“Made from high-quality rust-resistant, heat-resistant, and scratch-proof stainless steel”
“Enjoy a generous 17.3″ x 11.4″ (45.9 x 27.4 cm (18.1 × 10.8 in)) grilling space, ideal for burgers, steaks, fish, hot dogs, corn, vegetables, and more”
“This foldable charcoal grill requires no assembly; simply unfold the legs for instant outdoor grilling”
“Split design and food-grade stainless steel cooking grid allow effortless grease management and quick cleaning”
“Features five side vents to regulate airflow, promoting efficient charcoal burning and even heat distribution”
Ten cents a square inch
The cheapest cooking area on this shelf by a long way.
17.3 × 11.4 inches is about 197 square inches — effectively the same as the two Cuisinart grills here, which publish 196 sq in and cost twice as much.
Against the rest:
$0.10 — this, 197 sq in
$0.20 — Cuisinart, 196 sq in
$0.33 — Royal Gourmet, 303 sq in including its warming rack
$0.38 — Feasto, 265.5 sq in of actual grilling
$0.91 — Oklahoma Joe’s, 218 sq in
Nine times the price per inch between the two ends of this shelf.
Five vents, which is the most here
More than the two Cuisinarts (“dual vents”), more than the Royal Gourmet (two dampers), and more than the $199 Oklahoma Joe’s, which publishes no vent count at all.
On an open grill, side vents feed the coals from the sides. Five of them give an even bed rather than a hot spot over one hole, which is a real benefit on a long narrow firebox.
What they cannot do is throttle the fire. A fire with no lid has unlimited exhaust, so closing the intakes does not slow it much — the coals keep burning from above.
Airflow control needs a lid. Which brings us to the real limit.
No lid
The honest boundary of a twenty-dollar grill. What you have is a brazier: coals below, food above, heat going straight up.
That cooks burgers, sausages, skewers, corn and fish very well — and that is most of what anyone actually grills at a picnic table.
What it cannot do:
Nothing indirect. No roasting a chicken. No holding 250 °F for ribs. No smoking. No closing the lid to finish a thick steak after searing it.
The Royal Gourmet on this shelf describes the configuration that does control a fire: two air dampers, one on the main body and the other on the top lid. An intake and an exhaust. That is the pair.
Stainless rather than painted steel
Worth something at this price. The cheap alternative in this category is painted mild steel, which blisters off around the firebox in a season and then rusts.
Minxchen claims rust-resistant, heat-resistant, scratch-proof stainless, with a food-grade stainless cooking grid and a split design so the grease and ash parts come apart to wash.
The Zarkind at $39.90 is the other stainless grill here, and it adds a fitted oxford carry bag and a flat-fold structure.
The dimension that cannot be right
The catalog lists 1.97 × 1.97 × 1.97 in (50 × 50 × 50 mm) — a two-inch cube — for a grill whose own bullet gives a 17.3 by 11.4 inch surface.
That is a placeholder, not a measurement, so this page tells you nothing about how slim it folds. The Zarkind publishes 26.4 × 8.27 × 8.07 in (671 × 210 × 205 mm), about eight inches thick, if packed size is what you are buying for.
No weight published either, on a shelf that runs from a stated four pounds to twenty-two kilograms.
No warranty — true of seven of the eight grills here. Only the Oklahoma Joe’s publishes one.
Availability
On sale at about $22 on Amazon.com when we read the listing on October 31, 2026.
Price and availability were read on Amazon.com on October 31, 2026; both move.
Prices quoted in this text are dated readings and can differ from the live price in the buy box.
