Think Twice Before Buying Costco's Kirkland 6-Burner Grill For Your Backyard

If you're seeing signs that it's time to replace your grill, and you are ready to go big with the next model you buy, you may just want to head to one of the most well-known discount retailers in the world: Costco. However, one Costco-exclusive model, the Kirkland Signature Stainless Steel 6-Burner Gas Grill, has some major red flags you should investigate a bit before buying. Our research found that its customer reviews lag behind similar products. It also may be too large for your needs, as most people rarely need a six-burner grill unless they often cook for huge groups.

With a price tag of about $900 at Costco, this is a major purchase that deserves some consideration before you pull out that credit card. The good news is that Costco offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee for its merchandise, giving you the option of returning it to the store or via mail. So if you purchase the Kirkland grill and decide you don't like it, you could simply return it.

On the Costco website, the Kirkland grill has an average customer rating of 4.0 stars out of 5 stars with more than 275 reviews. Roughly 12% of reviewers, or about one in eight, gave the grill the lowest one-star review. Reviewer "bpmx" returned the grill after about six weeks, saying assembly was difficult, the automatic ignitor did not work, and the stainless steel began showing discoloration almost immediately. Reviewer "Bob From Arizona" said the grill was defective and delivered an unsafe operation that could burn people who used it. Reviewer "Rob W" said the grill did not work after assembly. (Although customer service suggested Rob W try swapping out parts until it worked, the reviewer did not want to make these kinds of repairs on a new grill he just bought and decided to return it.)

The Kirkland grill has plenty of positive reviews too. About 58% of the reviewers gave it a perfect 5-star review. Reviewer "rncb" appreciated the sturdy and solid design of this model, giving it a feel of longevity. Both "Johnny R" and "Jack" praised the model's ability to run on natural gas. Reviewer "Cali Gal" said it "cooks great," noting a few of the igniters did not work initially because of a loose wire but this was easily fixed. Reviewer "Billy" reports being pleased with the grill, although the first order was damaged and required having a new product sent as a replacement.

As an alternative to the Kirkland Signature 6-Burner Grill, you may want to consider the similarly sized Weber Genesis II E335 Gas Grill, which costs about $950 and is better rated than the Kirkland six-burner model. The Weber gas grill has more than 390 reviews with an average rating of 4.6 stars out of 5. It is a little smaller than the Kirkland grill, as it offers a total of 669 square inches of cooking space (156 square inches of which are on the side burner), compared to the Kirkland grill's 737 square inches of cooking space –  but the smaller grill may fit your needs better if you rarely cook for large groups.

YouTube reviewer Rather Elevated did a direct comparison of the Kirkland and Weber models, filmed inside the Costco store. One advantage of the Kirkland grill is that it offers infrared heating for the upper stainless steel grates at the back, which you can use to keep cooked food warm after grilling. However, the reviewer ultimately prefers the Weber grill because of its cast iron grates. Even though it is likely harder to keep the grill gates clean than the Kirkland model's stainless steel grates, cast iron offers a more even heating pattern — and as an added bonus, the side burner offers more versatility.