failed to grind off:eek:!
 
Jon Tofte said:
THyde,

I think I agree with you, at least for the vast majority of buyers. There is a guy near me trying to sell a 3-burner side control Spirit (as you know basically a classic Genesis under the hood) which appears to have Dave Santana "rcplanebuyer" grates and flavorizer bars. He wants $250 which is too high anyway for his unattractive grill. But he is especially hurt because his pictures "show off" the grates he brags about and they are FILTHY! He would sell it much quicker, I think, with shiny NEW lesser grates which goes along with what you are saying. (p.s. I am waiting him out - two weeks now - to see if I can land a set of rc's grates for a good deal just for being willing to clean them up.)

There may be a few buyers who would pony up for really nice grates (or as Bruce is thinking chince out for even CHEAPER grates). If I can get somewhere with my backlog I may try that.

For the Silver A, I used your line of reasoning to conclude that no matter what I could do with the rusted, porcelain plated cast iron grates the grill came with, I would come out ahead by spending $30 for a shiny new set (admittedly not the very best) of stainless grates. I think it will work and that for most users would be perfectly acceptable. At least I won't worry my buyer will sink their teeth into a chip of porcelain I failed to grind off:eek:!
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I don't think you should feel badly about using less expensive grates for flip grills. Again, I think your customers are looking for low effort, shiny and clean looking, not necessarily real high quality. After all, if they were, they would rehab their own grills so that they could control every aspect of the grill like we do.
 
Probably right Thyde. If the uniflasy fit better, I would probably go that route. But they are significantly shorter front to back than others and come very close to falling in on a cook box that has any bowing to it at all. Maybe the grates linked above are better, but my guess is they are basically the same as the uniflasy and hiscen grates.
 
I don’t know why Hisencn Silver A grates fit better and are more tightly spaced then the way more important Silver B grates.
 
I noticed on Amazon that there is another 17 1/2” 304 stainless player, Htanch, that looks identical to Hongso and is priced at the same $49.99. Probably another rebrand of the same product. It is interesting that they offer both 17 1/2” and a cheaper 17 1/4” (the size that gives Bruce fits). I am not sure what their thinking is.
 
Another way to try it is to have a truly nice set (i.e. a set of RCP grates) at the ready. Show the grill with the Hingso or whatever and explain that for a "fee" of whatever $$$ they can have the advantages of outstanding lifetime quality grates and let the buyer make the choice. That would separate the "men from the boys" so to speak. IOW you might have a true grill enthusiast as a buyer but one who while appreciating what an old Weber is, does not have the time or ability to do a rehab on their own but would truly love to spend an extra few bucks to have something truly outstanding
 
It is hard trying to track all these different offerings. Choice is a good thing, but it seems like just when you get comfortable with one brand, it disappears and then others pop up.
 
LMichaels said:
Another way to try it is to have a truly nice set (i.e. a set of RCP grates) at the ready. Show the grill with the Hingso or whatever and explain that for a "fee" of whatever $$$ they can have the advantages of outstanding lifetime quality grates and let the buyer make the choice. That would separate the "men from the boys" so to speak. IOW you might have a true grill enthusiast as a buyer but one who while appreciating what an old Weber is, does not have the time or ability to do a rehab on their own but would truly love to spend an extra few bucks to have something truly outstanding
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With all the grates I have accumulated, I should be able to give your idea a try! I will report back when I do.
 
Bruce said:
It is hard trying to track all these different offerings. Choice is a good thing, but it seems like just when you get comfortable with one brand, it disappears and then others pop up.
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Yes, it is VERY frustrating and add to that the pricing games they play and you have to continually on alert.
 
And naturally we will need to mix and match all the different components in the two fireboxes to get the best results. :);)
 
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