New Grill Brands Want to Take Over Your Backyard

CR's take: These midsized grills at Home Depot are $400 to $700 and boast stainless and style. Sagittarius Sporting Goods makes them, and you'll also find the brand's big seven-burner stainless grills at Costco and on Amazon for $1,000 and up.

We tested two models from Chef's Grills. The Chef's Grill RT-24175-1 has three main burners that come with a 10-year warranty. It heats fast, earning a score of Excellent in our preheat test. The Chef's Grill IR2818-1, $650, has a bigger cooking area and two main infrared burners with a five-year warranty. But it didn't perform quite as well as its brandmate.

CR's take: Even Embers grills are available at Tractor Supply Company. These grills sell for less than $300, and the midsized Even Embers GAS7540AS grill we tested costs even less. Still, it has five main burners, a side burner, coated cast-iron grates, and a 10-year burner warranty—unusual at this price. In our tests, it earns a score of Excellent for even heating—our most crucial performance test.

CR's take: This new grill line, exclusive to Lowe's, pairs a pretty snazzy looking grill atop a bare-bones cart. Side shelves and built-in temperature gauges are standard, but side burners aren't. This model earns a score of Excellent in our sturdiness test, one indicator that you can expect several seasons of grilling before it will need to be replaced.

CR's take: This top-of-the-line grill, exclusive to Costco, is also sold under the store's Kirkland Signature brand name. Built to compete with full-sized outdoor kitchens, it does offer a lot of features for the money, including side burners, stainless steel storage doors, and a rotisserie. Most grills of this size and design cost two to three times more. But its performance doesn't match its price—it earns a score of Fair in our evenness test. Bottom line: You can do better for the money.

CR's take: These basic grills, mostly available online, come in five- and six-burner versions at prices lower than nearly all the competition. Though they lack features like side burners, lights, and even closed carts, they perform quite well. This model earns a score of Excellent in our indirect cooking test, making it well-suited for jobs like slow-roasting pork shoulder or smoking ribs.

CR's take: This outdoor kitchen, exclusive to Lowe's, offers one of the single best deals we've seen. The massive grill has six burners, two side tables and a side burner, and four stainless steel doors for under-grill storage. Better still, it has the cooking chops to back up all of its features. It's noteworthy for the speed with which it preheats, earning a score of Excellent in that test.

CR's take: RevoAce grills are basic and sell for $250 or less at Walmart. The small RevoAce GBC1729W has a rotary igniter, and three burners with a five-year warranty. It heats quickly, earning a score of Excellent in our preheat test. We also tested the $100 RevoAce GBC1708WDC, another small grill, which didn't perform quite as well. Its porcelain-coated lid chipped during testing, leaving the exposed metal vulnerable to rust.

CR's take: There's a lot to like in this Costco-exclusive grill. It has heavy stainless steel construction, a side burner, LED-lit burner knobs, and a slide-out tray for a propane tank. It's also no slouch at cooking, earning a score of Very Good in our crucial evenness test.

CR's take: The Smoke Hollow Vector Series VTTSS is the first portable we've seen with a smoke tray. It holds wood chips, like hickory or mesquite, that add a smoky flavor to food. Outdoor Leisure Products makes it, and you'll find this grill for under $200 at Home Depot, Sam's Club, and Walmart. It has two burners, not counting the smoke tray, and a one-year burner warranty, and it earns a score of Very Good in our preheat test. See how it stacks up against the other portable grills we've evaluated in our full gas grill ratings.