Another grill bites the dust, any suggestions?

[LuvOrlando]

Our grill looks fabulous from the outside but is completely rusted and destroyed on the inside, to the point I think it is a fire hazard. These things are too big to drag into the house over the winter & this is the 3rd time this happened and I don't want to spend another $500 on a grill where they care more about the outside than the inside. I'm looking to get a cheap grill as long as it isn't hazardous, like I want to know the grill and propane are stable because this is fire & some of the cheaper ones have comments about grill stability. Thing is the reviews are literally all over the place, anything in the under $200 that anyone can recommend?

At this point in my life I sincerely do not care what it looks like, I figure it won't last more than 3 years anyway so at least I won't get mad dragging it to the curb - on the other hand if it's lighter maybe I can get it to the garage for the winter.

 

[npatellye]

We’ve had wonderful luck with a 6 burner stainless CharBroil from Lowe’s. We got it for $249 three years ago and it’s still going strong, no rust or anything (we live in New England and it stays out all year). This is our fourth spring/summer with it and so far, so good.

 

[Gordon Gekko]

We have had a Dyna-Glo for a few years now. I refuse to spend over $200. This one was $149 on sale on a holiday weekend at Home Depot. I just looked and the same one is $179 currently on their website. It is an excellent grill and will probably last 5+ years, we do put in our garage during the winter. It has wheels and one person can easily move it around. Happy Grilling!

 

[firefly_ris]

We live in Buffalo so we do not purchase expensive grills. We could store it in the garage or shed over the winter but it still would manage to rust out there regardless after 3 or 4 years. We do use a fabric grill cover which does help extend the life a year or two. In the early fall we usually snatch up deals on a $100 Weber grill and use it until it's done, usually after 3 years.

However the next grill we will be getting is a griddle-style grill that I'm planning to buy my husband for Father's Day. His cousin had his at a Bills tailgate and it was cool and fit a ton of food, and was pretty easy to clean.

Something like this guy: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Royal-G...lls-in-Black-with-Side-Tables-GD401/305660742

My parents gave us their really nice Coleman that they had for about 15 years in Maryland. It lasted us 2 seasons... I felt bad they gave it to us and we had to throw it out so fast. So I just can't see spending on some of these 500 dollar grills up here.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I'm looking these all up now, thanks!

 

[afan]

We’ve had wonderful luck with a 6 burner stainless CharBroil from Lowe’s. We got it for $249 three years ago and it’s still going strong, no rust or anything (we live in New England and it stays out all year). This is our fourth spring/summer with it and so far, so good.

I agree with this though I have their small $99 version from lowes. I'm on #2 because it stopped lighting and while I could've used a match didn't want to for the price. It's been great

 

[LuvOrlando]

I agree with this though I have their small $99 version from lowes. I'm on #2 because it stopped lighting and while I could've used a match didn't want to for the price. It's been great

I was thinking I could do 2 burner because that is really all I use even on the big one I have now but some of the reviews make the smaller ones sound unsteady. How much space does a london broil or a few burgers need. Do you find this one to be sturdy with the tank attached? Also do you think it gets hot enough, that is the other complaint I see?

Thanks

 

[npatellye]

I was thinking I could do 2 burner because that is really all I use even on the big one I have now but some of the reviews make the smaller ones sound unsteady. How much space does a london broil or a few burgers need. Do you find this one to be sturdy with the tank attached? Also do you think it gets hot enough, that is the other complaint I see?

Thanks

I had the two burner Char Broil years ago (before kids) and it was fantastic! I used it for 6 years with no issues. It was sturdy enough and it cooked everything as expected.

 

[afan]

I was thinking I could do 2 burner because that is really all I use even on the big one I have now but some of the reviews make the smaller ones sound unsteady. How much space does a london broil or a few burgers need. Do you find this one to be sturdy with the tank attached? Also do you think it gets hot enough, that is the other complaint I see?

Thanks

I had the two burner Char Broil years ago (before kids) and it was fantastic! I used it for 6 years with no issues. It was sturdy enough and it cooked everything as expected.

