Grill ​Comparison guide: Affordable Luxury vs. Luxury Grills (American Outdoor Grill vs. Fire Magic Grills)

To close out our Affordable Luxury vs Luxury Grills Comparison Guide Series, we're going to compare the luxury grill manufacturer Fire Magic to their affordable luxury line AOG (American Outdoor Grill).

At The BBQ Depot we know it can be hard for shoppers to understand why one brand may be more expensive than the next, or what they really get by buying a "luxury" brand. However, after you read this guide you'll have a great understanding of the differences, and similarities, between the AOG and Fire Magic grill lines!

AOG Affordable Luxury Grills

Fire Magic designs and manufactures the affordable luxury grill line AOG (American Outdoor Grill), providing you a high quality option at a more affordable price point. These grills are made in the USA and truly built to last with unparalleled performance!

AOG grills are said to be a bit easier to use than Fire Magic Grills because of their basic construction, which also makes them more affordable. 

Available Grill Sizes

AOG grills come in 3 sizes:

• 24” (2 burners)
• 30” (3 burners)
• 36” (3 burners)

AOG T & L Series Grills

AOG offers two different series:

• T Series - the most basic and affordable
• L Series - includes additional bells & whistles, and upgraded features

Similarities 

(Left to Right: AOG T Series and L Series)

Here are some of the similarities between the AOG T & L Series:

• Crafted with heavy duty 304 stainless steel for quality & durability
• Stylish, sleek appearance, including a double lined hood and custom designed analog thermometer on the hood with a polished bezel
• 3 available sizes: 24”, 30”, and 36”
• Contain advanced high quality 304 series stainless steel U burners that emit up to 32,000-50,000 BTUs & diamond sear stainless steel cooking grids that are flat on top to allow for more food to surface contact. 
• Stainless steel vaporizer panels for even heat distribution, to help avoid flare ups, add smoke infused flavor, and catch grease
• A warming rack
• Solid brass valves for temperature control
• Optional rotisserie back burner (10,000-12,000 BTUs), that lays flush at the back of the grill with a stainless steel mesh coating and rotisserie kit (not available on -OOSP grills)
• Slide out drip tray

Both the T & L Series can also be purchased either built in or on carts. AOG offers a lifetime warranty on both of their stainless steel burners, (as long as the original purchaser owns the grill). All AOG grill parts (excluding ignition systems, accessories, infrared burner, and vaporizer panels) are also warranted for ten years, infrared burners and vaporizer panels are warranted for three years and ignition systems (excluding batteries on L Series) and accessories (including side burners, motors, and thermometers) are warranted for one year.

Differences

The main differences between the T Series & L Series model are the ignition.

• The T Series model uses a “rapid light” piezo ignition system, firing up your grill much quicker and eliminating the need for electricity (no power).
• The L Series model uses an electric spark ignition, with an electric push button, using electricity to power the ignition (120 Volt AC).

The second difference between the two is lighting. 

• The L Series comes with interior halogen lights that are controlled by a push button located on the side of the grill and LED lighting over the knobs.
• The T Series do not include interior lighting or knob lighting. Lastly, you have the option to replace a standard burner and upgrade to an infrared burner only on the L Series, not the T Series.

Fire Magic Luxury Grills

Fire Magic Grills are made in the USA, and are known to be some of the finest grills on the market. Fire Magic combines stylish design, luxury, and craftsmanship with superior performance making it a top contender in the luxury grill category. Fire Magic grills offer performance, durability and quality, upheld in both built in or freestanding options.

Some of the biggest standouts about Fire Magic grills are:

• The sizes of their grills - in comparison to other grills they often have more depth in the fire box from the burner to the grates
• They contain an advanced heat distribution system allowing for even heat distribution, reduces flare ups and enhances cooking experience
• They also have the most BTU’s per square inch (from up to 1000 down to 200 degrees) and have more cooking area compared to grills of the same size

Fire Magic Grill Models

There are three different series of grills within the Fire Magic brand:

• Choice (basic and most affordable)
• Aurora (upgrade features and price increase from Choice)
• Echelon (top of the line and most expensive)

Similarities

There are several similarities across the Fire Magic Grill models & series options:

• Crafted with stainless steel and focus on superior design and quality
• Offered as either built in or freestanding
• Made with a 90 degree double walled hood, a warming rack, diamond sear cooking grids, flavor grids and a slide out drip tray for easy cleaning
• Flavor grids or “flame tamers” that are in a tent shaped design placed in between the burners and the cooking grates to help heat rise from the burner to the cooking grates, dispersing heat quickly and evenly, and flavoring the food by vaporizing juices to help minimize flare ups and grease fires

Another key element each Fire Grill option has is the diamond sear cooking grids that are unique to Fire Magic. With their patented design, these cooking grids have a smooth flat top where each individual bar measures .35 wide at the top covering over one half of the cooking surface. This design is to optimally transfer heat from the burners to the cooking surface so food cooks faster and more evenly!

