WE RATE BBQs & HOT TUBs (Our Opinion)

ALFRESCO: This is our number ONE repair brand in the desert, along with Vintage and Lynx. Ignitors fail all the time, you cannot use this grill in the slightest wind, and they produce all of their accessories in China (yet we hear they still have the "USA Made" label on them. ). They also recently went to China to build some of their grills, but in the end, were caught and denied to pay for them. They do NOT honor warranty's (we've had to sue them twice to enforce their warranty's for customers - we won each time - it's public record), and last but not least, you are paying BIG DOLLARS for a stainless-steel burner grill. Everybody knows that at the commercial level, cast-burners get hotter... DO NOT BUY AN ALFRESCO
AMERICAN OUTDOOR GRILL: This is a low-cost, high-quality, American made product that absolutely works perfectly. It's made by FireMagic, and because their costs are fixed, they can make this inexpensive grill for a very low price. This grill doesn't break, it is used by all the Pool and Landscape contractors, and it's a great value for anyone who does a little-to-medium amounts of grilling. Nothing else to add; a great grill at a great price. BUY AN AMERICAN OUTDOOR GRILL
BEACHCOMER: These spas are from Canada, and the reviews on these spas seems to be good. They are a quality company in Canada and feature a long list of useful innovations. Unfortunately, being Canadian-made represents a large shipping/delivery cost, and getting parts may be a hassle. Otherwise, we cannot say anything else about this brand.
BIG GREEN EGG: This smoker has a MAJOR following of people who absolutely love it. There is also no dispute that it cooks well.... IF you learn how to use it. It's extremely heavy, has a very poor quality hinge system and stand/rolling cart, uses dangerous charcoal (bad for your health), and can crack easily. And spending $1,100 or more on a big piece of ceramic pottery is just foolish - we recommend a gas grill with a smoker insert - you'll be happier and it will be more versatile to use.
BROIL KING: This is a Canadian-manufactured grill that is a very inexpensive way to enter the residential grill segment. They cook well, use a new hybrid stainless-steel burner system (it equalizes the pressure from the burners - very nice idea, actually), and have a nice look to them. They are listed as a BEST BUY. The upper-end lines get pricey for what you get, and we'd stay away from the side-burner options... very ineffective. But the Broil King line is a great grill for everyday use, and it's not that expensive. Plus, our competitors get the USA-version, but we import the genuine Canadian-made version. Potent!! BUY A BROIL KING
BULL: We would rather you buy a Bic lighter and some aluminum foil than purchase this 'grill'. This is low-cost junk. DON'T BUY A BULL BBQ (Update: We had a customer in Colorado chime in and told us that he uses a BULL bbq with no problems - says he loves it and has had no issues. Okay, we'll buy that... so if you live in Colorado, without the high-temps as we have here in our Desert area, then you may want to look at buying a BULL. We, of course, recommend against it - Chinese is still Chinese, anyway you slice it.)
CAL FLAME: This is probably the worst grill we've ever heard about, next to an Alfresco brand bbq... We used to carry it, and then we quickly got rid of it. It sold well because they put lights in the hood and showed people pictures of the grill lit at night. (We're suckers for pictures...) But when it came down to using the grill, it did not perform well over time. This grill line, and the JennAir and Bull grill lines, are terrible products and the only reason someone would buy one would be because they did not do any research on what they were buying. Listen, don't be hooked because of low price - low price normally means low quality. The factory representative recently came into our store to tell us how wonderful these grills are, and he kept on saying, "We're right here in Southern California." And I said, "But your grills are made in China and always break!" To wit, he countered, "But they are very low in price and there's a huge profit you can make by selling these grills!" No thank you... our customers are worth more than a few bucks. DO NOT BUY A CAL FLAME BBQ
CAL SPAS: Okay, we won't even go there. Trust us: this is the spa brand to stay away from. They typically sell at Swap Meets and County Fairs, and if you really want to waste your money, buy one of these bad-boys... they are horrible, like their grill line, and you will always remember what we told you.... it will haunt you! :) (They market the Cal Flame Grill, so....) STAY AWAY FROM CAL FLAME AND CAL SPAS
CAPITAL: We don't have enough information on this grill manufacturer to give any opinion on it. We do know, however, that this company uses the residential-quality stainless steel burners in their grill, unlike Lynx, Emerald or FireMagic, which use the real commercial-quality cast H- or U-shaped burners.
