SIA GHG612BL Gas Hob

Is the SIA GHG612BL Gas Hob worth buying?

Yes, the SIA GHG612BL Gas Hob is worth buying at £119.99 if you want a four-burner built-in hob with the longest track record on this page. 413 buyers have rated it 4.4, every burner carries its own flame failure device, and the LPG kit sits in the box next to the natural gas set-up. Seven and a half kilowatts of gas, a glass ceramic top and rotary knobs are what £119.99 buys.

It suits a household that keeps three or four pans moving and wants a black top that wipes clean. It is less suited to anyone who wants cast iron under the pans, because the supports here are enamel, and the cheaper SIA AMZGHG602BL at £94.99 supplies the iron instead. Anyone cooking with a heavy casserole every night should look at that one first.

What does 7,500 W across four burners actually mean?

Divide the 7,500 W by the four burners and you get 1,875 W a ring, which is a solid middle figure for a 60 cm hob. Two rings at that level plus a third on low covers a family meal, and the electronic ignition lights each burner from the knob the moment you turn it. There is no waiting for a plate to heat, so the flame is at full height within seconds.

The other half of the sum is the price: £119.99 divided by 7.5 kW comes to £16.00 for every kilowatt. The SIA AMZGHG602BL delivers the same 7.5 kW for £94.99, or £12.67 a kilowatt, while the Hisense GM663BHF charges £18.71 for each of its 8,500 W. That puts this hob mid-table on cost per kilowatt, which is the number to weigh against its 413 ratings.

What comes in the box and how does it fit?

In the box you get the hob, the LPG conversion kit and an instruction manual, and that is the full list: no hose, no regulator and no gas pipe. The body measures 58 cm across, 50 cm deep and 9.5 cm tall, so it drops into the usual 60 cm worktop opening, and at 12 kg it wants two pairs of hands to lower into the cut-out. The surface is glass ceramic, the knobs are rotary and the model code is GHG612BL.

A Gas Safe registered engineer has to make the gas connection and check the flame failure devices on all four burners, so add that cost to the £119.99. SIA keeps spare parts available for 5 years, which is worth knowing if a burner cap or a knob needs replacing later in the decade. The hob itself comes from China and SIA is the maker behind it.

Where does the SIA GHG612BL Gas Hob fall short?

The pan supports are enamel rather than cast iron. They lift out with one hand for washing, which is a real convenience, but a heavy casserole sits less firmly than on the iron grids of the SIA AMZGHG602BL, and enamel scratches and discolours over a hot ring. If a big pot is on the hob most evenings, that is the trade you make here.

At 9.5 cm tall the body is deeper than the 4 cm AEG HGX64200SB and the 4 cm Cookology hobs, so measure the gap under the worktop before you order, especially if a drawer or an oven sits below. The 12 kg weight is also heavier than the 8 kg Cookology 60cm Gas Hob, and £16.00 a kilowatt is not the cheapest way to buy 7.5 kW on this page.

How does it compare with the SIA AMZGHG602BL and the TopStrong?

The SIA AMZGHG602BL matches it ring for ring at 7,500 W and costs £94.99, which is £25.00 less, and it brings cast iron pan supports to the table. 187 buyers rate it 4.3, against the 413 here at 4.4. Buy the AMZGHG602BL if you want the iron grids and the lower price; buy the GHG612BL if the longer record and the enamel supports you can lift out easily suit your kitchen better.

The TopStrong 4 Burner Gas Hob costs £149.99, £30.00 more, and puts 8,060 W behind a 3,400 W wok burner with cast iron supports. That is the one for high-heat stir-frying or for anyone who wants the power concentrated on a single ring. For simmering, boiling and four pans at once, the GHG612BL does the same job for £30.00 less.