Magma A10-603 Adventurer Series Portable Gas Grill Review
A portable gas grill can be a thing of beauty, or it can be a cheap piece of junk that tempts you to use it as a boat anchor. The criteria that draws the dividing line between the two can be a little bit hazy at times.
With small, portable gas grills, your biggest enemy is often the wind. A breeze that comes in at just the wrong time, can really be a big hassle. At the same time, these grills are intentionally designed to be small, so you have to really think about what you want to cook and just how hot you need to cook it.
With the Magma A10-603 Adventurer Series gas grill, the wind is rarely a problem. The gas burners are set deep enough that your average breeze blowing in from the side isn’t going to blow out the flames. Still, it’s not invulnerable to wind. So don’t set it up in a way where a strong gust can be scooped up by the open lid.
The Magma A10-603 Adventurer Series Gas Grill uses stainless steel construction throughout. This includes burners and other essential components. The burner system comes set up for 1-pound propane tanks. However, it can be converted to handle low-pressure natural gas. The only problem here is that it’s not set up to be “Quick Connect.” Which means you will need to hunt around for extra quick connect fittings, or simply learn to live with the screw on fitting.
The Magma A10-603 Adventurer Series Gas Grill also has a side access grease tray, which you usually don’t find with portable grills in this size or price. It certainly helps with cleanup. The locking lid is also a nice feature if you are on the go. It allows you to conveniently store everything away, without having to worry about a random bump in the road scattering it.
Construction & Ease of Assembly
The Magma A10-603 Adventurer Series Gas Grill is made completely from 100% stainless steel. This gives it an appealing gleam and it isn’t something you typically find in other portable grills in this class.
There is very little in the way of assembly. You shouldn’t need more than a half hour from the time you open the box until you are ready to grill for the first time.
Grilling Performance
The Magma A10-603 Adventurer Series Gas Grill will handle just about anything you need a portable grill to do. If necessary, you can even grab a small cast iron frying pan or a cast iron griddle to use it for making breakfast on a camping trip.
This class of grill is intentionally small. So, you shouldn’t expect to be able to grill up a whole chicken, or even more chicken wings than a pair of diners can handle. It’s meant to be the sort of thing you take with you when you go camping, take a trip to the beach, or you and your buddy want to make up some thick juicy burgers in the parking lot before the game.
The Magma A10-603 Adventurer is rated to produce 11,200 BTU’s. Most portable gas grills are rated to produce 12,000 BTU’s. So, on the face of it, this grill is technically underpowered by 800 BTU’s. However, this is compensated for by its ability to resist the wind better than most other portable gas grills, that lose a lot of their thermal efficiency when they aren’t in the kind of ideal conditions that manufacturers and underwriters use to measure BTUs.
Just make sure to properly preheat the Magma A10-603 Adventurer for 10 minutes before you plan to sear something like a Steak or hamburger patties. Closing the lid during this time will help trap more of the heat.
Grilling Areas
The Magma A10-603 Adventurer provides 162 square inches of grilling space. This is enough to grill up two or three decent size hamburger patties at a time. If you place them carefully you can even grill up two bone-in chicken breasts or ribeye steaks at a time.
Special Features
The pull-out grease tray is also a nice feature that you don’t really see on other portable grills at this size and price point.
The locking lid on the Magma A10-603 Adventurer is nice if you are going to be moving the grill around a lot on a camping or beach trip. It lets you put everything in one place, without worrying about every single bump in the road spilling it out.
Ease to Clean
The Magma A10-603 Adventurer is relatively easy to clean. Just make sure you give it enough time to fully cool down. The pull-out grease tray makes it easy to dispose of excess fat and other drippings. The stainless steel grates can sometimes be a little sticky. Just take it easy with the wire brush when you are scraping them down.
Warranty
The Magma A10-603 Adventurer comes with a 1-year warranty on all parts and components, to be free of manufacturers defects. Some online vendors also sell a simple protection plan for a pretty reasonable amount.
Conclusion
Portable grills have a reputation for being a little on the simple side. Some are made from cheap materials that shorten their life. The Magma A10-603 Adventurer takes it up a notch from its competitors. Being made completely from 18-8 stainless steel gives it a nice gleam on your patio table as well as your tailgate.
If you are in the market for a quality portable gas grill, the Magma A10-603 Adventurer certainly needs to be on your list. Just make sure you preheat it thoroughly before using it and take a little extra care to not scratch the stainless steel finish.
