Are you stuck between Camp chef 36 vs Blackstone 36 while considering a large-sized flat top grill? Indeed, both grills are excellent and have outstanding features. Yet, you’ve got to pick one—it’s not an easy task.
If you make a wrong choice, you will be very sorry to waste your money. You never want that to happen.
Cheer yourself up!
We’re here for you. Below, we’ll discuss these flat-top grills’ features, similarities, differences, and drawbacks. So you can make the best decision for yourself with no difficulty.
Let’s dive into the topic.
Camp Chef 36 Vs. Blackstone 36 Griddle Overview
Here, we begin with reviewing the Camp Chef 36 vs. Blackstone 36 flat-top grills.
1. Camp Chef Flat Top Grill Quick Overview
Let’s start our review with a Camp Chef outdoor griddle. The griddle has an appealing design with a black finish that will look great in the backyard. Aside from the design, the grill will surely amaze you with its excellent performance, breezy assembly, and hassle-free cleaning.
Camp Chef Flat Top Grill Features
This griddle station is your all-in-one solution, particularly if you’re a BBQ lover and also want to cook on a griddle.
The dimensions are 22 x 62.5 x 37 inches with 640 cooking areas. Not only this, another grilling surface of about 501 sq. inches underneath the griddle top. So, you can have it as a traditional grill as well. But, let us clarify that this grilling area will have no lid to keep the heat like traditional grills.
On the downside, the griddle is not compact because of only two wheels and unfoldable legs.
The weight is about 140 pounds, making it quite heavy. But don’t worry, this problem can be solved because it has wheels that offer a lot of conveniences. The burners are four, and the overall quality is outstanding as the entire body is made of sturdy alloy steel material.
You’ll also appreciate that the rear grease management system has been planned well. The catch pan sits on the bottom left side so that all drippings run to it without creating a mess here and there.
Pros
- The build quality is good.
- Easy to clean and use.
- It featured two cooking surfaces, griddle, and grates.
- It offers a large, spacious area for cooking and also for keeping utensils.
Cons
- The adjustable legs system needs improvement.
- Grease drain hole is not roomy.
- The plastic burner dial is less durable.
2. Blackstone 1554 Cooking 4 Burner Flat Top Gas Grill Overview
Next comes the Blackstone 1554 flat top grill, among the few best outdoor griddles. It’s a fantastic grill with excellent performance, a portable design, and a valuable prep and storage area. You can enjoy cooking any food without facing the slightest difficulty.
Blackstone 1554 Features
This grill is ideal for those who throw many parties and are looking for a large cooking surface. The griddle’s surface is 720 sq inches to let you cook more food than the Camp Chef.
The dimensions of the griddle station are 62.5 x 22 x 36 inches with a weight of 120 pounds. It has four burners, and all of them work great, with the total BTUs being 60,000: 15,000 BTUs per burner.
The foldable legs and wheels provide a lot of convenience for portability. You need to put in a little effort and can change the position of the grill anywhere.
The Blackstone grill’s back catch pan collects all the grease through the rear hole when it’s about cleaning. Yet, the grill has to be appropriately leveled to channel the grease.
Pros
- Ample cooking space
- Easy cleaning because of well-designed grease management system
- Travel-friendly.
- Excellent construction quality
- Better heat outcome of 15,000 BTUs per burner
Cons
- You need to clean it after every use.
- There’s only one middle rack.
- The side shelves are not foldable.
3. Blackstone 36″ Cooking Station 1825 Overview
This model of the griddle is also from the Blackstone brand. Apparently, the Blackstone’s flat top grill can seem similar to 1554, except for a few enhancements in the design. Yet both are different.
How? Let’s check.
Blackstone 36 Cooking Station Features
If we talk about the dimensions, then there’s the slightest difference from Blackstone 1554. Now the dimensions are 66.52 x 27.6 x 35.43: making it roomy.
The weight is 134 pounds; it’s reasonable according to the grill’s size. The cooking surface is the same, about 720 sq inches, but it is larger than the Camp Chef.
The construction of grill parts is good. The material used is durable stainless steel. Hence, it’ll last longer.
The four burners also produce 15,000 BTUs: a total of 60,000 BTUs.
This griddle Blackstone has an improved design with added side prep tables that are equipped with a towel rack and cutting board and garbage collector hook.
For cleaning, the Blackstone 36 griddle has a removable grease trap pan at the back, which collects all the grease through the rear hole. Unfortunately, it’s an improvement in the design after several complaints. Yet, you can find some users are still unhappy with it. The truth is, your griddle has to be leveled properly to let the grease gather in the catch pan.
