I have been looking at new grills recently and keep coming across the five burner grills by NexGrill. NexGrill has two versions of their five burner grill (convection and infrared) and neither one of them looks like a winner. I put together some comparison pictures to help people see the difference between the two models.
The infrared version is called the Evolution grill and it costs nearly $400. The standard convection five burner grill comes in at $199. Neither grill has gotten good publicity or ratings. The Evolution did not make David's list of Best Infrared Grills and the budget friendly version doesn't show up on his list of best gas grills under $300.
The heart of the difference between the two models is that the Evolution grill has a perforated metal sheet directly under the grill grates that acts as an infrared transmitting panel. You can see the infrared panel on the left and the standard convection system on the right.
Infrared grilling can be awesome if you have a proper grill but the panels on the NexGrill are woefully thin. There is no way that the panels will last more than a year. In addition, all of the grooves in the panels look like they would be a nightmare to keep clean.
There are plenty of other styling differences between the grills. The grill grates on the convection grill are cast iron while the ones on the IR grill are steel rods wrapped in stainless steel. The stainless steel wrapped rods look pretty but again, there is no way that they are going to last.
Infrared grilling can be awesome if you have a proper grill but the panels on the NexGrill are woefully thin. There is no way that the panels will last more than a year. In addition, all of the grooves in the panels look like they would be a nightmare to keep clean.
There are plenty of other styling differences between the grills. The grill grates on the convection grill are cast iron while the ones on the IR grill are steel rods wrapped in stainless steel. The stainless steel wrapped rods look pretty but again, there is no way that they are going to last.
The two grills have different lid thermometers but you can tell by the needle that both are low end and neither will actually be accurate.
You also get upgraded "shiny" flame tamers on the Evolution compared to the enameled ones on the convection grill. This is a silly upgrade since the IR panels will prevent you from seeing the pretty parts. And again, the metal is wafer thin and will fall apart within a year.
The parade of "shiny parts" keeps coming on the Evolution with the pretty side burner. The side burner has the exact same BTUs and configuration as the one found on the convection grill but looks nicer.
While there are a lot of differences between these two five burner grills the reality is that neither one will last more than two years before they rust out and you take them to the curb for trash. Save your money and get yourself a real grill instead.
While there are a lot of differences between these two five burner grills the reality is that neither one will last more than two years before they rust out and you take them to the curb for trash. Save your money and get yourself a real grill instead.