4 Years With a Member's Mark
"I have owned a Member's Mark(Sam's Club) grill for 4 years as of Memorial Day.
It replaced a Weber Genesis 2000 which served me fairly well for about 8 years.
This grill remains on my screened porch without the cover on more often then not and I use it all year round. It was manufactured by Grand Hall and I paid $599 for it back in May 2001. In that time I have researched and read quite a bit about gas grills and their 'evolution' in that time frame. I have been to all of the other forums and I find this one to be the most informative to date.
I have found the Member's Mark to be a good performing grill thus far. At the end of the day, it is about how well a grill cooks, not looks...although when cleaned up, my MM looks pretty good too.
The cooking area is ample for even large gatherings(25+ people) and it gets hot, stays hot and cooks evenly throughout it's entire surface. I clean the grill twice/year on the inside removing the CI burners and cleaning the grill bowl and grease pan.
The CI burners do rust but a thorough wire brushing brings them back in short order.
I think that the after sales service from Grand Hall is noteworthy as support and parts availability are bigger then most average consumers realize. Grand Hall support is excellent and parts availability is a non-issue. Additonally, the cost of parts is downright inexpensive...something I could never say about Weber.
I recently ordered gas collector/ignitors which I plan to replace either in the Fall or for next season as the OEMs work fine but are starting to go...$2.00 per unit plus S&H! That is quite reasonable in anyones book.
I ordered 3 ignitors, a burner rail and 4 ceramic flame tamer tiles and the total cost including S&H was $41.00. Repalcement CI burners are $15/per...if I ever need them and Sam's Club stocks those as well. All parts shipped to my door in 3 days.
You can all argue the loss of American jobs to the hands of the Chinese until the cows come home...argue that while you tap on the keys of your keyboard, PC,modem, monitor, SUV parts, furniture, CD's,DVD's all of which source from Asia or some country other then the USA. For most, a hypocritical, feel good argument.
The fact is, the Asian made grills are getting better, the support is good and getting better and Weber is trying to catch up. They were late to get into the game of basic additional features like IR burners. They nickle and dime you to death and they have mastered planned obselescence.
If I have to put another $100 into my grill I'm still ahead of the game vs a Weber and I have never been a fan of the flimsy tube burners. Say what you will, they lasted me 4 years and cost over $60 to replace and that was 6 years ago.
This is an informative forum, good experience, lot's of knowledge and no shortage of agendas.
I have none but to get my experience and opinion out there to other consumers. Don't be shamed into buying a so called "American made" product. In most cases, with grills, it's a sham. Buy what makes sense to own with regard to cooking not "looking". Jot down the toll free support numbers and call before you buy to see if the support will be worthy of your cash.
Walmarts not going anywhere soon. Neither is Costco and I hope the specialty chains for BBQs continue to flourish. Competition is good."
Comments
I sure which they had SS burnners in stock.I ordered back in June and they said they would ship out in a week or two.I called a week before the 4th of July and they said they are out until the 7th.I said thanks for not allowing me to entertain at my house for the 4th.I called two weeks later and asked when they would be shipping and now they tell me they are back ordered to mid September.I again said thanks for not allowing me to use my 2 year ols BBQ the summer of 2006.WHAT A JOKE!
This article sounds like a promo piece for Grand Hall, a joke of a rip-off outfit from Texas. The ceramic flame tamers and cast iron burners are designed to fail in a season or two. The price of a set of each, with S/H has intentionally skyrocketed to over $160, which is the same cost as my old reliable Sears Kenmore gas grill that lasted 16 years with no such replacement. The inside rails also corroded through within 2 seasons. The ignitors and fuel gauge systems failed within a year. Once your warranty runs out, they really have you and squeeze you for all you’ve got. Walmart & Costco are of zero help at that point. You’re at the ripacious mercy of this seedy late-nite infomercial company. When you see “Grand Hall” run like the wind. I’m not kidding. L Pines, Lafayette, CA
Regarding the above comments by Larry..Must have gotten a lemon! I too have a Members Mark that I bought in about 2000. Granted the cast iron burners did rot in about three years. Call to Grand Hall got me a new set. I quit covering it. I am beginning to think grill covers are a racket to get parts sold. The last two grills I have kept faithfully covered and they have rotted out. After the burners in my MM failed I just quit covering it. We get a yearly average of 30+ inches of rain a year and my grill has sat out in it for now several years. The ignitor still works as does the fuel guage. The grates did crap out after about five years but I ordered a set of solid stainless last fall. The replacement burners still look like new and are cast iron. The metal grease pan is starting to rust but that is my fault as I never clean it. So I have to say for a 500.00 grill that is abused and weathered in a damp climate, it does pretty darn good and still looks nice. I would buy another one in a heart beat.
John
I have had my Members Mark Grill for over 4 years now and am not as satsified. I have replaced all 3 cast Iron burners due to them rusting out. They only come with a 2 year warranty. My tank gauge was plastic and the sun destroyed it. I have had to put in a hole new lower grill pan liner due to rust and a new drip pan. I also replace the Igniters and the igniter coil system. But my biggest disapointment was that the grill grate is not truley stainless steel it is regular steel wrapped in stainless which after 4 years it has started to come apart due to it rusting from the inside out and splitting open. (Again only a 2 year warranty) Oh and not cheap to replace they want $75 for the grill plates plus shipping. Now as far as part avalibility they are on it and do have most everything in stock in a resonable amount of time. But for what I paid for my grill I guess I expected a little better quality. I have now paid for over half a new grill this year alone.
