The Worst Gas Grills Fizzle More Than Sizzle in Consumer Reports' Tests

As Consumer Reports discovered in its latest tests, some gas grills aren't so hot. The five grills included here scored 40 or lower out of a possible 100, earning a spot on our list of the worst grills we've tested.

With the exception of the Cadac Stratos grill, which was very good at preheating, the cooking surface on these grills wasn't very hot after 10 minutes of preheating. You can start grilling, but without proper preheating the food will take longer to cook, and you might not get those perfect sear marks on your food—a grilling badge of honor.

Other negatives: None of these grills provided even heat across the cooking surface in our tests, and their temperature range was limited. Grills that deliver a wide temperature range allow you to cook a variety of foods. They'll allow you to, for instance, cook a delicate piece of Chilean sea bass at a low temperature and a T-bone steak at a much higher heat.

These not-so-hot grills appear in order of size, from portables on up, grouped by the size of the cooking surface. (We measure it to give you an idea of how many 4-ounce burgers you can grill in one batch.)

Portable
North American Outdoors BB12919G, $140

Small grill (room for up to 18 burgers)
Cadac Stratos 98700-23-01, $300

Midsized grills (room for 18 to 28 burgers)
Saber Cast Black R67CC1117, $1,400
Master Forge Island Grill BG179A [Item #98162], $1,200
Fervor Icon 350S, $1,200