AEG HGX64200SB Gas Hob

Is the AEG HGX64200SB Gas Hob worth buying?

The AEG HGX64200SB Gas Hob is worth buying only for a narrow set of kitchens: £199.00 buys four gas zones, cast iron grid pan supports, integrated ignition and a body just 4 cm tall, which is the shallowest of the ten hobs compared. If your worktop is tight or a drawer sits right underneath, that 4 cm is the reason to pay.

For most buyers it is not the buy. The SIA AMZGHG602BL covers the same four zones for £94.99, which is £104.01 less, and 31 buyers have rated the AEG at 4.4 against 187 for the SIA. The AEG is also set for natural gas alone, so a bottled gas kitchen needs parts that do not come in the box.

What does the AEG HGX64200SB Gas Hob cost per cooking zone?

The AEG HGX64200SB Gas Hob works out at £49.75 for each of its four cooking zones, because the hob costs £199.00. Put the same sum to the SIA AMZGHG602BL and each zone costs £23.75 at £94.99, while the TopStrong 4 Burner Gas Hob lands at £37.50 a zone from its £149.99. Per zone, the AEG asks £26.00 more than the SIA.

What those four zones give you is a pan of a different size on each, so a sauce, a pan of pasta and a wok can run at the same time at different heat levels. Cast iron grid supports hold a heavy pan steady across all four, speed burners warm selected zones faster, and integrated ignition lights each ring from the knob. Only 31 buyers have rated the hob so far, at 4.4.

What comes in the box with the AEG HGX64200SB Gas Hob?

What arrives is the cooktop unit on its own: no conversion jets, no hose, no separate lighter, because the ignition is built into the knobs. It measures 594 x 510 mm across the top and stands 4 cm tall, which drops into a standard kitchen countertop cut-out, and AEG covers it with a 2 year manufacturer warranty. The hob is made in Italy.

At 10.4 kg it is a two-person lift into the hole, lighter than the 12 kg SIA AMZGHG602BL but 2.4 kg heavier than the 8 kg Cookology 60cm Gas Hob, so one person can manage the drop with care. As with any gas hob in the UK, the connection has to be made by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and that cost sits on top of the £199.00.

Where does the AEG HGX64200SB Gas Hob fall short?

At £199.00 it is the most expensive four-burner hob of the ten compared, and the fuel type is natural gas only. A kitchen on bottled gas needs a conversion that is not in the box, which adds a part and a second job for the fitter.

The burners are open rather than sealed, so a pan that boils over sends liquid under the hob, and the cast iron grids have to come off before you can reach it. Only 31 people have rated this hob, at 4.4, the thinnest record of the group, so fewer owners have lived with the automatic gas shut-off and the speed burners over several years.

Is the AEG HGX64200SB better than the SIA AMZGHG602BL and the TopStrong?

Against the SIA AMZGHG602BL, the AEG costs £104.01 more for the same four gas zones: £199.00 against £94.99, and the SIA yields 7,500 W, which is 1,875 W a burner, plus 5 years of parts cover and an LPG kit. The AEG answers with cast iron grids and a 4 cm body.

Against the TopStrong 4 Burner Gas Hob the gap is £49.01, £199.00 against £149.99, and the TopStrong brings 8,060 W with a 3,400 W wok ring for stir-frying. Choose the AEG when a shallow body under a tight worktop is the deciding factor; choose the SIA when you want the same four zones for £104.01 less.