Cooking up a storm....
Written: Aug 25 '03 (Updated Apr 24 '04)
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Pros: Good value for a budget label.
Cons: Assembly isn't as easy as represented.
The Bottom Line: Good value for the money, but assembly might be a challenge for someone not mechanically inclined.
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| rumpel2's Full Review: Fiesta Express Classic Gas Grill |
The time had come to replace our old Silver King barbeque. The POL tanks needed to be recertified but couldn't be connected to a current model BBQ; the lava rock rack was on its last legs, and there was maybe one more season's use left in the burner. We'd gotten nearly 10 years' use out of our old BBQ, so we didn't feel it owed us much.
So we went shopping. It didn't take us long to figure out that, in the "budget" end of the market, Fiesta provided the best value for the dollar. Here's what CDN$198.99 got us:
Fiesta Express Classic BBQ, Model EH34540
595 square inches total cooking surface
400 square inches main cooking surface (porcelain-coated steel rack)
40,000 BTU "H" pattern dual stainless steel burner
"Hi-top" aluminum cover and bucket
EZ-Q cart (whatever that means)
A propane tank is not included. Neither is the grease cup (a 10 oz. soup can will do nicely). If you want a side burner, this model is the wrong one for you.
The display material promised us that no tools were needed for assembly. It almost worked out that way, but not quite. A few parts needed to be persuaded that they wanted to fit together; using an appropriate tool was easier than beating up one's fingers. The thermometer was held in place on the hood with small nuts; "finger-tight" doesn't do much to make those stay in place, especially given the extreme temperature changes they would be exposed to.
The ads also promised a 15-minute assembly. Right. Maybe for someone who knows what he's doing and doesn't have to stop and check the instructions at every step of the way to be sure that he has selected the right wing-nut or bolt for that particular assembly. Select the wrong bolt, and you're likely to have to back up and re-assemble several stages when you discover your error. And it's easy to make the wrong choice at some points -- there are 43 different parts in the parts list, and some of them are quite similar to one another. In other cases, you have to hope that the diagram is accurate, because the descriptive comments (such as they are) give you no clue as to why you're doing what you're doing.
I got the wrong part in the wrong place only once, and didn't have to re-assemble very much because of it. Even so, it took me well over an hour. Having to persuade some parts to fit together without doing a serious injustice to the parts did slow me down some. Fitting the beam to the ladder assemblies was difficult because of an interference fit where the beam was supposed to seat itself. Fitting the end caps to the front panel and the ladder assemblies on either side also didn't want to come off quite right.
The assembly instructions use images throughout to depict the assembly process. The images are generally sufficiently clear and detailed. Text is used only to help the user select the appropriate part. One has to pay attention to the details in both the images and the text -- it seems that the "white" (uncoated steel) wing-nuts are not interchangeable with the black ones, even though they are the same size. The instructions do not say why.
But let's be fair. Assembly wasn't all that difficult -- just much more time-consuming than promised. The next one would go much faster -- but I'm not planning on doing that job again in the next five years or so.
Hooking up the newer OPD tank was a pleasure after wrestling with the old POL tanks for 10 years. The mounting catch that Fiesta has designed to hold the propane tank in place was also a pleasant surprise. Smooth, easy, and quick. No wing-nuts or thumb screws to rust and seize up.
It's my wife that does the cooking on the BBQ. During the summer, that's 2-3 times a week. The push-button ignition works nearly every time, and she tells me she's never had push the button more than twice to get lift-off. The porcelain coating on the cooking rack makes it easy to brush off. The design of the bucket does a good job of letting excess fat find the grease cup so it doesn't hang around to cause flare-ups.
The hi-top cover leaves lots of room within for the warming rack at a height that keeps stuff warm without over-cooking it. The warming rack is a good size, but doesn't interfere with access to the main cooking surface when the lid is fully open. There is room for an optional bun rack in the hood as well. The resin end shelves are easy to clean, and have hooks molded into recesses in the end to hang barbeque tools from where they don't snag passing clothing. The condiment shelf in the front is generous and deep, and provides a safe place for those bottles that would otherwise manage to fall over onto whatever is hardest to clean up.
The wheels on the cart could be sturdier, but that's not much of an issue for a cart that never goes anywhere. A nice touch on the stationary legs of the cart is the plastic insert that puts the steel of the leg nearly two inches off the ground. The plastic won't rust, so it doesn't matter if they stand on wet grass or whatever.
An update -- April, 2004
Particularly in those areas where the winters are mild, it's more than just a good idea to run a venturi brush up the tubes between the gas valve and the burner it controls. A spider web or a dead insect in the wrong place in that tube can result in flame right next to the valve body and the delivery hose from the tank. Our old barbeque had to be half-disassembled to remove the burner so as to get access to the venturi tubes. It was a dismaying and dirty job, sometimes complicated by nuts that had rusted in place, and which usually involved at least half an hour.
Not a problem with the Fiesta -- almost no disassembly is required, and the burner does NOT have to be removed. Just undo two thumb nuts, and remove the valve panel -- and the venturi tubes lie fully exposed, waiting for the tube brush.
It's a two-minute job. Congrats to Fiesta for that one.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 145
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Epinions.com ID:
rumpel2
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Member: Rob M.
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Eclectic public servant into choral music, computers and DIY.
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