A funnel on a column
ACTIVA itself calls the unit the “Trichtergrill Saalfeld” (funnel grill), article number 11575. The header of the manual says 11575F. The name describes the design quite precisely: at the top sits a square funnel that holds the charcoal grate, below it a slim, square support column, and that stands on a square base plate. A lid is not included. You grill openly and directly over the embers.
On our site, the Saalfeld sits in the charcoal grills category, among the column grills. It costs approx. €60 (Amazon page on 20.10.2026: €59.89). In our comparison it gets 7.6 out of 10 points, the lowest score among the four grills shown side by side further down.
The product photo is worth a second look. The grate is square and has a dark handle on the left and right, both of which stick out sideways beyond the funnel. The photo hardly shows the windshield, but the parts list names it precisely: one panel each on the left, back and right, with none for the front. In the column at the front sits a round perforated disc, which according to the parts list is the ventilation control. At the very bottom you can see an insert with a knob, which the manual calls the ash drawer.
What comes with the grill and what it is made of
The parts list in the assembly and operating manual has eleven items with 14 parts in total: the grate, three windshield panels (left, back, right), four funnel walls, the charcoal grate, two column halves (front and back), the ventilation control, the base plate and the ash drawer. Wheels, shelves and a warming rack are not listed.
On the material, the sources differ. The running text in the manufacturer’s shop speaks of a “Edelstahlgrill” (stainless steel grill), and in its detail table Amazon lists stainless steel for material, handle and frame. The info box on the same shop page, by contrast, speaks only of steel, and the “Material” field in the data table is empty. For the grate the situation is clearer: it is chrome-plated and, according to ACTIVA, has an edge guard that is meant to hold the food in place.
Why we care about the type of steel: stainless steel is a collective term. Ferritic grades such as 1.4016 rust more readily in moisture and heat than austenitic ones such as 1.4301. We do not know which grade is in the Saalfeld. What you can do if surface rust shows up anyway is covered in the guide Grill rusting: what to do.
Dimensions and weight also contradict each other. The manufacturer’s shop gives 60 x 40 x 90 cm (width, depth, height) and 8.0 kg. Amazon gives 50 x 40 x 90 cm and 11.02 pounds, which is approx. 5.0 kg. In the shop, the 60 x 40 x 90 cm appear word for word for the Erfurt, the Pisa and the Augsburg too, which looks like a template value. Both sources agree on depth and height. The width is in any case an overall dimension, because in the photo the grate handles stick out sideways. How big the grate itself is cannot be read from this.
In detail: controlling heat without a lid
Over charcoal, most of the heat reaches the food as radiation, and it falls off quickly with distance. A few centimetres therefore make a big difference: just above the embers a steak browns in a short time, one level higher a chicken drumstick cooks through instead of turning black on the outside.
On the Saalfeld you have two controls for this. The first is the grate height. According to the manual, the grate is hung “at the desired grilling height”, and the shop says it can be adjusted in height to adapt the temperature. Hanging means you lift the grate out and set it back in. With embers burning, that is only possible by the handles and with gloves.
The second control is air. The ventilation control sits on the column, and Amazon speaks of an adjustable vent opening. We read the design as meaning that the air intake comes through the column from below to the charcoal grate. More air makes the charcoal burn brighter, less air slows it down. ACTIVA has not described this path, it follows from the arrangement of the parts.
What is missing is the third control that a kettle grill has: the lid. Without it there is no closed cooking chamber in which meat slowly cooks through next to the embers. For sausages, pork belly slices, vegetables and steaks, the open principle is enough. For pulled pork or a whole roast, the Saalfeld is not built.
According to the manual, the fuel container holds approx. 2.0 kg. You do not have to use the full amount every time: for a short grilling evening for two, a half-filled charcoal grate is enough in our assessment. Because the windshield stands at the back and sides, we would position the grill with its back to the wind. If the charcoal is slow to catch, the guide Charcoal will not light properly helps.
Can the Saalfeld go on the balcony?
It is not expressly allowed, and not literally forbidden either. The manual prohibits covered areas, enclosed spaces and sites near entrances and busy areas. A covered balcony is therefore ruled out. An open one is only an option if your tenancy agreement and house rules permit charcoal.
The word balcony does not appear anywhere in the manual. That the old text of this page recommended the Saalfeld for narrow balconies is not backed by any source. On an open balcony there is also what comes with every charcoal grill: when lighting, smoke rises and drifts sideways, straight to your neighbours’ windows. Whether grilling is allowed in your building and with what is regulated not by ACTIVA but by your landlord or owners’ association. What is usual here and where courts have set limits is summarised in our guide Grilling on the balcony.
Minimum distances in centimetres to the house wall, awning or hedge are not in the manual. We would plan with a generous distance.
Assembly: 36 screws and two tools
ACTIVA estimates approx. 35 minutes, and the pictogram beside it shows two people. You need a Phillips screwdriver and an adjustable spanner, and as a work surface the manual recommends approx. 2 to 3 m². The bag holds 36 M5 x 8 mm screws and 32 M5 nuts. According to the manual, the fixing material is mostly already in the parts and has to be unscrewed before assembly.
The sequence: join the column halves and attach the ventilation control, screw the column onto the base plate and insert the ash drawer. Then screw the four funnel walls together, push them into the column and screw them in place. Next come the charcoal grate in the funnel and the three windshield panels. Only when everything stands do you tighten all the screws, as the manual expressly requires, so that the grill stands firmly. Last, you hang the grate.
