I have cooked on all three and the TEK IR is the only gas grill that cooks as well as charcoal. It's advantages over charcoal are that it is quick to set up, easy to clean up and does an excellent job of creating the charcoal taste. As many here know, the flavor is created by the smoke from the fat striking the hot surface be it charcoal or something else. The higher the IR energy (from gas or charcoal) and the less the flame, the more smoke generated rather than being turned into additional flame. The TEK creates a great deal of smoke because the IR glass sits between the flame and the dripping grease. On older style IR burners there is still an open flame to ignite the grease drippings reducing the amount of smoke to add flavor. With charcoal, once the embers are glowing red, it is emitting a lot of IR and much less to no flame and hence produces a lot of smoke and flavor. I have owned the FireMagic and I would not purchase another. The burners are cast SS but they still do rust over time and the flavor grills wear out too. They are very hard to clean and the heat was not anywhere near as good as the advertisements. If you are the type that never clean a grill and don't mind a gritty looking grill it may not matter. I am the type that wants it to look clean and inviting each time and the self cleaning feature along with the dishwasher removal panels makes the TEK a breeze to clean and keep looking nice. For me that was worth a lot. The more conventional grills like the Firemagic, even with their ceramic infrared burner are not even a close match.

We are doing a backyard remodel and building an outdoor kitchen. We’re researching on 26” outdoor grill and a double burner to buy. So whatever brand we choose for the grill, we will buy the same for the double burner. The more important item is the grill, and we are looking for something $2000 and below. What are your thoughts on AOG and Delta Heat for the 26” grill? Any other brands to consider that make great 26” grill? We are quite inexperienced with this so any help or wisdom is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Potting bench?add doors, store outdoor cushions?..buffet for outdoor meals?...remove for more shaded seating room?...

We have a modern house with an outdoor kitchen. One part of the L is counter space with pull-out trash and fridge under the counter space. Bar seating on the other side of this section. The other section of the L has a large grill and a sink beside it. It's a single bowl sink. I would highly recommend the sink and wished we would have also installed a garbage disposal and a spray arm faucet. Because it is outside, I use the sink to clean the surrounding area. An area for handwashing, as others have noted, is also a huge benefit. No, to the 2 tier counter. That is a dated look.