Coleman 9940-A55 Roadtrip Party Grill

This grill is no good. Sure it burns a nice flame, but it localizes it right in the center and worst of all, there is no lid so all of the heat remains in the middle and then escapes with the wind! You end up burning steaks because it doesn't retain the heat. What a waste of money. I tries it twice and then I trashed it and will locate one with a cover on it.

It's probably good for hot dogs and thin hamburgers, or heating items in a pot.

This is a great little item when cooking for two people. I have had mine for a year and usually flop a steak on the grill and open a can of beans or corn on the griddle.This last trip I think I found the best way is to use it as a Korean "Hibachi type" Bar-B-Que. Fire it up on the camp table. Pour out your favorite "dipping" sauces. Precut your raw meats (beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, etc.)into bitesize or bigger morsels. The same goes for the veggies. Oil them up a bit if you like or wrap them in foil, add a little water and steam them. Cook several pieces at a time and keep cooking them as you eat them. I found that this technique overcomes the uneven cooking characteristics reported in other reviews and it's fun too! Each piece comes hot off the grill. The way you like it! By the time I eat a whole steak cooked my old method as a single piece, it's cold. Try it.

I never did get to take my grill camping because, once we finally got the legs inserted into the (plastic) holes in the base, we could not remove them to be stored inside...The grill with legs inserted will not go into the bag. With legs permanently attached, it cannot be considered portable...might as well get a bigger grill.

I camped down at MIS and bought this grill on sale the day before. Not only was it easy to set up once I was down there - it was perfect for me since I was cooking only for one. It was awesome to take the grill top off and be able to perk coffee in the morning and then grill burgers on it later. Definitely fill the basin when grilling, it makes cleanup a snap. The bag makes it super portable and the propane attachment is a breeze to replace. All in all a great deal and super useful.

This is a great little portable grill - if you don't expect too much! (Too many people write reviews here expecting inexpensive items to be gold plated and nuclear powered). It's not meant to replace a regular full-size grill and shouldn't be compared to one. Use it for car camping or a tailgate party for cooking for two or three people (maybe four but that's pushing it) and just realize it has limitations, though they are easy to work around.

I got it on sale for only $25 so consider it an excellent value. It was simple to put together, no directions required and takes about a minute. My legs stay in well once inserted and come back out with a good tug. There is an included nylon carry-bag which works fine for keeping the parts together (the grille, two legs, gas bottle, pan support and plastic grille cover). It also functions well as a regular single-burner stove when you take the grill off. It feels stable and solid if set on a good surface.

The burner adjusts well from off to low to high and is quick and easy to start by pushing the burner control knob in. The drippings collect well in the pan below the burner. There is a small griddle on one side of the grill that will hold one egg or pancake (or two small ones). The biggest drawback is the heat distribution. Since it uses a small burner in the middle and has no heat distribution baffle; it is much hotter in the center than towards the edge. You get around this by actively moving your burgers around to keep them cooking evenly (this can be an advantage if you want something to cook slower by pushing to the outside). Coleman says you must put water in the catch basin, which seems to distribute the heat a little better but I think that is also to reduce the possibility of a grease fire. I tried it a couple of times without the water and it worked OK.

Overall, it is a good value when used for what it is intended for. I think Coleman could have designed the grill with better heat distribution without significantly adding to the cost, so I give it four stars.