About to purchase at Sam’s a Member’s Mark 32 LP European Style Island Grill at a very reasonable price of $499. Has 3 burners 54.000 BTU–If it last for five years I’ll be happy at that price. Any thoughts or comments?
I’ve had my Member’s Mark grill for just over four years now. I converted it to natural gas and yes, I know they say not to do that, but it’s fairly easy by following the instructions someone posted long ago on the Internet. Also, the grill never gets covered, and I use it at least four nights a week all year around. What I can say about this grill is that it just misses-out on being a great grill. On the pro side, it looks good, cooks plenty hot – especially after conversion, has a big cooking surface, and has an excellent back-burner for true rotisserie cooking. Also, you can talk to a live helpful person when you call their support line.
On the other hand, the cons of this pretty much keep it from joining the big league. Those cons are even though Grand Hall’s used an abundance of 304 stainless on this grill, they cheapened out “under the hood” with the use of enameled mild-steel where you would really want to have a good grade of stainless steel the most. Places like the drip pan (2-year life), the igniter electrode covers and flame tubes (3 year life on each), and the back burner frame (4 year life). Moreover, as stated in other reviews here, the cast-iron burners are only good for about 1-1/2 years and then they are totally plugged with rust. Also, the ceramic “flame tamers” start to break up in about a 1-1/2 years as well. Since many of these parts on my Member’s Mark grill were on their way out within the warranty period, the nice person at Grand Hall sent me six flame-tamers, three cast-iron burners, and a new drip-pan all under warranty. But now I’m on my own and I am about due for new burners and replacement of other non-stainless steel parts. This time you can bet that I will be ordering the optional replacement cast stainless-steel burners. Now if only they would make some of the other critical parts out of stainless steel; for if they would, the original Member’s Mark grill would then be a great grill.
I have had a Member’s Mark grill for 4 years using it all year around and its been great. No problems and still looks great cooking for a family of 8.
I’ve had my MM for over 7 years now in Illinois. It is always covered, but always outside, even in winter. And, yes, it gets used sometimes in winter. I paid $599 for it, but was cheesed because they released one 6 mos later w/ a SS chassis, mine is painted steel. That said, the painted chassis only has a little rust by the casters. The burners and ceramics just now rotted out after 6 years of hard use. We ordered new ones with no issues. I thought about making my own SS burners, but the cast were so cheap. The igniters are fine. The SS grates are fine. The tank gauge did quit, but that could just be the batteries. It worked a long time. I am very, very pleased with my grill. I am now buy a new one (leaving the above w/ my parents) and am trying to find one as good. I’m not sure I like the new Sams and Costco models. I surely do no want a fridge! But, boy oh boy, that $2400 4 piece island model w/ a sink looks great!!!
In closing, I love my MM grill and am hard pressed to find any others out there today that compare for the the price. I may be buying another MM grill soon.
Brad
Here I am 2 years later, defending my honest assessment of this planned-obsolescence money-machine grill by Grand Hall of Texas-China. Most of the GH defenders read sincerely, but often on these websites they’re insiders defending a product. I’ve owned the grill now for 7 years, and have had to replace the flame-tamers and expensive corroded CI burners twice as well. I’ve replaced the guage, and the ignition system as well, and neither work now. Mine, in dry CA, stays covered and clean. The outside looks great from afar, the guts are shot. If honest, the GH boosters that posted are probably new to gas grills. My first was a Sears Kenmore in 1984. It lasted 18 years, with only a rubber gas line replaced, that I myself negligently melted. It was retired working, due to size and the “glitter” of the GH at Sams Club. Mistake. Perhaps the American consumer has gotten so used to buying garbage that they expect to shell out 50% of their appliance purchase every 2 or 3 years to keep it going, but not me. Parts can easily be made of materials that are designed to be sustainable in heat and moisture conditions. Again, my $200 Kenmore lasted 18 years and was goin’ strong when it sent it to landfill. Don’t think for a minute that companies like GH don’t know how to carefully design a product that looks great on the outside, and keeps its user-base on a subscription to yearly mail order parts. (The shinny stainless shell keeps ‘em comin’ back!) Do any of you guys have a clue how many mega-millions they make selling soft ceramic bricks and cheap cast iron burners, etc., which they make in China for pennies and sell to us American suckers for literally hundreds of dollars? OK, I know I sound like a bit of a whiner here, but stop and try to imagine the math. They sell tens if not hundreds of thousands of these, and multiple times another $500 over the “life” of the product. The business model (sadly) is just like Gillette razors: give away the pretty handle, and soak ‘em for the blades. Young people esp. have gotten used to that model, but it is a complete snow job, and environmentally a disaster. Best to all. Larry, Lafayette, CA
Larry, It sounds like you are a very unhappy person. Maybe you should ditch your grill and go back to Sears.
I just bought new flame tamers (ceramic bricks) for my members mark grill. The flame tamers have holes in them, on one side the holes are larger than the other side. My question is which side goes up? The side with the larger holes or the side with the smaller holes? Why?
Ray