Lastly, all Fire Magic Grills also come with a lifetime warranty on their diamond sear and stainless rod cooking grids, cast stainless steel burners and stainless steel housing, a 15 year warranty on brass valves, inner liners, manifold assemblies and back burner assemblies (excluding ignition parts), and a 5 year warranty on flavor grids and infrared burners!

Differences

The distinct differences between the three models that Fire Magic offers comes down to:

• Sizing
• Burners
• Ignition
• Available upgrades

Below, we'll dive into each series specifically:

Choice Series

The basic and most affordable grill Fire Magic offers is the Choice Series. This series is more of your bare bones option with no bells and whistles.

The Choice series offer multiple sizes and styles:

• It has built in models that come in 24”, 30” and 36”
• It has 24" freestanding models as well

The Choice Series is constructed with durable, high quality stainless steel, and has

• An analog thermometer on the hood of the grill
• A stainless steel U shaped burner that emits 46,000 BTUs-69,000 BTUs total
• A battery operated turn to light ignition (no power required)

However, the Choice Series does not have:

• Interior lighting or lights on the control panel knobs
• A spring hood assist (to make it easier to open and close the hood of the grill)
• An option to add a rotisserie

Aurora Series

The next step above the Choice Series, is the Aurora Series. It's priced a bit higher than the Choice Series, but has some upgraded interior and exterior features!

The Aurora Series offers 3 sizes but 4 options:

• 24”(2 burners)
• 30”(3 burners)
• 30” (3 burners with larger cooking area)
• 36”(3 burners)

The Aurora also comes in a gas/charcoal combo with 22” on the charcoal side and 24” on the gas side (2 burners).

This series highlights are:

• Constructed with stainless steel for durability and contains a double lined, spring assisted hood with an analog thermometer on the hood
• Includes an option to upgrade to a digital thermometer and meat probe  
• LED backlighting knobs on the control panel that turn from blue to red when increasing the heat so you know when your grill is hot or still on
• Use of cast stainless steel burners that contain more burner ports and designed with a protective lip above the ports to prevent clogging from grease that emits 50,000-90,000 BTUs
• Optional rotisserie kit upgrade, with a rotisserie rod that can be conveniently stored at the rear of the grill and a dedicated rear infrared burner that emits 19,000 BTUs
• More options to upgrade your burners on the Aurora, like upgrading a main burner to a sear infrared burner which is great for searing meats
• Both the main cast burners and rotisserie burners come with removable covers to keep the burners protected from debris when they're not in use
• You have the option to add the magic view window to the hood of the grill that allows you to monitor your food without lifting the hood.
• Contains (2) interior halogen lights - with upgrades angled lighting in the 30” & 36” that make it even easier to see your food when grilling at night

The Aurora Series also uses an electric hot surface ignition, the most advanced and reliable lighting system available, which can also be manually lit with a match. Simply push the control knob to activate the hot surface, turn up the gas and light your grill!

Echelon Diamond

The Echelon Diamond Series by Fire Magic offers you truly top of the line grills! With the Echelon series being a premium grill, the aesthetic and exterior of the grill is made with premium finishes and the control panel has a sleeker rounded design.

The Echelon Series comes in 3 sizes with 4 options:

• 30”(3 burners)
• 36”(3 burners)
• 36” (black diamond-all black)
• 48”(4 burners)

The Echelon Series include all of the upgraded features of the Aurora Series, including:

• The blue LED backlit knobs on the control panel that turn from blue to red when increasing the heat
• Cast stainless steel burners
• Electric hot surface ignition
• Spring assisted hood

Optional features that remain the same across the Echelon and Aurora series are: 

• Digital thermometer and meat probe
• The magic view window
• Option to upgrade to the sear infrared burner (for FREE)

When it comes to the diamond sear cooking grates on the Echelon, they are thicker and more heavy duty than the Aurora's. The Echelon also includes interior halogen lighting, 2 lights in the 36” and 30” and 3 lights in the 48”, but all sizes come with lights angled towards the cooking surface.

Similar to the Aurora, the Echelon series is available with both an analog or digital thermometer but this series contains an option to upgrade to the digital touchscreen black glass control panel that includes a digital:

• Thermometer
• Timer
• Meat probe
• Has integrated smart technology that allows remote monitoring from your smartphone (via bluetooth or wifi)

However, with the Echelon series being such a beast of a grill, there are even more upgrades!

• Comes standard with a rotisserie kit with rear infrared burner backburner that emits 22,000 BTUs, and stainless steel cover
• Integrated heat zone separators that allow you to cook at different temperatures across the grill for more versatile grilling
• Comes with a charcoal/smoker basket allowing you to add a smokey flavor to your favorite meats.

AOG vs Fire Magic Summary

As you can see from this article, there are a ton of options when it comes to these two popular grill lines, and while there are similarities, there are also distinct differences.

