If you’re wondering whether an Evo grill is worth your hard earned money – then this in-depth article will definitely help.
Evo grills are designed and made in the USA, and Evo America LLC is headquartered in Tualatin, Oregon. They make grills for the residential and food services markets, and real reviewers give their products five out of five stars.
Let’s dive down into the Evo grills brand in greater detail, and give you all the essential information about their company heritage, product range and how to use and maintain their grills…
Are Evo Grills Made in The USA?
If you’re looking for a genuine American grill, Evo grills are designed and manufactured in the USA. Evo America LLC is headquartered in Tualatin, Oregon.
Who Makes Evo Grills? (Can You Trust The Company?)
Evo was launched in 2001 in the US. They have rapidly become renowned and trusted for pro-level outdoor and indoor grilling. Their drop-in grills have that distinctive circular design, and reviewers love them for their hot-spot-free cooking. For outdoor kitchen use, check out their Affinity range, or go for one of their cart grills as an alternative to a BBQ.
What Products Are in The Evo Grills Collection?
Evo separates their grills into “residential” and “foodservice” ranges, ie, domestic and professional. We’ll be looking at their residential range of outdoor grills.
If you have a built-in outdoor kitchen, you’ll need to take a look at their Affinity series of drop-in grills. The serious outdoor chef needs a mighty 30G model. Made with heavy-duty 304 stainless steel, these large gas grills have an exceptional build quality and will feed a whole bunch of hungry people. The “30” in the title refers to its 30” cooking surface.
For a smaller outdoor kitchen, you may prefer the 25” model, the Evo Affinity 25G. As there isn’t much difference in price (more about this in a moment), we’d recommend that you go large for a more versatile cooking surface.
Evo also produces a cart model, the Professional Wheeled Cart. This is a portable version of the Affinity 30G.
Finally, there’s the tabletop model, which can travel anywhere with you. Again, it has the powerful 30” grilling surface. It will comfortably sit on a bench or table in your yard, or you can take it away with you on holiday.
Evo also makes a range of indoor grills, and you can choose from gas and electric models. There’s also their pro kitchen collection, which they call the Foodservice range. Evo has a collection of grill accessories, and we’ll look at those shortly.
What Size & Weight Are These Grills?
These are pretty solid grills. The drop-in Affinity 30G weighs over 160 pounds. The cooking area measures 30 inches wide (hence the name), but when you take in the surround, allow for about 36 inches. The 25 inch model has a total width of 32 inches, and weighs 97 pounds.
The ProCart wheeled grill has a thirty inch cooking width, which goes up to around 40 inches when you add the surround. The cart model is actually a similar weight to the Affinity 30G, weighing in at 166 pounds.
The Professional Tabletop grill is designed to be moved around; however at 117 pounds, it’s not everyone’s idea of portable. Again, there’s a thirty inch cooking measurement, which increases to 40 inches with the surround. The underneath drip tray takes its height up to 14 inches.
Do Evo Grills Have a Warranty?
Yes, Evo grills come with a lifetime warranty for defective parts, and you can register for a year’s cover for certain components. This mostly includes gas and electrical parts, which normally come under accepted wear and tear, but which would be expected to last for longer than the first year.
Evo prides itself on the quality of its components and on its customer service. There’s a fair amount of small print to read to get to the bottom of what warranty is offered (go to their website, and there’s a warranty tab for each individual product).
There’s a straightforward online warranty form to complete, so you can easily register your new appliance.
Do Evo Grills Also Make Accessories?
Evo produces a range of grill accessories. The most essential is the grill cover, which will protect your appliance from the worst of the weather.
Evo also produces a stainless steel dome cover for its grills, which is ideal for slower cooking. You can also pick up Evo roasting and baking racks.
According to the website, Evo ships their grills with a good range of accessories, included in the package. This comprises a surface cleaning kit, two stainless steel spatulas, a special surface scraper, and Evo’s grill cookbook. That’s a really helpful starter pack.
What Do Real Reviews Say About Evo Grills?
We took a look at the customer reviews for domestic Evo grills on Amazon. Now, these higher-end products don’t attract many reviews, presumably because they don’t have the same volume of purchasers as cheaper models (and maybe if you’ve committed to spend 4,000 dollars on a grill, there’s no way you’re going to criticize it…). But, we found a few reviews and they’re very helpful.
The Affinity 30G grill scores five out of five stars. Users like its versatility (“Excellent grill for anything you want to cook”) and the fact that it’s easy to clean afterwards. Cooking is described as “easy”, and a couple of reviewers mention that they’re constantly finding new things to cook on it.
The only negative review throughout the whole range was someone scored it low because it arrived with a broken light. Otherwise, customers are enthusiastic about their Evos.
How Much Do Evo Grills Cost? (Why Are They So Expensive?)
Deep breath – these pro-quality grills will set you back between 3,500 and 4,300 dollars. The tabletop is the least expensive option, while the Affinity 30G is currently $4,295 on Amazon.
Why are they so expensive? These sleek-looking, pro-level grills are built to last, and they’re made in America not mass-produced abroad. As well as their robust construction from quality materials, they’re clearly designed with the chef in mind, providing edge-to-edge even heat, with temperatures ranging from 225°F to a sizzling 550°F.
If you take care of it, this well-made and versatile grill should last you a lifetime, and that’s what you’re paying for.
How To Use an Evo Grill
Evo grills are super-easy to use – and you can watch their famous brand ambassador, Sam the Cooking Guy, on YouTube for extra culinary tips.
There are great installation instructions that you can download from the Evo website. Take special care when fitting the grill to its gas supply. Lighting the grill follows the standard gas grill procedure – and as ever, make sure that you read the instructions first.
- Hold down the igniter button, then turn the Control Knob to ‘Lite’. You can see the flame through the holes in the grill’s body – check that these are lit
- If the burner is lit, you can then turn the knob to your chosen cooking setting.
- If ignition doesn’t occur after 5 seconds, release the igniter and turn the burner Control Knob to off. Wait for 5 minutes, then repeat the lighting instructions
- If this doesn’t work, follow the manual lighting procedure. This involves using a long, lit match poked through the holes in the grill’s body. Please read Evo’s manual before attempting this method
Are These Grills Easy To Look After?
According to the reviews, this is a real selling point. The smooth surface wipes clean easily after use (just make sure it’s cooled). The grills also come with Evo’s very own cleaning kit to help you take care of it.
The flat surface comes ready seasoned and is non-stick, and you can even use pans on it like a conventional stove top. This makes it super-easy to clean after cooking.
How Do I Store My Grill?
It can be tricky to cover a built-in grill when it’s not in use. However, those clever Evo designers have overcome this, and you can actually get purpose-made covers for their drop-in Affinity grills.
These are made from tough, water-resistant vinyl. They also make covers for the cart and tabletop models, and you can get all of these from the BBQ Guys website.
Before you cover any type of Evo grill, make sure it’s clean, free from debris, and completely dry. This will help to stop bugs, rodents, and mold from being attracted to the grill.
If you have a cart or tabletop model, you can winterize them indoors. Again, clean and cover them, then store them in a cool, dry place like a shed or garage until it’s time for al fresco feasting again.
Summary: Where Can I Buy an Evo Grill?
We’ve already mentioned Amazon and the BBQ guys, and there are plenty of other places that stock the Evo range of residential outdoor grills.
Evo’s website has a search function which allows you to find authorized Evo dealers near you. This applies to the whole of the US and Canada.