Pros
- Large cooking space.
- Shelves are versatile.
- It featured foldable legs.
- It provides a total of 60,000 BTUs.
- Good for traveling.
- Construction quality is good.
Cons
- The paint can come off easily.
- Side shelves are not foldable.
Camp Chef 36 vs. Blackstone 36 Griddle Feature-by-Feature Detailed Comparison
We’ve discussed above the features of grills briefly. But here we’ll compare those features keenly, so you’ll understand which one is worth buying and which is not?.
Build Quality
For sure, knowing the quality of a griddle is a crucial factor in ensuring longevity. It’s why you must always weigh the pros and cons, so let’s see which grill has the best build quality.
The build quality of Camp Chef, Blackstone 1825 and 1554 are outstanding. The whole body, including the cooking surface, is a high-quality steel material. The wheels, legs, and other parts are good, and the burners are made of stainless steel. Yet, the difference is their griddle top. Campchef’s 36 inches griddle has a pre-seasoned cast iron griddle top, whereas the Blackstone grills have griddle tops of cold rolled steel or stainless steel.
So, according to your preference you can decide between stainless steel griddle top vs cast iron.
The Camchef loses its battle against Balckstone when it’s about burner controls or plastic.
Burners and Ignition System
The grill’s cooking performance depends on heat evenness, would you agree? In this regard, the bruner’s performance matters a lot. Let’s see which griddle has the best burners.
Camp Chef 36 has four stainless steel burners. Each one delivers 12,000 BTUs (A total of 48,000 BTUs). Yet, the Blackstone 1554 and 1825 offer a total of 60,000 BTUs, each burner will provide 15,000 BTUs on each, which is better than the Camp chef.
If we consider the ignition system, then all of them are equal. You need to push the auto ignition button, and you’re ready to cook.
However, there’s one feature that is not available in Blackstone.
The Camp Chef provides you with an independent ignition mechanism to let you manually use any burner. And, the feature is not available with Blackstone grills.
Hence, Blackstone models 1554 and 1825 win for the heat outpost, and Campchef has an edge for the heat control system.
Cooking Surface
How much food you can cook on the grill is a million-dollar question. And picking a grill station without knowing the answer is a rookie move. That’s why you should always know first which grill offers sufficient cooking space for you.
The Camp Chef griddle has a 604 sq. inch cooking surface of heavy gauge steel. On this griddle, you can cook up to 36 jumbo size burgers at a time, which is excellent. Plus, it is non-stick and comes seasoned, making your work easy.
However, if we consider Blackstone models, they offer large cooking spaces. The total cooking space you’ll get is 720 sq inches in both Blackstone models. You can make a lot of food at a time if you have to serve a big family or friend circle.
Ease of Cleaning
Undoubtedly, we all hate cleaning the grease on the grill. But you won’t face this problem with any of these grills.
Camp Chef has a grease management system on the grill. If you see the front side of the grill, there’s a small grease hole. This hole is designed for easy-clean-up.
The grease will automatically run into the grease catch bucket through this hole. The bucket will be attached to the shelf beside the hole. So the system is pretty good. The only complaint we have is the size of the hole could be more extensive.
On the other hand, the grease management system of Blackstone grills is equally sufficient as Camp Chef.
The rectangular grease hole in the cooking surface is big. However, the major difference is the grease bucket will now hang on the backside beneath the hole. Therefore, many former Blackstoen users, after switching to Camp Chef seem more satisfied.
Yet, in a nut shell, you don’t have to put a lot of effort into cleaning any griddle either from Blackstone or Camp Chef.
Fuel Source
Camp Chef and Blackstone flat top grill models are all gas grills. They all need propane gas as fuel. You can attach the propane tank with the holder that is included in Blackstone and Camp Chef, both packages.
Mounting, Leveling, and Portability
Which griddle is more travel friendly, and easy to mount? This question might ring the bell in your mind. So here’s the answer.
The legs of Camp Chef come with wheels; they are not foldable. However, you can adjust them to attain a suitable height. But you’ve to put a lot of effort into the leveling process, so it also needs improvement.
You need to disassemble the legs and middle shelves to put the grill in the trunk. That means it’s not that useful for a camping trip unless you have a big RV.
While the Blackstone models 1554 and 1825 come with foldable legs with wheels. You can fold them and place the griddle in the vehicle’s trunk. Once you reach the travel destination, you can easily open, unfold the legs, and use the grill.
Prep Table and Storage
Both grills offer a lot of conveniences. You can prepare side dishes while cooking the main dish.