CHARBROIL: A Home Depot / Lowe's grill - made in China, built cheaply and made to stay that way. DO NOT BUY A CHARBROIL BBQ
CHARMGLO: A Home Depot / Lowe's grill - made in China, built cheaply and made to stay that way. DO NOT BUY A CHARBROIL BBQ
DCS: This was the very first outdoor grill to offer stainless steel as an option. They basically created the outdoor kitchen market, and rested heavily on their earlier design until early 2003, when they introduced a newer design that still used their dated internals. They were eventually purchased by Fischer-Paykel and made the move to China to manufacture their products (Read: wrong choice). Apparently, they have made another bad choice recently and went to Mexico... do yourself a favor and buy something else. This grill may LOOK good, but you are not cooking on looks... :) Their corporate offices and manufacturing plant (of what they make here) is in Huntington Beach, but the parts are all made in China and Mexico, and the quality is indicative of their choice. Our competitor sells this grill because they like the service work it provides for them in the future, so basically, they are counting on you needing service and paying them for it. How nice of them... DO NOT BUY A DCS BBQ
DIMENSION ONE: These spas are wonderful. We do not carry this brand, but we hear from fellow dealers that these spas are truly exceptional units. The only problem for our area would be warranty and servicing, but make no mistake; if you can get one, you will have a very nice product we hear.
DELTA HEAT: Twin Eagles, unfortunately, buys this grill overseas, takes it out of it's factory box, swaps nameplates, and then re-boxes this grill under their name "Delta Heat". Make no mistake - it's Chinese fodder, it's a poor long-term performer, and you'd be better to buy a box of matches and some aluminum foil... STAY AWAY FROM JUNK PRODUCTS THAT COST YOU MONEY!!
ERGOSPAS: A great line that we once sold, made by Southwest Spas, and they proved to be very good products with little warranty issues. They moved to Kansas and started being made there, but because of delivery delays, we decided not to stay with this brand. Southwest and ErgoSpas, however, are good products and relatively inexpensive. They have NO warranty that pays for labor (which is a bummer), and while inexpensive, they are not a bad product!!
FIREMAGIC: What can we say but this: Great bbq, bulletproof, a major following, and now; they have the new cast commercial burner systems!! A truly wonderful grill line. We hate the computer on the front of the grill, but besides that... you won't be unhappy with this grill at all. The price, however, is high, but then again, the engineering is truly wonderful. This is a life-long product that simply will cook until you die (or sell the house, whichever comes first), so... they are built like the Emerald/Jade product; like a tank!! BUY A FIREMAGIC BBQ
HOT SPRING: This spa line we had for almost two years and recently, they began to fail on newer customers. The top-side controls are terrible and our customers have difficulty operating them. Also, the moto-massage units are strictly marketing - in other words, if you sit in front of a moto-massage unit, you will ask yourself, "Why the hell did I buy this tub?" Just today (July, 2011), an Indio customer came in - his new spa broke, electrical not working, new jets are disintegrating already... we loved Hot Spring but fear that their size may be their downfall - we recommend the tried-and-true brand, Sundance - they simply don't fail like the Hot Spring product is lately. We will keep you updated as to if Hot Spring fixes their problems to our level of satisfaction so that we can recommend them to our clients again... We also just spoke (Sept., 2011) with their local service tech. and he also told us that these spas are designed to cost customers money in the future and that Hot Spring is known for their scrutiny on returned parts that fail so that they don't cover the failures under warranty. DO NOT BUY A HOT SPRING SPA!!
