The Bottom Line
Pros
- Good heat output
- Large, inexpensive grill
- Hood mounted and individual burner temperature gauges
Cons
- Low quality materials, including burners
- Lightweight materials
- Stainless steel body parts will discolor and rust
Description
- Four 12,500 BTU stainless steel tubular burners
- 500 square inches of primary cooking area for a total of 680 square inches of grilling space
- 50,000 BTU maximum output from the main burners
- 13,000 BTU standard side burner under a flush mounted cover
- Porcelain coated cast iron cooking grates
- Hood mounted thermometer
- 430 stainless steel and powder coated steel construction throughout the grill
- Electric (AA-battery) ignition
- Propane tank and cover sold separately
- Made in China by Char-Broil exclusively for Lowe's Home Improvement
Guide Review - Char-Broil Commercial Series 500 Model #463247009
This grill offers 50,000 BTUs under a primary grilling area of 500 square inches. A good heat output for any grill. This unit should heat up quickly and cook at high temperatures. Add to that a powerful side burner under a flush mounted cover and you have a good looking grill, at least on paper.The body is made largely from powder coated steel with come 430 series stainless steel. This is a low grade of stainless and is prone to rusting and discoloration quickly. The cooking grates are a moderate weight of porcelain coated cast iron, but the rest of the internal components are lightweight and low grade. This is particularly a problem with the burners. Like most all Char-Broil grills, the burners are the weakest link. While these burners have a "limited lifetime" warranty, that warranty doesn't cover rust.
Thin, low grade stainless steel, these burners will quickly suffer from rust and burn through limiting the lifespan of you grill. Each of these four burners sells for around $13USD meaning you could pay $52USD to replace them all. That is 1/6 the total price of the grill. Chances are if you need to replace the burners, there are other parts that will also need replacement. Fortunately these burners have a lifetime limited warranty (everything else is 1 or 2 years). Fill out the warranty card, keep your paperwork, and remember that you should be able to get these burners replaced.
The painted body parts will retain their appearance longer than the low grade stainless steel. Of course once this powder coating gets scratched the metal underneath will rust.
