I love this grill. Yes, it's big, but for a family of four that's good. Problem? The non-stick surface is beginning to bubble after only 9 months of light use. At first, I thought it was just food left on the grill, but, alas, it is the surface coming away. It might be possible to make the grill last another year or so, if one were careful, but I don't think this should happen so soon. I don't think I have used it more than 25 times. I have sent an email to Breville asking for information on returns/repairs. I'll update this post after they respond (assuming they do).
UPDATE:
I contacted Breville via email, and they promptly replied with information on how to send it back. Assuming they concur with my assessment of the bubbling problem, I should receive a replacement. Can't ask for better customer service than that! A+
The 800RXL is a "manly" grill that will be enjoyed by all. However, know that it is large in size and that that is both an advantage and a disadvantage. For a small person, man or woman it might be a handful to lift and store. That being said, it is a wonderful kitchen appliance. It both looks and works great. The tiltable bottom plate is a very nice feature as is the adjustable top plates ability to lock at verious hights so as not to squash more delicate items.
It takes a few minutes to warm up and to cool down, but that is not surpizing given the size of the grill. The timer works well but is mechanical and sounds like an old fashion kitchen timer and it does not stop or start the cooking process. This grill iteself gets hot enough to sear meat nicely and yet folds out flat to grill and griddle at the same time.
I am impressed with the Breville quality and inclined to purchase the brand in the future. An extremey well made grill. Easy to clean. Easy to use.
I regret that the plates are not reversible, and that with this grill you are always limited to one side a grill, one side a flat griddle. Good thing it is so large. But if the plates were reversible, this thing would really deliver the goods. As it is, excellent quality, good looks, good performance (fast!), and feels like it will last me years.
Better plan on giving it counter space, this thing is heavy - too much to be lugging in and out of cupboards for as often as you'll want to us it.
I wish I could recommend the Breville Grill because while it worked, this was a great machine.
In the world of indoor grills, those that open flat give you twice the grilling area. The GRXL 800 does open flat giving you both flat and ridged surfaces at the same time. The non-stick grilling surface is huge, (the biggest in it's class). The top and bottom plates are designed to drain grease away from your meal into a single slide-out tray tray (though I can't say that it always worked when opened flat).
This unit made fantastic steaks and chicken and veggies and makes a pancake breakfast a cinch, and of course, perfect paninis. It cooks evenly from corner to corner and stays true to the temperature it's set at. The power source has a unique design that makes it incredibly easy to unplug; the cord is very sturdy and extra long, giving you a good deal of flexibility in where you lay this 22 pound powerhouse. There is also a handy lock built into the handle that doubles as a brace to hold up the lid if you don't want it touching your meal when the lid is closed.
The controls are basic; an on/off button with a single red LED, a temperature control, a timer (just a timer, it doesn't turn the unit off when the cycle is compelted), and a tilt control. The knobs are all large, making it easy to dial if you have wet fingers. The tilt control allows the bottom plate to lay flat (for sandwiches, pancakes) or tilt forward (so that grease and juices can drain into the tray).
Unfortunately, Breville only provides a 1-year manufacturer's warranty. I never dreamed that I'd need it, as the grill felt sturdy and well built. After just 15 months though, it completely failed to turn on. For about $180, I expected more. Luckily, I had buyer's protection on my credit card that doubled the warranty, so I was able to replace it with the Cuisinart Griddler... which also opens flat but has interchangable plates and a much more generous 3-year warranty.
Added Feb 24 08:
Finally I was contacted by a Breville rep that seemed interested in what I had to say and we covered this review point by point. BUT: at no time did he express any concern that he had a VERY dissatisfied customer on his hands. Two "Goods" that I should have mentioned are the "Briefcase Storage" and the finger hole in the plug (both most clever and useful ideas). And after a few days the "Boa Constrictor" cord relaxed noticeably, a good thing.
Note: this review edited Feb 04/08
Breville800GRXL: The Good, The Bad, . . .
First: am I the only person in the cosmos that notices shortcomings in design and execution?
The Good:
1. Solid, seems well-made.
2. Seems to heat more evenly than most.
3. Does a good job of cooking (caveat: see 2 & 3 below)
4. Fantastic for cooking several full slices of bacon at one time (five large strips).
5. Would you believe? It does frozen fries quite well.
6. Grease recovery design is very good, quite clever even. BUT: if you have to empty the drip pan in the middle of a long cooking session, be sure to put paper towels under the drip area. A spout (a la teakettle) on the rear would be most helpful.
The Bad:
1. Not nearly so non-stick as the hype claims (rather poor compared to some other non-stick cookware that I use). Can be quite difficult to clean. If the top surface is allowed to touch an egg, the egg will stick to it (when you lift the top surface, the egg will go with it ("hang from the ceiling"). I have even had bacon stick and lift in this manner. "Incredibly easy to clean" is a stratospheric flight of fancy. Well, I guess there's hype and then there's "hype."
2. Cooking surfaces won't stay parallel (unless you manually hold it for the duration - and if you let go you may screw up the food).
3. "Thickness" adjustments are balky/klunky/iffy. And the adjustment control can get too hot to touch.
4. "Thickness" adjustments are too coarse (ie, you can't make fine adjustments for food thickness). It's a case of (usually) too much or too little.
5. The leveling handle (top right) and height slider can get too hot to touch.
6. You just about have to get on your knees to read the control panel.
7. The top surface, if allowed full weight against a burger, doesn't put "stripes," it puts ditches. Here's an instance where parallel surfaces and fine adjustment are really needed. And note: a 1-1/2" thick sandwich will be squished to 1/2" at the top, 3/4" at the bottom. And have ditches, not stripes. DO NOTE: it's advertised that the height control gives "precise" control for paninis and delicate fish. There's nothing precise or delicate about height (thickness) adjustment increments of 1/2" and crushing weight.
The Ugly:
1. Drips grease on the counter behind the unit (a BIG mess, the more you cook the bigger the mess).
2. Messy to clean because it is so difficult.
3. To clean it at all, it must be hot enough that it will BURN you.
4. Overall, it is NOT user-friendly; too many things that it should do but doesn't. One example: having to manually hold settings is not acceptable, especially when the leveling handle gets too hot to touch.
5. The cord is packaged (as all usually are) so that it has a "set" like a Boa Constrictor. Python? It would be SO easy to do better.
I always wonder: do the people that design things such as this ever take them for a test drive before putting them on the market?
If the manufacturer would correct the deficiencies, this would be a fantastic product.
- - -
Added Feb 4 08:
Two weeks prior to writing this review, I talked to Breville CS. The lady was very personable and her overall response to all the above complaints was "Gee, that's too bad." I was promised a follow-up call which I never did get, so I wrote this review and sent a copy (email) to Breville. I got what I perceive to be a sarcastic one- sentence brush-off from Jomal Bush ("Is there anything I can do to assist you at this time?"). Note: IT HAD ALREADY BEEN MADE CLEAR to me that Breville had NO INTEREST in any corrective action of any kind.
And, it seems, customer comments or suggestions are of no interest or value. - Kitchen Wishes - Grill - Cuisinart - Contact Grills - Panini Grill - Breville'
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