No matter which side of the fence you fall on, there’s no denying that both Nexgrill and Blackstone offer griddles that are top of the range, and both seem to really excel with their larger griddles.
So today, we’ve taken a closer look at the Nexgrill Griddle 4 Burner and the Blackstone 36 inch 4 Burner models, and we’re going to break down each one side by side. Will we finally settle which of these two big-hitting griddles is the best once and for all? We doubt it, but we’ll have a lot of fun trying!
In order to do this effectively, we’re not going to focus on the usual areas you might expect to see, because in terms of what they offer they’re pretty similar. 4 burners? Check. Independent cooking zones? Yep. Side tables for prep? You betcha!
Instead, we’ll focus on the most important areas, and highlight any similarities and differences as we go.
Real quick: Curious about how the Blackstone stacks up against the Blue Rhino Griddle? Take a look at our comparison, it’s pretty close!
Cooking Surface
There are two ways to look at a griddle’s cooking surface. The first is the size, and the second is the material that the surface is made of. In terms of size, both are advertised as 36-inch models, but Nexgrill actually has slightly more cooking surface available (fractionally, yes, but it might be worth noting for some).
Nexgrill offers 732 square inches of usable cooking space, and Blackstone offers 720. Is it a big difference? No. But that’s how tight these two griddles are when being compared.
Next thing to look at is the material of the cooking surface. Nexgrill’s griddle is made of stainless steel, and Blackstone’s is carbon steel, but what’s the difference? Well, in reality, they are very similar.
Both contain iron and carbon but to varying degrees. Without boring you with the details, this leads to a slightly different end product.
Stainless steel is more resistant to rust but less resistant to wear. Carbon steel is the reverse, as it is less resistant to rust but more resistant to wear.
However, it should be noted that by seasoning a carbon steel griddle, you actually reduce the risk of rust, but there isn’t anything you can do about the lack of wear resistance of stainless steel.
So on this point, Blackstone wins, as the surface will probably have a longer lifespan than Nexgrill’s will.
BTU’s and Griddle Heat
The next thing we want to look at is BTU (or British Thermal Units). If you’re wondering what that is, BTU is just a method of measuring energy conversion. It basically looks at a product that is capable of heating something and asks, how much energy does it take for this product to heat one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit?
The higher the number assigned to it, the more powerful the product is at heating something quickly. Got that? Good.
Now, Nexgrill’s 4 burner model has 40,000 BTU’s in total, 10,000 from each of its four burners. But Blackstone’s model has 60,000 total BTU’s split across four burners. So actually the Blackstone product is more powerful and will heat your food up a lot more effectively than Nexgrill’s will.
Nexgrill’s model will still do the job, of course, but there’s no denying that Blackstone has to win on this point again.
Blackstone vs Nexgrill Warranty’s Compared
Another point we wanted to cover here is the warranty. It’s something that customers often overlook before making a purchase but it says a couple of things about the product if a warranty is offered.
First, the company supplying the product has a lot of faith in its ability to perform as it should do for a number of years. And second, that you can have faith in the product you’re buying too.
A company wouldn’t offer a warranty if they thought they’d have to replace parts or products years from now, because that wouldn’t make financial sense. They’re expecting you not to have to use your warranty, and that’s a good thing.
So when purchasing a griddle (or anything for that matter) pay closer attention to its warranty, because it might tell you a lot about the product you’re thinking of buying.
This brings us back to our comparison. Nexgrill offers a 1-year warranty with their product, and if buying from Home Depot, there are options for you to extend this with a care plan for 3 years.
It should cost around $55 so that’s pretty good value for money and basically acts as an additional 3-year warranty, so you’re covered for 4 years in total.
Blackstone, again, offers a 1-year warranty as standard, but they’ve also teamed up with a company called Extend when buying through Blackstone’s official website that means an additional 3 years of warranty is added.
This is slightly more expensive at around $119. The price is obviously something to think about, but it’s reassuring to see both products offering such a lengthy warranty. Because it’s cheaper though, we’d have to give this one to Nexgrill. You can read the full warranty info here by clicking on either Blackstone or Nexgrill.
Community Around Both Brands
Ok, hear us out. You might think that when you’re buying a griddle, it’s a very personal journey and doesn’t really concern anybody else. Well, then we’d have to assume you haven’t been introduced to the notion of #griddlenation yet.
Griddle enthusiasts are dotted throughout the entire country, and they want to share their expert knowledge.
Whether it’s recipes, troubleshooting, or just general maintenance tips, there are people online talking about it. So actually, the community surrounding a specific griddle isn’t just important, but integral! If you run into any issues or want some creative ideas, you need to know that there’s somewhere online you can go to hear more.
And that’s ultimately where Blackstone _truly _wins out over Nexgrill, because there’s simply more people talking about Blackstone products online.
That’s not to say that any Nexgrill issues can’t be resolved, because there are people online talking about them too, but those people are just slightly harder to find. If you’re looking for a griddle that has a bustling community of griddle fans behind it, then Blackstone is the way to go.
The Verdict
We’re not here to point you in any one direction. Truly. When you really get down to the nitty-gritty, both products are fairly similar, and both do an excellent job.
If you’re a die-hard Nexgrill fan, then we don’t want to change your mind, but we do need to point out the differences with Blackstone. And on this comparison, with these two products, Blackstone pips it. Just.
