any thoughts on kenmore

[Deuce]

Anyone have a kenmore gas grill and if so what do you think of it? I am looking at a 4 burner stainless steel kenmore but want some input first. My current gas grill is an 8 year old char broil that will be re-built (for the third time) and used for rotissing and as a back up for those large shin digs that sometimes happen ;)

[sharky]

The Grill I had before the Built-in was a Kenmore one.. from Sears. It lasted me a few years, and did it's job. I haven't seen the particular one your are looking at.

Do you have a price range in mind?

Some of the most important things to me are:

1) Grate size and strength. Good grates will last long.
2) Burner Plates (??). I don't know if that's what they're called, but my last grill just had the burner and no plate or cover over it (where the lava rocks go) to spread the heat out. You couldn't use the whole surface area for cooking because some areas were too hot, and others weren't hot enough.
3) Durability... Is it sturdy? Is the one in the store broken or damaged because some kids messed it up (likely story). If it can't handle the wear and tear from shoppers, it couldn't handle me pulling in and out of my garage!

[Deuce]

Command Flame® II cooking system engineered for optimum grilling performance

40,000 BTU LP gas grill with pre-assembled grill head, legs, etc

Stainless steel control panel, cabinet doors, grill handle and double-walled lid

Independent cooking zones ideal for direct or indirect cooking

4 cast-iron burners, easy start electronic ignition and premium temperature gauge

Porcelain coated steel M-shape flame tamers reduce flare ups

Reversible porcelain cast-iron cooking grids offer easy cleanup

12,000 BTU side burner with a stainless steel lid

Pull-out tank tray for easy access

[SeanB]

Keep in mind that Sears has most of their stuff made by another manufacture. For example Whirlpool makes most of their appliances. Find out who makes the grill, that should help determine the quality.

It might be made by Grand Hall (http://www.grandhall.com/), who also makes the grills for Sams Club, and the have had a recall very recently... http://www.grandhall.com/tempgauge.htm

[sharky]

That's VERY interesting SeanB! Good catch! I was unaware of that! I learn something new every day!

I found out yesterday that My grill, a Dynasty, was made by Maytag! That was good news to me, as Maytag has always been great for me!

[Deuce]

Thanks for the headsup SeanB. Now I'll have to figure out who makes it. As for the recall - I have broken every temp gauge on every grill I have ever owned. :)

[SeanB]

As for the recall - I have broken every temp gauge on every grill I have ever owned. :)


LOL, I didn't actually read the recall...when I googled that is what I got so I just passed it on. ;)

[sharky]

Deuce -

Have you decided what to go with?

[Deuce]

It takes me forever to pull the trigger on something. Just last friday I bought a motorcycle and I have been thinking about that for ten years. :)
I think I will buy the kenmore (if I don't get it for fathers day) as it is a good price and from what I hear a very good grill. I have spoken to 5 owners and all speak very highly of it.

[TOMP]

What does the paper clip mean in the ratings column?

[sharky]

It means that someone has attached an image to a post in this thread

[Rollo T]

It takes me forever to pull the trigger on something. Just last friday I bought a motorcycle and I have been thinking about that for ten years. :)
I think I will buy the kenmore (if I don't get it for fathers day) as it is a good price and from what I hear a very good grill. I have spoken to 5 owners and all speak very highly of it.


Deuce,

I would tell you I have had a Kenmore Elite 16860 (6 burner) for 3.5 years and it is INCREDIBLE. I have purchased (for others) and cooked on 5 Weber Genesis grills of various models. Sears backs its products to the max and the results on the rotissiere, regular grates, and indirect heat or smoking always comes out first rate. I would recommend Kenmore over any grill I have EVER cooked on and it is very durable. You cannot go wrong. They are a bit pricey, but worth it. Make sure you purchase the repair agreement when warranty is up. I liked the Elite so much, I bought a second one. If you can find last years model 4 burner anywhere, you can get it for $999 at Sears. Hope this helps.

[Deuce]

Thanks Rollo T. Now I have to decide whether to wait for father's day or just go out and buy it.

[SeanB]

Buy it now as your "Father's Day" gift and with any luck when Father's Day rolls around you will get something else also... ;)

[Deuce]

You might be on to something SeanB, if I buy it now then maybe I can get the rotisserie for the weber for father's day. Sweet. :)

[sharky]

Rollo T - Welcome to the board!

Deuce, You'll make that decision and I'm sure you will be happy with it.

Pick your budget and go with the best you can afford!

:-)

[Rollo T]

Thanks Rollo T. Now I have to decide whether to wait for father's day or just go out and buy it.


Deuce, I know there is a last years model at the Sears store in South Hills Village, Bethel Park, PA. It is a 4 burner model Elite with an infrared burner. It is in the store for $999 and you may get them to ship to you for free. It is the only one I have seen. This years model is $500 more......

[sharky]

wow. good deal!

[Unregistered]

Just purchased a Kenmore and the thing is huge. It seems to be very well constructed and have been using it now for about three weeks. No problems. Mine is a natural gas one and not propane. 60,000 btu and 6 burners with a side burner and a back burner. I think for the money it was a good buy.
My son wants to do a half a pig and I think it will do it. John

[Rollo T]

Any updates, Kenmore fans? Haven't seen any feedback on this topic for awhile.....

[Deuce]

Well, my money went towards purchasing our future home site and we are now looking to buy a baby q to get us through construction. Now I have to design my bbq zone at the new place.

[Dano]

Mine comes out of the box on Monday and I will surely have something on it by Tuesday. I will keep you posted. It is the model 16691, 6 burner with the island kit. I guess its made out of the 304 stainless, so that is a plus.

