Perfect size for smaller patio! Rating:5 out of 5 stars This is a very well built grill!!! The metal is much thicker than others that I checked out at the home improvement stores, and the lid is not overly heavy either.
From the other reviews I was expecting the assembly to be a bit of a challenge. The instructions are a little vague but just use some common sense when putting it together. Took me less than an hour. Just make sure you have pliers or an adjustable wrench to tighten all the bolts. You might want to buy a temp gauge also.
Also BEFORE you start to put this grill together start the seasoning process of the cast grilling surfaces. This take s a couple of hours. I was ready to grill after assembly but then was set back a few hours for the cast seasoning.
Overall this is an awesome grill! I am new to the Char-Griller brand and so far I am very impressed with the quality!
over priced here Rating:4 out of 5 stars I love this grill, its been great to me! But, it is a little over priced here. If you live in the South or even some parts of the Midwest you can get this grill at Academy Sports and Outdoors for $59.99 and they will even assemble it for you if you’d like. Unfortunately they don’t ship, so if you don’t have a store near you this is the best deal on this grill.
Absolutely the best grill I’ve ever owned – WEBER KILLER! Rating:4 out of 5 stars My wife and I were looking for a new grill this summer. Firstly, I was committed to charcoal. So, I thought I’d get another Weber. After reading enough favorable reviews of the Char-Griller Patio Pro, I had to go have a look. From a usability and “design” perspective, it absolutely slays the Weber. How annoying is it to have to set your lid AND grate on the ground in order to get a fire going?
Now, before I anger all the Weber-faithful, let me say, Weber makes THE BEST charcoal chimney starter available. Buy one with your Char-Griller and NO OTHER. Fill one with ALL NATURAL LUMP charcoal, stuff a sheet of newspaper underneath, light it and walk away. By the time you’ve prepped your food, the coals are ready to be dumped, for cooking
Assembly is a pain, but frankly, a good exercise in problem-solving while working with your hands. I encourage you to take the extra expense/effort to polyurethane all the wood, and you might as well buy a can of high-temp black paint to keep handy for when the factory enamel blisters and peels (not been an issue for me after a summer of use, but still….)
My other upgrades I’m intending include a pizza stone to fit on the grate, a charcoal tub to attach to the lower rack (otherwise, it’s pretty useless). And I’d like to figure out a way to mount a thermometer on the lid.
This little furnace is perfect for me and my wife, and if I ever want to upgrade, I’m pretty confident I can bolt the Patio Pro to the side of it’s big brother and make it the smoke box!
Great Grill, Terrible instruction booklet Rating:5 out of 5 stars Yep, the other reviews complaining about the assembly instructions are right! The instructions are terrible, but hey, you pretty much only use them once, and then lose them You’ve also got to rely on thinking in addition to the printed instructions so things go together correctly. So once that’s out of the way, it turns into a charcoal grill that you can use to cook. In the latter case, it’s a great grill. Fit and finish on mine was excellent. Had some left over hardware, particularly two cotter pins, and cannot find anywhere on the grill to use them. And there were two or three missing split lock washers. Fortunately I had some at home to use. A few tips on assembly:
1. Before installing the hardware on the legs and stand “tubing”, put the pieces together (except the braces). This will help you get the wheels on the correct side of the grill. It will also help you get the holes lined up “inwards” for the barrel/grill to mount correctly.
2. For the damper bolts, I put a little blue Loctite on the bolts before putting the washers and nuts on them. This may help to keep the nuts on, as they cannot be too tight, or the dampers will not rotate for adjustment. If this doesn’t work out, I will get longer bolts and double-nut them for the dampers.
3. There cast iron grates come with instructions that are slightly different than those in the manual. The grate instructions say to first heat them up to 200 degrees to melt off the protective wax coating, if it exists (on mine it did). And to do that before seasoning the grates. The instruction manual says to apply vegetable oil to the grates and season without mention of the wax coating. Probably not a big deal as the wax coating will still melt off. Just re-seasoned the grates a 2nd time afterwards.
4. Use “Goo Gone” to get the adhesive label off the lid, before first use of the grill.
5. Remove the plastic coating “strip” that protects the Char-Grill logo plate on the lid before first use.
Fit and finish were OK. No gaps, bends, or anything awkward (other than the instruction manual). I ordered the grill from Amazon on a Sunday, and it arrived the following Friday. It was shipped in the manufacturers box, with all the fancy marketing and printing on it. It weighed about 50 pounds.
In summary, this grill gets 5-stars for its main purpose, being a charcoal grill. However the instructions get 0-stars, ok, maybe 1-star because they give some minimal guidance. We were looking for a smaller charcoal grill because we like the flavor enhancement to meats, something we just don’t get with our gas grill. Got tired of replacing cheap hibachis, and didn’t want a kettle, even a small one. So this Char-Griller was perfect.
Hope this review is helpful. Enjoy your grill purchase!
great buy. you’re nuts if you don’t get it Rating:4 out of 5 stars this is a great little grill. assembly was not at all difficult. if missing lockwashers are an issue, reserve them for the vents. rated 4 instead of 5 only because the lid is misaligned. this is more cosmetic than functional. when the time comes, i will get another.
Patio Pro – 2 different ones Rating:2 out of 5 stars I ordered 2 of these grills; one for myself (carnivore) and one for my wife (herbivore). She won’t eat it if it’s been “contaminated” by meat. Anyway, when they arrived, both packages looked the same. However, upon opening and setting them up, I noticed that one looked slightly different.
One is more rustic looking, it has a dull finish, mostly long bolts with four shorter ones for the legs, the angle bar that holds the grill grate is heavy duty metal and welded on, the grill grates are heavy duty cast iron, the slide out tray closes tightly to the grill box, the welds are strong, and the lid closes down tight. The other one has a shinier finish, all bolts are the same length and have a more shallow head (with a phillips head screw style stamped into it), the angle bars for the grates are aluminum and screwed onto the grill box, the grates are lesser quality, lighter cast iron, the slide out tray does not close tightly and sometimes gets stuck on the longer bolts that are supplied with this model, the welds look weaker, and the lid is somewhat warped and does not close tight.
