What do you think of Costco Sonoma Grill
Tuesday May 31, 2005
xxrice Writes:
"I'm in the market for a new grill and I've narrowed it down to two models. The Costco Sureheat Sonoma for $ 500 and the Weber Silver B for $ 500. I know a lot of people who have Weber and they all love them but I'm really interested in the Sureheat Sonoma, all stainless steel, rotisserie, infrared burner, cover and made in the USA. Has anyone used the Sonoma and what do you think?"
Comments
i bought it, havent had a chance to use it but like you, i like that its all steel, rotissary is included, and a cover. ill let you know but it might be couple weeks, as im out of town on work.
I got one this year, and I have a love/hate relationship with it. When it works, it is the best grille I have. When it wants to act up, I can’t get heat because of burners problems. Plenty of protane, just a flow problem. I’ve tried new cylinders, new supply lines, cleaning, etc. but when it doesn’t want to cook, it doesn’t. I thought I was doing something wrong, so I’ve tried everything I can think of.
Upside, when it is working, it’s the best grill I’ve ever had……and I love it. Just need to get it to work all the time! (Fails 25%, I can get it to flow with some effort about 85% of the time. Maybe my grill has a defect? When it works, it’s great!
Had one for about a year now. Switched from a gas Weber and I miss the Weber. Grill doesn’t allow fine control of heat nor does it have good flare-up control like the Weber did. Can’t use in very cold weather either because of large openings in grill. (blocked with foil and then OK)
Also, rotisserie motor is a wimp. Tried to cook a couple of 4-5lb chickens and motor quit turning after 10 minutes.
I’m thinking about sucking up my pride and my wallet and going back to Weber.
I am in precisely the same situation:
>>>
Plenty of protane, just a flow problem. I’ve tried new cylinders, new supply lines, cleaning, etc. but when it doesn’t want to cook, it doesn’t. I thought I was doing something wrong, so I’ve tried everything I can think of.
I have a hate hate/hate relationship with this grill and am sorry I ever purchased it. Should have gone with Jenn Air or Weber. Even though it is stainless, I think the overall design is worse than some of my old grills that at I would replace the burners on every few years. The Sonoma burner went in LESS than one year after being plagued by flow problems prior to the burners almost total desintegration. I would take back my old cast iron grill in heartbeat. Customer service did send out a new burner, however the old one has welded itself in and may be impossible to remove other than cutting it out. I do not know how I would then secure the new burner in place. If I could, how long will that one last???? All that being said, I would not recommend this grill to anyone. If you still want one however, check in front of my house on the next trash day.
is this grill from Costco that bad? I checked it today and found it is reasonable good. At this price, you can not get anything close. I agreed that the way burner is mounted into the grill is a bad design. Any more comment, i am thinking to get one today and try it out.
I just bought the sonoma grill a couple of days ago. It looks beautiful and is all stainless. But I have used it once and I plan to return it. I miss my old Ducane with Lava rocks that lasted 7 years. The sonoma was on low fire but still had major flare ups and the lamb chops and burgers did not turn out nice. The good thing about Costco is they take anything back.
Out of all the grills we looked at the Sonoma was by far the nicest looking with the most features available for the money. We experienced the same problems with the gas flow problem. Sureheat was very cooperative to send new parts, but unfortunately it did not fix the problem. We were very disappointed to return it to Costco.
I am totally disappointed in every aspect of this grill. Doesn’t stay lit, especially in cold weather, poor gas flow, flares up like crazy…thanks for your input, I thought I had a lemon…now I know Sure Heat doesn’t know what their doing…That’s probably why they no longer sell this brand at Costco.
Hmmmm, I’ve had the Sonoma grill for over 2 years, and I must say that I haven’t had a single problem so far. It cooks whatever I put on it quite well, and in fact, the results have been no less than perfect. Maybe I was just lucky, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
I bought one over a year ago. It isn’t like a charcoal grill but it does a good job of grilling steaks, sausages, chicken, and the like. I haven’t had any flow problems and it still looks like it’s new and I use it alot. Nothing is built like this in its price range. A similar grill built by weber would be $1000 more. Great value. The folks at Costco know what they’re doing.
We’ve had one for about a year. What a piece of junk. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Today it doesn’t. I’ll have to find someone with a truck so I can take it back to Costco.
