List Price: $79.00
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I'm updating my review now that I have grilled a few times and have found some other things.
1. The Grill
Pros:
-Lid that fastens shut
-Drip pan
-Temperature gauge
-Push to start
-Foldable legs Directions don't say that it is to be used for table top grilling, but it sits several inches up and might work.
-Large grilling space
Cons:
-Drip pan doesn't lock into place, I see this falling out in transportation. Maybe I'll just have to pull it out and throw it inside.
-Table top grilling isn't mentioned in the instructions
-Dial to turn gas on seems a little flimsy. If it breaks (or annoys me) it shouldn't be a problem to buy a replacement. I'm pretty sure that most will have the same fittings.
-Electric start never worked, it produced a spark strong enough to shock me but never made a good connection. I've considered attempting to rewire it.
-Hinge nails don't secure well enough. I lost 1 in transportation but was able to replace it with a bolt and a wingnut that works fantastic. Less than a $1 fix.
2. Assembly
If you aren't one who likes to build things, you might want to think again. You actually might want to think again about purchasing a product from Amazon as I'm not aware of any that come completely built. Your best bet might be purchasing a display model or something from a store or finding someone who doesn't mind giving a helping hand. The instructions claim that this is a 20 minute project. I spent somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half, but I think I also went the extra mile (see below).
That being said, it isn't too difficult. The grill comes with a phillips screwdriver which claims to be the only tool you need. I disagree with this statement. At the minimum you would also need a wrench or pliers, I used needle nose pliars. This can be used to hold the nut as you screw, but is also the only way that you will be able to tighen the handles as the screws come out of the handles. No way a screw driver would help there. I'd also recommend a socket wrench. 8mm and 10mm for the two types of nuts. While this isn't required, I wanted to go the extra mile and tighten down the handles and the hinges so that my grill doesn't fall apart.
The last comment I would like to make is that the instructions are usable but by no means perfect. I found one notable mistake in regards to how the igniter fastens into the grill. The instructions have it wrong. I was able to make it work, but the wire does tend to fall out. I wedged it in but it still wouldn't ignite. I use an aim'flame which is required by most propane camping gear anyway. Clearly not the end of the world that this doesn't work. The instructions include pictures to assist but you might need to take a double or triple take.
Once it is put together the thing is sturdy. The lid can be opened without the grill falling over (this happened camping once and started a small fire). There are also 1 extra of each of the washers/nuts.
3. The grilling
The grilling works great. Lots of space allows me to easily cook enough food for what I need it. You can easily fit 8 burgers on this thing, 10-12 if you are good about where you put them. My first propane tank gave out on my during my 4th grilling. This sounds about right considering that I had the grill run for sometime before I used it to burn off any chemicals and because the first time I used it I made potatoes which needed about 40 minutes to cook. This thing will easily get up to 500 degrees on medium which so I'll go to medium low for my grilling.
My initial rating was 3 stars because I hadn't grilled with it yet. I would like to up that to 3 and a half if I could. I don't want to go 4 or 5 because of the defects with the hinge, igniter, and the assembly being a bit complicated. Other than those things, its a great grill and I have no buyers remorse.
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It took me 45 minutes to unpack, sort the parts and put the grill together. At first the number of small parts seems a little daunting, but I read all of the instructions before I started, followed the directions and it was very easy. The only tricky part is installing the little screw in the bottom that holds the burner in place. The heat deflector in the bottom is tricky to hold in place while you do this and if you have another set of hands available this would be the only place where they would help. I cheated a little, I have a nice little 1/4 in drive socket set that worked a lot better than the odd little wrench that is supplied. I use a 20 lb propane tank with a 5 ft hose designed for the purpose and it works beautifully. After heating the unit for about 10 minutes to burn off any oils from the manufacturing process I cooked 2 big thick steaks and it cooked them perfectly.If you are even just a little bit handy with tools this is a snap.
Sorry Mr. engineer, but I'm no genius, I'm just careful and I follow directions well.
I recommend this product.
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I bought this grill from my local grocery store because it was on sale for $39.99, a lot cheaper than Amazon! I had no trouble getting it put together and frankly, didn't have any of the problems many of these reviews indicate. The push starter worked on the first try and every try since. The drip tray does come loose when traveling, but the easy solution to that is to just put it inside the locked lid. The grill grate is not very heavy duty and will not probably last a very long time, hence the reason for four stars and not five. However, a person shouldn't expect this to be as sturdy or well made as a cast iron grill (e.g. a Weber) or other such brand that costs between $100.00 and $150.00! I have cooked steak, hamburgers, hotdogs, and chicken, all of which came out very good and cooked very fast.This grill is well worth the money, even at $49.00, which is what it was Amazon had it for last month (barring a local sale that outpriced AMazon). It has gone up since then, and may be getting into a price range that is not competitive anymore!
Honest reviews on Bond 80102 Portable Gas Grill, Black
The grill is not a good grill for the price. It doesn't do a bad job of cooking the food but the drip plate is very cheap....it won't last long and the igniter has never produced a spark big enough to light the grill. I have to take it apart and light it by hand. I would not recommend this grill.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Bond 80102 Portable Gas Grill, Black
Plan on setting aside a generous work surface area and an hour of time to assemble. A lot of smaller parts, but nothing insurmountable -a good, flat work area should make your assembly easier. Instructions aren't the greatest, but the pictures help with figuring out what part goes where. If you've assembled "made in China" things before, you'll be familiar with groping your way to completion. Not sure if I got the ignition lighter installed properly, but almost all my grills in the past have needed help from a pocket lighter to start, which we always take with us anyway. Our plan is to use it on the beach during an upcoming vacation, so it won't see intense 4-season usage. I'll update after we see how it performs on our beach vacation in early June.Update: We've been using the grill through the summer, maybe 10-12 times in total, and mostly on the beach. Burgers, dogs, sausage, chicken breasts have been the primary cooking items, and usually for 3-4 people. The grill had plenty of surface area, and cooked evenly. Still, while it performed adequately, I've constantly had this sense that every time I use it, this will be the last time it works. There is not a lot of quality in anything -the gas pipe fitting is thin and feels ready to snap, the starter never quite worked, the hinge seems ready to go, and the drip pan is lame and I'm constantly making sure I didn't lose it while packing in the jeep. All in all, it's served it's purpose well, but I don't know for how long. I must admit I have Weber envy -a beach neighbor let me work with his "beach" Weber, and there was no comparison (but add $100 to what I paid for this one). If I had to do over, I would go Weber and not worry about imminent failure.