Not sure why they are different. I assume the nice, shiny, cheaply made one is the newer model. This appears to be the trend these days – if it looks nice and the price is right, people will buy anything. If it breaks, oh well, just buy a new one. I suppose it’s the new “American way”. I’m not going to bother sending it back – only because it works ok for grilling veggies and that’s all it will get used for. Fortunately, I lucked out and got one of the good ones for the meat or I would have sent them both back.
Overall – If you are lucky enough to get a good one, it’s an awesome product and I hope it will last many years. I’ve only had it a month or so as of now – so we’ll see! If you are unfortunate and get the crappy newer one, sorry ’bout that. I give this product 4 for the good one and 2 for the shoddy one.
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These last few words are for everything sold today. Hopefully companies will quit making garbage to add to our ever growing landfills and quit taking from our trusting American wallets in the future. It would be nice to see the quality we once demanded in the products of today. Where has the quality gone? Why do we accept this? I don’t understand the people who say “it’s good for the price you pay.” Thinking like that is why these companies get away with selling crap to begin with. If there is anything crappy about a product, it shouldn’t be on the shelves or in the consumers hands – period. Buying crap is never worth the money. Come on people, let’s see some change here.
Great durable grill Rating:5 out of 5 stars I have to say very fast shipping on the grill, but be careful who ship’s the item because mine the medal door is some what bent so it does not close flush with the base of grill. I can live with the flaw, only wish the carriers were more careful with your property that you just bought. I am very pleased with the grill and the assembly was not that big of a deal.
Nifty thing! Rating:5 out of 5 stars This little grill is just the ticket for my small patio and small grilling needs. It is attractive, very well built, and easy to use.
As almost everyone else has mentioned, the instructions are sketchy and the pictures are too dark to be of use, but the item is not overly difficult to put together. I’m an arthritic seventy-year-old lady with no special training in mechanics, and it took me about an hour… At any rate, here’s what I learned during assembly of the grill:
1. Pay attention to the angle of the holes in the curved leg pieces which will receive the bolts which will hold the grill in place. They should angle upwards toward the grill. I had to disassemble and reassemble the leg pieces because they didn’t mention that in the instructions.
2. You will receive and really only need three locking nuts. I used the first pair as first mentioned in the directions, and the last one on the drawer lock, as it seemed obvious that that piece would be turned whenever the drawer is opened, and would thus be in danger of loosening the bolt. The several other instructions that mentioned the locking nuts I simply ignored. The grill is holding together fine after some use, so I guess they were unneeded. Maybe.
3. You’ll need a drill or nail and hammer to make starter holes to attach the utensil hooks to the wood shelf, as the hooks do not have self-starting tips. Attaching those hooks is not even mentioned in the instructions, nor do they show in the pictures, but they are nice to have.
All in all, this is a nice unit, and I expect it to last a long time.
DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!!!! Rating:1 out of 5 stars It is sad to say but the days of a solid American made product is dead! The smokers made by Char Griller boast that they are American made, and covered by a warranty…then in the small print it says ‘the paint may peel off your smoker upon first use (it should say WILL peel off upon first use!), the paint is not covered by the warranty.’ if you are unfortunate enough to own one of these then you know what I am talking about, both my grill and side smoker are all but devoid of paint. I called Char Griller and told them that I was appalled by their underhandedness, they didn’t seem to care. well the best (or worst) advertising is word of mouth. and I have nothing good to say about this product!
Difficult to work with Rating:2 out of 5 stars I’m not thrilled with this grill, primary because of its design. It’s really hard to work with if you’re trying to do anything more than grill a couple of steaks or hamburgers. The opening is too small and you cannot adjust the height of the grates. On the plus side, charcoal seems to heat up really fast – I think I use less charcoal and everything seems to cook faster too. But, given the way I use a grill, this probably was not a good choice for me–I cook a lot of roasts and veggies on the grill and this just isn’t very good for that kind of cooking.
Patio – Pro for the “assembly pro” Rating:3 out of 5 stars I received my much anticipated delivery, just in time for the 4th. The Patio Pro came damaged, inside an undamaged box, from the factory, and it had extra and missing hardware. I am usually most surprised when a purchase is actually intact and functioning. My unit is similar to the one advertised, however, mine came with a nifty locking hardware for the ash drawer. Not sure how it works even with the drawer closed as tightly as possible it doesn’t latch (unit was damaged and is slightly out of round) The instructions are worthless and you will need to rely on your common sense and mechanical abilities. I chose not to return the unit (holiday weekend) for its defect only because I did not want to be bothered dis-assembling the unit and reassembling a replacement….On a positive note, I am optimistic it will work as well as others have attested, after all it’s only a charcoal grill. We’ll see. Happy July 4th.
all’s well that ends well Rating:5 out of 5 stars i ordered this patio pro from amazon, and as always, was totally pleased with amazon. i had read the many feedbacks and knew that the instructions were lousy but my husband is a whiz and sure enough, he had it together in no time at all.
the very last thing to do was sliding in the ashpan. it had been welded wrong and would not go in! we were so disappointed.
i put in my return order to amazon and afterwards was looking at the manual and decided to call the company. customer service was awesome! they had me fax my receipt to their office on friday and then sent me a whole new body and ashpan (fit was perfect) free of charge, no questions asked on the following tuesday. we seasoned it and today, wednesday, made our first meal.
it was perfect and the griller is everything i hoped it would be.
yes, it’s small but it’s just the two of us and we have a big gas grill for the rare occasions when we have company. the savings on charcoal alone makes this one worth it.
