List Price: $499.00
Sale Price: $399.00
Today's Bonus: 20% Off
I received the product with the incorrect item inside the box. I ordered a red grill but there was a green one inside the box. The outside of the box indicated the item inside should be red, so this was obviously a packaging problem somewhere. I had little time for the exchange as I had ordered the grill for an upcoming party. When I called Amazon to discuss the issue, at first the customer service rep said that they could just ship out a replacement for us with quick delivery( I don;t remember if it was next day or 2 day delivery but it was a short period). Then she said no she could not do that because Amazon no longer stocks this product. Later the product manufacturer told me they just sent a huge shipment to Amazon for this product when I called about a question on the setup. When I asked the Amazon Customer Service Rep whether Amazon could arrange a shipment from one of the other online vendors that it advterises this product for on Amazon which indicated they had the item in stock, she said no. I had to explain myself several times before she understood my request. When it finally came down to it, she said they could make those arrangements but that she could not guarantee next day delivery...even though she never even contacted one of those vendors to ask if it was possible...Then she told me we would have to pay extra charges if we wanted the correction made with a quick shipment. I finally ran out of time to deal with the person on the phone and the incorrect item and decided to keep it. It was a very frustrating 30-45 minutes of my time with the customer service person who was a very bad listener, kept interrupting me and talking over me and was not willing to attempt to look for creative solutions to the problem. Putting the grill together was a moderately sized task. It was designed for everything to fit together precisely and if there are any deviations in the alignment or if the product is slightly bent in spots, as mine was, you have to try to bend the parts or redrill bigger holes... All in all it took about an hour and were unable to get at least one of the screws into the product ...The final product is great though. We use the grill at least 3 days a week and love it. It heats up very well and fast and it looks great. I would suggest one enhancement to the product, if the left and right 'side tables' could collapse down to the sides or tuck into the back somehow, it would be ideal for making it less obtrusive in smaller spaces like ours.
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This is a copy of my review for the exact same GREEN model of this grill. For some reason they are not listed as one item with color choices so I have posted the review for the other colors, having actually purchased the Green model.*****See Update Below******
Having now had this grill for over a year, I would describe it as a decent quality grill for a fair price. I use this grill frequently, probably twice a week or more, even in winter. If you are an occasional user, you may find this a more ideal product.
The Good Points-
1) It looks great and is perfect if you don't want and over testosteroned massive stainless grill on your property.
2) The quality and functionality is decent.
3) If you get a hold of a real person at Minden, they are very nice and will go out of their way to help you.
4) Heats up very quickly.
The Bad Points-
1) You MUST purchase separately the stainless steel grate. The included enameled grate will wear out in less than one season.
2) The wood handle will also become moldy in less than a season. I extended it's life by using some spray varnish on it, but I would still prefer the stainless steel one (which I've seen at Williams-Sonoma on a version of this grill that only they sell).
3) The spatter plates become quickly rusty. Minden was nice enough to send me (essentially for free) 3 stainless steel ones.
4) Some of the bolts which hold the unit together become rusty over time, they should be made of stainless steel, but they aren't.
5) The grill does not evenly heat, and has hot and cold spots, which over time if you understand where they are you can compensate for them.
They really have the makings of a great grill with some small modifications, I would encourage them to change some parts to stainless steel (described above) and attempt to resolve the unevenness of the heating surface.
******UPDATE April 8, 2012********
After having this grill for about two years, I sadly have to conclude that it's not something I would buy again.
The rust has continued to the point where critical functioning parts are failing. The bracket for the trough which supplies gas from burner to burner has failed, causing the trough to fall off. I've managed to stick it back using some rocks so I can still use the grill.
The hot and cold spot issue seems to have gotten worse, and it's also now hard for me to get the grill started without pressing the start button 10 or 15 times.
Additionally, the threaded plastic gas tank hookup broke in half, and I had to replace it with a new one.
After doing some math, I've concluded that the cost of ownership of this grill is simply too high.
At 479, lasting two years, means 249/year (this does not include the MANDATORY cost of buying the Stainless Steel Grate)
***Conclusion: I've pretty much settled on purchasing the American Outdoor Grill Model 25PC (with back burner). It's basically the same physical size, but at 1650 is considerable more expensive. However, nearly every part on the grill is guaranteed for 10 years, with some parts being guaranteed for longer. Even if one figures that the all stainless steel, made in America grill will last for 10 years, the cost of ownership per year is only $165.
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