EMERALD: This new offering is just plain awesome!! First, they polished the outside hood and front fascia, giving it a more modern look. New for 2011 is their updated firebox and electronic ignition. They changed the briquette tray and smoker design for an even HOTTER experience, and to top it off, they are now using the ultra-modern (and super expensive) Brass Cast Burners. This grill is a no-nonsense, commercially rated, ETL-Outdoor approved grill that's still made in Brea, where they make commercial kitchen equipment. MANY Pool and Landscape contractors buy the Emerald because their high-end clients want something dependable. Other manufacturers offer high-polished pieces with lights and glow-plug ignition systems, but only Emerald offers a commercial-quality grill that won't break the bank. An exceptional value, a wonderful performer, and they have a history of flawless performance without gizmos and trickery. Note: This is the least-priced commercial grill we sell with the high-end briquette and cast burner features. BUY AN EMERALD BBQ
JENN-AIR: This is a low-quality brand made by NexGrill (Chinese) for everybody and their mother. We do not recommend the purchase of this grill at any price. And if you have one, keep our number handy... you'll be replacing it soon... DON'T BUY A JENNAIR BBQ
KITCHEN AID: Okay, we used to think this brand was low-quality, and it was! :) But then Whirlpool decided to take matters into their own hands and ship the Chinese the parts, so all they had to do was build the product. So that worked for awhile, THEN, they went back to an all-Chinese built and engineered product, and it's NOT a good grill any longer... it's okay, but not at the price they want for it. We would recommend this grill for someone that wanted the name, but there are better grills out there. BUY OR DO NOT BUY A KITCHEN AID... up to you...
LYNX: (Note: Lynx has recently had a major price-break because of their grills not selling well. It doesn't matter what price you buy them at - beware of the repair!!) We believe they are overpriced and have seen many with electrical and/or ignition/lighting problems. We have gotten to the point that we now write directly to Lynx with customers' information and have Lynx contact the customers directly. Why? Because we want Lynx to explain to the customer why their $5,000 bbq is not igniting, or why the blue LED lights are not working. We're NOT an authorized Lynx dealer any longer (probably because we have voiced our opinion, perhaps?), but we do service them and try to work with the customers to get Lynx to pay for the repairs. We must admit that they cook great because of their cast-burners, but why not just buy an Emerald or FireMagic and get the same quality without the electrical headaches? DO NOT BUY A LYNX BBQ - THE REPAIRS WILL FAR EXCEED YOUR THRESHOLD FOR COMFORT...
OCS: We don't know enough about these grills to formulate an opinion. We hear it's a nice grill and built decently.
PGS: We have had these grills for some time, and so far, they've been just fine. We even went as far as saying they were mediocre at one point, but over the years, they've held up well, our customers have liked them, and their new features really are great. The polished edges make the grill look good, and we're now going to jump on their bandwagon and recommend them. Plus, the old K40 and K30 grills withstand the test of time, so we think these new stainless grills will, too. A big positive we have with this line is that they make a cart model for each grill, so you can have a small, medium, or large cart model grill, in either LP or NG gas!! We get these grills right here in Southern California. BUY A PGS BBQ
ROYAL: Man, we love this grill... It was built to compete with the Vintage line of grills, and instead of being made overseas, it's made right here in Mira Loma, California. True 18/8 burners, all 304 Stainless Steel construction, infrared rotisserie, ETL-approved, Class 85 Commercial Restaurant Equipment certification, NSF, etc.... for the money, this grill is a real value. Oh! And they polish the edges, it has a light in the grill area (which is not exactly a plus, but...), and our customers have said nothing wrong or bad about this product. We are hooked! :) BUY A ROYAL BBQ
SOLAIRE: This grill line used to be made along side the original Alfresco line, before Alfresco went to China to produce some of it's grill parts/bodies. We have worked on a few of these grills and they are relatively easy to fix. If you have one of the earlier models, you're probably very happy with it. If you have a recent model, you may have experienced some ignition problems. We would say that it's a great grill that has lots of peers. While we do recommend to BUY IT, we will also say that at this time, there are other products that offer the same quality/features for a little less money.. such as American Outdooor Grill!!. BUY OR DO NOT BUY A SOLAIRE - you're choice
SUNDANCE: Sundance Spas are manufactured here in Southern California. Sundance is a high-end brand of hot tub with TONS of innovative features, one of which is their new jet system that has NO moving parts but yet still oscilates the water... truly remarkable!! Sundance was purchased several years ago from Jonathan Clark, and Sundance spas have a tremendously long warranty. They have three series of spas to choose from (for every budget) and are industry rated as a ISO 2001 Certified (not just registered) company. They full foam their top of the line spas, and they also wet-test each and every product. This is one of the two top brands in the world!! BUY A SUNDANCE SPA