A Terrific Addition to My Grilling/BBQ Collection!!! Rating:4 out of 5 stars I purchased this as a late Christmas gift because it was listed for awhile in my ‘Recommendations’ list and especially after reading the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the product. As with many of the previous reviewers, I found the instructions fairly useless and I used the picture on the box as a guide for assembly.
Several features make this a terrific grill. First, the dual cast iron grates give you great performance and versatility. You can render those signature cross-hatch grill marks atop the grate or you can remove one of the grates and grill a beer can chicken by standing it on the charcoal grate with the coals banked to the side. Second, the fire box is the most convenient setup that I have seen. You simply pull it out from the side to add your coals or additional coals as needed and you can remove the entire box to clean it afterwards. That is a major plus in my opinion.
Finally, I like the little side table that consists of three stained pieces of wood. As a precaution against weather and food stains, I went to my local hardware store and purchased a can of polyurethane finish and applied a couple of coats to the boards.
This is a definite ‘keeper’ for me. I love my Weber kettle grill but for most grilling sessions (I live alone), I use the Patio Pro. It hasn’t disappointed and with a little use and care, I anticipate many years of use from this great product.
solid little grill that will make you want to grill more! Rating:5 out of 5 stars This is one mean little grill. I upgraded from a kettle grill imitation, that I picked up from Academy for 30 bucks, and this grill is light years ahead in terms of quality!
-keeps the heat in really well. The meat comes out tender and juicy, and I didn’t change anything else in the cooking procedure/times. The grill helps keep a steadier temperature, with the great vent positioning that helps to create a convection spin of hot air through the grill. (You can see the smoke spinning as it exits the top vent)
Cons:
-was missing a locking washer.
-the instruction manual was pretty sparse
-the sticker on the hood didn’t come out cleanly, and now it’s burnt in
If you look around, you may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere, but this is a great little grill that you can’t go wrong with!
Fairly Decent hardware but little instruction Rating:1 out of 5 stars The instructions for this otherwise fairly decent product are so poor and lacking that you see before me, numerous owners complaining about them. Some have simply not been able to assemble the grill due to it’s relative complexity and a total cop-out on any effort to create a useable instruction set. Here is my letter to CharGriller:
“I bought your CharGriller Patio Pro, Model 1515 and it was lacking 6 lock washers. Your parts listing and packet of screws and so forth call for and supplied only 3 lock washers. Your instructions call for 9. I had to buy some lock washers to finish the assembly.
“Here is the tally per the instructions:
step 8 – 2 lock washers
step 9 – 2 lock washers
step 10 – 1 lock washer
step 12 – 1 lock washer
step 13 – 2 lock washers
step 14 – 1 lock washer
“That is nine (9), not three (3).
“And as you know (I have read the numerous criticisms from Amazon buyers), your instructions are so incredibly lacking that only a sharp and very mechanically talented person can figure this out, and even then it only assembles correctly after several do-overs along the way. What a fiasco and poor excuse for instructions. WHY DO YOU HAVE SOME 6TH GRADE CHINESE BOY WRITE YOUR INSTRUCTIONS?
“As have many others, I am leaving very poor reviews about this product at places like Amazon, simply because your company couldn’t care less about putting together a decent set of instructions.”
Cool Little Dude Rating:4 out of 5 stars As others have complained, the instructions are lousey. But does anything come with good instructions these days? I assembled mine in about 2 hours,(that was with a beer in one hand) The parts list quantities do not coincide with the actual amount of nuts, bolts and washers that you will need, but don’t fret!, there will probably be enough to do the job. I made 2 mistakes that I will let you in on. #1 Be sure to connect the bottom wire shelf to the leg assembies before you connect the legs to the barrel, and #2, a common sense thing that I missed, attatch the wheels BEFORE you assemble the legs. This makes it much easier and then be sure to put on a washer next to the wheels before you put the cotter pin and wheel cap on.
Now the good part. Let’s BBQ ! This is almost a perfect design. My only complaint is that the lid is too small. This makes it difficult to flip food on the back of the grill without hitting the top of the barrel. With all of my gripes out of the way Let’s talk possitives. This cast iron grill business is new to me. I seasoned my grill plates twice with vegtable oil. Once, when I did a dry run with charcol and another at 250 degrees in the oven for a couple of hours. When I finally got to grilling, the food actually slides on the grill! No more wire brush. When I was finished cooking the grates were practically clean! And and the beautiful thick lines that sear onto the meat are picture perfect.
The slide-out coal tray coal tray is Genius! You don’t have to touch the grills to empty ashes, or start your fire!
I really like this little grill. I have a large barrel style smoker which I will continue to use for larger gatherings, but for 2 to 4 normal people this is just the right size.
Best Grill Ever!!! Rating:5 out of 5 stars I Love This Grill!! In the past I used a “Combo” Brinkman Smoke N’ Grill (works EXCELLENT for smoking but lousy for grilling). This grill, the 1515 Patio Pro Char-Griller is AMAZING it gets hot quick and stays hot. The wide cast-iron grates sear the meat, sealing in all the wonderful juices instead of letting them leak onto the coals. Perfect for steaks and burgers. The crossventing keeps the coals burning hot start to finish. I’m telling you, this is one HEAVY, SOLIDLY built little grill! Even the stand it sits on is made of heavy thick steel (surprised me because it looks kinda flimsy in the amazon picture). Overall, was pretty easy to put together, although like other reviewers have said, keep the picture of the grill handy because the instructions aren’t very accurate. Perfect size for a small family, and takes up very little real-estate on the patio. The best part of this grill is being able to add wood chips and coals during cooking just by pulling out the drawer; same drawer makes for quick easy disposal of ashes. PERFECT grill design in my opinion. CharGriller got it right with this one. Highly recommend!
