Ramon Echols, Size & handling writer

I write the guides about size, and size is where pellet grill listings get creative. One seller counts the warming rack and the upper shelf in the cooking area, another counts only the main grate, and both put the number in the title. My job is to pull those figures apart so you end up comparing grate with grate.

I also write about hoppers, pellet storage and portable grills. With hoppers, the pound figure is real, but it isn't a time. How long a load lasts depends on the temperature you cook at and the weather around the grill, and I'd rather say that plainly than print a number nobody stands behind. With portable grills I read the weight, the folded size and the leg design first, because that's what decides whether the thing goes in the car at all.

Most of my day is spec sheets, assembly manuals and owner reviews. Owners are good at telling you what a listing leaves out: a lid that won't open under a low roof, a hopper lid that lets rain in, legs that wobble on uneven ground.

Beth edits my guides and sends them back when a number has no source. I've stopped minding.