Magma Del Mar Grill LP Gas Reviews

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List Price: $740.95
Sale Price: $471.25
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We bought this grill the natural gas version to go on our tiny balcony and had a plumber extend the natural gas line.

Pros: compact size, attractive stainless steel, heats up fast, cooks quickly on low heat

Cons: lots of flare-ups; use low settings, ignitor only worked a few times, lid difficult to open; I have to put my foot on the base to steady the grill when opening

The portable Webers were not available when we purchased; if I were looking now, I'd probably go for the Weber.

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I purchased this grill due to my tight balcony space and salt air environment. The ignitor went bad after about 10 uses. When I got the new ignitor, I found they had sent the wrong one. By this time, I also found the plastic adjustment knob had cracked as well.

After owning it for six months I would have to say it's a poor design, by far the most difficult BBQ to keep clean that I've ever owned. Some of this is tolerable and can be lived with, but the Magma customer service was very rude and their policies not at all customer friendly. I will never buy another Magma product and would recommend the same for other BBQ buyers.

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I bought the natural gas version of this grill four years ago. The insides have now completely rusted out, to the point that (assuming I actually wanted to) I would have to pay $300 to have the thing repaired. The rust is not due to neglect or overuse (it's been used an average of twice a week, and it's been protected from the elements by the nylon cover that Magma makes for it). The repair guy at the store I bought it from told me that it's due to the high heat that the grill produces. The metal has actually started to decompose, flaking away from the burner, the radiant plate and the fire pan. There is an almost perfect circle rusted out of the fire pan, and a similar pattern of damage to the radiant plate. The burner is frozen into place, and cannot be unscrewed as the owner's manual describes (the repair guy said he'd have to drill it out to remove it).

I was debating whether or not to have the grill repaired, until the repair guy confirmed that even if I did, a few years from now I'd be in the same situation. If it was a great grill, I might spend the money, but it's not like it worked that well even when it was new. As others experienced, I had lots of problems getting it to ignite, and when I did get it going I had to keep an eye on it for the first couple of minutes because any puff of breeze would blow the flame out. The only temperature I could cook anything on was the absolute lowest setting, as food would be incinerated at a higher setting.

Honest reviews on Magma Del Mar Grill LP Gas

This Del Mar stainless steel grill is highly attractive and had it been designed a little better for use and function this grill could have been a big winner IMO.

I had problems when cooking with the silver dome under the cooking grid. With the dome off one does not get the intensity of the heat when one cooks directly over the burner.One can not cook two steaks on high easily at once.Only one steak can be cooked accurately at a time as the flame doesn't reach the outer edge consistently without numerous turns.If your steaks aren't thick one would have well done interiors by the time they finish cooking...Cooking one hamburger at a time fared much better.

Greases catches in a number of holes at the base just under the burner however it is somewhat difficult to clean.

Removing even something as simple as the cooking grid for cleaning and under grid access is highly awkward.One is going to get mighty greasy black hands just trying to get the grid unlatched before attempting removing & cleaning

Like the previous poster I too had self igniting problems.That said some of that may be due to the design of the grill which demands perfect alignment each and every time of interior parts where ignition occurs.

There is a posted message to wait 5 minutes when it fails to light

And fail it does frequently.

Who wants to wait 5 minuted every time it doesn't light and hope for the best the next time?

The Del Mar grill folks would be wise to address cleaning ease,self lighting consistency and cooking consistency across the entire cooking surface.

This grill could be one of the best small grills if they could get slightly better engineers/ designers to fix some of the design flaws.Right now they rest their laurels on appearance and the nifty hide gas away tank my favorite aspect of the grill.

The company could also use friendlier agents with company reps that stand 100% behind their product.After less then two months of ownership and a handful of attempts at cooking( I travel for work) they suggested that I send the grill back at my expense to and from and see if it is defective.Right now I am trying to get my money back from the dealer if at all possible and find something more reliable from the get go.

Final Summary

High style stainless grill with great exterior design looks,genius hidden tank location with disappointing execution in cooking ,cleaning and factory assistance and a lack of a 100% brand assurance/satisfaction during warranty period.........

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I bought this grill as I live in a high-rise in downtown San Diego and wanted something that could stand up to the full sun and salt air. The grill is made with a heavy grade stainless steel outer shell and an interior liner to contain the heat. This dual layer also prevents the outer stainless surface from darkening due to the heat.

This grill gets VERY hot and I had to learn to turn down the heat after preheating. I love that it uses the small propane tanks. Although I was originally wary of this design, in a high-rise I do not want to be carrying a heavy propane tank through the lobby and up the elevator to my unit. I get my tanks at The Home Depot in a three pack and they are incredibly reasonable in price.

I read where some people have had problems with the igniter. I have had no such problems. When starting it up after a period of non-use, I may have to click the switch a second time to get it to light, but light it does. You do have to complete some maintenance to keep it operating like new, but I tend to clean things as necessary and mine operates perfectly. Once in a while, rotate the grate to release it, lift out the dome diffusers and vacuum. This keeps the air holes clear, prevents flame out and clears any build-up near the igniter. The articulating lid does hang up on occasion, but I have found that lifting up on the handle rather than pushing back makes opening easier.

I am on my fifth year with the unit and upon this last vacuuming I did notice a crack in the interior liner. Although disappointed, what can I expect after five years and the fact that at the burner your getting near 1000 degrees? I went on line and found the replacement part for $45 bucks. I just ordered it and will install it as soon as it arrives. In the mean time it is still working perfectly. Remember; drop the temp after preheating and vacuum out the ash build-up occasionally. I love the look, small footprint and quality. PS: My Weber only lasted one year.