Two warnings from the manual belong here. The grill has sharp edges you can cut yourself on, so you should wear protective gloves for assembly. And packaging and small parts must go straight out of reach of children, because of the danger to life from suffocation or swallowing. ACTIVA reserves the right to make small changes to the fixing material.
Lighting, cleaning, disposal: what the manual prescribes
Before first use, the grill must be heated up, and the fuel should glow through for at least 30 minutes. For every lighting, the manual prescribes five steps:
- Stack charcoal or briquettes in the charcoal container in a pyramid.
- Pour firelighter complying with DIN EN 1860-3 for charcoal lightly and evenly over the pyramid.
- After approx. 60 seconds, light it, ideally with a match.
- Insert the greased grate and start grilling.
- Only put food on once the fuel is covered with a layer of ash.
DIN EN 1860-3 is the European standard for firelighters. That rules out methylated spirits and petrol, including for relighting.
The safety notes from page 2, complete and in the order of the manual: do not operate in enclosed or inhabited spaces, such as buildings, tents, caravans, motorhomes and boats, because there is a danger to life from carbon monoxide poisoning; use only outdoors; the unit gets very hot and must not be moved during operation; no methylated spirits or petrol, only firelighters complying with DIN EN 1860-3; keep children and pets away; wear grill gloves of heat protection class II according to DIN EN 407 (a German and European standard) or use suitable grill tongs; let it cool down completely before cleaning, otherwise deflagrations, uncontrollable heat and burns can occur; operate on a stable, level surface; never use water to extinguish the charcoal; not on covered areas; do not leave the hot grill unattended; do not set up near entrances and busy areas; no clothing with wide sleeves; do not let children play with packaging film; no paint strippers or thinners for cleaning; do not use in bad weather and heavy rain.
Only preparing grillable food for private use while following all the requirements of the manual counts as intended use. According to ACTIVA, any other use can lead to property damage or personal injury, and the manufacturer rejects liability for it.
After grilling, you wait until the charcoal has burned out and the grill has cooled down completely. Then you empty the cold ash from the ash drawer and clean the grill, ideally regularly before each use. You remove deposits with a grill brush, and according to the manual you generally clean the grill itself with warm washing-up water. Residual waste belongs only in containers made of metal or other non-flammable materials. Ash that looks cold often still smoulders inside for hours, so we would leave it overnight in a metal bucket before it goes in the bin.
What the manufacturer does not state
For the Saalfeld, the following are missing from the manufacturer’s shop, the manual and the Amazon catalogue: grate size and grilling area, the number of people, the number of height levels, the steel grade and the material of the funnel, column, charcoal grate, windshield and grate handles, the working height of the grate, maximum temperature and heat-up time, minimum distances to combustible materials in centimetres, a statement on the balcony, warranty terms, a spare parts list with prices and a year of market launch. Weight and width are disputed between the sources, as described above.
These three alternatives are worth a look
| Model | The difference | Price | Our rating | Choose this one if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACTIVA Saalfeld (this one) | Funnel grill without a lid, grate size unpublished | approx. €60 | 7.6 | you grill openly over the embers and can live with little manufacturer data |
| ACTIVA Säulengrill Pisa | Grate with stated dimensions, plus a warming rack | approx. €60 | 8.2 | you want to know before buying how much fits on the grate |
| ACTIVA Erfurt | Same funnel design, larger fuel container | approx. €75 | 8.0 | you would have to top up more often and want a bit more charcoal at once |
| Barbecook Säulengrill rund 96 cm | Lighting system without firelighter, extinguishing system in the base | approx. €129 | 8.3 | you want to light up without liquid lighter |
The prices come from our price boxes and change. The rating is our editorial assessment from the data comparison, we measured nothing.
When this grill, when another
According to our price boxes, the ACTIVA Säulengrill Pisa costs approx. €60, like the Saalfeld. For it, ACTIVA gives a grate of 54 x 34 cm and a warming rack, both documented. In our rating it is 0.6 points ahead. If the funnel shape does not matter to you, we would go for the Pisa: same price, more known data.
The ACTIVA Erfurt costs approx. €75, the Saalfeld approx. €60. It is also a funnel grill, but according to its manual it holds more charcoal. That is worth it for you if you regularly grill for longer and dislike pouring in more charcoal in the middle of the evening.
The Barbecook Säulengrill rund 96 cm costs approx. €129, the Saalfeld approx. €60. Barbecook states a cooking area of 1452 cm², a lighting system called QuickStart that needs no firelighter, and an extinguishing system called QuickStop with water in the base. With the Saalfeld, water for extinguishing is expressly forbidden; there you let the charcoal burn out. If you do not want to sit next to the grill late into the evening after the meal until the embers are out, the Barbecook offers a solution for that.
Our assessment of the Saalfeld itself: it suits you if you grill openly on a terrace or in the garden under the open sky, put on sausages, vegetables and steaks, can live with a grate size that ACTIVA does not state, and want a grill that can also be carried when cold, without wheels.
It is the wrong choice for three groups. If you only have a covered balcony or a loggia, according to the manual you must not operate it there. If you want to cook low and slow, you need a lid. And if you are planning for ten guests, you should take a grill with a published grate size. Still undecided between column, kettle and gas? The Grill Finder gives you a shortlist.
