Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After reading all these glowing reviews, I was expecting the fire of the gods. When it came, my Cuisinart grill was a total disappointment. Can't get hot enough to grill a steak, half the grill surface only gets "warm." I went back to file my review, and looked more closely at the five star reviews of this product. NOT ONE OF THEM HAS EVER REVIEWED ANOTHER PRODUCT ON AMAZON. Go back in my review history and you'll see I do my best to post my honest experience with a variety of products (in this category I've also reviewed my beloved Smokin' Tex smoker a couple years ago). So I'm not just one of Cuisinart's employees, taking an afternoon to establish a bunch of phony Amazon identities and post a bunch of fluff about my company's product. On the plus side, this grill is made as durably as many in its segment. But you'll be better off popping for a Weber Q or even one of Cuisinart's better tabletop models. They make one called the all-foods grill that is much better, and a tabletop charcoal grill that's pretty nice too. There are a variety of other manufacturers making portable models that range from crappy to quite good and cheap to very expensive. This particular Cuisinart went back to the store, and I chose a Weber Q tabletop model instead. It had less of a discount, but it does a much better job. If I'd had more money I'd have gone with a Napoleon Freestyle--that one can actually double as your main grill at home. It's one of the expensive ones, but if it's going to be your only grill it just might be worth it for you. Coleman makes a portable grill with a folding stand and wheels so you can pull the whole thing around like airport luggage. Pretty cool--but doesn't get hot enough to grill properly. I wish Weber would introduce the rollabout folding stand on its Q grill so it would have the same freestanding, rollabout portability as the Coleman. But even if you go with Cuisinart's better portable model, you can do better than this portable grill. If I were to buy a Cuisinart, I'd go with the All-Foods. It has a bit more surface area than the Weber Q. But the Q is a bit more portable and has enough cooking surface for my needs, and costs less too. I made my choice with a budget number in mind--and I outspent it by a few dollars. But the Q seems to work right for me, with its shortcomings being less pronounced than the Cuisinart's. I hope you find the grill that meets your needs. For me it was not this one. It might be just fine for you. I do resent Cuisinart, a company I admire, using the reviews section on Amazon for advertising. I have several good Cuisinart products and will likely buy others in the future. Guys, leave the review section for actual customers. Bottom line: I'd buy something else, even within the Cuisinart line. I personally went outside Cuisinart for a portable propane grill. You might not. Caveat emptor.