This grill is not one I would buy (again). It has completely fallen apart. I agree, I agree, I agree with the flow problems. Never consistent and such a blast when I have guests over to BBQ and I am beating the @#!& out of it to get any kind of flow running through the burners. What a ridiculous purchase this was! Big shiny piece of junk.
I agree with all the complaints about this grill. I have had this grill one year and it has never performed at close to acceptable levels. Poor flow and the flare ups are unreal. Give me a $99 Thermos over this piece of crap any freaking day. My biggest issue with this grill is with myself for not returning this immediately instead of waiting too long.
HAD MINE FOR JUST UNDER TWO YEARS AND THE BURNERS ARE COMPLETELY WASTED. THIS GRILL IS A BIG DISSAPPOINTMENT AND I AM HAVING A HORRIBLE TIME FINDING REPLACEMENT PARTS.
I have had the same grill for almost 3 years now. All trouble free perfect operation until last month. Now I cannot control the flow to the burners – sometimes they flare like a torch and I can’t turn it down, and other times they will barely stay lit and won’t generate enough heat to melt a candle, let alone cook a steak.
I just emailed SureHeat customer service. We’ll see what they say or if they send replacement parts. Otherwise, it’s a trip to Costco – sure hope they’ll take it back after 2.5+ years.
The stainless parts are great and clean up really good. I wouldn’t buy another one due to the burners are not stainless steel. They corroded after 2.5 years and was a bitch to find replacement burners. Buy a Weber!!!!
I’ve had mine 2 years and the burners have been completely wasted for 4 months and the regulator now leaks gas. I had a WEBER Genesis that lasted 10 years. This was a big dissapointment. Any advice on how to get replacement parts?
My burner rusted out as well- I called customer support 1-800-229-5647. The burner is covered for 5 years… they are sending a new one- $24 shipping… that is some expensive shipping! We will see if that works or not- otherwise I am calling Costco and see if they will still take it back after almost 3 years.
The burners on this grill fell apart in a short period of time. While it may be very pretty on the outside and looks brand new, the burners are crap and corrode in a few months. I would only recommend this grill to somebody I truly hated. DO NOT BUY THIS GRILL, YOU WILL BE SORRY !!!!!!
I have had my grill for two years adb the burners just fell apart. The igniters fell apart as did the
I got my grill from Costco two years ago. The cover that came with it never fit. I converted it to gas. After two years of use the burners fell apart as did all the igniters and wiring. I called Sureheat and they are sending all the new parts I need.I only have to pay a small amount for shipping. I sure hope they have upgraded the parts. I still have three years left on the warr. I will sure use it again before time is out.
I just bought this grill used. It has certainly shown some of the problems mentioned here and other places.
One reader recommended putting a layer of ceramic briquettes on a grate between the burners and the grill. Another recommended closing off the hole in the back of the grill by riveting a stainless steel sheet.
Has anyone tried any of these tips or other ideas to improve the performance of this grill? Has anyone replaced the burners with after market ones?
Thanks.
I have had problems with my burners rusting out. I have had the grill for three years. I thank Michelle for posting about warranty. I forgot that! I found parts by Googling Sonoma grills. Burners are $80 to $100. So, I’ll pay the factory shipping even though it is high. I have heard from friends that they don’t cover their grills and they don’t rust out as much. Anyone else hear that or have a comment on that?? Cover does hold moisture in, but is it better to cover?
we also have a love/hate thing going on with this grill. We have had ours for 2-years and can not figure out why we are not getting any gas flow. We have a full tank of propane. We can not figure out how to take the grill apart, to see what the problem is. this grill sucks
I got this grill as a gift from a friend. This is also my first grill. When I light the spark, I dont see any flames though the noise of the gas still comes. Not sure if I should see the flames or not. Any help here?
I bought the Sonoma in 2007. Last year I had to replace the burners. The company shipped them free of charge, but what a pain in the ass to replace. Then I sparked up the grill this year in 2009 and I have the same freakin’ flow problem. It cooks only on one burner, the other two just suck. This grill had features, a solid write up, but whne it comes down to it – the burners blow. Toss this thing in the garbage or give it to your obnoxious neighbor. I’m off looking for a new grill this year and the durability of the burners, flare up control and EVEN cooking are all I’m going to look for – brand names are marketed bull…SureNoHeat
I brought this grill from Costco 2 years ago and use about 3-4 times total. Now I just can’t get the heat up the LP tank is full. I think there’s problem with the regulator.
