About.com Rating
The Bottom Line
A quick look and you'd think this wasn't a bad gas grill. The heat output is good for the size and the unit looks well built for the size. Dig deeper and you'll find the cheapest burners on the market. Until now I didn't know stainless steel came in foil. The stamped steel cooking grates hold virtually no heat and the overall construction is bad. The pop rivets and screws that hold this grill together quickly rust.
Fortunately, the plastic parts will at least last. Nothing else will.
Manufacturer's Site
Pros
- Strong BTU output for the size
- Built in light
Cons
- Horribly cheap burners
- Single igniter for three burners
- Cheap construction with a poorly designed cart
- Lightweight stamped steel cooking grates
- Large amount of plastic
Description
- Three 12,000 BTU low weight stainless steel burners
- 360 square inches of primary cooking space for a total cooking area of 505 square inches
- 36,000 BTU total heat output from the main burners
- Lightweight porcelain coated stamped steel cooking grates
- Single electronic igniter
- Aluminum and steel body. Powder coated.
- Grilling light built into the plastic handle unit
- Hood mounted temperature gauge
- Made in China by Char-Broil
Guide Review - Char-Broil Performance Series 360 Gas Grill
This grill has been discontinued.
Char-Broil has mastered the secret of false impressions. This grill has a nearly perfect heat output of 36,000 BTUs for its 360 square inches of primary cooking space. The three burner unit has large side tables and a solid looking design for the price.
The porcelain coated, stamped steel cooking grates look good, until you lift them up to find out how lightweight they are. The porcelain coating is thin and the flexibility of the cooking grates means that everyday use will cause the porcelain to crack leaving the steel exposed to rusting. Under the cooking grates and weak vaporization barrier you'll find the cheapest burners on the market. These stainless steel burners are not only low quality stainless steel, but so thin and lightweight that I could dent one with my thumb. These burners will not last.
This unit comes with no features other than a plastic light built into the plastic handle. This battery operated light will help you see in the dark, but isn't really bright enough for the night time grilling Char-Broil promises. This is more of a gadget than a feature. Many of the components on this grill are plastic, which will probably outlast the burners and the cooking grates.
This is a grill that will get a lot of distribution and will sell well. Unfortunately, it won't last long and at this price there's no point trying to repair it. This is another Char-Broil for next year's garbage dump.
Manufacturer's Site