Big grilling area. Not bad for price paid. The first set of grates died fairly quickly. Also the side burner flame holes expanded to the point where it burned sooty. Both parts were replaced under warranty. I'd recommend getting a backup side burner if ordering any parts since there's a one-price shipping policy. The sear burner could be hotter. It's just a bigger steel burner, not the ceramic type which gets very hot. Overall a good grill, but I don't expect to get a lot of years out of it.
Good points: Does low-and-slow barbecue very well. Seems built well. Bad Points: You still can't beat charcoal for fast grilling of steaks, chops and roasts. Can't control flare-ups by choking off air as you can on a charcoal grill. Warming rack worthless - gets I the way and there's no room to put stuff on it and close the lid!
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from CharbroilBy Dustin, SME, July 29, 2014
We value you as a Char-Broil customer and want you to enjoy using your grill. Whenever an issue is encountered please give us a call at 1-800-241-7548 and we will be able to best assist.
Overall I am satisfied with my purchase of this Char-Broil grill, especially since we got it for a nice sale price. It has been experience problems as time moved on, unfortunately, but nothing too big. Char-Broil has been mostly great at customer service, but charging 5x as much in shipping as a tiny replacement part "because we charge a flat rate for shipping" is asinine. Yes, it would benefit you if something very large breaks...but if something small breaks, you get the short end of the stick, and that's been my experience so far. Good product, at least until things start breaking. 1 year warranty is not long enough for the build quality unfortunately. :( Cooks great most of the time though!