Enders UNIQ 4 IK CRUSTER

With the UNIQ 4 IK CRUSTER, Enders builds three heat sources into one gas grill: four stainless steel main burners under the cast iron grate, a ceramic burner called CRUSTER in the cooking chamber and a side burner next to it. The article number is 8702. It costs approx. €699 (Amazon page on 20.10.2026: €699).

For this page, we evaluated Enders’ product page and the 36-page assembly and operating manual (version 240930). We have not handled the grill ourselves. The manual is the richer source because it regulates something the product page lacks: which burners may run at the same time.

Where the UNIQ 4 sits in the Enders range

The manufacturer is Enders Colsman AG from Werdohl. Its company page says “Since 1883”, and by its own account the grills are developed at the Werdohl site. The recommended retail price for the UNIQ 4 is €799.00.

The product page speaks of a UNIQ series with “three models”. On Enders’ pages there are six: the UNIQ 3 IK CRUSTER (8700), this UNIQ 4 IK CRUSTER (8702), the UNIQ 4 IK KITCHEN CRUSTER SHADOW (8703) and three versions of the UNIQ PRO 3 with manufacturer prices of €1,299.00, €1,499.00 and €1,699.00.

The direct neighbour below is the UNIQ 3 IK CRUSTER. It has the same design with CRUSTER and TURBO ZONE, but three main burners (two at 3.7 kW, one at 4.2 kW, 11.6 kW together) and a total output of 21.8 kW, a grilling area of 63 x 45 cm (2,835 cm²), a width of 145 cm and a weight of 58 kg. Its RRP of €699.00 is €100 below that of the UNIQ 4. The SHADOW variant shares its technology with the UNIQ 4; what still sets it apart is covered in the questions below. How the UNIQ 4 stacks up against four-burner grills from other brands is shown in our overview of gas grills.

Amazon lists the grill under model number 8702 in black/silver. Via this number, the ASIN on this page is clearly assigned to the UNIQ 4 IK CRUSTER and not to the SHADOW variant, which has the same assembled dimensions.

Lid, combustion chamber, grate: what the grill is made of

The product photo shows a classic box design. On top sits a black, domed lid with the thermometer in the centre, below it the control panel with the knobs, a base cabinet with two doors and four castors. On the left is a side table with an inset cutting board, on the right one with a cover, under which the side burner sits.

The lid is double-walled and made of enamelled steel, and its side panels are cast aluminium. The combustion chamber also has cast aluminium side panels, and the rest is stainless steel. The control panel, side shelves and the four flame covers above the burners are also stainless steel. Grease runs into two stainless steel grease drawers that you pull out from the front.

The product page describes the grate as enamelled cast iron, in four parts. Enders calls it SWITCH GRID: a solid cast iron grate with a round element that can be removed so that an insert can take its place. Without an insert, it is an ordinary grate. The parts list names the SWITCH GRID grate with five parts; we read that as four grate segments plus the round element, but this split is not explicitly confirmed anywhere. Above it sits a stainless steel warming rack.

For the grilling area, the product page gives 72.5 x 45 cm and 3,236 cm². The two values do not quite fit together, because 72.5 times 45 gives 3,262.5 cm². Whether the transposed digits are in the area or in the width cannot be resolved from the sources. For the purchase decision, a difference of around 26 cm² is irrelevant.

Assembled, the grill measures 155 cm wide, 65.5 cm deep and 120 cm high, with a working height of 90 cm. It weighs 62.5 kg. Of the four castors, two have a locking brake. A GN 1/2 container sits in the side table, listed in the parts list as GN 1/2 x 100; for Gastronorm containers, the last number usually stands for the depth in millimetres. The bamboo cutting board lies on top, and it has a job that is easily overlooked: according to the manual, the stainless steel side shelves are not intended for direct contact with food. So raw meat goes on the board or in the container, not on the metal next to it. According to the parts list, a towel holder is included as well.

What Enders leaves open

We found these details neither on the product page nor in the manual, and we do not estimate them:

• the heat-up time in minutes; the manual only speaks of a short heat-up time
• a maximum temperature in the cooking chamber when all permitted burners are running
• the inner height of the lid, that is, how tall poultry roasters or Dutch ovens may be
• the area of the warming rack
• diameter and material of the round element
• the material of the castors, base cabinet and doors
• whether the side tables can be folded down
• country of manufacture and year of release
• a natural gas version or conversion; only liquefied gas is documented
• a number of people for whom Enders designs the grilling area
• prices for spare parts for model 8702; we did not search the spare parts shop for this

In detail: main burners, TURBO ZONE and the CRUSTER

Under the grate lie four stainless steel burners, three with 3.7 kW each and one with 4.2 kW. The fourth is the TURBO ZONE. It works with an infrared mesh, Enders states 800 °C for it and describes it as a freely adjustable zone with strong direct heat. Earlier versions of this page listed the TURBO ZONE as a fifth function alongside four burners. That was wrong; in the manual’s technical data it appears as its own line, but belongs to the four main burners.