What we rate, and what we do not
Strengths
Ten cents a square inch of grilling area, a ninth of what the Oklahoma Joe’s costs per inch
Five side vents, more than any other grill on this shelf including the $199 one
Unfolds without tools or assembly, in stainless steel rather than painted mild steel
Compromises
No lid at all, so there is no indirect cooking, no smoking and no way to hold a temperature
No carry bag, where the Zarkind at $39.90 includes a fitted oxford one
No weight published, and the catalog dimensions are a placeholder
Specifications
Grilling area
17.3 × 11.4 in (45.9 × 27.4 cm), about 197 sq in
Cost per square inch
$0.10 — the lowest on this shelf
Vents
Five side vents, to regulate airflow — the highest count here
A split design and a food-grade stainless cooking grid
Stated uses
Camping, picnics, backyard parties, RV trips
Lid
None
Thermometer
None
Charcoal tray height
Fixed — not adjustable
Carry bag
Not stated, where the Zarkind at $39.90 includes one
Weight
Not published by the maker
Catalog dimensions
The listed 1.97 × 1.97 × 1.97 in (50 × 50 × 50 mm) cannot describe a 17.3 in grill — see the FAQ
Warranty
Not published by the maker
Amazon reference
B0GKNQCBW7
EAN
0768152524002
The questions that come in
How much does having no lid cost you?
Everything except direct grilling, and it is the honest limit of a twenty-dollar grill. Without a lid you have a brazier: coals underneath, food above, heat going straight up into the air. That cooks burgers, sausages, skewers, corn and fish very well, which is most of what anyone grills at a picnic table. What it cannot do is anything indirect — no roasting a chicken, no holding 250 °F for ribs, no smoking, and no finishing a thick steak after the sear. The five vents also only work in one direction: they are all intake, because there is no lid to have an exhaust in. Compare the Royal Gourmet on this shelf, which describes the pair that actually controls a fire — "one on the main body and the other on the top lid".
Is five vents better than two?
More intake, yes; more control, not necessarily. Minxchen publishes "five side vents to regulate airflow", which is the highest count on this shelf — the two Cuisinarts have "dual vents", the Royal Gourmet two dampers, and the $199 Oklahoma Joe’s publishes no vent count at all. On an open grill, side vents feed air to the coals from the sides, and five of them give an even bed of heat rather than a hot spot over a single hole. That is genuinely useful. What they cannot do is throttle the fire down, because a fire with no lid has unlimited exhaust: close the side vents on an open grill and the coals still burn from above. Airflow control needs a lid.
Can it really measure 1.97 in (50 mm)?
No, and it is worth naming rather than repeating. The catalog lists this grill at 1.97 × 1.97 × 1.97 in (50 × 50 × 50 mm) — a two-inch cube — for a product whose own bullet publishes a grilling surface of 17.3 × 11.4 inches. That is a placeholder rather than a measurement, so there is no way to tell from this page how slim it folds. The Zarkind on this shelf publishes a credible folded figure — 26.4 × 8.27 × 8.07 in (671 × 210 × 205 mm), so about eight inches thick — and includes a carry bag. If packed size is what you are buying for, that is the one with the numbers. No weight is published here either, where the shelf runs from a stated 4 lb Cuisinart to a 22 kg (48.5 lb) Oklahoma Joe’s.
Our score
7.5/ 10
Twenty dollars, five vents — more than anything else here — and a 17.3 by 11.4 inch grilling area that works out at ten cents a square inch. It has no lid, which is the whole argument against it.
This one against the other cookware and knives
Close prices, same category: comparable cookware and knives. We keep only the specifications all of them publish, because a column with gaps compares nothing.
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for cookware and kitchen knives and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
218 sq in tabletop charcoal grill in heavy-duty steel with thick cast iron grates, a height-adjustable charcoal tray, a professional temperature gauge with glow-in-the-dark accents, a rubber-gripped lid handle, a full-size removable ash pan and a 2-year warranty
The only grill here with a warranty — two years on all parts — plus cast iron grates and a glowing gauge.
Best for: A grill that travels by car and is kept for years — the only one here with a warranty behind it
14 in portable charcoal kettle with a 196 sq in chrome-plated grate, dual adjustable vents, three lid locks for transport, an enamel-coated firebox and an ash base, at a stated 4 lb
The 14-inch Cuisinart kettle under a second reference — same price, same specification, a different catalog weight.
Best for: The same job as its twin — buy whichever of the two references is cheaper on the day
14 in portable charcoal kettle with a 196 sq in chrome-plated grate, dual adjustable vents, three lid locks for transport, an enamel-coated firebox and an ash base, at a stated 4 lb
A 14-inch kettle with 196 square inches, dual vents and three lid locks, at a stated four pounds.
Best for: Tailgating and camping — a proper lidded kettle that travels without making a mess
