After doing an enormous amount of research for a new, quality BBQ, I decided on the Dickinson Marine Spitfire 180.
LINK There were many others in the hunt, other marine grade, Weber, charcoal, etc grills were all evaluated. Basically, if it existed, I bet I have heard of it, and looked into it.
Some things I wanted were;
-Relatively small, and easy to store. I wanted to be able to easily cook for 2 with a couple items on the grill, or do up steaks or similar items for 4. This ruled out many BBQ's. Just too bulky for the actual cooking area.
-Fit under the dinette seat. Again a size thing, as I want it right out of the way when not needed.
-Reasonably tall. I want to be able to roast a small chicken or roast, or do other baking too. This ruled out the flatter ones.
-Durability and reliability. Once I got looking, it became obvious to me that a marine quality stainless steel unit would likely fit the bill.
After reading countless reviews, and emailing a few folks that had a Dickinson BBQ, I settled on the Spitfire 180. I bought this BBQ earlier this year, before I pulled my
Escape 19 out of storage.
I ended up ordering directly from the manufacturer, and made a deal that was WAY better than the list price on the site (about $80 more than the Weber Q 100). I also ordered the Aussie griddle, and the low pressure valve, as I had a quick connect installed on the trailer new. I bought the parts for the hose and connections from Fairview Fittings, who have a few stores in Canada, and have a full supply of
propane fittings.
Let me tell you, after receiving the BBQ, and opening it up, I was extremely stoked with the quality of the build. It far exceeded anything I was expecting. A few key points are;
- Very solid construction. The SS rivets are massive, and the seams were caulked with fire caulking prior to assembly.
- The SS rods on the grates all roll, and are very solid.
- The drip tray is made of heavy SS, not tinfoil like the Weber and some others.
- Lots of quality details everywhere, from laser cut lettering (or some similar type cutting), great accurate temperature gauge, solid feet and handles.
- Good even heat across the grill.
This is one of those purchases that just gives you great pride to own.
After using it all summer, I can't really find a flaw with it. It is starting to change colour a bit now, as all stainless steel will after being subjected to lots of heat.
The Dickinson Marine Spitefire 180
With the Aussie Grill in it. Great for cooking anything that might
fall through the grates otherwise. Veggies, pancakes, etc.
Note the quality nameplate. This will never suffer from wear.
Here is the low pressure control with the regulator alongside it. I keep the regulator on hand just in case I might want to hook to a bottle some time. Real easy to change. Again, note the control lettering is all cut into the stainless steel shroud.
This is the drip tray. Solidly made from SS.
And of course, a couple of the largest T-bones I could find.
It comes with a nice heavy cover too.