In terms of shelves, the Blackstone 1825 has a clear win-win position. Here’s why: the side shelves on this model are more versatile than the other two.
It has a towel rack, removable cutting board, and trash bag hooks all on one side. In simple words, you can cut vegetables, throw away the waste, and keep paper towels by using just one shelf. The other side and middle shelf can place utensils and your flat top grill accessories.
The Camp chef and Blackstone 1554 model has two side shelves. However, these are just shelves; there’s no cutting board or trash bag hooks.
The noticeable differences are Camp Chef has foldable shelves, and Blackstone models do not. Camp Chef has towel racks on both sides, which Blackstone 1554 lacks.
Cost
Last but not least, the cost of the product. This point can change the entire mind of a customer. After all, budget matters a lot.
In terms of affordability, the best griddle is Blackstone 1825, as the cost is only $360. And despite being affordable, it offers excellent features. Like a big grilling space, a good grease management system, or the high BTUs.
Blackstone 1554 costs you $436, which means the difference is $76. And the features are quite similar. While Camp Chef is quite expensive and costs you $549.99.
Warranty
The warranty of Camp Chef’s flat top grill, Blackstone 1554 and 1825, is 1-year. It has a limited warranty on material and workmanship faults.
Customer Support System
In the end, the manufacturer’s cooperation is all that saves you from any unpleasant experience, eventually. In such cases, Camp Chefs are more helpful. Their customer support service is highly responsive and you have not to wait longer to get the issues resolved.
How can you Choose the Best Griddle?
All these three griddles are from well-known brands. That’s the reason that often makes us wonder which one is best for us because all of them are good. Yes, there are factors that create a difference; still, how can we pick one griddle?
To help you out, we’ve compiled some points. So you can understand how you can choose the best one for you.
- Assess your cooking needs – Imagine a scenario where you have a small backyard, but you’ve bought a big flat-top grill. For sure, it will not look good. So, always consider the size you want.
- Pick Good Cleaning System – Always pick a grill that has a good cleaning system and a built-quality. For instance, a grease management system is essential. Likewise, the stainless steel body will also help clean since it is rust-resistant. It means one or two wipes are enough to clean the grill body.
- Burners – Choose a grill that can provide sufficient heat (BTUs). If you’re looking for a griddle for yourself, then one or two burners are enough. Otherwise, the more, the better rule will be applied to the burners in case you’re a person who loves to throw parties.
- Travel-Friendliness – Have you ever thought about how you’ll move the grill? No, then it’s time to think about it. If you’re an outgoing person, a low-weight grill is suitable for you. Otherwise, you can also go with a big grill.
Camp Chef 36 vs Blackstone 36: FAQs
Does Camp Chef’s flat top grill come pre-seasoned?
Yes, the Camp Chef flat top grill comes pre-seasoned. Please don’t be fooled. All cast irons still need to be pre-seasoned and re-seasoned whenever you use them. The manufacturer has only seasoned them against corrosion in their warehouses.
Does the Blackstone 36 griddle come pre-seasoned?
No Blackstone 36 two griddles: 1554 and 1825, both don’t come pre-seasoned as they’re made of cold-rolled steel or stainless steel.
How do you clean a Blackstone griddle?
All grills, including the Blackstone griddle, need light cleaning after every use. Here’s an easy way to clean it.
You need a mild dishwashing liquid and a sponge. Pour the liquid on the surface and clean it with the help of a sponge. And please clean the sticky food from the surface before cleaning.
Are all 36 Blackstone griddles the same?
No, the 36 Blackstone griddles of 1554 and 1825 are not the same because of their design: prep tables, and steel material.
What is the difference between Blackstone in 1554 and 1825?
Some key features are similar in Blackstone 1554 and 1825 versions. Like the cooking surface that is 720 sq inches, 60,000 BTUs, four burners, and a grease management system. But the weight is different. The weight of Blackstone 1554 is 120 pounds, and 1825 is 134 pounds. The shelves of 1825 are versatile, while model 1554 are not.
Camp Chef vs Blackstone, which is better? Our Final Verdict
Indeed, when it’s about Camp Chef 36 vs Blackstone, both are good brands, and their griddles are also outstanding. Each grill is suitable for a specific person. For example, if you need a backyard griddle, with also some open-flame grilling, Camp Chef 36 is ideal for you.
On the other hand, the Blackstone models 1554 and 1825 are amazing for camping lovers. They’re also relatively affordable, offer large cooking space, good quality, and are travel-friendly. So it’s your decision what you want.
BTW, which griddle would you choose? Please let us know in the comment section. We would be happy to know that our information has helped you.
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