Sam's Club Performer Deluxe Knock-Off $299

[jfmorris]

I had to run into Sam's today at lunch to pickup a few things, and spotted this. It's a $299 knockoff of the Performer Deluxe that someone is making for Sam's. Considering the Performer Deluxe is now up to $549 next door at Home Depot (and has to be special ordered online), this is really a pretty good deal.



They even go so far as to show a comparison list against the Performer.I didn't notice the glare when I took the photo...



And finally, it has a hinged lid. Only drawback is that means you will have to position your SNS in the back, since the top vent is in the front. Assuming a SNS fits on the charcoal grate. I didn't have a way to measure it at the time.



Other things worth mentioning - it does have propane assist, it has a tip charcoal bin like the Performer, but the bin is behind a magnetically latching door on the end of the cart. Also, not sure why there is a random black cup laying in the bottom of the cart - it appears to have a similar ash cleanout sweep and bucket system to the Weber and SNS kettles.

Also noticed in the pictures and the comparison chart that there is no dome thermometer included. Not a big deal - if you want one, I suppose you could drill a hole and install a Tel-Tru or something.

EDIT: I went and found the link on their website - there is a link to the manual and such there.

https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-m...=plp_product_1

[JohnPaul]

LOL!! They even have a side by side comparison!! It actually looks pretty nice. I'm real curious how long that lid hinge will last, looks a little weak, but I'm going by photo only not in person. Cast iron grates are a plus IMO, but I know a lot of folks prefer reg Weber grates.


Edit: looked closer and lid hinge has a little more ooomf than I originally thought. Looks like it'll last long enough

[jfmorris]

JohnPaul the big question for me would be whether or not a SNS and Vortex fit in the grill. The down side of a cast iron grate would be when using something like the Vortex to do indirect convection cooking. That cast iron will conduct a LOT of heat from the jet of flames shooting up out of the Vortex, more than with a stainless steel wire grate.

Looking at the grate, I imagine they must provide a tool to grab that notch on either side and lift so that you can refuel from either side of the grate.

[JohnPaul]

Agreed on all points. I wonder if it'll take a reg 22" grate. If so you could get the best of both

[texastweeter]

I'm not a fan of black iron grates anywho

[Jim White]

I saw that at our Sams over the weekend. I made myself move quickly and didn't even notice it wasn't a Weber...

[efincoop]

I saw this at my local Sam's club too and was intrigued. Not much information to be found in terms of reviews besides a few (very lame) reviews on the Sam's Club site https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-m...l/prod26560024

[jfmorris]

Yeah - I wanted to scold the guy saying he was going to use it with the self lighting charcoal, but could not remember my SamsClub.com password to login and do so, haha.

[Steve R.]

You can say that again.

jfmorris, go easy on Bruce; he's old. I know this because he made a point of mentioning it a lot of times.

[jfmorris]

Yeah - I wanted to scold the guy saying he was going to use it with the self lighting charcoal, but could not remember my SamsClub.com password to login and do so, haha.

[jfmorris]

Next time I am over there, I'll be sure to have a tape measure on my belt or in my pocket. I went in there today after dropping $100 at Home Depot on some dry wall finishing stuff.

[Panhead John]

Jim, is the top lid flat on top…by the vent? If so that’s strange. 🧐 And yeah, that vent on the lid should be down lower efincoop

[efincoop]

One thing I noticed in looking at the photos is the vent seems centered on the lid, which may not be conducive to venting over food if doing an indirect cook.

** Update ** taking a second look at the close up photos it is slightly offset, but not by a lot.

[jfmorris]

Next time I am over there, I'll be sure to have a tape measure on my belt or in my pocket. I went in there today after dropping $100 at Home Depot on some dry wall finishing stuff.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

That's a great price point, and probably plenty included for the every now and then backyard cook, but the purchase of a Weber or SNS includes an option for a healthy number of aftermarket enhancements. Them pushing for .5 inch larger diameter for weenie measuring marketing also potentially puts them out of contention from serious backyard cooks who want to be able to use what's on the aftermarket.

Also not understanding the lid, a taller lid would be a great selling point, but it looks like that detent makes the headroom more in line with the Weber? Only video I could find was a promo video from Sams.

[Panhead John]

And it looks like the lid handle is almost right over the vents! That could make for hot fingers if lifting the lid with the vents wide open. If that’s so, stupid mistake.

[Attjack]

Looks pretty neat but I'm glad I opted for a $100 Craigslist classic. I love the old performer design.

[jfmorris]

What is that above the fire? A tri-tip?

[Attjack]

Yes, that is a tri-tip. I'm loving the extra grate this setup provides. I had all kinds of room left. I should go bigger next time!