Great Little Grill Rating:5 out of 5 stars I purchased this grill for my husband as he fell in love with it after buying one for his parents for Christmas.
It’s small size belies the amount of food that can be easily cooked/smoked on it. Great for small patios or the homeowner that would like something that does not take up a lot of rooom.
Built to last! Rating:5 out of 5 stars I recently moved into a new place where I have a private patio. After years in high-rise apartments where grills weren’t allowed, I was excited about getting a grill and decided on this charcoal grill over a gas grill. This is one VERY well built grill! “Solid” is almost an understatement. I expect that this will last for a long, long time. While I had the same problem with the poorly written instructions, missing lock washers, etc., it still only took me about 90 min. to assemble and I am not at all mechanically inclined. This is an excellent product for the price and Amazon got it to me a day ahead of the scheduled 2nd Day delivery… kudos to Amazon!
Fantastic End Result Rating:5 out of 5 stars Everything said about the assembly instructions was right. They are horrible. There are parts (good ones like grill removers) that are not even mentioned. We finally figured it out by looking at the picture on the box. But once done – WOW – This grill works faster than gas and we get the wonderful flavor of natural cooking. Very sturdy, easy to maintain and clean. Creates wonderful meals.
Great little GRILLER Rating:5 out of 5 stars Shipping was super fast 2days. Grill assembly took about 45minuets, 1 hole on main body did not line up.(drilled new hole)Heavy duty grill overall and great to cook on.Vent side controls give you wide range on the temp. Can hold 4 nice size steaks or 6-8 burgers on cooking surface.
Fine Grill Rating:5 out of 5 stars This little grill is big enough for a small cookout but not too big for 2 people. Very little charcoal and fine results. Assembly takes time but it’s so easy to put together why are so many complaining!? Just look at the picture on the box you don’t even need instructions! Set the base up put the top on then the shelf you’re done. This thing doesn’t need washers tools etc It has locking nuts, for those that wonder why there are no lock washers! Look at the face of the nuts there are grooves there, they lock when tightened! Sturdy as a rock! Just Buy Yourself One! Great for small cookout but can handle a few more as well. Very well made!
Best Compact Ever! Rating:5 out of 5 stars I absolutely love this grill! Good sturdy quality construction. Unlike some of the other reviewers I assembled it in no time. I’m a good tinkerer so don’t see where the others had problems. This grill gives you great control as you can add charcoal through the side sliding charcoal drawer without disturbing your cooking. Control’s flames as well as a weber kettle but simpler to use with the hinged top.For a compact grill this is the best and I’ve owned many. Don’t let the size fool you, it grills a good amount of food. Was able to grill 3 giant sized stuffed pork chops and a whole cut up chicken at the same time with no problem. If youre looking for a smaller grill to save space with great smoking ability this is the one.
OK, but quite a tin lizzy… Rating:3 out of 5 stars First, my friends, you’re thinking of buying this because you don’t want to spend close to or over 100 bucks, and you’re tired of wrestling with that huge Weber lid. So, be prepared. The box it comes in is NOT meant for shipping. There’s absolutely no extra padding whatsoever. The fact that it didn’t come with a big dent in it speaks for the thickness of the metal. Bad welding job, though, lots of gaps in the joints of the cooking box. BEFORE YOU START, make DARN sure you own a rachet set. I can’t imagine putting this together with the “pliers” that they recommend. It calls for 7/16, I used a 15/32, that worked. You WILL be missing pieces. The directions keep talking about Locking Washers…there are only 3 in the whole set. I can’t believe the manufacturer has been sending this with missing pieces for YEARS. So, take one of the real locking washers, take one of the flat washers, and go to the hardware store and buy 5 of each before you even begin. I got a piece of beef fat from the local butcher *free*, so I slathered that on the inside and the grates and followed the directions to season it. It uses only little pile of briquets. Get the normal briquets, not the Matchlight. I really think they make things taste weird, just like the grill directions say. It wasn’t all that hard to put together, just pay attention to what you’re trying to do. Once you have the legs going in the right direction, you’re fine. The drawer front was welded a little crooked, and since the metal is thick there’s no way to correct it, so there’s a gap between the drawer and cooking barrel, but I guess it will be OK. I’m sure it will be fine for the very few times that I BBQ, I’m just frankly disappointed in how frustrating it is to be missing pieces and the bad welding job. I just hate spending my money on bad quality, even if it is ultimately cheaper.
Char-Griller Rocks Rating:5 out of 5 stars Just used it for a small gathering. Love it, especially the separated draw which I can refill with ease. Though the top paint burned off a little when I tried to light up the charcoal, it wasn’t a big deal to me. Definitely love it.
good performance for the $ Rating:4 out of 5 stars The assembly instructions left a little to the imagination, and a few washers were missing, but I’m fairly adept so I got it together. The sliding charcoal drawer is a great idea and handy, but the end doesn’t fit properly over the opening and the gaps allow air into the grill when I want to seal it to kill the coals. On the up-side, the cooking performance is excellent. A deeper bed of coals generates volcanic heat, and a shallow bed generates a long, steady heat perfect for slow-roasting a turkey or marinated pork shoulder. Yum!
Decent BBQ — good for the price Rating:4 out of 5 stars This BBQ is pretty good — no real issues BBQ-ing various food items. It was a pain in the butt to put it together though and the directions were pretty bad. I would say this is a good BBQ for the price, but have some patience putting it together…
My little pro Rating:5 out of 5 stars My little pro came within 3 days and couldn’t wait for grillin to start. Easy to put together, and food is still the same as those big burner gas products.
Thumbs Up!! Rating:5 out of 5 stars Nice compact grill, heavy duty construction. Really like the cast iron cooking surface grate, and the fact that the charcoal “drawer” slides in and out. Makes adding coals and soaked wood chips a breeze!! Thickness of the metal really helps to keep the heat in.
