Customer Reviews

Bodum Fyrkat 13.4-Inch Portable Charcoal Grill, Orange

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

If you're looking for a cheap inexpensive small portable grill there are better choices. Weber makes several models cheaper than this. All in basic black. If looks matter, however, if you want your guests to comment about how nice your grill is, or you just like bright colors, the Bodum Fyrkat is about as about as cute as you're going to get.

I don't mean to dismiss appearance - this is a nice looking grill. But it is more expensive and I honestly couldn't see why other than its unusual appearance.

The Fyrcat is slightly smaller and most definitely lighter than Weber grills in the same range. Lighter is probably better when looking at portability. The lid latches are tight and secure and allow you to carry the grill with charcoal ready to go inside.

The negative comments about the heat vents near the handle seem a bit over reactionary. Your hand is not directly exposed to the air escaping as the lower arm of the handle is directly above the vent. It's a minimal risk given that users should have protective mitts on hand nearby in the first place. The design also has a plus side as you turn the handle to close and open the vents. Not a major selling point, but it is easier on this grill than on the Weber Smokey Joe grills.

If you're on a tight budget this probably isn't the grill for you. If you're looking for something that's both practical and attractive, that shows itself off a little, this is a nice grill to own.

The Bodum Frykat 13.4 Inch Portable Charcoal Grill is a handy little grill for those who don't have the space for a larger grill, or who want a portable grill you can take along just about anywhere. It's small enough to take along and use wherever, but large enough to cook a fair amount at a time. This is more for the family going on a picnic or cooking a couple burgers and hot dogs quickly in the back yard or on the deck, not for hosting a large party. (It is big enough to cook a couple steaks too)

I have the orange model, which my little girl really likes because she likes orange. However, it does come in green, yellow, black, blue and off-white. Personally, I'd probably go with the black model if it was just me, but it is nice that they have the colors for those that want the variety. Most important thing is that it cooks, and that it does.

There is a small tray and grate that fits in the bottom to place your charcoal on top of, and then there is the larger grill that fits on top. The unit is not very deep, so you won't be placing a lot of charcoal in it. Again, this is for cooking small meals, and it works just fine for that. The legs are sturdy enough. I placed mine on the concrete beside our back door and it was fine. The directions to state that the unit is not intended to be used on top of tables.

There is a handle on top of the lid that is rubber covered so it does not get hot when on the grill. I had no issues with taking the cover off to turn our meat or retrieve it when it was done. There are two air vents right under the handle, and you close those by turning the handle. There are also three rubber clips on the side. These are for transporting the unit when not in use. These clips clamp the lid to the rest of the unit and you can then pick up the entire grill by the convenient handle on top and take the grill with you wherever you go. You don't want to do this unless it is cool of course.

If you are looking for a small charcoal grill due to lack of space, or need a smaller spare for taking with you, the Bodum Frykat 13.4 Inch Portable Charcoal Grill is a good little unit that does the trick. It is a bit more expensive than some of the models you can find, but it is nicer in a couple ways than some of the cheaper ones I've seen too. I like cooking with it, my little girl likes the color, and I'm sure it will be a nice, handy, little grill for many lunches, dinners, and picnics.

Length:: 1:38 Mins

The Bodum Picnic Grill is a good looking grill that you can take with you on your family outings. It is big enough for a 4 or 5 hamburgers or steaks but small enough to easily fit in the trunk of your car.

A few other points

- As others have mentioned the grills vent is right by the handle. You do need to be careful
- With the locks on the side the grill can be moved without worrying about everything dumping out.
- The grill is very colorful - if you like colorful grills you are in luck!
- Lightweight - probably weighs less than 3lbs
- Seems to have solid construction - it certainly does not feel flimsy
- Designed to allow even charcoal distribution while provide a nice convection like effect
- At the list price the grill does not seem like much of a value. You may want to investigate to see if you can find less expensive options.