[Rollo T]

Nice buy.....

Did you get one or both island sides? Sounds like you will have a nice setup.
Enjoy.

[Dano]

I bought both Islands in the rustic tan set up. Sears was supposed to come out and install, but I just gave up and did it myself. They delivered the unit two months ago but could not install it then, as our back patio was not poured. (Concrete) The install guys said just call the 800 number and we will come back out to finish the install when done. Yeah.....right! So i decided to give up after several phone calls. Even though the barbecue weighs 400 + pounds, it is on strong castors. Wheeling it back there was real easy. The islands weigh 300 pounds a piece and do not have castors. The only good thing is that the stainless cabinets can be moved with a dolly. The granite counter tops are a different story as each one has to weigh close to 100 pounds plus, and I don't want to move those on end and fear cracking them. We been getting a lot of rain in San Diego, so my progress has been slow. I just need about another hour and the assembly should be done.

[Dano]

I finally broke in the new grill with a couple of Porterhouse Steaks. The grill heats up fast. I wanted to burn off the oils that were left on the grill. With in 10 minutes the thermometer on the grill shot up to 550 and was still climbing. I decided to lift the lid and turn down the temps so I didn't burn up the grill.

A couple of flare ups occured but they never hit the meat. Infact these steaks were evenly cooked and did not suffer the dry ends that sometimes occured with my older grill. Since I like my steaks meduim well, I decided to sear them with high temps and then cook them on low heat for approximately 20 minutes. I only had three burners on.

Some cool stuff about the grill is the battery operated propane take gauage that tells you how much propane is left by the weight of the tank, and the battery operated ignition switches that instantly and I mean instantly ignite the burners. I left the grill on to burn off the steak residue.

How often do you clean your grills so they are spotless again?

Dan - in East San Diego

[Rollo T]

Dano,

Nice!! Sorry to hear about getting your service guy out.....I bought this stuff online called Flitz. You can get it at www.flitz.com. It is a SS Cleaner and seems to work well. I also found this stuff called Awesome Orange that works GREAT!!! I am almost out and do not remember where I bought it. About twice a summer I Shop Vac the inside of the grill and clean out the drip tray and probably once a month, I try to polish up the steel. I have two of these and the first generation does not have a double-walled lid, but cooks incredibly. It does tend to brown when real hot but I am always able to get it off and it IS 304 Stainless. Tip: If cooking on rotisserie and using the regular burners, I usually put the outside two on MEDIUM the second set of two on LOW and leave the middle two off altogether. I use the Cast Iron roaster underneath and cook 8 pound strip roasts in about 2.5 hours. I also put a smoker box on the outside burner and it works wonderful.

Enjoy. Post a pic once it is all set up and finished.

Rollo T. :cool:

[kennyf]

looking for feed back on the kenmore elite grills. just bought the 6 burner like don's and want some info???
looks great and my price was great.
thanks

[kennyf]

sorry i meant don not dan....

[Rollo T]

How do you like it so far? Check out my posts in Product Reviews. Big fan of the Elites.

Does anyone know where I can get a discontinued SS Kenmore Smoker Box. It used to be item number 15800 and fit in where the grate sat and is far superior to the built-in boxes. Makes it like the Vikings or the Weber Summit Series..........

[snapshotmd]

I just saw the Kenmores tonite and I really like the SS 882 sq.in. 60K BTU unit. I was really impressed to say the least. For less than $1000 I could get decent grill and probably 15 years of protection if Sears would let me. In my mind, that's better than a comparable Weber at a little more than half the cost. I'm wondering if that "quality" that I saw was real? It's built with 304 stainless and most of it seems to be riveted. The Elite series is too much grill for me. Actually, I'm scared it would put a hole in my deck; the lightest one is over 300#. :D

How satisfied are you with your Kenmore?

snaps

[Dano]

I am impressed with the quality so far, but It has only been a month. I did buy the extended warranty for three years, so I figure I ought to cook the hell of it for the first few years to get my warranty value......just joking. The only weak link seems to be the cast burners, which I figure will cost me around $200-$300. I hope I can get at least 6-7 years out of the burners....everything else should be fine as it is 304 stainless.

Dan - East San Diego

[Rollo T]

Dano,

Here is a tip. When you have your service guy out for a call (even call for Preventative Maintenance), have him take a look at some things and ask him to order you new burners about once every 1.5 - 2 years. They will be covered under warranty. My guy ordered them for me along with a new side burner. Also, the cost on them from Sears is less than $15/each. Up until a year ago, you could get them for $10/each. Not a big investment. Work the system. I had the ignitor go bad in mine and when they could not get a new one in a reasonable amount of time, they replaced the grill. We are talking a 6 burner Elite (now I have two). :cool:

[snapshotmd]

Rollo,
Don't take this the wrong way, but what are you doing with more than one grill? Do you have a main grill and use the others as spares? Or do you just enjoy collecting them and using them every now and then?

Just wondering.

snaps

[Rollo T]

No offense taken. Interestingly enough, one of my best friends asks me that same question almost daily. Well, to tell you the truth, I have not done anything with two yet......I just had a patio poured (concrete) outside my basement, so I am going to put one grill down there. We just finished the basement so I plan on entertaining a good bit. The new grill will go on my upstairs deck and will be the main grill I use all the time. I have got all the attachments, rubs, utensils, outdoor kitchen, etc. to basically live around it. I spend way too much time on this subject. I wonder if they have Grillers Anonymous?


Rollo T. :cool: