March, 1998

The Iron Works (Stockbridge, MI) announces the results of its recent Web-based survey of some 15,000 users of outdoor gas grills. These results identify the most-hated brands, the most frequent sources of complaints, and the features they will look for when they next buy a grill.

The five grill brands that generated the most negative comments are (beginning with the most-mentioned):

• Sunbeam

• Char Broil

• Coleman

• Thermos

• Weber.

This combination of brands also represents the brands owned by more than 80% of the survey participants. It is also noteworthy that the survey showed the average service life of the respondents’ last grills to be just 3-4 years.

The specific complaints most often mentioned include flimsy or too-light-duty construction, spark igniters that won’t work, burners that rust or rot out, glass windows that break or cannot be cleaned, rust in the cooking chamber or grates and paint or porcelain chipping and discoloring. Negatives among cooking factors include an inability to slow cook at low temperatures, uneven cooking, too-small cooking surfaces and difficult cleaning. Negatives among convenience factors include wheels that are too small or that fall off, side service shelves that are too small or absent, and no utensil hooks.

There are many parallels between this list of woes and the list of wants that survey participants say they are looking for in their next grill purchases. Their "top ten" includes:

• ignition systems that won’t fail

• more even cooking with more burner control
• grills constructed of either stainless steel or with paint or porcelain that won’t fade, chip or allow rust
• really large side service shelves
• hooks for utensils
• durable, heavy-duty construction with little or no assembly
• easier cleaning and maintenance
• larger cooking surfaces
• higher heat (higher BTU rating) from side burners
• convenience spice/sauce racks

"This survey is especially valuable to us," says Iron Works President Paul Faaborg, "because it confirms the intuitions that drove us in our own gas grill designs. Sure, there will always be barbecue fans for whom an old bucket and a few briquettes are all they need. But we think there’s a different category of griller who wants something that can last for decades with so much capacity and so few problems that the thrill of the grill never goes away."

The Iron Works makes some of the most expensive gas grills on the market, starting around $1,300 and reaching into the tens of thousands. They use welded stainless steel construction, offer more burners than any other brand, offer more cooking area than any other brand, and offer the biggest side shelves in the industry. Particulars on their grills are available from their http://www.topgrill.com Web site.

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