possibly my next grill??

[Jon Tofte]

"I am waiting for Weber to come out with a pellet grill that I can afford"

The word afford does not fit in a Weber vocabulary LOL. Look at everything they're putting out now. Seriously lower quality and seriously higher prices. Bruce, the brand CharGriller is not a quality product. Their stuff is mostly powder coated mild steel, rusts out like no tomorrow. Like I said look again at the link for that one at Sam's but the real deal is look at it in person especially after looking at a BGE. The difference in quality against a so called "standard" of quality is amazing. and at half the price and twice the versatility (thanks to a gas accessory). Trust me I am NOT going out to Sam's this week or even this year to get one. Just sayin' it's a darn cool grill and if I wanted a type of "do it all" it would really be on my VERY short list

Larry,

I would definitely like to see one of these in person. Having had a BGE for close to 10 years, I can say they are a simple, solid and long-lasting grill. It is true, however, that they use regular steel for the brackets that hold the ceramic halves together and porcelain plated-steel for the standard grate. Over time I replaced my grate with a stainless one (and also an additional cast iron grate) and bought a stainless extender to add another shelf something like what the Sam's grill already comes with as standard. I definitely like the stainless brackets on the Sam's model, although mine never rusted even in my humid environment. What does eventually go over time is the spring mechanism which loses its ability to hold up the heavy ceramic lid. That led to me having to replace my bracket which would I am sure happen with this Sam's one, too. The only other repair item that all these type need is an occasional replacement of the felt seals.

Time marches on, and I do think BGE's competitors are finding ways to outdo and underprice them. Your Sam's Club find may well be one of the best alternatives. Still like to see myself and, of course, some long-term history of how they hold up over time would be a wished for help.

You also need to be fair and point out the "imported" country of origin and our favorite manufacturing site of the People's Republic of China as the place of assembly. BGE is manufactured in Mexico (at least in this hemisphere for what that is worth) while another competitor, Primo, touts their completely made here in the US origin. I have seen a Primo grill, and they are very nice. I especially like the oval shaped ones.

Altogether, I don't blame you for your interest or for touting this Sam's Club grill. I have mentioned elsewhere, that I am not totally sold on the whole ceramic grill thing. I do think it is one of the best for long, slow cooks for something that fits in it, but size constraints with my "large" egg puts a crimp on what you can do well with it. It was given to me as a gift, so I am certainly grateful to have it. I wouldn't be able to pay that much for a single grill, and if I did, the RecTec RT-700 "Bull" pellet grill would get my $.

http://www.rectecgrills.com/rec-tec-grills-bull-rt-700-wood-pellet-grill/

Jon

 

[LMichaels]

Yeah I don't know how "sold" I am either. But it's piquing my interest. Not enough to part with $750...........................yet but maybe some day. My ideal I think would be the Kalamazoo grill. Uses gas, wood or charcoal (or any combination thereof). I see it on the show Mexico One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless. I've been to his restaurants both in the city and when I used to work at O'Hare Airport we had a Frontera Grill in the B concourse of terminal 1 and many times I would splurge and have a meal there instead of bringing a sandwich.

 

[Tony-Chicago]

I don't understand why it's called a hybrid. But look at the specs. It's all powder coated steel like the rest of the stuff they sell. Look at the one at Sam's and there is nothing there to rust away. It's either ceramic or stainless. For the cost difference the Sam's Club model has it in spades. Also if you look at Craigslist you'll see tons of CharGriller products with photos showing them all rusted away into total junk. $300 crappy vs $549 Top notch no contest

^So glad to read this.^
I have been waiting for you to give us a hands-on review of the Akorn. Every source has bad ratings. Including the company, service, design, manufacturing, etc. The company a shlock artist. The build quality awful. If you think Weber has dropped the ball in the tiniest bit, I am anxious to get your opinion of Akorn. I might even buy one and send it to you. It would be entertaining. But then I would be supporting them.

I will say I am tempted by the kamados at Costco. Recently a Pit Boss was on sale and if my better 7/8 wasn't there I would be in trouble. (still am)

The Akorn's metal and cheap price are nice feature, but the execution and company do not warrant acclaim.

Now a nice large Komodo Kamado....