We also know this article had a lot of information to digest, so to review, here are the key differences between the different series within AOG and Fire Magic:

AOG Series Highlights

• Size: Both the T series and L series offer 3 different sizes, 24”, 30”, and 36”.
• BTUs: Both the T series and L series output 32,000 to 50,000 BTUs (24” 32,000 BTUs/30” 45,000 BTUs/36” 50,000 BTUs)
• Cooking Grates: Both series offer unique heavy duty diamond sear cooking grates.
• Ignition: The T series uses the “rapid light” piezo ignition system and the L series uses an electronic push button ignition.
• Burners: Both models offer a stainless steel U burner, however, you only have the option to upgrade to an infrared burner in the L series.
• Lighting: Interior lighting and exterior LED lighting comes standard in the L series and there is no interior or exterior lighting in the T series.
• Rotisserie System: With both series, you have the option to add a rotisserie backburner (10,000-12,000 BTUs), that lays flush at the back of the grill with a stainless steel mesh coating and rotisserie kit. (not available on models containing -OOSP)
• Warranty: All AOG grill parts (excluding ignition systems, accessories, infrared burner, and vaporizer panels) are warranted for ten years, infrared burners and vaporizer panels are warranted for three years and ignition systems (excluding batteries on L series) and accessories (including side burners, motors, and thermometers) are warranted for one year.

Fire Magic

• Size: The Choice series is offered in 24”, 30” and 36”, The Aurora is offered in 24”, 30”, 30” (with a larger cooking area) and 36”, the Echelon series is offered in 30”, 36” and 48”.
• BTUs: The Choice series emits 46,000-69,000 BTU’s (24” 46,000 BTUs/30” 57,000 BTUs/36” 69,000 BTUs), the Aurora series emits 50,000-90,000 BTUs(24” 50,000 BTUs/30” 63,000 BTUs/30” (with larger cooking area) 75,000 BTUs/36” 90,000 BTUs) and the Echelon emits 75,000-112,000 BTUs (30” 75,000 BTUs/36” 96,000 BTUs/48” 112,000 BTUs)
• Cooking Grates: All Fire Magic grills contain diamond sear stainless steel cooking grates, but on the Echelon series, they are thicker and more heavy duty.
• Ignition: The Choice series uses a turn to light ignition system and both the Aurora and Echelon use electric hot surface ignition.
• Burners: The Choice series contains a stainless steel U shaped burner, while the Aurora and Echelon contain cast stainless steel burners. In the Aurora and Echelon series, you are able to upgrade to an infrared burner, and not an option with the Choice series.
• Lighting: The Choice series does not contain lighting (interior or exterior), the Aurora has (2) interior halogen lights in all models but lighting comes angled in A660i and A790i and the Echelon has interior angled halogen lighting in all models (2 lights in the 36” and 30” and 3 lights in the 48”). Both the Aurora and Echelon have LED backlighting knobs on the control panel that turn from blue to red when increasing the heat so you know when your grill is hot or still on.
• Rotisserie system: There is no rotisserie option in the Choice series, you have the option to add the rotisserie system in the Aurora series and the rotisserie system comes standard on the Echelon series.
• Warranty: All Fire Magic grills come with a lifetime warranty on their diamond sear and stainless rod cooking grids, cast stainless steel burners and stainless steel housing, a 15 year warranty on brass valves, inner liners, manifold assemblies and backburner assemblies (excluding ignition parts) and a 5 year warranty on flavor grids and infrared burners.
• Additional notable upgrades (from Choice to Aurora): The Aurora series comes with a spring assisted hood, you have the option to upgrade from an analog thermometer to a digital thermometer/meat probe and the option to add a magic view window to the hood of the grill.
• Additional notable upgrades (from Aurora to Echelon): The Echelon series offers the digital touchscreen black glass control panel that includes a digital thermometer, timer and meat probe and has integrated smart technology that allows remote monitoring from your smartphone (via bluetooth or wifi), contains integrated heat zone separators that allow you to cook at different temperatures across the grill for more versatile grilling and includes a charcoal/smoker basket.

Takeaways

Again, we know this article had a lot of info, but we truly hope that you now have a better understanding of the key differences between these two brands, and you feel empowered to order the right grill for you!

Making the right grill choice for you almost always comes down to the size you want, the additional features you're interested in, how much heat you're looking to generate and your budget.

While you can’t go wrong with either one of these grills, in our opinion Fire Magic grills are hard to beat! if you’re looking to elevate your cooking experience, the Echelon Series is also the way to go. With its convenient smart technology, integrated heat zone separators (that allow you to cook at different temperatures across the grill), and cooking surface size, the Echelon has unmatched versatility!

If you’re not ready to spend a luxury price, or just not interested in the upgraded features the Echelon has to offer, the Aurora is for you!

Still have questions about Fire Magic and AOG grills? Are you wondering if there is an option that'll fit your grilling goals and lifestyle better? Don't worry, we’re here to help! Contact our team of experts today!

We pride ourselves on providing exceptional customer service to every single person who calls. Our #1 goal is to help you find the grill that best suits your outdoor kitchen or patio.