(4.1 / 5)
If you are not familiar with Coleman they are a company that is focused on providing tools for anybody who likes to live the outdoor lifestyle so it is not too surprising to see them do well with an outdoor portable grill. This grill is great for camping or tailgating and offers some interesting capabilities for a portable grill at a relatively low price sitting right around the low hundred dollar range. The highlight here is the attention to portability with a grill that has a built in stand that allows you to collapse it down to wheel it around like a suitcase and easily slide it into place for use. The inclusion of a stand is a nice addition for this grill since many grills around this range require you to use a raised surface in order to cook at a reasonable height.
Coleman did a great job in providing high quality materials for the main parts of this grill such as the burners and the grates so most customers should be pleased. Compared to some of the hardware issues that can come with portable grills this one is relatively light as everything works well together except maybe the wheels that might pop off if you are not careful. This is still a relatively easy fix though so you can not complain too much. Here we have a cooking surface that sits on the high end for portable grills allowing you to cook meals for two to four people without too much stress about space. Coleman has done a pretty commendable job at providing a grill at a great price that still has the durability and power to make you quite pleased with your purchase.
Main Characteristics
The core of this grill is definitely the most impressive part as the choices made for the price point provide some great value even if some of the surrounding pieces have issues. The first thing we have to mention is the spectacular burner power that runs circles around most of the similarly priced competition. Here we have a 11,000 BTU stainless steel burner which is amazing considering that 8,000 is around the baseline for a portable grill. This is one portable grill where it does not feel too bad cooking with the lid open though like other lid closed will probably be your preferred method.
For the grate Coleman chose to use a porcelain enameled cast iron cooking surface which is not quite as great as stainless steel, but still does wonders in non stick capabilities when compared to a grate without porcelain enameling. We have an expansive 225 square inch cooking surface which puts it on the higher end for portable grills allowing you to cook a good meal for a small family even. This grill can serve well for four people which is a rarity for portable grills as long as you are creative with your placement. The main grill setup provides a really nice combination that makes this grill standout when it comes to cooking in poor weather though you still should not expect any miracles, just a nice step above the average.
Pros
- Great price for a standup portable grill
- Nice large surface puts it in the top tier for portable grilling space
- Powerful burner gives you the ability to cook a variety of meals to your preference
Cons
- Requires a wrench to put together and there is no tool provided
- Wheels work well but are liable to pop off if you bump it into something
- Very poor assembly instructions make the picture on the box better for assembly, not for the user who lacks mechanical skill
Design
The design of this grill gets a bit of a lukewarm reception because some aspects of this grill are great while others leave a bit to be desired. So, that’s not the best gas grill, which you can get for 1-2-4k dollars. Anyway here we have a grill with a built in stand that collapses for easy mobility. This sounds great until you start moving it around and realize that the wheels can come off quite easily if you are not careful. You might want to use some type of adhesive to make sure that the wheels stay on so that is a relatively easy fix.
The red and black color choice is nice but overall pretty average when compared to the style you can find in other portable grills. While the primary materials are strong the metalworking is not great and you can find sturdier grills without too much effort. The highlight here is definitely the collapsibility that allows you to move it easily though thanks to the stand it still is not necessarily the best when it comes to storing it for travel. So there are a few issues that will only become apparent upon use. It is relatively easy to put together though if you are intuitive and have a wrench on hand even though the assembly instructions are a bit of a nightmare.
Special Features
We do have an ok list of special features outside of the collapsibility that this model provides. As is the usual we have a push to start fast ignition which is relatively reliable. Continuing with the theme we have a removable grease trap that is large enough that it won’t fill as quickly as some of the competition while also being easy to remove. Finally the last addition which is a bit puzzling and probably won’t be of much use to most people is the match holder extension on a chain.
Image Credit: Amazon.com
Coleman Sportster Grill
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Summary
This is an interesting grill because if you are handy and become aware to the issues then you can circumvent them relatively easily and you end up with a great portable grill. On the other hand if you are the type who wants something to just be easy to put together and solid from there on out without too much attention then this probably is not the grill for you (you can look at other best portable grills or best gas grill under $500). The burner is really impressive and on its own separates this grill from most of the competition. It will really come down to whether the strong aspects are enough for you to put in the work to make this grill really shine.