List Price: $179.99
Sale Price: $99.00
Today's Bonus: 45% Off
If you are a charcoal grill purist, this grill has it all -which is rare indeed. Plus at $106, this is an absolute steal!
PROS:
-rectangular shape. This is a personal preference, but we find it's a better use of space (and better looking we think) for our patio.
-large cooking surface. Grills 8-10 cowboy-sized, bone-in ribeye steaks, plus has a warming rack that is great for baked potatoes, mushrooms, and veggie kabobs to accompany the beef entree.
-removable ash can. This is a feature my hubby insists on for easy clean-up
-adjustable coal height. Great heat control. Also has a built in thermometer. We don't use that, but folks who smoke meats will like it.
-two shelves (TWO!) for holding your dishes and plates (what's wrong with Weber that they haven't figured out that shelves are an important feature!). The shelves fold down and out of the way when grill's not in use
-large, heavy duty, heat resistant lid handle. No worries about your hand getting too close to the hot metal lid.
-wheels. To move it where you need it.
-fairly easy assembly. The screws, bolts, etc., came in a cardboard-backed, sealed and labeled package, and an oversized instruction guide that was nicely written. Really nice. My husband HATES having to assemble anything, and he got this grill together with no problems (no cussing either!) in about 30-40 minutes. I didn't even have to sit, read, re-read, and interpret instructions. What a bonus compared to usual assembly projects! Made our first steak dinner with this grill that much more enjoyable!
-well packaged by manufacturer with well-designed interior packaging protection. When we arrived home to see that UPS had delivered the grill while we were at work, we were a bit apprehensive. The box looked like it had taken a bit of a beating enroute, and we were dreading the prospect of finding damage and having to submit a claim. We were pleasantly surprised to see how well packaged/protected the grill components were, and the dings that we saw on the exterior package in no way affected the product itself. BRAVO and WHEW!
CONS:
-coal grate is not as sturdy as we expected given the cooking surface, but so far so good
-wheel design/orientation means that you have to roll grill front to back -its widest dimension, which can be a bit awkward to move through gates. We actually had to pick up the grill to maneuver it through a garden gate.
-bottom shelf is open-wire design. We prefer a solid shelf so that you can securely lay things on the bottom shelf.
SUMMARY:
Overall quality is "medium". It's still much better quality than we expected for the price. Even still, we grill so often (3x/week) that we expect to replace our charcoal grill every year anyway -we burn right through the sheet metal, or end up rusting out the ash can, or otherwise grill the grill to death. We expect the same with this grill...that in about 12 months, we'll be in the market for a replacement. That makes the relatively "low" price of this grill -which includes features that aren't available even on the higher-end Webers -that much more reasonable.
We are very happy grillers -and at my house, a happy griiler = a happy husband :) We would recommend this grill unequivocably, and have actually considered buying an "extra" knowing that a full-featured, reasonably priced charcoal grill is a rare jewel!
UPDATE:
4/14/2012 we are still loving this grill, and for $106, went ahead and purchased a second. Happy grillin', y'all!
UPDATE:
-7/6/2013 we have replaced our first grill with the second, as we expected due to our high use. We just ordered a replacement (our 3rd grill), because the grill still meets our every expectation. Yes, we could buy a higher end Weber, but it still doesn't have all the features of this grill. Don't mistake our enthusiasm: this is NOT a high end grill, but as a mid-end grill, it still is fuil featured and keeps my hubby grillin' (happily) 2-3 days a week.
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EDIT: After 1 year of use, I think it's an "ok" grill. Changing review from 4 to 3 stars. The tray holding the coals melted and is bowing down now. Also the height adjustment of the coals fell off the track and won't raise and lower. Looking back, I think I maybe would have gone with a Weber instead.----------------
I was going to get either a Weber or this. I knew Weber was a quality brand but you pay for that quality. This grill is definitely cheaply made but it has way more features than the competing Weber.
Took me about 2 hours to build completely. Might recommend to friends and family.
Pros:
Lid catch so you don't have to put a hot lid on the ground/hold it.
Collapsible side trays for loading/unloading food.
Warming tray
Adjustable coal rack for cooking your food just right
Temperature gauge
Cons:
Cheaply made. Has latches but one won't snap closed. Neither latch lines up with the indentions for the latches so that it doesn't seal closed very well.
Came slightly damaged but only cosmetic.
The bolts/washers/nuts were separated and labeled, but not sealed very well as many were floating around in the package which led to some confusion.
Best Deals for Blue Rhino CBC1255SP Deluxe Outdoor Charcoal Barbeque Grill
After removing the "Made in China" sticker from the top part of the grill, I decided to give it a try. It certainly has the excellent feature of allowing the charcoal to be adjusted closer or further from your food. Bravo on that one. However, is this worth what I paid for it? No it's not. This should be sold at a major discount chain for the cost of a few candy bars. The severe lack of thought that went into this design is appalling. You've got hot coals transmitting heat to the grill bottom, which end up transmitting it to the little plastic fold out surfaces. This causes them to warp. Why plastic?? There is a second grate that is second rate. It's above the main grate and is hinged very poorly. It tends to pop off if it is bumped even slightly. I refuse to put a burger on that shelf as I think it may make the thing collapse. Removing the main grate is awkward when you wish to add hot charcoal from your chimney starter. A simple handle would have sufficed!Let's get back to the construction. You are the shop worker putting this thing together. Never have I had a grill that required such laborious assembly before. Even pieces that seemed like they could obviously ship assembled were ready for assembly by the new owner.
All this being said, I much prefer this over any gas grill I've used. I've bought it, and used it, and I'm certainly not going to throw it away. My previous grill was a Weber Q which has less BTUs than any burner on my new stovetop. This does cook food far better and gives you a lot of control. Beyond that, it's a terribly poor design that shouldn't have the privilege of being sold on Amazon.
Honest reviews on Blue Rhino CBC1255SP Deluxe Outdoor Charcoal Barbeque Grill
Purchased this for fathers day and I understand that maybe $100 for a grill is cheap, but the product arrived damaged (serious dents on the top lid that prevent it from closing properly). Screws and bolts were scattered about the box and the product felt used. Assembly took some time, but ultimately wasn't worth the effort. In the picture the top lid manages to stay up at 90 degrees, I assure you this isn't feasibly in real life unless you intend to bbq next a wall.The only upside to this grill is the thermometer and various compartments to place water etc...
Bottom line is even if this grill ships in perfect condition, don't expect it to last more than 2-3 years tops.
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