Review of Char-Broil 26,500 BTU 2-Burner Gas Grill, 280 Square Inch

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List Price: $129.00
Sale Price: $99.17
Today's Bonus: 23% Off

I bought this grill elsewhere for 80 bucks and the only thing that I can say is that it is a great grill for 80 bucks. Assembly instructions were clear enough for me to follow and not make any mistakes. I do agree that it took a good chunk of time to put together, but for 80 dollars, what do you expect?

I understand the low star rating for the customer(s) that did not receive all of the parts for their grill (my grill came with all noted parts). What I can't understand is people complaining about a grill this cheap that does what it is supposed to do. If you don't want to assemble a grill (or if you can't read instructions), don't buy the grill online. Did you expect it to be assembled and delivered to your back porch? There are plenty of stores that you can go to and buy a pre-assembled grill. If your expecting the highest quality grill for 80 dollars, then you have another problem altogether.

This grill is perfect for my situation, as we live in a 2 bedroom condo on the second floor that only has a small patio/balcony. I was able to leave the left shelf off of the grill and it fits nice and flush against the corner wall. Although I have only grilled on it 3 times so far, it does a fairly good job and it is much better than using our old propane grill that sat on the floor. I would highly recommend this grill if you are looking for a smaller no frills grill that does its job well.

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Bought it at a general store for 80 bucks. Afte reading all the reviews here, we were very suspicious about the assembly. So we started very carefully and took stock of all the parts after opening the box. Surprisingly all the parts were there and none was missing. It took me and my wife about 2 hrs to assemble. But the instructions in the booklet were clear and they had very properly marked all the screws which was really helpful.

Did our first barbecue yesterday evening and turn out to be good.

Cooking area is good for 4-5 people.

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I had a CharBroil unit before this one that lasted me fifteen years, so I thought I'd try another. This is a great little unit. It is a little wider than my previous unit, but significantly deeper. The internal design, with its rounded heating container, foil over the burners and larger grill surface make for more even heat distribution and smoother cooking. The plastic side shelves are much less likely to warp the way the cedar ones on my previous unit did and the utensil hangers on them are very convenient. Its push button lighter works like a charm and the match holder on a chain that comes with the unit is a nice accessory. All the listed parts came with it, but you have to read the assembly manual VERY carefully to avoid having to go back and do things over as it is not intuitive at all. The only real neagtive about this unit is the assembly time. The 45 minutes listed in the manual is ridiculous. Only someone who is very mechanically inclined AND has done it before could assemble this grill in that time. It took me over three hours.

Honest reviews on Char-Broil 26,500 BTU 2-Burner Gas Grill, 280 Square Inch

This review applies to MN 463620411 S/N 6208141105-019819 purchased 3/12/2012. My experience seemed so much better than many others, perhaps there have been running improvements since 2009. So if your numbers are widely different, or substantially earlier, you may not have the same as I got.

I was looking to replace my 7-year old similar $99 Char-Broil which rusted out(left outside uncovered continually). First, the materials, fit and finish are MUCH better than my old grill. Thicker materials. Better black finish. Everything fits. And surprisingly good hardware, too.

The hardware was packaged in a multi-bubble pack, simple cardboard backing with each part identified under an easy-to-open cardboard flap. Open the flaps as the parts are needed. You have a convenient tray of identified separated parts, easily accessible. Now the parts themselves as one example, older/other grills I have assembled came with those very cheap, thin, square nuts and cheap unplated serrated lockwashers. This grill comes with 'flanged nuts' regular reasonably thick hex nuts with a built-in serrated flange. Hand tighten them, and no need to use a wrench on them as you tighten with a Phillips. Great! All the hardware was of similar quality and consistency. Yes, the metal is a bit soft you can cam-out the Phillips heads use a hand screwdriver. But in total, way above other hardware I have seen on cheao grills. All the parts were well packaged many even wrapped in paper. Not a scratch or mark on any of them. And the burner seems to be made of stainless though its not mentioned in the advertizing I saw.

Now assembly. Yes, 35-40 minutes is a joke. Maybe for your second or third one but allow 2 hours for the first. Read the instructions all of them. Perhaps download the manual while you are waiting for the grill to arrive. Get very familiar with the parts BEFORE starting any assembly, Particulary study pg 15 Parts List and 16 Parts Diagram. Some parts may seem symmetric but they are not. The only truly symmetric parts are identified on pg 15 with a single Letter and Quantity 2. All others with a Qty 1 are a Left and a Right. One to watch for the 'Cart Leg, Uppers') (O, K). They may look identical. They are not. The Firebox mounting studs are offset and need to be assempled with the studs offset toward the inside on both of them or the firebox will not fit. This was the one place I found the manual not too clear. The offsets only really show onpg 20. But I caught it and assembled correctly first time. Everything fit perfectly. I was amazed. So far four **** stars only because the parts were not actually labelled or stampted A, B, C etc. and the 'cart leg' isssue which I later saw had trapped others...

After installing the propane tank, connecting the regulator, doing the 'leak test' per instructions, we ran the grill for 20 minutes on high again per instructions to 'burn off' any volatiles in the finish etc. Good idea before cooking anything as it stank for the first 10 minutes. Then the stench stopped. Cooked some burgers perfectly. Four **** stars for function only because the grates are wire not cast iron. If they had been cast iron, 5 ***** stars.

So my overall price-independent rating: four **** stars, no question. So far, the best $100 grill I have ever had. But we shall see on durability...

Full Disclosure: This is not a paid shill report. I do not work for Amazon or Char-Broil, and am in fact a 70-year old retiree. With time to waste to write this report..:>)

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I've owned one of these in the past (bought it about 6 or 7 years ago) and it was fantastic. Inexpensive NOT cheap sturdy, well built... I mean this thing was like a TANK. Practically indestructible. I live in michigan and I used it all year long sometimes twice a day. I LOVED that grill!

Well, after about 5 years of constant use it finally wore out. No problem, I thought I'll get another one. After all it was very affordable and I certainly felt like I got my money's worth out of it.

So I bought another one. Well, like they say, "Things ain't what they used to be." The "New and Improved" version is a toy. My original one was heavy and solid. The sidewalls were thick and sturdy. I think you could shoot the thing with a .38 and it would bounce right off.

Well, the new one was flimsy and thin. I think you could practically poke through it with a screwdriver or a pocket knife.

The cooking grate on the old one was thick, solid and heavy. It had a great finish on it and was easy to clean.

Needless to say the new one was light weight and super thin. Everything I cooked on it stuck to it as well.

Well, just three days ago I lit the thing and went into the house to wait for it to warm up. When I came back out, to my horror and surprise, flames were rolling out of the front of it right up and over the flame control knobs and front panel. My knobs were melting and oozing down the front of it. (I should have taken a picture of it, but next day was trash day and I put that thing right out for the garbage.) I thought for sure it was going to explode or something!!

I don't know who the corporate clown was that decided to "upgrade and improve" upon a perfectly good thing. I know "let's make it a little cheaper and increase our profit margins." Short-sighted suits who can't see past their wallets and their bottom line.

I WILL NEVER buy another grill from these clowns and I will continue to try and educate others about their inferior, flimsy, cheap construction!

I think some of the positive reviews of this grill are probably for people who bought the older version. Or possibly from people who bought the newer one and didn't have the old one to compare it to.

I'm telling you this grill is a piece of garbage... and that's exactly where it will wind up.

If you use your grill 5 or 6 times during the summer, this might be an OK grill for you. If you are a grillmaster who thinks everything tastes better grilled... Please look elsewhere!!

If I could give this thing a ZERO star rating, I would.