I bought this grill because it looked like it had it all, and I must say it really lived up to the expectations. Living in Sweden we have a fairly short summer that really makes you want to be out as often as you can. For me happiness lives in the ability to barbecue. Disposable grills is something that is big here, unfortunately its not very environmentally friendly or very good. So far the Son of Hibachi has been able to replace them with style.
The product description is pretty much on the money. Start-up is easy and fast, I would say the 10 minute mark can swing up and down a little depending on what coals you use. Lump coal is faster, briquettes a little slower - but if you can normally light your coals with fire starters, be it liquids or other you will have no problem here. The chimney effect of the closed up grill is noticeable and works as a charm.
When you notice the top coals are lit, peeking down from the top, you fold it open and the top handles become legs for the grill sides to rest upon. What strikes you at first is the intense heat wave created by the two surfaces - it is hot! Fortunately you can adjust the grilles in four levels to reduce some of that intense first heat.
We have tried cooking some different things now from hot dogs to chicken breasts to hamburgers and so far it has all worked out very well. The heavy duty grilles leave some nice black patterns on the cooking surface, just the way I think it should be.
The whole construction breathes sturdy, everything has that robust feel about it - all packed with coals it weighs in on about 16 pounds (7.5 kilo) which is a little heavy but knowing that nothing about this grill spells flimsy I accept that.
Another real good thing about this combo is the Snuff-out-pouch which really elevates this purchase. Once done grilling you close up the grill again and let that chimney effect clean of your grilles. Then smoking hot you put it down in your fire retardant pouch and zip it up - in litterally less than 10 seconds you are ready to go. Sure the bag heats up a little but considering the heat of the grill its nothing. The instructions state to leave it for at least 30 minutes before putting it in your trunk - an obvious protection against lawsuits. We have found this to be, in our case, unnecessary. As long as it stands up it's not going to damage anything. The bag can let out some smoke initially when packed but this settles pretty fast once oxygen depravation in the bag sets in.
My only gripe about Amazons product description is that the grill ships with a "Grill N Fry cast iron griddle for cooking eggs, pancakes, etc." which is only half true. Part of the grille has a flat surface true, but I don't see how it would be enough for a pancake an egg id probably fine. Luckily you can get a complete frying surface as an accessory if you look around online for a little bit.
All in all this is a marvelous little bbq which is well worth its pretty low price tag (in my opinion). Highly recommended for the excursion barbecuer.
EDIT: I would like to clarify one thing with the snuff-out pouch. I did actually manage to burn a backpack slightly I had crammed against the side of the pouch in my trunk. The sides of the pouch does get very hot after packing so I would avoid putting anything against it for a while. THe front and back however never gets very hot.
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Son of Hibachi Combo with Snuff out PouchProduct Description: Son of Hibachi is one of the most versatile charcoal barbecuing systems for home and travel. The ingenious blast furnace concept with the chimney effect enables you to be cooking in less than 10 minutes and assures consistent heat under the grills. With 170 sq. in. of cooking surface and a convertible roasting oven, this power house barbecue can cook anything from hamburgers and hot dogs to a Chateaubriand. Whether its breakfast, lunch or dinner, when you are finished cooking this grill folds into a self-cleaning oven and self-extinguishing barbecue. Then simply insert Son of Hibachi into the Snuff Out Pouch. This pouch has a flame-retardant lining, permitting you to pack up the barbecue immediately after eating and take it with you or store it for use at your next meal. On top of that, Son of Hibachi saves the unused charcoal for later use. This saves you time and money.
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Barbecue is good but controlling the heat from charcoals can be tricky. I've been trying to master the art for years, and with this product it makes it a lot easier to indirectly cook larger portions of meat. Also helps to controll the range of cooking you desire, on one side of the grill you can have less charcoal burning for things like hot dogs, and thinner portions of meat, that don't require intense heat, and on the other end you can put more charcoals for things like chicken breasts and steak. Has a suffiecient capacity but could hold more and is why I gave it 4 stars. Other than that I love the fuel holders it makes placement and clean-up of charcoal a breeze and it gets the job done.
