Flat Pack vs Hinged vs Fixed Charcoal Grills
How flat pack, hinged and fixed portable charcoal grills compare: why separate panels with no hinges hold up better, where hinged grills wear out, and when a fixed grill makes sense.
If you want a charcoal grill you can move around, you are choosing between three broad designs: flat pack, hinged and fixed. Here is how they compare on the things that matter after the first month.
Flat pack grills
A flat pack grill is made of separate panels that are not attached to each other. You put them together to cook and take them apart to pack. With no hinges, there is nothing to fail and nothing to get hard to operate over time. The Slot Grill is a flat pack grill.
Hinged grills
Hinged grills have legs or walls that swing open on hinges or pins. They are nice in the beginning. With use, the hinges get grease and ash in them and deform slightly from the heat of the fire, so they start to bind or loosen. The hinge is a failure point. Hinged grills have their uses, but they are not an ideal design for a grill that gets packed, hauled and fired over and over.
Fixed grills
The third type is the fixed, fully assembled grill: a bowl or box on legs that stays the same shape whether it is in use or stored. No setup, but it takes the most space.
| Flat pack (knock-down) | Hinged grills | Fixed portable | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packed shape | Flat stack of panels | Folded unit, usually thicker than flat pack | Same shape packed as in use |
| Setup | Short assembly order | Swing open and lock | None |
| Wear points | Few; no hinges | Hinges, pins and latches gunk up and warp | Legs and handles |
| Cleaning | Panels come apart | Corners and hinges trap ash | Bowl or box |
| Storage space | Least | Moderate | Most |
When flat pack wins
When space is the constraint: a car trunk, a kayak hatch, a camp box, a shelf in an apartment storage closet. When you want something that gets used hard and has no small parts to fail. When you like being able to take a grill fully apart to clean it.
When it doesn't
If you want to set the grill down and light it with zero assembly every single time, a fixed grill is simpler. If you want a lid for long low-and-slow cooks, a lidded cooker is the tool. A lidless flat pack grill excels at direct grilling, griddle cooking and fire-and-ice style cooking, and can do longer cooks with good fire management, but it isn't an oven.
Material matters more than style
A thin flat pack grill can be worse than a thick fixed one. Look at steel thickness first; see steel gauge and why it matters. The Slot Grill uses 12-gauge carbon steel on the Compact and 10-gauge on the Full Size.
The two Slot Grills at a glance
| Compact | Full Size | |
|---|---|---|
| Steel | 12-gauge carbon steel | 10-gauge carbon steel |
| Cooking area | 16.25" × 9" | 20.5" × 11.25" |
| Weight, grill only | About 14 lb | About 27.6 lb |
| Packs to | About 1" | About 1.25" |
| Air gap | 2⅞" | 3⅝" |
Figures from SlotGrill.com. For the full breakdown, see Compact vs Full Size.
Fire safety on any collapsible grill
- Outdoors only. Burning charcoal makes carbon monoxide, which you can't see or smell. Never use it in a garage, tent, camper, vehicle, boat cabin or under a roof or awning.
- Non-combustible, level ground. Soil, gravel, sand, concrete, pavers or a fire-safe pad.
- Clearance. Away from walls, vehicles, tents, overhanging branches and dry grass. Kids and pets kept back.
- Seated tabs. Check every tab is fully in its slot before you add fuel.
- Water and gloves at hand. Hot steel looks exactly like cold steel.
- Leave it alone until cold. Don't move or take apart a lit or warm grill.
Questions people ask
Which portable grill type packs smallest?
A flat pack grill usually packs smallest because the parts come completely apart and stack. The Slot Grill Compact packs to about 1 inch thick.