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Yes, this is a computer/tech site. What’s a BBQ grill review doing here, you ask? Well, the big box chain where I purchased the grille refused my product review twice so I decided to publish my own review here.  While I did use the word ‘idiot’  in the first review to describe the person who assisted me when I made the purchase, the second was cleansed of any inflammatory material and, I must admit, was very well written. So, instead of having the review buried on the big box site, I’ll publish the review here. Had they accepted it, my work would have been done and few people would have read the review. However, since it wasn’t approved, a whole lot more people will see it. Here’s the scoop:

1. The store, unfortunately, was a Home Depot close to me here in Toronto. The advertised unit was a Brinkmann 4 burner propane gas grill sold under the banner of ‘Special Buy’ for $249.00. The model number is 810-9422-F. Here’s a photo of it:

2. Brinkmann, a U.S. manufacturer…well, not really since all the grills are made in China, is the distributor of this BBQ. So far, all of my dealings with Brinkmann have been pretty good but, as you’ll see in the review, they haven’t been perfect.

Here’s the original review:

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My old Fiesta died a natural death but it was the best BBQ I’ve ever had. The Brinkmann replacement just isn’t worth the money, even at its ‘special’ price of $249.00. Here’s why you should avoid this at all costs:
1. Even though it has 4 burners, you have to turn them all on if you want to cook anything. The sales rep (an idiot who may have been the DSM at Eglinton East) told me that if you want to cook one burger, you only have to turn one burner on. I pointed out that the Fiesta directions said to turn all the burners on at the same time, no matter what you’re cooking. He laughed and said, no way. Well, he was completely wrong. If you turn one burner on, it takes FOREVER to cook even a lowly burger. Try to cook a chicken with two burners on and it will take hours. Turn them all on and you’re (litereally) cookin’.
2. The burners are so weak that a medium wind will blow them out. I BBQ a lot, summer and winter, and no wind EVER blew out the Fiesta. Now with this Brinkmann I have to put a wind protector in front of it to keep the wind off it.
3. The burner feeds are hidden under the pre-assembled top section. There is no way to get at them to adjust the gas/oxygen screen. Although I think this may solve the weak burner problem, there is no way to access them. Although they should be set at the factory, they don’t seem to be.
4. The fit and finish of this BBQ is not up to the standards of either the Fiesta or the Broilmate that I used previously, Many things that are made in China are above standard. This thing is completely sub-standard. Fit and finish is cheap, befitting the price. This isn’t a deal, believe me. You’re getting less than what you’re paying for.
5. If I could return this, I would. I’ve used it and don’t feel right about returning it (I know, I know, it’s Home Depot, right?) but mark my words, this is the last Brinkmann I will ever buy.
6. The igniter didn’t work from the get-go. The Fiesta igniter worked for years. When I contacted Brinkmann for replacement parts, they said there were no parts in stock at that point but they’d send them off when they came in. It’s April 17 and that was back on March 6. Right now I’m lighting
my new BBQ with a match. Cool huh?

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Admittedly, calling the associate an idiot was probably out of line, even if he was a dolt. Mentioning a competitor, even if they do make a better unit, maybe wasn’t too cool either. Fiesta makes a damn good, simple BBQ. They don’t try to be something they’re not.

Here’s the second review, much the same but without some of the booboos mentioned above.

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Model: 810-9422-F | Store SKU: 1000715184
This Brinkmann grill just isn’t worth the money, even at its ‘special’ price of $249.00. Here’s why you should avoid this at all costs:
1. Even though it has 4 burners, you have to turn them all on if you want to cook anything. The sales rep told me that if you want to cook one burger, you only have to turn one burner on. I pointed out that the Fiesta directions said to turn all the burners on at the same time, no matter what you’re cooking. He laughed and said, no way. Well, he was completely wrong. If you turn one burner on, it takes FOREVER to cook even a lowly burger. Try to cook a chicken with two burners on and it will take hours. Turn them all on and you’re fine.
2. The burners are so weak that a medium wind will blow them out. I BBQ a lot, summer and winter, and no wind EVER blew out my old BBQ. Now with this Brinkmann I have to put a wind protector in front of it to keep the wind off it.
3. The burner feeds are hidden under the pre-assembled top section. There is no way to get at them to adjust the gas/oxygen screen. Although I think this may solve the weak burner problem, there is no way to access them. Although they should be set at the factory, they don’t seem to be.
4. The fit and finish of this BBQ is not up to the standards of either the Fiesta or the Broilmate that I used previously, Many things that are made in China are above standard. This thing is completely sub-standard. Fit and finish is cheap, befitting the price. This isn’t a deal, believe me. You’re getting less than what you’re paying for.
5. If I could return this, I would. I’ve used it and don’t feel right about returning it (I know, I know, it’s Home Depot, right?) but mark my words, this is the last Brinkmann I will ever buy.
6. The igniter didn’t work from the get-go. The Fiesta igniter worked for years. When I contacted Brinkmann for replacement parts, they said there were no parts in stock at that point but they’d send them off when they came in. It’s April 23 and that was back on March 6. Right now I’m lighting
my new BBQ with a match.

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There you have it. Maybe Brinkmann makes a better BBQ than this medium priced unit, I’m not sure. Judging from the quality of this grill and the fact that I’m still lighting the damn thing with a match AND since Home Depot Canada refused to publish a negative review, I sure won’t find out. As an aside, I have reviewed many products on the Dell website as well as on the Canadian Radio Shack (thesource.ca) site. The reviews have been both positive and negative, either way they get published. On the Source site, I’m listed as a Top Reviewer, as a matter of fact.

Thanks for reading! Sometimes a big outfit such as Home Depot can’t see the forest for the trees. The big picture escapes them. If you’ve been in their stores lately, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

 

April 22, 2012

Update: Home Depot contacted me after I tweeted about this post. They tell me that my review was rejected because it mentioned the price of the BBQ. As you can see, I have already had a comment from a reader within hours of publishing this blog entry. Ah, the power of Google AND the power of Twitter. Maybe I will start to integrate product reviews here as well as tech stuff. Hmm…

 

April 23, 2012

Yes another update. Finally, Home Depot posted my review of the Brinkmann BBQ.  A CSR from Brinkmann called this afternoon as well. He suggested that I adjust the burners and check that nothing had gotten into them at the factory. This is concerning the wind blowing out the flame. I guess this kind of thing is probably normal but I didn’t have to do this with the Fiesta or the Broilmate that I previously owned. Does that make sense to you? Am I being too picky? When I buy something at Home Depot am I expecting too much that it work fine right out of the box?