When buying gas grills there are quite a bit of things to consider. One of them is the quality of materials in particular stainless steel grades. The thing about stainless steel grades is that it is not the same with all grills and it certainly isn’t the same with all the different brands out there. This is why you must factor this into consideration before purchasing a gas grill. Manufacturers can be deceiving. They will only tell you that the grill is made of good quality stainless steel. In reality, not all parts of a grill are made with the same grade.
An example of a good quality grill with top notch stainless steel quality and materials can be found here:
>>> Weber Summit S-470 Propane Gas Grill
A quick tip to remember is that if your grill is made entirely of stainless steel but is still cheap for the materials, then you have reason to suspect that it is either
- The manufacturer uses low quality grade steel OR
- Not all parts of the grill use good quality grade steel.
Grills that are made of good stainless steel grade are expensive and they have a really professional finish to it. But looks can be deceiving as well. So let me tell you a few things to look into about stainless steel.
Stainless Steel Thickness
There are some brands that have huge grills but are surprisingly light. This should ring alarm bells in your head. Generally speaking, if a gas grill is made of good quality steel, it will be heavy. There’s a lot that can influence the weight and one of them is stainless steel thickness. All you got to do is press on a grill firmly with your finger. If it gives under pressure, then it is not a good quality grill. You should get a gas grill that won’t budge when you press on it or apply some pressure. Manufacturers try to save costs by using thinner metal sheets so beware.
Stainless Steel Finishing
Good quality gas grills have a smooth finish when you brush over a stainless steel surface. It is good to have a feel on this to have an idea if the gas grill you are looking at have shoddy workmanship or takes great care in ensuring that all surfaces are smooth. This might not mean a great deal to you in the beginning but over time, humidity, heat and the weather can result in rusting at areas where you have these imperfections.
Stainless Steel Grade
You also need to know that there are a variety of stainless steel grades used for gas grills. Anything that is in the the 400 series stainless steel grade is considered mediocre to poor in quality compared to stainless steel with the 300 grading to it. Another good way to tell if it is either 400 or 300 is to place a magnet on it. Magnet is attracted to poorer quality steel (400). Non-magnetic stainless steel is typically of the 300 series grade. If you are unsure what quality it is, ask before committing to a gas grill. As mentioned before, some grills have different grades of stainless steel used to make them so be careful of this as well. 304 is one of the most commonly used stainless steel grade today.
Having said that, you don’t necessary have to purchase a stainless steel gas grill although having one certainly looks shiny and professional from far. There are other substitutes like cast aluminum and porcelain enameled steel you can also consider which is found in the Weber Summit Series (see above)
Otherwise you could also consider brands like BroilKing.
I hope this article explains a little bit about stainless steel grade to help you make a better decision in buying a gas grill.
1 comment
Napoleon Grills Ultra Chef 405 Series Gas Grill Review | Gas Grill Reviews says:
Oct 18, 2011
[...] ultra chef series comes with 3 stainless steel burners that run from front to back to give you even heating as well as the ability to cook directly and [...]