Each burner ignites individually, via the battery-free piezo ignition in its control knob. According to the manual, the knobs have five settings. Together the four main burners come to 15.3 kW, which, spread over the grilling area, is by our calculation around 4.7 kW per 1,000 cm². This figure describes how much gas burns under the grate. How hot the grate gets also depends on the double-walled lid, the flame covers and the wind at the location.

HEAT RANGE is the name Enders gives to the coordination of burners and flame covers, with a design it calls “U-Technology”. According to the manual, the cooking chamber thereby reaches constant temperatures from 80 °C to 300 °C, and up to 400 °C directly at the grate, and flare-ups are meant to occur less often. Here too, this page used to say something different, namely a constant 80 °C as a fixed value and two temperature ranges that can be used independently of each other. We read the manual like this: 80 to 300 °C is a span that you set via the knobs, and the 400 °C applies at the grate, not to the air under the lid.

The CRUSTER is a 6.7 kW ceramic burner that works as a radiant heater in the cooking chamber and does not sit under the grate. You set its tilt angle continuously, which according to Enders ranges from backburner to top heat. The manufacturer states 800 °C infrared top heat and names steaks, pizzas or desserts as uses. You may ignite the CRUSTER only in the upright position.

What top heat from a ceramic radiant heater does differently is general physics. A glowing radiant heater gives off a large part of its heat as infrared radiation. It hits the surface of the food directly, without the air in the cooking chamber having to heat up first. That is why such a burner suits browning from above, for cheese on a gratin or the top of a pizza, while the main burners cook from below and via the hot air under the closed lid.

The side burner on the right has 3.5 kW. According to the manual, only a pot with a diameter of at least 14 cm and at most 24 cm belongs on it, it is never ignited with the lid closed, and the lid stays open during operation. Adding up main burners, CRUSTER and side burner gives the total output of 25.5 kW from the data sheet. However, it cannot be drawn all at once, and that is the point where this grill differs most from an ordinary four-burner grill.

Can everything burn at the same time?

No. The manual explicitly warns that operating all burners and cooking points at the same time results in a loss of performance and can be dangerous. It regulates precisely which combinations are allowed.

With the lid closed, the CRUSTER must not run at the same time as the other burners. With the lid open, it may only be used together with three main burners or with two main burners and the side burner. For the side burner, the reverse applies: either at most two main burners plus CRUSTER, or all main burners without CRUSTER.

What follows from this when grilling is our own deduction. A steak that first cooks indirectly and then is meant to get its crust under the CRUSTER with the lid closed only works one after the other: turn off the main burners, then ignite the CRUSTER on its own. If you keep grilling below with the lid open while the CRUSTER runs above, you leave at least one of the four main burners off. How direct and indirect grilling work in principle is explained in our guide to direct and indirect heat.

The manual breaks down gas consumption per burner: 269 g/h for each 3.7 kW main burner, 306 g/h for the TURBO ZONE, 488 g/h for the CRUSTER and 255 g/h for the side burner. Together these are the 1,856 g/h that appear in the table as the connected load. Because of the rules above, this is a calculated value; it does not occur in permitted operation. The manual describes the TURBO ZONE as “economical in consumption”; a comparative figure beyond the 306 g/h is missing.

What that means for an 11 kg bottle, we calculated from these values. All four main burners on full power use 1,113 g/h, and the bottle then lasts just under 10 hours. The highest-consumption permitted combination is all main burners plus side burner at 1,368 g/h, which gives a good 8 hours. The CRUSTER alone would last a good 22 hours at 488 g/h. Turned down, every bottle lasts longer; how much longer depends on the knob position.

According to the product page, the 11 kg bottle may stay in the base cabinet during operation. According to the manual, the grill is designed for propane (G31) and butane (G30), in Germany and Austria in appliance category I3B/P at 50 mbar, and tested and approved to DIN EN 498:2012 and DIN EN 484:2020 (these standards apply in Germany). Pressure regulator and hose are included, a gas bottle is not. What to watch for when buying or exchanging the bottle is covered in our guide to the gas bottle for the grill.

Accessories: what fits into the SWITCH GRID and what it costs

The round element is the real reason for the SWITCH GRID. An insert takes its place, and Enders sells a whole range of them. In the Enders shop during our research we found: pizza stone €44.95, Sear Grate €39.95, pan €49.95, poultry roaster €39.95, wok €59.90, Dutch oven €89.90.

There are also parts that replace or supplement the grate itself. Listed in the shop are a SWITCH GRID for Uniq 4 at €99.90, a stainless steel version at €119.00 and a cast iron reversible plate 1/2 for Uniq 4 at €69.90. For the reversible plate, the grill manual refers to its own manual and permits only original Enders accessories. Aluminium foil or similar must not cover the grilling area completely, because that can cause overheating.