The ONLY thing that’s annoying, is it’s kinda unbalanced, when I try to roll it in and out of the garage. Definitely don’t try to move it once it’s lit!! Besides this (very minor) concern, this baby rocks!!
Perfect size for smaller patio!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a very well built grill!!! The metal is much thicker than others that I checked out at the home improvement stores, and the lid is not overly heavy either.
From the other reviews I was expecting the assembly to be a bit of a challenge. The instructions are a little vague but just use some common sense when putting it together. Took me less than an hour. Just make sure you have pliers or an adjustable wrench to tighten all the bolts. You might want to buy a temp gauge also.
Also BEFORE you start to put this grill together start the seasoning process of the cast grilling surfaces. This take s a couple of hours. I was ready to grill after assembly but then was set back a few hours for the cast seasoning.
Overall this is an awesome grill! I am new to the Char-Griller brand and so far I am very impressed with the quality!
over priced here
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I love this grill, its been great to me! But, it is a little over priced here. If you live in the South or even some parts of the Midwest you can get this grill at Academy Sports and Outdoors for $59.99 and they will even assemble it for you if you’d like. Unfortunately they don’t ship, so if you don’t have a store near you this is the best deal on this grill.
Absolutely the best grill I’ve ever owned – WEBER KILLER!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
My wife and I were looking for a new grill this summer. Firstly, I was committed to charcoal. So, I thought I’d get another Weber. After reading enough favorable reviews of the Char-Griller Patio Pro, I had to go have a look. From a usability and “design” perspective, it absolutely slays the Weber. How annoying is it to have to set your lid AND grate on the ground in order to get a fire going?
Now, before I anger all the Weber-faithful, let me say, Weber makes THE BEST charcoal chimney starter available. Buy one with your Char-Griller and NO OTHER. Fill one with ALL NATURAL LUMP charcoal, stuff a sheet of newspaper underneath, light it and walk away. By the time you’ve prepped your food, the coals are ready to be dumped, for cooking
Assembly is a pain, but frankly, a good exercise in problem-solving while working with your hands. I encourage you to take the extra expense/effort to polyurethane all the wood, and you might as well buy a can of high-temp black paint to keep handy for when the factory enamel blisters and peels (not been an issue for me after a summer of use, but still….)
My other upgrades I’m intending include a pizza stone to fit on the grate, a charcoal tub to attach to the lower rack (otherwise, it’s pretty useless). And I’d like to figure out a way to mount a thermometer on the lid.
This little furnace is perfect for me and my wife, and if I ever want to upgrade, I’m pretty confident I can bolt the Patio Pro to the side of it’s big brother and make it the smoke box!
Great Grill, Terrible instruction booklet
You’ve also got to rely on thinking in addition to the printed instructions so things go together correctly. So once that’s out of the way, it turns into a charcoal grill that you can use to cook. In the latter case, it’s a great grill. Fit and finish on mine was excellent. Had some left over hardware, particularly two cotter pins, and cannot find anywhere on the grill to use them. And there were two or three missing split lock washers. Fortunately I had some at home to use. A few tips on assembly:
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Yep, the other reviews complaining about the assembly instructions are right! The instructions are terrible, but hey, you pretty much only use them once, and then lose them
1. Before installing the hardware on the legs and stand “tubing”, put the pieces together (except the braces). This will help you get the wheels on the correct side of the grill. It will also help you get the holes lined up “inwards” for the barrel/grill to mount correctly.
2. For the damper bolts, I put a little blue Loctite on the bolts before putting the washers and nuts on them. This may help to keep the nuts on, as they cannot be too tight, or the dampers will not rotate for adjustment. If this doesn’t work out, I will get longer bolts and double-nut them for the dampers.
3. There cast iron grates come with instructions that are slightly different than those in the manual. The grate instructions say to first heat them up to 200 degrees to melt off the protective wax coating, if it exists (on mine it did). And to do that before seasoning the grates. The instruction manual says to apply vegetable oil to the grates and season without mention of the wax coating. Probably not a big deal as the wax coating will still melt off. Just re-seasoned the grates a 2nd time afterwards.
4. Use “Goo Gone” to get the adhesive label off the lid, before first use of the grill.
5. Remove the plastic coating “strip” that protects the Char-Grill logo plate on the lid before first use.
Fit and finish were OK. No gaps, bends, or anything awkward (other than the instruction manual). I ordered the grill from Amazon on a Sunday, and it arrived the following Friday. It was shipped in the manufacturers box, with all the fancy marketing and printing on it. It weighed about 50 pounds.
In summary, this grill gets 5-stars for its main purpose, being a charcoal grill. However the instructions get 0-stars, ok, maybe 1-star because they give some minimal guidance. We were looking for a smaller charcoal grill because we like the flavor enhancement to meats, something we just don’t get with our gas grill. Got tired of replacing cheap hibachis, and didn’t want a kettle, even a small one. So this Char-Griller was perfect.
Hope this review is helpful. Enjoy your grill purchase!
great buy. you’re nuts if you don’t get it
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
this is a great little grill. assembly was not at all difficult. if missing lockwashers are an issue, reserve them for the vents. rated 4 instead of 5 only because the lid is misaligned. this is more cosmetic than functional. when the time comes, i will get another.
Patio Pro – 2 different ones
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I ordered 2 of these grills; one for myself (carnivore) and one for my wife (herbivore). She won’t eat it if it’s been “contaminated” by meat. Anyway, when they arrived, both packages looked the same. However, upon opening and setting them up, I noticed that one looked slightly different.
One is more rustic looking, it has a dull finish, mostly long bolts with four shorter ones for the legs, the angle bar that holds the grill grate is heavy duty metal and welded on, the grill grates are heavy duty cast iron, the slide out tray closes tightly to the grill box, the welds are strong, and the lid closes down tight. The other one has a shinier finish, all bolts are the same length and have a more shallow head (with a phillips head screw style stamped into it), the angle bars for the grates are aluminum and screwed onto the grill box, the grates are lesser quality, lighter cast iron, the slide out tray does not close tightly and sometimes gets stuck on the longer bolts that are supplied with this model, the welds look weaker, and the lid is somewhat warped and does not close tight.
