A grill in suitcase format
The Charmline is an open charcoal grill that looks like a small briefcase when folded. The seller itself calls it a suitcase grill, and the product photo fits: two olive-green halves meeting in the middle, with a carry handle with a black grip on top. Folded, it measures 34.7 × 23.0 × 7.6 cm according to the Amazon description, which the seller compares to an A4 sheet. The catalogue gives a weight of 5.51 pounds, which converts to approx. 2.5 kg.
On our site it is listed under charcoal grills. It costs approx. €40 (Amazon page on 20.10.2026: €39.97).
The catalogue title lists balcony, garden, camping, picnic and beach as places to use it. According to the seller, it is intended for 1 to 3 people.
What the catalogue and photo reveal about the construction
Opened up, the photo shows a rectangular tray holding the charcoal. The two suitcase halves hang on screw hinges at the left and right and are folded outwards at an angle, so that they form two shelves with a raised edge. Under the tray stand four angled folding legs. The carry handle, on top when closed, now hangs at the front, right next to the lettering.
Above the tray sits the grate, a silver-coloured wire mesh on two wire brackets. Wire loops stick out at both ends and look like handles. According to the seller, the grill mesh can be lifted up to make changing the charcoal “easier and safer”. In the picture that probably means: you take hold of the grate by these loops and lift it out of the tray together with the brackets, add charcoal and put it back. Whether the loops get hot in the process cannot be determined from the text or the photo. We would plan for grill gloves.
There is exactly one sentence on set-up. You are supposed to “open, open and open again” the grill and fold it three times to store it, and no assembly is required. Which three steps are meant is left to the reader. Judging by the photo, we guess case, legs and grate.
The seller describes the material as “reinforced alloy steel”, which is meant to bring greater strength and a longer service life. Alloy steel is a collective term for any steel with additions such as chromium, manganese or nickel; stainless steel falls under it too, but the seller does not mention it. What “reinforced” means, thicker sheet metal or embossed ribs, the sentence leaves open. The olive-green surface is very probably a coating, because bare steel is grey.
Two further details appear in the description. When unfolded, “a special area for sauces” is created. In the photo the two side shelves are the most likely candidates, but that is our reading. The seller calls the grate and charcoal container smooth so that cleaning is “efficient and easy”. Inside the tray the picture shows a dark, slotted insert, presumably the charcoal container.
In detail: controlling heat without a lid and without vents
Charcoal burns as hot as the oxygen reaching the embers allows. A kettle grill regulates this via intake air at the bottom and exhaust air in the lid: vents closed, embers throttled, vents open, more heat. An open tray like the Charmline’s does not have this control. Air comes from above and through openings in the charcoal container, if there are any; the catalogue text says nothing about ventilation.
Two levers remain. The first is quantity. A thin layer of charcoal gives moderate heat, a full layer the maximum the tray can deliver. The second is distribution. If you push the embers onto one half, a cooler zone forms over the other. There sausages can finish cooking gently or bread rolls get warm without turning black. In such a narrow tray the temperature difference is small, but it is enough to take a finished piece out of the strongest heat.
Indirect cooking in the proper sense does not work this way. For that, a thick piece lies next to the embers under a closed lid that keeps the hot air around the meat, and that very component is missing. Well suited to an open folding grill is anything that is done in a few minutes: sausages, thin steaks, skewers, halloumi, vegetable slices, prawns. A chicken leg, by contrast, turns dark on the outside directly over the embers before it is cooked through.
On larger grills the distance between embers and grate can be adjusted as a third variable. With the Charmline, lifting the grate is described only for changing charcoal, not as a height adjustment. The distance results from the height of the wire brackets.
If the embers are slow to catch in a small tray, it is often due to charcoal packed too densely or to damp briquettes. What helps then is in the guide Charcoal will not light properly.
How big is the grilling area?
That is unknown. The “35 x 23 cm” in the product name matches the packed size, so it describes the folded suitcase and not the grate. No grate dimension appears in any source; the only thing documented is suitability for 1 to 3 people.
The mix-up is easy to make. If you multiply 35 by 23, you get 805 cm² and take it for the grilling area. At best that is an upper limit: the grate has to fit into the case when folded and therefore cannot be larger than its outer dimensions. How much smaller it actually is cannot be measured reliably from an advertising photo, and we do not attempt it.
Our assessment: we would plan the Charmline for two people and, with three, allow for two rounds. We derive this estimate from the packed size; nobody has measured the grate here.
Setting up, lighting, clearing away
We found no instruction manual for the Charmline anywhere. The only sentence on setting up that comes from the Amazon description is this: after unfolding, the structure is “very stable” and can be placed on “desk, beach, grass and relatively flat mountain”.
