Kitchen & Housewares : Cast Iron Hibachi BBQ Grill

Rating: - Excellent for Condo Decks
I'm a Condo owner with a small deck, so in order for me to keep it from feeling cluttered with a big grill, I decided to try out the Hibachi grill. I'm happy to say,it works just as well as a big grill, yes its a smaller surface, but it's great for dinner for 2-3 people. It's also easy to clean and store. I give this a 5 star rating....

Thank you,
Chef Deano
New Orleans, LA

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Rating: - A throw-back to my Youth!
A throw back to my youth! I've been grilling on a Weber gas grill for 10-years now (love Weber products!) however, I do miss the charcoal fragrance and taste. I purchase the Hibachi to provide me the occasional charcoal aroma to my foods. More than likely I will you this grill once a month vs. every weekend for the Weber. This BBQ set is quite simple to assemble.

Pluses:
- Ease of assembly.
- Portable
- Same quality as the Hibachi of the 1970's
- The side gratings are `flared' upwards to prevent you foots from falling to the side (an enhancement from the 70's)

Minus:
- Parts diagram for the screws are a bit off. Two types of screws are provided, however instructions only display one-type. A bit confusing and I had to disassemble and re-assemble to fit the correct screw on the correct placement.
- Similar to the 1970's models, the wooden handles are a bit `chinsey' and fragile. I look forward to changing them out w/ old broom-stick handles (w/in a year or so) like I use to do.

Advice:
- I recommend covering the hibachi after use and prevent additional expose to the elements. It is made of cast iron and rusts quite rapidly if left outside. I store my hibachi inside my Weber gas grill (fits perfectly).

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Rating: - Grill cracked but ShoppersChoice stood behind product.
I ordered this grill from ShoppersChoice and got it in 4 days. On the second day I used it the grill cracked in half while I was grilling? What can you say it is made in China from probably low quality cast iron. I was using lump hardwood charcoal which burns hotter then briquets and that probably cracked the grill. ShoppersChoice though sent me a new replacement part the day after I sent them an email and appologized for the grill cracking.
The grill is ok for what it is and it fun to cook on but I would definitly do business with ShoppersChoice again.

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Rating: - Pretty much what you would expect
Out of the box the casting was rougher than what I remember of my first hibachi many moons ago.

You have to assemble the product yourself which is a no-brainer. All of the parts and fasteners were there and there's not much to it.

One of the legs was shorter, or the the bottom of the hibachi is not quite level so the grill tends to rock a little bit.

Once assembled the grill works as it should, like a dream. Its just the right size for a small and quick grilling. I can burn three medium sized steaks with a little room to spare.

Well worth the price.

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Rating: - eh, it's okay
Where to start? I had to redrill the holes on the upright brackets that hold the grills in place. The brackets lean away from the unit so that when you insert the grills, they slant upwards at the handle end and are not level. The handles would have been part ways over the coals. The original holes were not even close!! The new holes that I drilled did not even touch the existing ones. I also had to add about 1/4" worth of washers on the bolts for the uprights to make them stand up vertically (pushing the bottoms out and the tops inwards). I had to file some iron off of the grates in order for the handles to fit properly. So, if you own a small machine shop and/or aren't afraid to use a little elbow grease it's just about perfect. Another piece of junk from China. I looked all over for a similar product but could not find one. After all is said and done, it did perform the job that I bought it for. $25 can I really complain?