Ok Guys, here it goes. On 7/24/09 I purchased a Tuscany By Altima grill, yes they are sold at Costco $499.00 CS892LP. I have discovered that the manufacturer Altima is also making grills under the “Perfect Flame” badge it appears to have some of the same hardware and construction. Lowe’s carries the Sonoma brand. This grill’s cabinet shape is not like any other images available on the web. The side cabinets have the strangest angle at both ends of this beautiful Grill. It’s Stainless from the top down to the control knob area. After that it’s a “tuff coating” of a mixed brown/black coating of some kind. The most notable features are that this thing comes with a matching full standing height work cart that telescopes down to fit under the main cabinet on the grill. Oh and did I mention that the Altima Grills have a IR side burner! The wind won’t blow the heat away with the infrared side burner going. It’s a really nice grill done as well as any other grill costing $2k, I know I looked around…
No starting or pressure issues at all. Flame ignites quickly, and temperatures are well regulated. Now to locate the Natural Gas conversion kit for this baby. Numbers for parts are 800-229-5647 (on instruction manual) or 770-422-8008 if you wan to dial directly! Look for serial number on left door of main cabinet to identify your model.
More info to come, it’s a very nice grill,
I am not complaining. Yet…
We purchased the Tuscsny By Altima at Costco. We cannot cook anything hardly with out it flaring up into flame, everything turns to charcoal.The cover went to pot in just a couple of months,and has always been too small.What can I do to keep it from flaring up and burning everything we put on it? The rotisery works fine. The grill is hard to clean, heats good, and evenly. The grease drips on the burnner sheils and just continues to burn and also the bottom of the grill burns when cooking a steak. I’m not very happy with this grill. I could use a squart bottle of water on the old charcoal grill and keep the flare ups out , this thing wants to burn constantly. (NEED HELP,BURNING EVERYTHING) Thank you
I would probably not buy another Sureheat (makers of the Altima and Sonoma) product. I had the Tuscany from Costco for about 15 months. In that time the grill generally worked well, but had more and more problems. Severe rust on all non stainless areas, many main cooking surface rods had split, pieces breaking, etc. The final straw was when the plastic connector to the LP tank got a crack that went almost all the way around and gas came rushing out when the tank was turned on. I knew this grill was going to be nothing but more problems, so I didn’t even want to deal with Sureheat. Kudos to Costco for standing fully behind their products and refunding my purchase price after over a year. I rarely return things and don’t pay too much attention to return policies, but Costco has gained my loyalty for life by being so consumer friendly.
I have had this grill for about 5 years, I had no trouble, yes the burner finally went to hell. but to me after the use, and I grill alot, 5 years on burners are not unreassonable to me, I live in Arizona, I don’t cover the damn thing its’ Stainless, Hose it off in the spring and lite it. This was a good investment to me…and it has been a great product, I have had no problems with this grill, of course I do use a smoker as well for real bar b que any way bottom line. I am happy with my Sonoma grill and I got it from costco, they were getting rid of them for $400.00. I have had no flow problem…the temp gauge is wack I use one I got a ace hardware temp is easy to control….Sorry bout all you guys’ trouble I must have got a good one.
I have the Tuscany by Altima sold at Costco. 4 months old and I use it 2x-3x per week. Stainless Steel top half, Tuff Coated (brown) lower cabinet area, telescoping work table that fits under the main cabinet section. Side cabinets have the oddest angle on each end of the BBQ Cabinetry. Works great, looks nice! I can control temperatures enough to bake a cake! IR side burner and IR searing burner inside are amazing and work almost too well.
I do want to convert this to natural gas, before it gets too greasy. The $100 for the conversion kit is a bit involved, replacing all the flame valves and lines including the IR side burner supply. Other conversion kits re-jet (enlarge the orfice which includes replacement or drilling out to a larger diameter) the existing valves and come with a supply hose with a fitting that goes from the natural gas supply to the grill’s original propane tank supply point. I have two tanks now so it’s propane for now.
I have experienced a “flow” issue when I start it up sometimes. Half flame inside with the knobs on “HI”.
Solution: Leaving the burners “Open/On” shut off the tank valve.
Then when opening the tank valve, hit the electric start button to light. This usually restores full flow to all burners needed. I hope that helps some of you folks.
For now, it’s the best buy of the summer! I have had it for four months and use it 3X+ per week. Here’s a link to some photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kellysd/3965665371/