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Re: Anyone here have an Aussie grill?
nickbuol #166953 05/01/07 08:48 PM
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Ah, but things were mighty different 11 years ago. The cost of the raw materials has sky rocketed. And I know I'm beating a dead horse - sorry guys - but here you go:

Quote:

ECONOMIC REASONS FOR STEEL PRICE SPIKE: CHINA
Despite the varying hypotheses for the recent spike in steel prices and the complicated set of domestic and international
factors, the majority of stakeholders recognize one common problem: The Peoples Republic of China. Since the mid
1990’s when China devalued their yuan by almost 80 percent and then pegged it against the U.S. dollar, there has been
a massive shift in the manufacturing of steel, away from the United States to China. Due to the devaluation of their
yuan, the United States trade deficit with China increased to $125 billion in 2003.
Moreover, China’s sharp economic growth has led to an insatiable appetite for steel. China’s enormous consumption
of steel has placed an incredible strain on the global raw-material industry. At the same time, China, which has traditionally been a source of low-priced coke, has placed restrictions on the amount of coke they can export. Chinese
coke prices have increased from $55 per ton to almost $300 per ton today. The sharp increase in the demand of raw
materials for steelmaking, including coke internationally and scrap steel domestically, has resulted in increased costs for domestic steel companies.




Taken off a report from the Associated Builders & Contractors Association.


Shawn

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I think I'm developing an addiction.
Re: Anyone here have an Aussie grill?
nickbuol #166954 05/01/07 09:45 PM
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OK. Are any of these brands good, or at least better than others?
Char-Broil
Perfect Flame (never heard of them myself)
Blue Ember (never heard of them myself)
Charmglow
North American Outdoors (never heard of them myself)
Thermos
Amana
GrillPro

I would say that most of these are in the "value" range. I checked out a couple of Webber grills today, and to get the size I could live with was over $850. The above brands were ones that I saw today at Target, Lowes, Home Depot, and Menards...

I am still doing my own research, but any quick "avoid that brand" or "hey, they make reasonable grills" would help me to trim things down.


Farewell - June 4, 2020
Re: Anyone here have an Aussie grill?
nickbuol #166955 05/01/07 09:47 PM
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North American Outdoors seems to be Target's cheap/generic brand this season for grills. I know exactly the one you looked at...

My Thermos lasted about 4 or 5 years (but I didn't take very good care of it). I think I would/will have to replace the burner and quite possibly the cooking grate to get it reliably functional again. It never had good heat distribution (where's the hot spot? It's over here this time!).


I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
Re: Anyone here have an Aussie grill?
nickbuol #166956 05/01/07 09:48 PM
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I have a DCS 27" professional stainless grill, bought it on sale a few years back, and I love it. I think if you spend a little more and get something that is well made, it will be well worth it in the long run. Just my 2 cents.


A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
Re: Anyone here have an Aussie grill?
HomeDad #166957 05/01/07 11:30 PM
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I'm already looking in the $400-$500 range starting today to see what there is. I absolutely can NOT go above that, and may not even get "approval" (from my wife) for that either....

I just want a basic, but good sized grill. Something with cast iron (or porcelain coated cast iron) grates, no side burner, no rotissorie, 3 or 4 burners, and again, a good sized cooking area. We find our selves often grilling for groups of people over the summer, and I am cramped on my current grill...


Farewell - June 4, 2020
Re: Anyone here have an Aussie grill?
nickbuol #166958 05/01/07 11:32 PM
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Let us know what you find...


I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
Re: Anyone here have an Aussie grill?
nickbuol #166959 05/02/07 02:55 AM
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OK. I think that I found the grill for me...

I found a bunch of reviews on various grill brands, and for almost all of the exact models I was looking at. FOr the most part, they are all junk. That is what everyone was saying here. But one grill, and only one, actually gets REALLY good reviews. The Blue Ember (Fiesta brand) grill from Home Depot is the clear cut winner. On a scale of 1 to 5, it gets an average of 4.5/5.0 from the professional review sites. From customer reviews it gets 5 stars out of 5 stars. The details are all good. Quality construction, features, performance, etc. It is more than I wanted to spend, but I think that I will be alot more happy with the build quality.


Farewell - June 4, 2020
Re: Anyone here have an Aussie grill?
nickbuol #166960 05/02/07 03:01 AM
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buy a good quality small one, and keep the one you have. Use both for the big cooking space. When one craps out you'll have a backup and won't be in a rush to buy a replacement.
Kind of a hillbilly approach, ain't it?

Let's see him sell the wife on THAT.

Re: Anyone here have an Aussie grill?
real80sman #166961 05/02/07 05:48 PM
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ARRGGHHH! Too much conflicting information for me to handle, especially going back to the previous thread Tom linked to.

Here's what I'd be interested in:
- My price target is under $1K.
- I need surface area, lots of it.
- Never have used the rotisserie attachment but I like the idea in theory.
- I'm connected to NG
- My grill gets exposed to the elements all year round, and here in TX that is a LOT of sunshine. I don't want to have to baby the thing
- I want good control of the heat since I cook everything on that grill, from delecate veggies & fish to steaks
- Speaking of steaks, am very intrigued by the grills that have at least one infrared burner that gets up > 1600F for getting that steakhouse result
- Would LOVE the flexibility of using actual charcoal in the grill when desired.
- Don't care about having a side burner
- I don't have a built-in or drop-in space, so I need one with a cart that will last as well (though "portability" isn't really a criterion)

OK, so is this even possible? Anyone have real firsthand experience with some of the options (e.g. the infrared heat for steaks) that would make me either abandon or require that option?

My current unit is a 4 burner Cap'n Cook from BBQs Galore. Overall it has been pretty good, lasting 8 years, but it is ready to give up the ghost soon. I think I overpaid in retrospect. I'm still willing to pay $, but want it to last, and perform well over its lifetime.

Thanks!
Rich

Re: Anyone here have an Aussie grill?
samandnoah #166962 05/03/07 11:25 AM
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I love my Weber Summit Silver, I think I paid $850 for it about 3 years ago.There is tons of space and gets to 600 degrees with no problem. The thing eats propane and I sure you can get a NG one.Mine stays outside all year long in Maryland,I do have a cover for winter time. If I want to use charcoal I just break out the Weber kettle(maybe $85).


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