Napoleon Prestige BIPT450RBI Gas Grill review

About two years ago, my family and I decided to get a new grill. The old one that we had owned for several years just wasn’t working properly anymore and had ended up being more rust than anything else in the end. In deciding to make the purchase, we laid out a few standards for what we wanted in our new grill. Even heating, solid construction, no discoloration as the grill heats up and cools down. If we could really find the perfect grill, we’d try to get it in Stainless Steel, but we knew that that was not always an option. At that point in time, we were also looking for something that was under $1,500, which is not an unreasonable price to stay under; especially as many (though granted, rather flimsy) grills cost less than $500.

My family and I really went into the whole experience rather ignorant to how vast the market for grills was. When store-workers were really trying to push a sale, they would talk about different types of heating methods, how much heat the grills would retain, different sizes, heights, transportability, and etcetera. My mind was officially boggled after being talked at about all of the different grills and their features while out at the different sales locations. 

However, some of the sales people were actually rather informative and gave us some good, solid information to seriously consider before making our final decision. For example, going into the stores, we were hoping for a Stainless Steel grill, but then found out that Stainless Steel will change colors during the heating up and cooling down stages of grilling. Having only ever owned black grills before, that was something that we had not considered as a possibility, so we honestly took that into consideration.

After about six different trips to several different sales locations, we finally decided on purchasing the PT450RB. Firstly, we decided not to get a Stainless Steel grill for the very reason I just presented. Instead, we settled on one in Black Enamel. There is some Stainless Steel on this grill, on the side shelves, for example. The burners are also made of Stainless Steel, which offers some cool heating options. However, we actually were happy about compromising on the Black Enamel, as it actually looked sleeker and more stylish than the Stainless Steel grills that we had previously been considering. Additionally, we were not looking for a huge grill. While when compared to some other grills, especially cheaper ones, the PT450RB may seem gigantic, it really is a medium sized grill, measuring about four-hundred and fifty square inches. Not too bad, really, there’s not much that can’t be cooked on something that size.

Overall, the whole look of the PT450RB is an incredibly stylish one. However, one of the physical traits that my family and I did not particularly care for in the product was the wheels. Our last two grills seemed like they actually had tires instead of wheels, and the things that the PT450RB sit and roll around on can hardly be called that. Instead, the PT450RB rides clumsily along on plastic castor wheels, which, to me, look as though they could fail and fold at any given moment. Aside from that one flaw design, the rest of the PT450RB truly does look incredible, and really, most people don’t even look at the tires.

Probably the coolest part of the PT450RB is the electronic ignition. While the usual method of using a lighter is always an option, the PT450RB allows users to simply push a button in order to ignite the grill. This feature runs off of one single AAA battery. While the battery does have to be changed several times throughout a single season, it is a convenient feature, especially on windy days. Temperatures on the PT450RB reach up to 600 degrees F, which isn’t bad at all. Some people I’m sure would like a grill that has a bit more range to it, but for my family and I, 600 degrees was perfect.

Other great features include the side shelves. These have plenty of storage space including hooks for hanging tools as well as slots for other products. Additionally, as I mentioned before, one of the racks is Stainless Steel. We were quite happy to have some Stainless Steel on the product, especially in areas where it would not be exposed to direct heat and therefore, would not change color.

There is a sort of warranty for the PT450RB, but frankly, it sucks. While most products that cost this much offer a Lifetime Warranty, the PT450RB only comes with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Despite that being a bit risky, we decided to go with the PT450RB based upon the general high-quality of the product that we had seen.

So far, two years later, my family still uses the grill, and it has yet to fail. I know that in the big picture, two years isn’t really long as far as grill-life goes, but that’s been my experience thus far. The PT450RB still heats evenly, the wheels still work and support the beast, there has been no warping or distortion of colors and food cooks quickly, evenly, and well. Only twice in two years of using it has food come out burned, and that’s not a bad deal!





Pros: Stylish, works wonderfully, heats evenly.
Cons: Tires are flimsy, expensive.

The Bottom Line: Expensive but well worth the price!
Amount Paid (US$): 1499

/ [Nioniel]

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