[jfmorris]

Everyone has pointed out some good points/issues. That lid cannot be rotated, and the top vent is in FRONT of the handle that you use to lift the lid on its hinge. The top area is somewhat flattened, and according to the manual, when the vent handle is towards the front of the grill, the vent is open. Towards the back is fully closed. I didn't look at it in too much detail. Construction seemed pretty solid, but it has some oddities for sure.

[Panhead John]

Thanks Jim, I went to the website and got a clearer picture 😂 so I deleted my question. Damn you’re fast answering. 😂

[jfmorris]

Yeah, I have a red light and klaxon that go off in the house every time Panhead John posts or comments to the Pitmaster Club...

The photos I took do show that the top handle is unusually tall. Maybe that is what they did to keep your arm hair from burning off when you open the lid...

[Attjack]

I think you would be inclined to take your left hand and grasp the handle on the left side to open the lid and thus wouldn't be likely to scorch your wrist.

[Panhead John]

Here’s what we’re talking about with the vents, this is a little clearer picture from their website. I mean, this looks to be a pretty good deal for the money and probably sturdy too, but wow! Why would anyone put the handle right over the top vent? Ouch. Plus, as Jim said, they put the vent handle in the back, forcing you to reach across the vent openings to make adjustments! Crazy….

[Attjack]

You aren't lifting the lid up you're rotating it open. I don't think there's an issue with the vent placement.

[Sid P]

Honestly, it’s a pretty poor design and just funky looking. Given the choice I’d go used Performer Deluxe every time. I paid $175 for mine including the cover.

[Jfrosty27]

+1 on that. I paid $200 for my used Performer in mint condition.

[texastweeter]

Yeah well I cooked salt pork on a cut open beer can over a campfire with a pocket knife and a dirty set of fishing pliers once.

[DavidNorcross]

They also have a griddle that is very solid. I am a fan of Sams

[Joey877]

+1. I have that griddle on my patio and use it all the time. I like the design better than the Blackstone.

[Panhead John]

jfmorris Hey Jim, I had some time to kill today so I went to Sam’s Club and checked out the Members Mark Performer knockoff. I spent about ten minutes playing around with it before security asked me to leave… Anyway, I’m curious to see what your thoughts are on it if you go back to check it out further. Here’s what I found….

I don’t think there will be any issues with burnt hands lifting the lid open or moving the vent lever position. As Attjack mentioned, opening the lid would require using your left hand and when doing so, I grabbed the left side of the handle naturally. My arm was enough distance from the vent openings where heat wouldn’t be a problem. In the pictures above I saw yesterday, the vent handle was facing the rear, the one I saw today it was positioned to the front. Moving the vent side to side opens and closes the vent and the handle is placed far enough away to not be an issue opening or closing the vents. From what I saw in person I was wrong, no burnt arm issues here!



When y’all asked about is there enough room for a Vortex or SnS….PLENTY. Jim gave me the idea to bring my tape measure with me. The distance from the top of the charcoal grate to the bottom of the cooking grate is 5 7/8 inches. After measuring the height of my vortex and SnS I had almost 3/4” to 1” of room left. I have the regular SnS too, not a low profile. That’s good!



As Jim mentioned, hopefully they include some type of tool to lift the cooking grate sections. They are hinged, but not a closed type of hinge. You can open them up without them falling down, but you can also fully remove them.



One section removed and placed on top of grate.



The ash catcher pot is very close to the SNS kettle in how it is removed and reattached, almost identical. Both are different from Webers. I actually prefer this style better than Weber’s. It came off and on pretty easily, although the first time took me awhile to reattach it. There are no ash sweeper arms at the bottom, like Weber and SNS do. There are simply 3 triangular shaped holes, that when open, allows the ashes to fall into the ash pan. I found this pretty strange because the only ashes that’ll be emptied are the ones directly on top of the disc shown in the picture. Not a big deal for most of us though, because even with my Weber and SNS I always have to use an old paint brush to sweep the rest of them into the holes.



Gas assist knobs for lighting the coals. Above pic also shows the gas tube that lights the coals.



Charcoal bin for storage or can use as a trash can.



My initial thoughts on this are pretty positive. It felt fairly sturdy and had enough quality to it that I’d recommend it, especially for only $300. Is it as good a quality as the Weber Performer? Not quite, but it’s easily worth every penny of $300.

EDIT: I thought I need to add this to the above. You don’t really know all the quirks or ins and out of a cooker until you use it a few times. And since I’ve never cooked on it, just from playing with it inside the store for a bit, it "looks" to be a pretty good deal IMO and worth its price.

[Panhead John]

Jim, you never used a paint brush to sweep them into the holes? I’ve always done that because none of the kettle sweepers remove all the ash. Then I’ll grab my cordless leaf blower and blow out the remaining dust. Yes, I’m anal. 😂

[jfmorris]

Panhead John I just use my charcoal scoop to scrape the sides down into the ash sweep holes.

[DavidNorcross]

good review here Panhead John . Thanks