I agree, it gets hot enough and cooks things through. Having cooked on it when living in NC and now in WA the biggest difference is the outside temp, like anything it'll heat up and hold the heat easier when it's already hot outside vs when it's colder, like 80+ vs 60's. But I try and remember to let it heat up at high for longer here in WA and even if I'm only cooking on one side I have both sides on to help with the all around temp. But I'd do that in NC too.

The one thing I have problems with, and I think it's just me, is my mom likes to have one hot dog charred on the outside, blah. With the new grill, even though it's exactly the same as my old one, I have a hard time getting it to blacken and not shrivel up to burnt. I had it almost perfected and for some reason, whether it be a difference in the flame height, a change in the hot dogs though they are the same brand, or something I'm doing, I can't get this to work. Everything else works just fine so it's not a knock on the grill, especially since most people aren't trying to blacken their hot dogs.

 

[MrsPete]

I know you said you don't want to spend more than $500, but if you have any wiggle-room in that budget, consider the Big Green Egg. It's expensive, but it's genuinely a lifetime purchase; in fact, my husband mentions his Big Green Egg in his will!

 

[AgentMama]

We've always bought Char Broil. Our current one is four burners and I think 7 or 8 years old. We lovingly neglect it and rarely remember to put the cover on it. Seems to be holding strong. I usually end up using a lighter to get it started as the ignighter thingies seem not to work well anymore. But the insides seem to be holding up fine.

 

[mjkacmom]

We swear by Weber, I think we are on #2 in 24 years. Every 5 years ago we buy replacement parts for the inside. We never cover it (the automatic lighter dies within a year due to rain), and living in NJ we have 4 seasons. We do not take good care of it at all.

 

[gharter]

We have had our 3 burner Weber for 24 years. We have a cover for it and bring it inside over the winter. We have replaced the burners once and the grates once. While out of your budget, it was money well spent as we would have spent far more purchasing multiple cheaper grills over the years.

 

[bearzabout]

We stopped using our grill once we bought our Anova sous vide machine. Now we get perfectly cooked, restaurant quality meats every time. We carmelize the meat before serving in a cast iron pan indoors and use the same large pan for burgers and hot dogs. Cast iron is amazing!

We no longer order steak or lamb at restaurants since they now taste better at home.

 

[mmforte]

These things happen to anything left out all year. We bought a Kirkland grill at COSTCO and the insides rotted after 8 years. We went back to get a new one and an employee told us we could have returned it up to 7 years later. So if you buy one at COSTCO, save the box.

 

[mom2missmous]

We have had our 3 burner Weber for 24 years. We have a cover for it and bring it inside over the winter. We have replaced the burners once and the grates once. While out of your budget, it was money well spent as we would have spent far more purchasing multiple cheaper grills over the years.

We only buy Weber here now! Presently, we own three- 2 at our permanent campsite where we do a lot of family gathering in the summer and one at home. We have replaced parts in one of the older ones over the years and it is still going strong! We have tried many others over the years and always go back to weber- we even bought a used weber on craigs list vs a new one of another type. Our oldest weber (over ten years old) which we replaced with a discontinued 6 burner version was still operational when we passed it onto our son!

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Canvas waterproof cover?

 

[DLgal]

Stop wasting money on "cheap" grills. Get a Weber and be done with it. They last at least 10 years, easily. We are on our second one. The first one lasted 15 years and we just decided to sell it locally rather than move it cross country because I wanted a bigger one anyway. It still worked fine. We don't cover ours, and it gets dusty, but a quick hose down and wipe with soapy sponge has it looking like new again. It's a 5 year old Genesis grill with 3 burners. I don't bother with the cooktop on the side or anything fancy like that. We get rain and my electronic ignition still works. It has a rubber seal to keep water out.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

We have a cheap CharBroil and about every 3-4 years we replace the guts for 40 bucks.

It is easy to do and our same unit has been sitting on our deck since 2005....no cover

The burner and the grate are still sold by them.

 

[okeydokey]

My husband replaces the guts of the grill every few years and it is much cheaper.