TEC: This is the grill manufacturer that started the Infrared push on all the grill manufacturers. Thermal Engineering Corp. (TEC) produced some really awesome units when they were just starting out, and all their grills used infrared main burners. Then, they made them a little more 'mainstream' by adding glass above the burners to make them more usable, but less hot. We have never worked on these grills, but we did tour their manufacturing plant, and we can say that they are built very well. We have never worked on these grills, so... But if you have one, you probably like it a lot. BUY OR DO NOT BUY A TEC BBQ - the choice is yours
THERMADORE: This is another indoor company trying to go outdoor, and the grills are not the best. Very inexpensive stainless steel burners are used, the metal is rumored to be thin and not real 304 stainless, and we've tried to work on these units and had to give up - they are simply not well made and Thermadore should have stayed with what they know best, which is indoor appliances. We highly encourage you to do your homework on this grill... we have. DO NOT BUY A THERMADORE BBQ
TRAEGER: This WAS one incredible grill line, but they recently made the move to China and... well, the grills fail all of the time and the quality went right out the window. We are SO SAD!!! We LOVED this grill manufacturer, but now, we cannot ethically recommend it, as it's cheaply made, the metal used is super thin, the electronics are not functioning correctly, and it's being made for PRICE rather than QUALITY. If you can find an older model (new), then buy it - it's the last of the breed... but do not buy a new one unless they're paying you to take it - nothing but problems... DO NOT BUY A TRAEGER BBQ
TURBO: This grill line used to be made in Australia, then in China. Reportedly, BBQ's Galore is the only one who sells this grill, and for good reason; it's a terribly-made grill. At one time, a Palm Desert community had purchased Turbo grills for their community, and then when one exploded (at the HOA Presidents' home!), they quickly got rid of them and replaced them with American-made grills... we know, we were the ones who replaced them all! With BBQ's Galore going out of business, we don't recommend you buy a Turbo, or for that matter, shop at a business that's about to close it's doors. Also, very important: they don't make many of the parts anymore for these grill. DO NOT BUY A TURBO BBQ - RATHER, DONATE TO YOUR FAVORITE CHARITY!!
TWIN EAGLES: This grill looks fantastic, and if it weren't for their stainless-steel burners (which are cheap and not as effective as cast-burners), this grill would probably be perfect. It's way too much money for a stainless-steel tube burner concept, but we don't have much problems with it. Remember; at this price, you're absolutely buying the LOOK of the grill. If that doesn't concern you, then the Twin Eagles product is a nice grill. BUY THIS GRILL FOR THE LOOKS, NOT THE PERFORMANCE.
VIKING: We have had more customers replace their Viking grills than most people replace their under garments. (Okay, that's not true, but honestly, people don't stay with Viking outdoor grills once they've used them.) This grill line is marketed by a California-based company and while the Viking indoor products are superior products, it's not that way with their outdoor line. If you want to have the name VIKING outside, that's fine; buy this grill. But if that is secondary for you, buy a real bbq from one of the other companies. DO NOT BUY THIS BBQ
VINTAGE: Another made-in-China product. It's sad but these grills used to be made here in Southern California, but then they went to China and the quality of stainless is terrible. They RUST!!! Our competitor sells these grills to landscapers and pool companies, but they always have ignition problems and the stainless is NOT 304... We cannot recommend that you buy this grill because we know where it's made... but with that said, if you DID buy one, it will probably work okay... plus, we'll get to service it a lot and fix your ignition system each year! BUY A VINTAGE IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUALLY CALL US FOR SERVICE :)
WEBER: We were recently contacted by Weber and were told that while they DO manufacture their Ducane and less-expensive Weber grills in China, their more expensive grills (The Premium Stainless-Steel line) are made in Mexico. We used to carry thier starter line but felt that their quality was poor, so we stopped carrying them. However, we recently took a look at their Premium line, made in the USA, and they work okay. There is better equipment out there... DON'T OR DO BUY A WEBER BBQ - UP TO YOU.
WOLF (SUB ZERO): These grills feature red knobs and high-quality stainless steel hoods. We have never worked on a Wolf so we cannot tell you anything about these grills. We have had some customers swap-out their Wolf for a Lynx or Dynasty product, but in reality, we don't know enough about these grills to rate them. Additionally, we have not had any service calls for these grills.