Final Verdict - I am impressed with the grill, but you may be able to find a less expensive options

4 Stars

The Bodum Fyrkat 13.4" Grill is a great little grill for backyard/camping grilling. It has a rubber-coated handle as well as rubber coated grill cover clamps - which can come in handy when around hot steel. In addition to Orange, the Fyrkat also comes in three other colors for those people who are tired of the basic black. The lid handle also turns to actuate the air vents in the lid which is a nice feature. The charcoal platform/ash collector is removable to allow for separate cleaning. This should theoretically allow for the interior to stay extremely clean, since the charcoal bits will fall into a separate compartment, and not the bottom of the grill as with a Weber model, but so far I haven't been able to figure out how to remove this piece w/o some of the burned charcoal rolling off into the bottom of the grill. Guess I need more practice.

Big drawback and why I've lowered it to 3 Stars is that the grill is very expensive. List price is $80 which is REALLY high considering comparable portable grills. Although Amazon has lowered this to $49.99, it is still more expensive than the much cheaper Weber 10020 Smokey Joe Silver Charcoal Grill (lists at $34.70, Amazon sells at $29.70) or Weber's upgrade model the 40020 Smokey Joe Gold Charcoal Grill (lists at $39.70, Amazon sells at $34.70). Considering I see little difference in actual operation and function between the Bodum and Weber grills (especially between the Fyrkat and the Smokey Joe Silver - both of which I now own), I'm wondering what you are paying for in the additional $15. The rubber-coated devices, although a really nice touch, and a little higher quality construction can't be worth 33% more can it?

Good grill, but unless the color variations and rubber-coated handles really do it for you, seems like a little pricey for a backyard/camping/tailgate grill - unless you are using it to cook your Salmon and Bris...

Well, we're more than halfway through summer, and I've just finally gotten it together to do a post about portable charcoal grills. Some of you may know I write a popular meat blog called The Meatist ([...]), and in my meaty adventures have had occasion to cook out of doors more than a little.

While for the last few years I've been laming out and relying on the ease-of-use that comes with a gas grill, I recently received a Bodum Fyrkat Portable Charcoal Grill for review, and I was psyched to get back to charcoal.

The Fyrkat is a fairly basic grill at first glance; it's got a wire grate for cooking, it's a kettle-style, and it's got two ventilation holes at the top of the dome, controlled by twisting the handle back and forth. What sets it apart from many others, and certainly from a hibachi, is the three latches that hold the top in place. This allows you to fill it with charcoal, slap the top on, and toss it in your trunk to go to a cookout. No fuss, no muss, and it's easy to carry the whole thing by the handle.

In the performance department, it does great. Plenty of ventilation from the bottom (underneath the separate charcoal tray that catches the vast majority of ash) gives you the flexibility to run it hot or hotter by moderating the top vents.

As for grill size, I was able to cook up five giganzo burgers on the 13.4 inch grate with no problem at all, so a basic cookout for a family of 5 or 6 would be easy peasy.

If easy transport isn't a priority though, you can save a few bucks and rock the Weber Smokey Joe Silver Charcoal Grill which is about $20 cheaper. While it doesn't come with the latches, and colors aren't quite as interesting (it comes in black, as opposed to the orange, blue, green, yellow, white, adn black of the Bodum), it's 14.5-inch grill gives a bit more space too cook on, and it's a Weber, so you know it will last.

On the downside, the Weber holds its charcoal on a straight grate, which means ash is apt to fall through the bottom vent holes and land wherever you've parked the thing. On the Fyrkat, there's a solid pan under the grate, but above the ventilation holes, so that isn't nearly as much of an issue, either when cooking or during post-cookout transport.

But regardless, either of these beat a hibachi hands down in my opinion. They're compact, the work great, and the capitalize on a covered, smokey cooking environment. If you're in the market for a small cookout grill that you can transport easily, or are just tired of looking at your hibachi, give the Fyrkat a good look.

Oh, and if you're looking for tips on grilling and cooking meat or recipes for meats and barbecue sauces, stop by The Meatist - I've got a ton of 'em.

