Avoid Buying This Flat-Top Grill With The Lowest Rating On Consumer Reports

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When buying a new grill, you can't rely solely on price and aesthetics. In order to choose the best grill for your BBQ needs, you should also consider its features, brand reliability, fuel type, performance ratings, and customer reviews. To help consumers make smart decisions about how they spend their money, Consumer Reports creates unbiased product rankings based on the results of owner surveys and its own expert lab tests. In its ranking of 10 popular flat-top grill models, the Char-Broil four-burner flat-top propane gas grill ended up firmly at the bottom.

This flat-top gas grill (model number 18952074) earned the lowest ratings from consumers for reliability and satisfaction. Reliability is determined by owner reports of problems over a five year period, and adjusted to take brand warranties, service contracts, and usage into account. Satisfaction is measured by whether owners would recommend this particular grill to friends and family. A low score in both areas indicates that customers had issues with this grill, were not happy with the support or resolution offered by the company, and would not purchase from this brand again or recommend it to others.

This Char-Broil grill model also got middling scores in Consumer Reports' lab tests. Experts found that the grill took longer to preheat than other models, didn't have a very wide temperature range, and wasn't particularly convenient to use. The only area in which it ranked well was consistency of temperature and performance. The grill, which was sold by Lowe's, is no longer available on the retailer's website. However, it is available via other third-party sellers such as DK Hardware for around $600.

Consumer Reports has created ratings of gas, portable, pellet, charcoal, Kamado, and flat-top grills, and comparing each one's overall score will make it easier to get the best bang for your buck. The highest rated flat-top grill based on performance is the LoCo 36-inch propane grill (model number 2023050166).

Consumer Reports gave this LoCo grill the highest rating possible for performance and temperature range in its lab tests, though it only got middling scores for preheating speed and convenience. However, it should be noted that no reliability or satisfaction reports were collected from owners. The three-burner LoCo Series II flat-top grill is available at Home Depot for $741.57. It features SmartTemp technology that makes it easy to set and maintain accurate temperature throughout cooking, and its griddle can operate at three different temperatures across its burners. The cooktop is a spacious 740 square inches and the grill has two folding side trays and a trash bag holder.

The best griddle for outdoor cooking according to reviews collected from Consumer Reports is the Blackstone 28" propane gas grill (model number 1517). Owners gave it a near-perfect score for reliability and an extremely high score for satisfaction. This model features a 524 square inch cooking surface with two burners, a side shelf, and an oversized rear grease trap. You can purchase the Blackstone Flat Top Gas Grill on Amazon for $249.99, where it has a 4.7-star rating. And if you're looking to spend a little less, we've rounded up the best grills under $100 in 2026, according to reviews.