Not sure why they are different. I assume the nice, shiny, cheaply made one is the newer model. This appears to be the trend these days – if it looks nice and the price is right, people will buy anything. If it breaks, oh well, just buy a new one. I suppose it’s the new “American way”. I’m not going to bother sending it back – only because it works ok for grilling veggies and that’s all it will get used for. Fortunately, I lucked out and got one of the good ones for the meat or I would have sent them both back.
Overall – If you are lucky enough to get a good one, it’s an awesome product and I hope it will last many years. I’ve only had it a month or so as of now – so we’ll see! If you are unfortunate and get the crappy newer one, sorry ’bout that. I give this product 4 for the good one and 2 for the shoddy one.
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These last few words are for everything sold today. Hopefully companies will quit making garbage to add to our ever growing landfills and quit taking from our trusting American wallets in the future. It would be nice to see the quality we once demanded in the products of today. Where has the quality gone? Why do we accept this? I don’t understand the people who say “it’s good for the price you pay.” Thinking like that is why these companies get away with selling crap to begin with. If there is anything crappy about a product, it shouldn’t be on the shelves or in the consumers hands – period. Buying crap is never worth the money. Come on people, let’s see some change here.
Great durable grill
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have to say very fast shipping on the grill, but be careful who ship’s the item because mine the medal door is some what bent so it does not close flush with the base of grill. I can live with the flaw, only wish the carriers were more careful with your property that you just bought. I am very pleased with the grill and the assembly was not that big of a deal.
Nifty thing!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This little grill is just the ticket for my small patio and small grilling needs. It is attractive, very well built, and easy to use.
As almost everyone else has mentioned, the instructions are sketchy and the pictures are too dark to be of use, but the item is not overly difficult to put together. I’m an arthritic seventy-year-old lady with no special training in mechanics, and it took me about an hour… At any rate, here’s what I learned during assembly of the grill:
1. Pay attention to the angle of the holes in the curved leg pieces which will receive the bolts which will hold the grill in place. They should angle upwards toward the grill. I had to disassemble and reassemble the leg pieces because they didn’t mention that in the instructions.
2. You will receive and really only need three locking nuts. I used the first pair as first mentioned in the directions, and the last one on the drawer lock, as it seemed obvious that that piece would be turned whenever the drawer is opened, and would thus be in danger of loosening the bolt. The several other instructions that mentioned the locking nuts I simply ignored. The grill is holding together fine after some use, so I guess they were unneeded. Maybe.
3. You’ll need a drill or nail and hammer to make starter holes to attach the utensil hooks to the wood shelf, as the hooks do not have self-starting tips. Attaching those hooks is not even mentioned in the instructions, nor do they show in the pictures, but they are nice to have.
All in all, this is a nice unit, and I expect it to last a long time.
Good deal!
DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!!!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
It is sad to say but the days of a solid American made product is dead! The smokers made by Char Griller boast that they are American made, and covered by a warranty…then in the small print it says ‘the paint may peel off your smoker upon first use (it should say WILL peel off upon first use!), the paint is not covered by the warranty.’ if you are unfortunate enough to own one of these then you know what I am talking about, both my grill and side smoker are all but devoid of paint. I called Char Griller and told them that I was appalled by their underhandedness, they didn’t seem to care. well the best (or worst) advertising is word of mouth. and I have nothing good to say about this product!
Difficult to work with
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I’m not thrilled with this grill, primary because of its design. It’s really hard to work with if you’re trying to do anything more than grill a couple of steaks or hamburgers. The opening is too small and you cannot adjust the height of the grates. On the plus side, charcoal seems to heat up really fast – I think I use less charcoal and everything seems to cook faster too. But, given the way I use a grill, this probably was not a good choice for me–I cook a lot of roasts and veggies on the grill and this just isn’t very good for that kind of cooking.
Patio – Pro for the “assembly pro”
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I received my much anticipated delivery, just in time for the 4th. The Patio Pro came damaged, inside an undamaged box, from the factory, and it had extra and missing hardware. I am usually most surprised when a purchase is actually intact and functioning. My unit is similar to the one advertised, however, mine came with a nifty locking hardware for the ash drawer. Not sure how it works even with the drawer closed as tightly as possible it doesn’t latch (unit was damaged and is slightly out of round) The instructions are worthless and you will need to rely on your common sense and mechanical abilities. I chose not to return the unit (holiday weekend) for its defect only because I did not want to be bothered dis-assembling the unit and reassembling a replacement….On a positive note, I am optimistic it will work as well as others have attested, after all it’s only a charcoal grill. We’ll see. Happy July 4th.
all’s well that ends well
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
i ordered this patio pro from amazon, and as always, was totally pleased with amazon. i had read the many feedbacks and knew that the instructions were lousy but my husband is a whiz and sure enough, he had it together in no time at all.
the very last thing to do was sliding in the ashpan. it had been welded wrong and would not go in! we were so disappointed.
i put in my return order to amazon and afterwards was looking at the manual and decided to call the company. customer service was awesome! they had me fax my receipt to their office on friday and then sent me a whole new body and ashpan (fit was perfect) free of charge, no questions asked on the following tuesday. we seasoned it and today, wednesday, made our first meal.
it was perfect and the griller is everything i hoped it would be.
yes, it’s small but it’s just the two of us and we have a big gas grill for the rare occasions when we have company. the savings on charcoal alone makes this one worth it.
i love it!!!
great grill
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this barbecue grill.
I have it for a little bit more than a month.
I absolutely hate to clean grill, specially grease trays.
This one is blessing in the sky to clean.
You just slide draw out and empty it in to garbage bag (when it is cool), wipe it with paper towel and your grill is clean.
This grill is not very big, so if you have a big family or big parties – you need bigger one.
For us it’s perfect size.
A Terrific Addition to My Grilling/BBQ Collection!!!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I purchased this as a late Christmas gift because it was listed for awhile in my ‘Recommendations’ list and especially after reading the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the product. As with many of the previous reviewers, I found the instructions fairly useless and I used the picture on the box as a guide for assembly.
Several features make this a terrific grill. First, the dual cast iron grates give you great performance and versatility. You can render those signature cross-hatch grill marks atop the grate or you can remove one of the grates and grill a beer can chicken by standing it on the charcoal grate with the coals banked to the side. Second, the fire box is the most convenient setup that I have seen. You simply pull it out from the side to add your coals or additional coals as needed and you can remove the entire box to clean it afterwards. That is a major plus in my opinion.
Finally, I like the little side table that consists of three stained pieces of wood. As a precaution against weather and food stains, I went to my local hardware store and purchased a can of polyurethane finish and applied a couple of coats to the boards.
This is a definite ‘keeper’ for me. I love my Weber kettle grill but for most grilling sessions (I live alone), I use the Patio Pro. It hasn’t disappointed and with a little use and care, I anticipate many years of use from this great product.
solid little grill that will make you want to grill more!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is one mean little grill. I upgraded from a kettle grill imitation, that I picked up from Academy for 30 bucks, and this grill is light years ahead in terms of quality!
Pros:
-well built! Solid cast iron, sturdy legs, fantastic grilling grates
-Decent amount of grilling space.
-keeps the heat in really well. The meat comes out tender and juicy, and I didn’t change anything else in the cooking procedure/times. The grill helps keep a steadier temperature, with the great vent positioning that helps to create a convection spin of hot air through the grill. (You can see the smoke spinning as it exits the top vent)
Cons:
-was missing a locking washer.
-the instruction manual was pretty sparse
-the sticker on the hood didn’t come out cleanly, and now it’s burnt in
If you look around, you may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere, but this is a great little grill that you can’t go wrong with!
Fairly Decent hardware but little instruction
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The instructions for this otherwise fairly decent product are so poor and lacking that you see before me, numerous owners complaining about them. Some have simply not been able to assemble the grill due to it’s relative complexity and a total cop-out on any effort to create a useable instruction set. Here is my letter to CharGriller:
“I bought your CharGriller Patio Pro, Model 1515 and it was lacking 6 lock washers. Your parts listing and packet of screws and so forth call for and supplied only 3 lock washers. Your instructions call for 9. I had to buy some lock washers to finish the assembly.
“Here is the tally per the instructions:
step 8 – 2 lock washers
step 9 – 2 lock washers
step 10 – 1 lock washer
step 12 – 1 lock washer
step 13 – 2 lock washers
step 14 – 1 lock washer
“That is nine (9), not three (3).
“And as you know (I have read the numerous criticisms from Amazon buyers), your instructions are so incredibly lacking that only a sharp and very mechanically talented person can figure this out, and even then it only assembles correctly after several do-overs along the way. What a fiasco and poor excuse for instructions. WHY DO YOU HAVE SOME 6TH GRADE CHINESE BOY WRITE YOUR INSTRUCTIONS?
“As have many others, I am leaving very poor reviews about this product at places like Amazon, simply because your company couldn’t care less about putting together a decent set of instructions.”
Cool Little Dude
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
As others have complained, the instructions are lousey. But does anything come with good instructions these days? I assembled mine in about 2 hours,(that was with a beer in one hand) The parts list quantities do not coincide with the actual amount of nuts, bolts and washers that you will need, but don’t fret!, there will probably be enough to do the job. I made 2 mistakes that I will let you in on. #1 Be sure to connect the bottom wire shelf to the leg assembies before you connect the legs to the barrel, and #2, a common sense thing that I missed, attatch the wheels BEFORE you assemble the legs. This makes it much easier and then be sure to put on a washer next to the wheels before you put the cotter pin and wheel cap on.
Now the good part. Let’s BBQ ! This is almost a perfect design. My only complaint is that the lid is too small. This makes it difficult to flip food on the back of the grill without hitting the top of the barrel. With all of my gripes out of the way Let’s talk possitives. This cast iron grill business is new to me. I seasoned my grill plates twice with vegtable oil. Once, when I did a dry run with charcol and another at 250 degrees in the oven for a couple of hours. When I finally got to grilling, the food actually slides on the grill! No more wire brush. When I was finished cooking the grates were practically clean! And and the beautiful thick lines that sear onto the meat are picture perfect.
The slide-out coal tray coal tray is Genius! You don’t have to touch the grills to empty ashes, or start your fire!
I really like this little grill. I have a large barrel style smoker which I will continue to use for larger gatherings, but for 2 to 4 normal people this is just the right size.
Best Grill Ever!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I Love This Grill!! In the past I used a “Combo” Brinkman Smoke N’ Grill (works EXCELLENT for smoking but lousy for grilling). This grill, the 1515 Patio Pro Char-Griller is AMAZING it gets hot quick and stays hot. The wide cast-iron grates sear the meat, sealing in all the wonderful juices instead of letting them leak onto the coals. Perfect for steaks and burgers. The crossventing keeps the coals burning hot start to finish. I’m telling you, this is one HEAVY, SOLIDLY built little grill! Even the stand it sits on is made of heavy thick steel (surprised me because it looks kinda flimsy in the amazon picture). Overall, was pretty easy to put together, although like other reviewers have said, keep the picture of the grill handy because the instructions aren’t very accurate. Perfect size for a small family, and takes up very little real-estate on the patio. The best part of this grill is being able to add wood chips and coals during cooking just by pulling out the drawer; same drawer makes for quick easy disposal of ashes. PERFECT grill design in my opinion. CharGriller got it right with this one. Highly recommend!
