Char-Broil Patio Caddie Electric Grill

My patio grill was delivered quickly and was very easy to assemble.Have used it several times and love the convenience of grilling outdoors without the charcoal.

Even though the grill thermometer only read 300 degrees after 20 minutes (and never went up), the grill was much hotter than that. Depending on the air temp and wind, it can make it seem like it's not hot enough. We cooked 3 perfect steaks- grill marks, sizzling, medium rare just like we like it! Don't panic- it's hotter than you think!

After reading some of the other reviews, I thought I'd ad my 2 cents from my own experience.

Follow the instructions step-by-step. It will lessen the chance that you'll use the wrong screws. Remember that the smallest screws are for the legs (a point made by another reviewer and turned out to be helpful). Also in the instructions, it says to tighten the nuts on the legs where they attach to the grill to finger-tight only -ignore it. Otherwise, the legs will be wobbly -another complaint of reviewers.

The most important thing I can recommend is to go on Char-Broil's web site and locate support for the electric patio grill. Then drill down to the model number and choose any model EXCEPT the bottom one. The reason is that the current model does not include the grate and ceramic brickets (2.99 and 7.99 respectively). Once you've selected either of the other two models (it doesn't matter which one), you'll be presented with a list of parts, where you can select the grate and ceramic brickets. It makes a big difference because with the brickets the grill will get hotter and the grill temperature won't drop dramatically after you lift the lid. Check out the manual for the model you select and note the maximum number of brickets and pattern used to place them on the grill (I use 8).

I have cooked chicken, strip and flank steaks, fish, etc., and have no complaints whatsoever of this grill's performance. I do wish that they had used a steel insert instead of that heavy aluminum foil thing, but that's just my opinion.

Also, don't buy the cover sold for this grill -get the Char-Broil 4714 Heavy Duty Water Smoker Cover (thanks to yet another reviewer). It's sturdier and has an elastic bottom so it won't blow away.

-Hope this helps.

I didn't mind that it was a bother to assemble and that the parts didn't quite fit properly. The fact that the lid needed to be lifted off and hand no hinges was a minor annoyance. But when the plastic parts on the dial started to melt and the grill began to malfunction, I was impelled to write this bad review. A product should be suitable for the purpose for which it was intended --- grilling food --- and it should function for a reasonable amount of time considering the cost. I have a 35 year old electric grill at our camp that cost less than $40 when new that is still working brilliantly. This grill failed in 75 days! The quality of this grill is simply unacceptable. I strongly urge readers to pick a different electric grill.

The product size is perfect for two people. We have had to learn by usage to get the correct temperature and cooking times. The instructions say to preheat for 20 minutes to temperatures that we have never been able to reach even after an hour of trying to preheat. The manual says that at first the product may not reach desired temperature but it has been several weeks and numerous uses and it has never exceeded the temps from the first use and have never reached the temperature suggested by the manual. The product arrived with a dented lid inside the unsealed package. Considering previous Char-Broil purchases we expected more.