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List Price: $1,399.00
Sale Price: $1,388.98
Today's Bonus: 1% Off
OK, let's start this out by saying I bought this to replace a 9 year old "Members Mark" (Grand Hall) stainless grill that came out when stainless was just starting to become available, let alone mainstream. The Mark cost around 700 dollars and came with a rotisserie and a cover. Heavy enough to be an anchor for the Queen Mary, it was stainless on the outside and steel on the inside; which became it's demise and a constant fight since it was two years old. By the way, my grill NEVER sits in the weather.
In my lifetime, the Napoleon is the 4th top of the line grill I've purchased. I don't mind spending, if the quality is there and frankly, so far, it hasn't been. With the Napoleon, everything is an option, so, since I always had everything I could get before, let's equip the new grill.
The grill is 1,259 dollars, plus the side enclosures (not available at Amazon) at 179 dollars. Rotisserie will set you back another 117 bucks and the cover is 61.50. Add in 8% for NYS sales tax and the total comes to $1,745.82 dollars. (shipping was free) Can you say this is ONE EXPENSIVE grill? I didn't pay that for my first car. Granted, I am 53, but it seems to me, kids aren't shelling out this kind of coin for a grill either.
So, how does the Napoleon stack up?
Pro's: If you look at my pictures, you can see it is VERY good looking with the side enclosures. Sort of like an outdoor kitchen. All stainless grill head, wrap around condiment trays, lighted dials, tons of storage, sear burner, rotisserie burner; and did I mention it's really good looking?
Con's: EXPENSIVE! Painted steel cabinet's, parts were missing, oversize bolt holes, (making alignment pretty near impossible) grooves cut into the lid, and ice bucket cover. (from the die cutter for the protective film) Door and fascia stainless stained under the film, (they won't come out) very thin stainless in the grill head, and very deceiving warranty. Oh, and did I mention this thing costs a boat load of money?
Gosh folks, I really hate to write negative reviews. Especially when I'm the one who paid for it. But here we go...
Napoleon is a Canadian company out of Barrie, Ontario and the Mirage line, seems to be their consumer/ pro-sumer line of grills. On their site they talk of an alliance with an overseas supplier and how much oversight they take. In other words, this grill is made in China! A 1700 dollar grill made in China. They talk about their "Presidents Choice Lifetime Warranty" like it's the holy grail of warrantees. It's NOT. (more on that below)
Amazon used UPS freight and the box didn't have a scratch on it. (way to go Amazon!) The pieces were well packed and there was not a scratch on anything due to shipping. Too bad the same wasn't true when it came to the manufacturing side of it.
It went together easy enough, save for those darned oversize holes. They make it impossible to perfectly center the bolts to the panels. As a result, the right side door needed shims so it would align with the center panel. And again, the side enclosure needed the same door shims. Obviously this thing is crooked and the oversize holes, in my opinion, are the reason why. The panels are painted steel, not stainless, and there is no frame. The panels are the only thing holding this thing together and while this makes for a very pleasantly light grill, if and when the panels rust out, this thing will collapse on you. For 1700 bucks...
The lid is double lined, so it shouldn't discolor from the heat, but it has grooves cut in it from the protective shipping film die cutter. There's just NO EXCUSE for this. These grooves in the lid, and the side ice cover, will never even come close to coming out. Obviously, if Napoleon does give the kind of oversight to this Chinese company they say they do, then they consider this damage acceptable. I do not.
While the stainless in the head is thin, it is well crimped and folds pressed into it to make it quite rigid. The burners (including sear, and rotisserie) don't seem to be much thicker either. Will it stand the test of time? That I don't know. The doors and stainless fascia seems to be made out of a cheaper grade of stainless, it's very rough to the touch, stained in various places, and won't polish to any kind of a shine. It seems like it might become a dirt magnet. I sure hope not as I'm stuck with this thing.
The Limited Lifetime "Presidential Warranty:" Essentially is a 5 year warranty on the stainless in the head and shelves, a two year on the valves, cooking grids, sear and rotisserie burners and electronics, and a 1 year on the rest. They say they'll sell you the parts for half price after this. Well, in all fairness, they do say "Limited" but wow! Very limited indeed. Apparently, they don't have a lot of faith in their "overseas partners" either. I'd kind of like to know how "Lifetime" even entered the conversation. Since they charged me 7 bucks for a silly little grease cup, something tells me half off the parts is still going to be very expensive. By the way, nothing in the warranty even mentions the painted steel panels holding this whole thing together. Does that mean they have no warranty at all?