Great Little Grill
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this grill for my husband as he fell in love with it after buying one for his parents for Christmas.
It’s small size belies the amount of food that can be easily cooked/smoked on it. Great for small patios or the homeowner that would like something that does not take up a lot of rooom.
Built to last!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I recently moved into a new place where I have a private patio. After years in high-rise apartments where grills weren’t allowed, I was excited about getting a grill and decided on this charcoal grill over a gas grill. This is one VERY well built grill! “Solid” is almost an understatement. I expect that this will last for a long, long time. While I had the same problem with the poorly written instructions, missing lock washers, etc., it still only took me about 90 min. to assemble and I am not at all mechanically inclined. This is an excellent product for the price and Amazon got it to me a day ahead of the scheduled 2nd Day delivery… kudos to Amazon!
Fantastic End Result
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Everything said about the assembly instructions was right. They are horrible. There are parts (good ones like grill removers) that are not even mentioned. We finally figured it out by looking at the picture on the box. But once done – WOW – This grill works faster than gas and we get the wonderful flavor of natural cooking. Very sturdy, easy to maintain and clean. Creates wonderful meals.
Great little GRILLER
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Shipping was super fast 2days. Grill assembly took about 45minuets, 1 hole on main body did not line up.(drilled new hole)Heavy duty grill overall and great to cook on.Vent side controls give you wide range on the temp. Can hold 4 nice size steaks or 6-8 burgers on cooking surface.
Fine Grill
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This little grill is big enough for a small cookout but not too big for 2 people. Very little charcoal and fine results. Assembly takes time but it’s so easy to put together why are so many complaining!? Just look at the picture on the box you don’t even need instructions! Set the base up put the top on then the shelf you’re done. This thing doesn’t need washers tools etc It has locking nuts, for those that wonder why there are no lock washers! Look at the face of the nuts there are grooves there, they lock when tightened! Sturdy as a rock! Just Buy Yourself One! Great for small cookout but can handle a few more as well. Very well made!
Best Compact Ever!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I absolutely love this grill! Good sturdy quality construction. Unlike some of the other reviewers I assembled it in no time. I’m a good tinkerer so don’t see where the others had problems. This grill gives you great control as you can add charcoal through the side sliding charcoal drawer without disturbing your cooking. Control’s flames as well as a weber kettle but simpler to use with the hinged top.For a compact grill this is the best and I’ve owned many. Don’t let the size fool you, it grills a good amount of food. Was able to grill 3 giant sized stuffed pork chops and a whole cut up chicken at the same time with no problem. If youre looking for a smaller grill to save space with great smoking ability this is the one.
OK, but quite a tin lizzy…
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
First, my friends, you’re thinking of buying this because you don’t want to spend close to or over 100 bucks, and you’re tired of wrestling with that huge Weber lid. So, be prepared. The box it comes in is NOT meant for shipping. There’s absolutely no extra padding whatsoever. The fact that it didn’t come with a big dent in it speaks for the thickness of the metal. Bad welding job, though, lots of gaps in the joints of the cooking box. BEFORE YOU START, make DARN sure you own a rachet set. I can’t imagine putting this together with the “pliers” that they recommend. It calls for 7/16, I used a 15/32, that worked. You WILL be missing pieces. The directions keep talking about Locking Washers…there are only 3 in the whole set. I can’t believe the manufacturer has been sending this with missing pieces for YEARS. So, take one of the real locking washers, take one of the flat washers, and go to the hardware store and buy 5 of each before you even begin. I got a piece of beef fat from the local butcher *free*, so I slathered that on the inside and the grates and followed the directions to season it. It uses only little pile of briquets. Get the normal briquets, not the Matchlight. I really think they make things taste weird, just like the grill directions say. It wasn’t all that hard to put together, just pay attention to what you’re trying to do. Once you have the legs going in the right direction, you’re fine. The drawer front was welded a little crooked, and since the metal is thick there’s no way to correct it, so there’s a gap between the drawer and cooking barrel, but I guess it will be OK. I’m sure it will be fine for the very few times that I BBQ, I’m just frankly disappointed in how frustrating it is to be missing pieces and the bad welding job. I just hate spending my money on bad quality, even if it is ultimately cheaper.
Char-Griller Rocks
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Just used it for a small gathering. Love it, especially the separated draw which I can refill with ease. Though the top paint burned off a little when I tried to light up the charcoal, it wasn’t a big deal to me. Definitely love it.
good performance for the $
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The assembly instructions left a little to the imagination, and a few washers were missing, but I’m fairly adept so I got it together. The sliding charcoal drawer is a great idea and handy, but the end doesn’t fit properly over the opening and the gaps allow air into the grill when I want to seal it to kill the coals. On the up-side, the cooking performance is excellent. A deeper bed of coals generates volcanic heat, and a shallow bed generates a long, steady heat perfect for slow-roasting a turkey or marinated pork shoulder. Yum!
Decent BBQ — good for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This BBQ is pretty good — no real issues BBQ-ing various food items. It was a pain in the butt to put it together though and the directions were pretty bad. I would say this is a good BBQ for the price, but have some patience putting it together…
My little pro
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My little pro came within 3 days and couldn’t wait for grillin to start. Easy to put together, and food is still the same as those big burner gas products.
Thumbs Up!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Nice compact grill, heavy duty construction. Really like the cast iron cooking surface grate, and the fact that the charcoal “drawer” slides in and out. Makes adding coals and soaked wood chips a breeze!! Thickness of the metal really helps to keep the heat in.
The ONLY thing that’s annoying, is it’s kinda unbalanced, when I try to roll it in and out of the garage. Definitely don’t try to move it once it’s lit!! Besides this (very minor) concern, this baby rocks!!