Shopsmith Forums

I have a "commercial series " Charbroil SS gas grill. Very nice grill. I also have a Weber charcoal grill that sits next to the gas grill. In the last two years I used the gas grill mabe three times because I started a little late cooking and didn't have time to get the other grill going. I will always own a Weber grill and when the gas grill goes, Ill never buy another one ( had the one I have for mabe five years now).
If you go with a gas grill, buy one that has a life time warranty on the burners.

I bought a Weber propane gas grill about a year ago. Very, very happy with it. 3 burner tubes (no side grill), very easy to clean and works like a champ. It cost (I think) right around $350 - about $100 more than other units of comparable size but well worth it in my opinion.

For whatever reason, around here Lowes and Tractor Supply have a constant war about who can sell the biggest grill for the least amount of money.

Wife *almost* bought one of those monsterous units that's made from a 55 gallon drum, with a another kitchen range top sized cooking surface hanging off the one end, *and* a turkey sized smoker off the other end. The whole thing weighed something absurd like 600 lbs, and I wasn't sure it would fit in my truck.

The kicker? Price was $300 something.

Right now, the grill wars haven't started, but in a month or two, they will.

foxtrapper wrote:For whatever reason, around here Lowes and Tractor Supply have a constant war about who can sell the biggest grill for the least amount of money.

Wife *almost* bought one of those monsterous units that's made from a 55 gallon drum, with a another kitchen range top sized cooking surface hanging off the one end, *and* a turkey sized smoker off the other end. The whole thing weighed something absurd like 600 lbs, and I wasn't sure it would fit in my truck.

The kicker? Price was $300 something.

Right now, the grill wars haven't started, but in a month or two, they will.

That sounds like a "Texas Smoker". I had one of those when I lived in Plano, TX but when we moved to Arizona I had to leave it behind. Due to poor planning. there was no room for it on the U-Haul and it was too heavy to tie onto the tail gate. One of my neighbors got a great deal - free.

I won't buy a big elaborate grill since we don't even eat at home a big part of the time. We bought a low to medium priced LP one from Wally World a few years ago, two burner with a couple of levels of grill inside. It serves us fine (good enough ). I hardly ever use it but my wife does some in nice weather. I do have several fire rings (OK, retired semi wheels) around the farm and we are quick to burn a dog and melt a mellow on a nice summer night, often joined by the horse boarding clients. I keep buying yard sale / auction sale lawn chairs and some folks carry their own in their vehicles.

On a side note many years ago I built "The Worlds Best Hamburger Cooker" and it is our burger cooker of choice. Simplicity itself, it is just an old saucer shaped disk blade from an old farm disk harrow With 3 legs about 8" tall welded to it (and the sharp edge ground smooth. It still has the hole in the center. I got fancy at one time and made several to sell with a removable handle (so it stays cool) but I sold all of them and didn't keep one for us. I really need to make us one like them. As it is my wife just uses an old pair of Vice-Grips for a removable handle.
To use it you just build a tiny fire under the center of it with a few dry sticks. Even some crumpled up newspaper will work most of the time. As the disk heats up and the grease starts cooking out of the burgers it drains to the center and down the center hole into the little fire. From that point on you are cooking with the fat from the burgers. We cart it all over the place camping etc. and after seeing it used a lot of guys have made them. I have even given old disk blades to some BIL's that asked about them. Some guys buy new disk blades from a farm store. I used new blades for the ones I sold. Ours is about 16" across and will hold about 15 patties made in a regular hamburger press. The reason for the handle is that at some point the fire will get too hot especially if the store has blended in too much extra fat (some like to do that ).
You cook with the cup side up.
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Ok I am confused. If you cook with the disc side up how does the grease drain to the center hole?

Here is my story. Back in early nineties I knew someone and bought a Ducane grill for a good price. About 10 years later the burners went out. I replaced them and they cost slightly more than the whole grill had 10 years earlier. After another 10 years later I needed to redoe the whole inside. Replace everything grills, burners, supports etc.

Problem Ducane was bought by Weber, I think, in any case only after market parts are available but they are very expensive approx. $600+.

Obviously I can buy really nice new grills for that price however none are built like this was and will never last even 10 years.

I think what I have learned from all of this is buy cheap throwaway because even if you buy one that will last. By the time you do need parts they will so expensive it isn't worth it or they won't be avail.

Ed in Tampa wrote:Here is my story. Back in early nineties I knew someone and bought a Ducane grill for a good price. About 10 years later the burners went out. I replaced them and they cost slightly more than the whole grill had 10 years earlier. After another 10 years later I needed to redoe the whole inside. Replace everything grills, burners, supports etc.

Problem Ducane was bought by Weber, I think, in any case only after market parts are available but they are very expensive approx. $600+.

Obviously I can buy really nice new grills for that price however none are built like this was and will never last even 10 years.

I think what I have learned from all of this is buy cheap throwaway because even if you buy one that will last. By the time you do need parts they will so expensive it isn't worth it or they won't be avail.

Kind of like the price of a new Mark 7 huh???


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dusty wrote:So are you saying that a high BTU grill from any manufacturer is as good as any other?

I don't remember all the brand names off hand but Charbroil is sold under other names. Thermos is one. Just keep an eye out for a deal because you can pay a lot more for the same grill.
Think of a grill like how you use to buy computers from Dell or Gateway. I'll take this model with stainless steel cabinet doors and top but take away the brass burners and just give me steel burners. no side burner etc... That is how retailers buy them.
We sold Weber and Charbroil and parts were easy to get. A competitor sold the same grills under the Thermos name with a different top. But a big difference in price.

cincinnati wrote:I don't remember all the brand names off hand but Charbroil is sold under other names. Thermos is one. Just keep an eye out for a deal because you can pay a lot more for the same grill.
Think of a grill like how you use to buy computers from Dell or Gateway. I'll take this model with stainless steel cabinet doors and top but take away the brass burners and just give me steel burners. no side burner etc... That is how retailers buy them.
We sold Weber and Charbroil and parts were easy to get. A competitor sold the same grills under the Thermos name with a different top. But a big difference in price.

cincinnati what do you think of the Charbroil infrared grill? They have one at Lowes that I really like as far as design and a comparable one from Weber is 3X the price. Hereis the link.