Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

So, I bought the Blackstone Tailgater. I don't follow many trends (you can keep your camp pajamas), but admittedly there was a little bit of drinking the Kool-Aid of this new system, while also seeing real value in the design. So, now that I'm sober (from the Kool-Aid!) and have a week-long trip in with it as my primary cooking surface, here are my thoughts: CONS: 1. The removing of legs is a PITA. I hope future revisions just allow the adjustable legs to go up into the upper legs and stay there when transporting. This drastically slows setup and leveling. If they're just in I can drop all, tighten, then adjust one at a time leveling. When I have to install them all separately I have to lay the grill down on its side or back, or hold one side up after I get the other in. Makes one-person setup much more difficult than many other portable grills. 2. The clips for holding the grill box on are meh. Yes they hold it down, yes they are small pieces that I'm going to eventually lose and need to buy again. Or forget to attach and go to lift the locked lid and tip my whole grill up (thankfully it was empty and not on). Just add an attachment point on the grill frame for them and make them snap on there to stay. They can hang down when not using the grill, flip up to clip on when you are. Less loss, more convenient. Or better yet, build a springloaded clip into the grillbox that clips in when you mount it automatically, then pull to release. 3. It's a big boy. I knew the griddle would be heavy, I knew having a self-contained grill box that sits on top would be additional weight, and I knew the stouter frame to accommodate was going to be heavy, but... it is Heavy & Big. I say this in general comparison to other portable grills. I've had many models. The Coleman, the Weber, the travel trailer side mount, the smaller camp-style for mini propane tanks... I have a lot to compare to. I tend to be very mindful of weight when camping, and this was an immediately noticed point. 4. Probably my least favorite part are the grease drip trays. These need much help in design. Yes, grease is a pain to deal with, but these make it in your face and you have to deal with it immediately or it gets even more of an issue. I know cleaning my RoadTrip after a week of camping and grilling was a chore, but these you almost have to do every single time you use it. They're bulky and inconvenient and they hang the grease right off the side for everyone to see, kids fingers to become attracted to, as well as attract undesirables. PROS: 1. This is a step above a portable grill. It feels solid with no cheap plastic, and once you're setup and running, you don't feel like you're using a portable grill at all. For a guy who really enjoys standing in front of a grill with a cold beer and cooking for his family, the portables always disappointed in the feel. Like putting training wheels back on your bike, it feels like failure. This does not. 2. With 4 independently adjustable legs, terrain is irrelevant. Camping last week where the ground was lumpy and difficult, I would have been insanely irritated with any previous portables I have had and would have been moving dirt, finding rocks, etc. trying to level off my grill and it would still be wobbly. This one took whatever terrain and still setup solid, even if it does take a while. 3. It made me want to grill more. This is fantastic. I grilled almost every meal. I actually worried I was going to run out of propane before we left. The versatility and strong feel made me enjoy it more. 4. The modular design gives more options. Being able to take the grillbox off, I no longer have to take a separate propane stove. One of my favorite camp dinners is a big low-country boil just dumped out on the picnic tablecloth. This is another piece I don't have to carry now, and it puts my pot up in adult cooking level, not down near the ground like my old small propane stovetop. I'm already thinking chili, etc. for the later months camping, etc. So, that's rather winded... sorry... Conclusion: I give it 4 stars, 4.5 if I could. I'm a little on the fence if I would carry it if I were going for just a weekend, it's more work on setup and take-down for sure, and it's pretty big and bulky for trying to get in a quick weekend. However, for anything longer, I find the advantages to be worth the extra time and bulk easily. I also find the price point to be quite competitive for all the advantages. Durability will be the longer test, but it appears to be very well built. So, there's my "no longer on the Kool-Aid" review. Now go buy one. Or don't. But hopefully this helps someone.