(3.8 / 5)This grill by Smoke Hollow for the budget ranged customer does not bring anything revolutionary unless you count the ability to cook a good meal at an incredibly affordable price. You can find this grill for around $131 making it reasonable for just about any wallet.
However, when you are paying so little the most important question becomes am I paying for a piece of junk? The answer here is no once you get it up and running this grill has four stainless steel burners in its all black design.
It not only looks good for a cheap grill but cooks pretty well too with an additional side burner. The overall power is not anything impressive, but it still hangs with many of the other budget range grills without missing a beat. Two wheels give this grill a bit of mobility though they cater towards heavy duty over smooth rolling and locking mechanisms. By the way, why not look at these grills too? – Dyna-Glo DGB390SNP-D and brutal Blackstone 28.
Despite the price, this grill does not make you look like a beggar. That hints at a pretty decent choice.
Main Characteristics
Every grill no matter how much it costs starts from the burners and this one is no different. Here we have a primary cooking surface with four stainless steel burners. Each stainless steel burner puts out 7,500 BTU’s of cooking power which is definitely on the low side, though it should be sufficient for cooking most meals thanks to the quality materials used to make sure the burners cut it.
This grill also has the unexpected side burner on the left shelf that kicks out 10,000 BTU’s making it stronger than the primary burners. Over 30,000 BTU’s of power in such an affordable grill is nothing to laugh at considering much higher priced grills top out at 30,000 on the dot.
We have a pretty good cooking area of 539 square inches making this grill adequate for cooking meals for the average sized family. Still, good burners and a nice cooking space do not mean much, if you don’t have good grates to cook on.
Here we have porcelain coated cast iron grids that bring durability along with decent cleanability. You would find these types of grates and burners in a grill that could cost over a grand, so it is nice to see a bargain priced grill that still brings some quality.
Pro’s
- Four burners and the side burner give you a really nice cooking area for such an affordable grill
- Cooks well and is relatively easy to clean with higher quality materials than you would expect to find
- All black design looks great for a grill that does its best to out perform its price tag
Con’s
- Even though you have so many burners the power they produce is lacking, the fact that the side burner is a step ahead of the primary ones is a bit worrying
- Off brand means that if you get any faulty parts it might be a hassle to get replacements
- Nothing unique about this grill other than the low price means if you don’t like how it cooks, it still is not worth even that much.
Design
Other than being able to cook a good meal the highlight of this grill is how great it looks with its all black design. The barrel style grill housing makes a nice departure from the regular lid and flat bottom design.
Doing its best to cover up for the lack of cabinet space we have a black control panel with chrome and red control knobs for each burner for a bit of color to stand out on this black grill made of painted steel. We do have a base under the panel but it is only for storing a propane tank, so this is not the grill for you if you are looking for multiple storage options.
At the bottom, one side has a flattened off support while the other features a couple of heavy duty wheels. These give you a bit of mobility, but they do not have a locking mechanism, so griller beware on uneven surfaces.
All black with a bit of chrome and a dash of color this grill looks pretty good and hide how much you paid for it pretty well behind a nice exterior.
Special Features
It definitely would be cool if you could find such an affordable grill loaded with special features but instead the affordability goes all in on making sure that it can cook. We do have a few things to make the job a bit easier though.
First, off the electronic gas ignition system gives you the same speedy light up that is comparable to propane gas grills that cost a lot more. We also have a built in thermometer for monitoring temperature though it does not reach too far into the grill.
That about does it for the unique features, let me remind you that this grill only costs about $130.
Warranty
You don’t get a low price without also getting a short warranty so make sure you take good care of this grill. For the stainless steel burners, we only have a one year warranty. Then when you go to the rest of the grill, we remain the same at a one year warranty. It shouldn’t be too much of an issue though unless you get faulty parts in your shipping.
Smoke Hollow LS2418-4
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Summary
The classic mantra is you get what you pay for, but Smoke Hollow manages to move a step out of that realm. With a grill around $130, you might expect a piece of junk, but this grill cooks pretty well and looks pretty nice. Nonetheless, if you can spend a little bit more money, have a look at the best grills on main page.
You don't get a cabinet or multiple wheels, but it handles its job description surprisingly well. As long as you don't get unlucky with shipping like bent parts or broken regulators, then you should be pretty happy with the overall value.
The number of burners is good, and the power is sufficient, so it is not a bad purchase if you are on a tight budget.