While this grill cooks well enough for its size, the quality of workmanship is poor. It arrived with approximately 1-1/2" chip off the enamel of the lid, and the product was clearly packaged damaged because none of the bright orange enamel chips were anywhere in the box or packaging. When the manufacturer was informed of this fact, they were unwilling to do anything about it. Other signs of poor workmanship were dents, some more minor paint chips, paint that was thinner in places, and the silicone handle arrived cracked. I'm very unimpressed with Bodum Fyrkat's idea of a quality product, or lack thereof in this case. Also, the vent for the grill is attached to the handle, so this makes it awkward to use because you have to turn the handle to open and close the vents. This could make it very easy to cause steam burns if you aren't careful. So would I recommend this grill, no. The Weber 10020 Smokey Joe Silver Charcoal Grill, Black is a much better product at a better price (20 bucks less and with a 10-year warranty as opposed to the 1-year warranty Bokum gives). I'm very disappointed in both the grill and manufacturer.

This would be my first grill, being that I live in a small apartment without a patio I need something small. We ended up taking this out to the courtyard to cook some sausages and burgers. It can definitely hold its own against a larger grill, that's for sure. Surprisingly, this grill held 5 large Italian Sausages with no problems whatsoever. Later on we were able to cook 2 lbs of hamburger (split into 6 patties) all at the same time. Once you figure out how much charcoal is needed, grilling is a breeze. Beforehand we didn't have enough and the burgers started falling apart. To extinguish I simply placed the lid on the grill, closed the vent and set it in the middle of my garage floor. It was cold that night about 8 hours later.

We will definitely be taking this on our camping trip to Colorado later in the year. I would highly recommend it to apartment dwellers!!!

Good things:

-The clips that hold the lid make transporting very easy.
-The finish is pretty.


Bad things:
-Mine was warped so the lid didn't sit tight. The bottom sections was warped (like taco). When I tried bending it back it started to make cracking noises. To me this might indicate that it was warped during processing and not shipping as the top lid is fine.
-I've used cheaper grills that have more generous handles so you won't burn yourself when you accidentally touch the metal parts. You have to be careful which part of the handle you touch.

So, in the end, I'd say it's not worth it.

This little (orange) Bodum Fyrkat grill is VERY cute and definitely has a nice design aesthetic. But, pretty only goes so far, and the consensus in our family is that the small Weber grill is a better grill for portable grilling.

PROS:
1. Very Cute;
2. Nice wire racks that fit well inside the grill body;
3. Sturdy feet/legs - grill not wobbly;
4. Clips secure top well, so the grill is easily portable;
5. Decent package instructions - a comprehensive list of what Not To Do, but didn't discuss initial cook - do you "burn off" the grill or not?

CONS:
1. Handle is a little difficult to turn to expose the top holes (2 of them);
2. Holes in bottom of grill seem a little small (4 of them);
3. The grill cover is too flat and seems to restrict circulation/cooking ability. At times, coals wanted to go out.

The Bodum grill works, and your food will be grilled, but we think our little portable Weber does a better job because the Weber design seems to allow for a better cook/circulation.

The first thing you notice about the Frykat is the funky, pumpkin-orange color. It's definitely eye-catching and nice to look at. This is a good grill for the beginner, camper, or those short on space. It's little and the lid isn't very deep, but I cooked five pounds of tri-tip and it fit (and tasted) fine. Since it's a small, basic grill and the meat rack is only an inch or two above the coals, you have to monitor the meat carefully to prevent over-cooking.

The grill is designed well; heat is kept in with a vented lid which snaps on so the grill can be moved without spilling. I had hoped to use this grill on a picnic table, but the manual says it can't be placed on tables or any flammable surface, so that leaves a concrete patio or bare dirt. Crouching down on the ground was tiresome, but the dinner was worth it. Recommended for those who want a bbq, but can't have a big one. S'mores for everybody!