The Best Grill Tongs

Long, comfortable to grip and pinch, and easy to open, these grill tongs are almost identical to the ones we originally reviewed. They’re just as agile, durable, and easy to use—sturdy enough to maneuver heavy racks of ribs but also capable of more precise work, such as turning delicate asparagus spears and pieces of chicken. The arms of the tongs are slightly wider than in the previous incarnation. As a result, the tongs are a touch heavier, though they are still lightweight and agile. And because the arms are wider, it’s actually easier to clean their interiors. The pincers are virtually unchanged; their shallow scallops ensure that you’ll never accidentally tear any food that’s in their grip. Two small bonuses: a big loop at one end for storage and a built-in bottle opener.

Our former winner took top marks again, with just the right combination of light but tough construction, precise pincers that stayed aligned throughout testing and could pluck up the tiniest toothpick or hoist the heftiest slab of ribs, and an easy locking tab that opened and closed simply and smoothly. At 16 inches, they are just long enough to be safe from the heat but short enough to give great leverage and control. The tension of the arms is well calibrated to be springy but not hand-straining over the course of cooking, such as when we grilled a big batch of barbecue chicken.

These tongs are sturdy, sleek, and well constructed, with precise pincers that stayed aligned throughout our testing. The only downside? A slightly too-clever locking system that works automatically, depending on whether the tongs are gently squeezed while pointing down to unlock or up to lock. This never became fully natural; we had to keep stopping to reposition them as we cooked. (One tester’s family likes to ask unsuspecting guests to try unlocking these tongs for amusement.)

While these tongs were moderately lightweight, they also seemed a bit flimsy to our testers, especially when lifting heavier foods. A little longer and heavier than our winner, they required a bit more work to use. The unusual curved-in pincers were surprisingly effective at grasping larger foods, though their shape made the position of the tip visually ambiguous during precision work such as picking up slim asparagus spears and the cupped shape tended to scrape off and collect rubs and sauces. The locking mechanism was a little uncomfortable to push in for unlocking, but a big metal loop made it very easy to grab and pull out when locking.

While these tongs were not exactly bad, there are better choices. Just a bit too heavy, too long, and too stiff, with slightly excessive tension in the spring, they were sometimes fatiguing to use. The bare metal locking mechanism on the handle had a sharp edge, which was a little painful to push in, especially if we did it one-handed by popping it against a hip. And finally, we’d much prefer to toss tongs in the dishwasher, but these should be washed by hand, the instructions warn, probably due to the wooden handle inserts (which were a bit uncomfortable for some testers and emerged slightly roughened after being washed 25 times).

These oversize, overbuilt tongs made everyone crack jokes—until we tried to use them and our laughter turned to bitter complaints. So stiff that they took two hands to pinch closed, they were clumsy, heavy, and ineffective—and quickly became painful to manipulate. The misaligned pincers completely missed toothpicks and let the glass jar slip and drop onto the counter. The final blow? Despite their macho build, they’re too delicate to go in the dishwasher.

The first pair arrived broken, and the second, equally flimsy pair became floppy and misaligned within a few uses, making us sweat and curse as we struggled to pick up asparagus or move briquettes to set up the fire. The toothy pincers hooked into chicken, snagged on grill grates, and tore off bits of sponge when we tried to scrub them clean. The gimmicky, bulky heat shield, which was supposed to swing freely on the handle to stay between your hand and the heat, didn’t always work, and over the course of testing, it became too stiff and creaky to swing freely. Finally, a hook designed to lock the tongs for storage often engaged while we were working—clamping them shut miduse.