Ease of Assembly
Almost every portable grill requires some assembly. Some require more than others. How much work will you have to do between unpacking the box and grilling your first burger?
The Coleman grill itself comes out of the box nearly completely assembled.
Cooking Power
Cooking power for grills is measured in BTU (a modification of the original British Thermal Unit). The higher the BTU value of the grill's burners - the more cooking power it provides.
The Coleman provides 20,000 BTU - a lot of cooking power for a portable grill.
With 20,000 BTU, there's almost no end to what you can cook directly on the grate or in a pan. However, since the heat comes from two separate burners, positioning of a full pan to acquire all the heat it can get may be a little tricky.
Price
Portable grills are not cheap and proces vary. How much will it cost you to purchase the portable grill?
The Coleman Road Trip LXE is usually a little more expensive than other comparable grills.
Portability
How portable is the portable grill? Will you be able to carry it comfortably from your house to your car, and then to the beach, the concert or the camping site? This is down to weight and size.
The Coleman Roadtrip LXE is large and weighs considerably more compared to other portable grills such as the Weber Q200. This is mainly due to the built-in collapsible legs.
The portable grill's dimensions are 37 x 22 x 15 inches and its weight is 50.8 pounds. (94 x 55.9 x 38.1 cm and 23 kg).
When you consider buying this (or any other) grill, remember that you are likely to need some device or other similar to the collapsible legs, as it is much easier to cook when the grill is a little higher up. Any such accessory you buy with a different grill will add to that grill's overall weight.
Grate Quality
The quality of grilling is really about the quality of the grate itself. A good quality grate provides enjoyable grilling and durability for your grill. The larger the grate - the more food you can cook at one go.
The grate on the Road Trip LXE has 285 square inches cooking space. Paired with the grate's sturdiness and variable heat settings, it provides an excellent value for money.
285 square inches should see 15 burgers cook in parallel, possibly with a sausage or two wedged between them. The grate is large enough for a good quantity of meat, vegetables or seafood. It is versatile enough to enable you to grill food directly on the grate and also use it for large pan dishes.
The grill is porcelain-coated for easy cleaning, which is quite important especially after a long meal where all you want to do is lay down and relax.
User experience with the quality of heat and grate on the Coleman vary. Most users comment it is very good, and the percentages of repeat buyers is constantly high. However, some users complain that the grill does not work as expected, blaming mostly the regulator.
Accessories
The right accessories can make all the difference between a enjoying a succulent steak or breaking your back stooping over the grate. Portable Grills are usually sold with a few accessories out of the box, and have others you can purchase separately.
The Road Trip LXE comes with a few accessories out of the box, and you may purchase others separately. It's biggest advantage over other portable grills is that you its price includes a set of collapsible legs which make it much easier to work with at home or outside.
On top of the collapsible wheeled legs, the Road trip has a towing handle, detachable side tables and a grease tray. One more important feature is the Instastart electronic ignition.
The Coleman also has some good separately sold accessories such as a griddle, a stove grate, and an adapter hose for 20 pounds propane tanks.
The griddle is an excellent buy, as it is provides a non-stick surface good enough for cooking food directly on top of it with no cooking oil.
The stove grate is nice to have but is not a necessity as you can put your pans directly on the grill itself. Some versions of the Roadtrip come with both a grate and a griddle, each one half size of the bigger grate.
Like on any other grill, the adapter hose is generally considered a must-have if you want to do some serious grilling. Without it, the Coleman uses the small disposable canisters that you'll have to replace very often. The 20 pounds propane tanks last for a long while.
There are some reports of users who had their drip tray catch fire when the grill was cooling down. In all cases it seems to be a fault in the regulator, but there may be different reasons for that. It is difficult to conclude based on a small number of incidents, but since the grease tray is made of plastic, it seems it may be susceptible to catching fire when the grill is used.
Other accessories you may consider buying include a plastic cover and a wheeled carry case which are both nice to have. They are useful and will make you enjoy your grill better, but are definitely not a must in the Coleman's case.
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Feel factor: 1
Good but not so Good
(score 4/5)
I love the ease of using and carrying around. Clean up is awful. I hate it. So I just put aluminum foil down to cook on to minimize the mess. Well worth the $$
Posted on: 2010-09-23
By Daniel S. Miller
The little grill that COULD!
(score 5/5)
I've owned this grill for almost three years now. I preheat and cook with the TOP DOWN all the time. We're talking about 20+ hours so far of TOP DOWN cooking and nothing has ever melted/burnt. I use it camping sometimes cooking for 20+ people. How anyone could be complaining about not being able to cook with the top down is very strange, and I must say that I'm tending to agree with another commenter that it might just be a malicious comment trying to discredit this grill. Oy... the world we live in.
With attachements you can do pancakes on one side and burgers on the other at the same time. Or you can boil water on one side and grill on the other... it's pretty versatile.
I know people who use this as their primary home grill who have never had a problem. As for flaws, I guess the only flaw is that it's kind of a pain to clean up after grilling, as you can soak the grill-plate attachments, but you must clean all the interior surfaces by hand. Not fun, but a small price to pay for the conveinence this grill offers.
My opinion? Worth every minute of clean up to have a grill like this that I"m able to use 100% of the grill surface. Sure there are some "hot spots" and "cool spots" as with any grill, and you need to learn where they are how to cook with it. That lesson is learned after the first time you use it!
Overall this grill does an excellent job, and if/when I kill it, I'll be looking for another just like it.
Posted on: 2010-09-15
By Richard Evans
JUST RIGHT
(score 5/5)
Was looking for a compact grill to mount on my living quarters horse trailer. This grill worked perfectly, and really cooks nicely. Not the lightest of portable grills, but the cast grates are really nice.
Posted on: 2010-09-13
By WILLIAM CONRAD
Amazon's Shipping Policy
(score 4/5)
I ordered a Coleman Road Trip Grill on September 1st 2010. I chose Super Saver Shipping. Along with the grill I ordered a Road Trip Grill Cover, Iron Griddle, Wheeled Carry Case, and a high-pressure propane hose and adapter. My confirmation e-mail said my items are in stock and shipping date will be September 7th and delivery estimate will be sometime around the 14th of September. My problem with this statement was "Why does it take so long (from the 1st to the 7th) to get the "in stock" items into the hands of the shipping company"? I called Amazon and only receive a quote of what the "company policy" is and no real answer as to why it takes so long to get it out of the stock room and into the hands of the shipping company.
GOOD NEWS though ... I received the Grill on the 4th and the rest of the order on the 7th. Very fast shipping and hats off to Amazons shipping department and lumps of coal to the customer service department that gave me the impression that they didn't care what I thought.
Note: Products arrived in perfect condition. I have yet to try the grill and use the other items but they are in good physical condition.
Posted on: 2010-09-08
By bksnoopy
This is a great convertable grill
(score 5/5)
I bought this grill one month ago and used it twice since. I have never seen a similar product in market, which is self-standing and can also fit in my compact car trunk.
Posted on: 2010-09-06
By Kevin