CLEVELAND — Do you know that 70% of Americans have grills? And many use them all year round.
Consumer Reports ranked 179 Gas grills, and 13 Charcoal grills based on several factors, including how even they cook and convenience.
All of their top picks for Gas grills were from Weber’s Genesis line, which scored high marks in all categories except for pre-heating. There, they only earned a “Good” rating.
The models they liked ranged from $700 to more than $1,000:
-Weber Genesis II E-310 grill - $700
-Weber Genesis II S-335 61006001 - $1,049
-Weber Genesis II E-330 61012001 - $899
The Even Embers GAS8560AS grill was a best buy for $375.
For Charcoal Barrel grills, Consumer Reports’ favorite by far, was the Dyan-Glo DGN576DNC-D grill for $220.
For Kettle grills another Weber 22" 14402001 grill for $165 rated highest, but it didn't get an “Excellent” rating in any category.
They also rated Portable grills for all the campers and soon to be tailgaters. There they liked the Broil King Porta-Chef 320 952654 grill which runs between $300 and $365.
And just as an aside, Eddie Murphy did the funniest bits I've ever seen about a BBQ run amuck from one of his stand-up routines. It’s on my Twitter page.
To other kinds of appliances…the vast majority of you on social media wanted to know how to get the best deal.
The best time to buy them, is before major retail holidays...like the upcoming Memorial Day and 4th of July. Black Friday has crazy deals as well.
Other good times are in September, October, and January when manufacturers roll out the new models.
If those dates don't work for you, shop at the end of the month when stores need to make quotas.
Now, will you get a better deal online, or in the store? Well, it varies. Most people prefer to buy in the store even if they're online shoppers. But stores put their prices online, so just research before you head out.
And don't forget about ‘Scratch and Dent’ appliances. It doesn't mean there's something wrong with them. Most often it’s because someone didn’t like it and returned it, or it got dinged on the way to the showroom.
Both Sears and Best Buy have outlets where you can find those at significant savings.