We would not read this list as a green light. An open charcoal tray on short legs radiates heat downwards, and a glowing coal that falls out while you top up lands directly on the ground. On dry grass in high summer that is enough for a wildfire. Many beaches and parks also allow grilling only in designated areas or not at all, and when there is a wildfire risk, authorities can ban charcoal too. On a slope a grill with four short legs stands crooked, and the embers then slide to the lower side.
A basic rule applies to every charcoal grill: it belongs outdoors, never in a tent, an awning, a caravan or a garage, not even to burn off. Smouldering charcoal produces carbon monoxide, which you can neither smell nor see. Light it with solid firelighters or a chimney starter, never with methylated spirits or petrol. You can only fold up and pack the Charmline once the tray and grate have cooled down completely.
The catalogue title explicitly names the balcony as a place to use it. Whether you may grill with charcoal there is decided by your tenancy agreement and house rules, or for owners the community rules. We have gathered what usually applies in the guide Grilling on a balcony.
For cleaning we infer from the construction: empty the ash only when cold, then clean the grate with warm water, washing-up liquid and a sponge or a brass brush. We would avoid a hard steel brush on the green coating, because scratches there encourage rust.
What the manufacturer does not state
Charmline has no website that we could assign to this grill; at charmline.com a swimwear brand without grills answers. As a result, all sources lack: the grate dimension and grilling area, the dimensions when unfolded and the working height, the steel grade and sheet thickness, material and coating of the grate and charcoal container, the right amount of charcoal and the capacity of the tray, ventilation openings, a maximum temperature and a heat-up time, the scope of delivery, the size and position of the sauce area, a statement on the dishwasher, spare parts, warranty terms, other colour variants, as well as company headquarters, origin and market launch. An instruction manual with safety notes, minimum distances and extinguishing advice does not exist according to our research. Everything in this text therefore comes from the Amazon catalogue and the product image.
These three alternatives are worth a look
| Model | The difference | Price | Our rating | Choose this one if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charmline Portable Folding Grill 35 x 23 cm (this one) | Suitcase shape with two side shelves and carry handle, liftable grate | approx. €40 | 7.5 | you want a grill that folds up like a briefcase |
| ROIMOE Folding Grill Small | 12 ventilation openings, pull-out grate, cold-rolled iron | approx. €16 | 7.4 | you only grill occasionally for two and want to spend little |
| Dripex Folding Grill with Bag | Stainless steel, folded 2 cm flat, 4 kg | approx. €20 | 7.9 | you want to slide the grill flat between your luggage |
| Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal | Lid with vent sliders, grate 42 × 26 cm according to Weber | approx. €95 | 8.3 | you also want to cook under a closed lid |
The prices come from our price boxes and change constantly. The rating is our editorial assessment from the data comparison; nothing was measured on any of the four grills.
When the Charmline, when another one
Money first. The ROIMOE folding grill costs approx. €16, the Charmline approx. €40. For the higher price you get the suitcase shape with shelves and carry handle. The ROIMOE, in turn, has something that is not described for the Charmline, namely side ventilation openings. In our rating the two are almost level.
Then luggage. The Dripex folding grill costs approx. €20, the Charmline approx. €40, and according to the seller the Dripex folds down to 2 cm. The Charmline is clearly thicker when folded, but at approx. 2.5 kg it is lighter than the Dripex at 4 kg. If you carry the grill in a rucksack or a bicycle bag, you feel every kilo; if you slide it into the boot behind the cool box, you feel the thickness more. In our rating the Dripex, at 7.9, is ahead of the Charmline at 7.5.
Then the lid. If you want to cook a chicken piece or save charcoal by throttling the embers, only the Weber Go-Anywhere comes into question of the four. It does cost approx. €95, though, and you carry a box instead of a flat suitcase.
With the Charmline, factor in the accessories: charcoal, solid firelighters, grill gloves for the grate and, for a table or balcony, a fireproof mat. That is similar for all four grills, so it shifts no gap. If you do not yet know which type of grill suits you at all, the grill finder gives you a pre-selection by space and budget. What else matters for grills on the go is covered in our camping grill buying guide.
Who is it for?
In our assessment the Charmline suits two people who often set off spontaneously and have so far reached for a disposable grill on the supermarket shelf. A disposable grill ends up in the bin after one evening; the Charmline comes home with you again. If you travel without a car, you can carry the suitcase format by the handle or put it into a larger pack bag.
It is the wrong choice for groups of four or more who want to eat at the same time. The same goes for anyone who likes to grill a whole chicken, ribs or thick steaks with a resting phase: that needs a lid and room for an indirect zone. And if you want to read instructions before buying or reach a manufacturer, you will find no contact for this model.