Curved cooking grids: While Napoleon seems to think there's nothing like a steak seared with curved lines in it, try getting the natural curve of an Italian sausage out when you can't put it in between two straight grids. How silly. Fine, put the darned curved grid over the sear burner and leave the rest alone!
Parts: My box had the wrong bolt pack in it. It was missing the bolts and washers to attach the side tables, although it did give me batteries for a push button ignition system I don't have. I had bolts in stock, so I did get her together and anyone can make a mistake when packing. But the grease cup and the bracket to hold it on were also missing. Hey Napoleon, maybe it's time for a little more oversight on those overseas partners!
The reason I bought this thing site unseen online, is because there is nothing out here locally that has an all stainless grill head. I'm 53 and don't want to keep having to buy these things. I know what I want, and once again, I didn't get it. Although, this grill may be the closest thing available. If it holds up, I'm happy; that's all I want here...
Conclusion: The Napoleon Mirage 605RSB is one beautiful grill. No doubt about that. It has a wow factor unlike any Weber out there. The people who designed it did a great job. Too bad the people who built it didn't do it in same. The essential arithmetic is this: Will this grill outlast two Weber grills? (which is roughly the same money) I highly doubt it and judging by the warranty they give you, Napoleon probably highly doubts it as well.
Would I have bought this grill sitting in a showroom all put together? That's hard to say, but after seeing the cuts in the top, probably not. To me, that shows an obvious lapse in quality control and begs the question; "what about the stuff I can't see."
It's a Year Old Now:
Keep in mind, my grill has a roof over it, but it's outside. It can get some rain and snow on it but just a dusting, or dampness.
Some have asked for a follow up review and here it is. So, how did it go? Let me start by saying I grill a lot! And this grill is up to the task.
Pros: No rust at all anywhere. The fasteners are rust proof. The rep. said the sides are galvanized, I agree they must be. There would be some rust somewhere if they weren't. No rust at all! This thing runs hot. I still have to get used to it. It warms up in around 3 minutes. My old one took 15. And, this thing sips propane. I went through all last season on a little over ONE tank, and so far this season, I'm still on the one from last year. No need to use natural gas on this baby. My old grill used at least four tanks per season, so this is really a pleasant surprise. The staining and the die cutting marks did indeed go away. It took a lot of elbow grease, but they're gone. The back lights still work fine. The grease tray is a really great design; it's like a giant funnel. But, quite frankly, I use good meats so grease build up would be at a minimum in any event.
Cons: Indeed, the cabinet stainless is a cheaper quality, a magnet sticks to it. But, there's no rust and it doesn't hold dirt any worse then the rest of it. Grease drippings really get into it however. Certainly not a deal breaker. The auto start system gets finicky in wet weather. But one has always lit and that's all you need to fire the whole thing up. The stainless burners get cherry red and makes me worry about how long they'll last. But so far, so good. I still hate the curved grates. One moved over a bit from the heat and I did drop a burger down it. That's the first time I've ever done that. The grates also tear up my cleaning brush pad because of that curve. Still, not a deal breaker, but the convoluted warranty could be.
Over all, I'm very pleased with this grill a year after the fact. The Mirage is very good looking and it cooks just as good. If anything comes up, I'll write more to this review. Cheers!
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Just purchased this from Amazon and have only cooked on it a few times ,but so far I love it. The searing is amazing and speeds up the cooking significantly.
Good quality materials and it feels substantial. So far I have not experienced the discoloration that the other reviewer experience.
Assembly was very straight forward with no surprises. It took a bit of time ,but went very smoothly and parts fit as they should.
Best Deals for Napoleon M605RSBIPSS-1 Mirage Propane Gas Grill with Infrared Rear
Well made. Heats up rapidly. Cooks evenly. Grease collection system makes clean-up a breeze. Automatic ignition works every time. Ice bucket a nice innovation if you need to keep ingredients cold while cooking.
Honest reviews on Napoleon M605RSBIPSS-1 Mirage Propane Gas Grill with Infrared Rear
great grill easy to use and put together like the infrared searing the food comes out delicious not dry out
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Napoleon M605RSBIPSS-1 Mirage Propane Gas Grill with Infrared Rear
I own a charcoal grill and gas grill. My JenAir Gas Grill bit the dust after 7 years. I did a lot of research to replace my gas grill. After my research, I decided I wanted the Napolean Mirage Gas Grill. I shopped the price and Amazon had the best price. The product arrived on time. I put it together myself. Not difficult to assemble. I have been using this grill and I am amazed at how much better it is than the JenAir Grill. The food taste like if not better than my charcoal grill which amazes me. My meats have been more juicy than my charcoal grill and this is just on the regular side of the grill not the Infrared burner section. This is a great grill. Yes, more expensive than many on the market but it is worth it.
