The Charmglow Grill Versus the Char-Broil Grill

Now that warmer weather is here, my husband and I enjoy grilling out and eating supper on our deck. Mmmmmm .... Nothing says "summer" like a nicely grilled hamburger and a cold glass of lemonade! For years, our family's Charmglow grill helped us enjoy our outdoor dining experiences but recently we began to notice our grill seemed to have seen better days.

We bought our Charmglow at a Home Depot store. We chose the brand and style because it fit our budget at the time. Over the years we really enjoyed the convenience of the side burner and the coated cast-iron grates. However, from the very beginning we had trouble regulating the temperature of our Charmglow gas grill. This meant unless we watched food carefully, it would grill unevenly. While we learned to compensate for this quirk, we wanted to avoid it in a new grill. We found our Charmglow also had a tendency to be physically unstable. We had to be careful around it, because if we bumped it too hard it would tip. When it was just the two us, this was not a major concern. However, our family has grown to include a pre-school daughter and two rambunctious dogs, so we felt our new grill needed to be sturdier to avoid potential accidents.

After deciding we needed a new grill, we began to research different brands, makes and models to be sure we got a grill which not only had the features we wanted but was in our budget as well. We were both surprised to learn many of the "name brand" grills did not do as well in research studies as "house brands" such as those carried by stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. While researching grill brands, we learned more grills are being made in China to help keep the costs of manufacturing and materials low. Also, it is interesting to note very few grills under $500 were made of stainless steel. Painted steel is much more common on grills in the $100-$499 dollar range.

After researching the competition, we went to Lowe's to check out the Char-Broil Commercial Series. Priced at $300 the Char-Broil 463268007 was a nice fit with our budget. Lowe's stores offer a line of credit as well, if you need a little extra help financing your new grill.

The Char-Broil 463268007, while being a house brand, still has many great features. It is a sturdy design which we need with our "active family". The shelf space on the sides of the grill can easily accommodate the meat we are grilling, plus have room for buns/bread, vegetables and a variety of condiments. The side burner is great for grilling smaller items or for warming food. The Char-Broil 463268007 has an excellent cooking surface and its grates are coated-cast iron which makes for even cooking and quick clean up. We also like the lifetime burner warranty which comes with the grill.

If you are in the market for a new grill, it would seem to be worth your time and effort to put some research into the different brands which are available. Today's house brands are moderately priced and often have many features found on name brand, high end grills, however, more and more reports are showing the lower price appliances are outperforming their more expensive counter parts. Also, keep your eyes open for sales - many stores will be officering grill specials for Memorial Day, Father's Day and the Fourth of July. If the grill you want isn't on sale when you see it don't be afraid to ask when it will go on sale - often sales people will tell you when the next "deal" is coming! You may be surprised how much you can save by doing a little research and asking a few questions.