I upgraded to the xl after the plate coating wore out on my first optical smaller version I think the coating on this grill is better than the first one I had. I only hand wash them and not use the dishwasher and have not had any problems. I like the size and the temps are usualy close. Sometimes I have to pull items earlier than the light indicator says for my desired temp but that is not a big problem. I only wish it had a second set of flat plates that I could buy as an added option So I could use it more like a panini grill. That would be great