A cover is not included. The matching one is the Premium weather protection cover UNIQ 4, €79.90 in the Enders shop. A rotisserie is not included either; Enders lists a Grill Spit Pro (art. 7908) as optional accessory.

Our assessment: If you do not want to buy any of these inserts, you pay for the round element anyway and grill on a grate that is used like any other. If you were going to add a pan, wok or pizza stone anyway, you get inserts that Enders builds for exactly this opening, instead of standing accessories loosely on the bars.

These three alternatives are worth a look

The prices are guide values from our price boxes and change; for the UNIQ 4, it is the value from the Amazon catalogue in October. The rating is our editorial assessment of the manufacturer data; we did not measure anything on any of the four grills.

UNIQ 4, UNIQ 3 or another grill: which fits when

How much space do you have? At 155 cm, the UNIQ 4 is wide even before clearances. The manual requires at least 1 m at the sides from flammable and heat-sensitive materials, and above the grill there must be no objects or parts of buildings below a height of 2 m. With both side clearances, we arrive at a calculated 3.55 m of width that must stay free. That works in a garden and on a large terrace, but not under a low canopy.

How often will you want to move it? The 62.5 kg stand on four castors, and according to the manual the appliance may only be moved with intact wheels, if necessary by two people, and not at all during operation. For a grill that rolls into the garden shed once in autumn, that is manageable. If you have to fetch it from the garage every weekend, we would rather recommend a lighter model.

Do you need the top heat? The CRUSTER is the part an ordinary four-burner grill does not have. If you never gratinate and do not make pizza on the grill, you pay for it anyway. If you mainly want to sear steaks hard, you also have the TURBO ZONE under the grate. For exactly this buyer, we would also look at the Rösle Videro G4-S Vario+, whose 800 °C zone sits as an infrared burner in the side table. It costs approx. €849, the UNIQ 4 approx. €699.

Would one size smaller be enough? The UNIQ 3 IK CRUSTER costs approx. €603, the UNIQ 4 approx. €699, with the same CRUSTER and TURBO ZONE technology. Our assessment: For this premium you get around 400 cm² more grate and a fourth burner, with which an indirect zone can be laid out wider. If you mostly grill for your own household, the three-burner model is enough. If you often have guests, you should pay the premium.

Do you grill for large groups and want a rotisserie? Then you move into a different price class. The Broil King Regal 590 has five main burners and a rear burner with rotisserie included, but no 800 °C zone. It costs approx. €1,649, the UNIQ 4 approx. €699.

What comes on top of the purchase price? At least a gas bottle and a cover, which the manual provides for storage anyway. On top of the grill at approx. €699, you then add roughly the weather protection cover from the Enders shop at €79.90, plus bottle and filling.

Assembling, connecting, cleaning: what the manual prescribes

Assembly uses tools, with 50 M6 x 12 screws alone in the parts list, and in several places the manual shows that a second person should help. For assembly, it gives these safety notes: before starting, remove all packaging materials and protective films from the individual parts; wear safety gloves because individual components can have sharp edges despite careful workmanship; keep packaging material away from children because of the danger of suffocation or swallowing, and dispose of it immediately; tighten all screws and check that they are firmly seated at regular intervals.

When connecting, you tighten the union nut of the pressure regulator on the bottle by hand only, without tools, so that the seal stays intact. The union nuts have a left-hand thread. At the grill, you remove the protective cap and tighten the hose with a spanner while holding against it with a second spanner on the wrench flats. The hose must not be kinked or chafe and must be accessible along its whole length. Ignition sources or open fire have no place nearby when connecting and when changing the bottle.

Then comes the leak test, here in the order of the manual. Wet all connections with leak detection spray or soapy water (1 part soap to 3 parts water) and open the valve of the gas bottle; bubbles appear at leaking points. Then close the valve again, tighten the union nuts once more and repeat the test. If there is no leak, you clean the connections with water. According to the manual, a leak test with an open flame is strictly prohibited.

Before every use, you check the hose and pressure regulator for cracks and damage; if there is a defect or a leak, the grill stays off. The bottle valve is open only while the grill is in operation. To switch off, you first close the valve of the gas bottle and then turn all control knobs to off.

The grill is set up only outdoors and sheltered from wind, away from moisture and splashing water, on an almost level and stable surface. Before use, you apply the locking brakes on the castors. You protect the gas bottle from strong sunlight; its temperature must not exceed 45 °C. You never leave the grill unattended while it is running.

The manual is clear on grease fires. Fats and oils can ignite spontaneously when heated strongly, and accumulated grease can cause a grease fire. You therefore blot excess grease and marinade before grilling, you regularly remove grease on the inside of the combustion chamber, on the flame covers and in the grease tray, and the grease tray stays in during operation. Burning, hot or smoking grease or oil is never extinguished with water.

Cleaning is done after every use, you additionally remove grease deposits before every use, and the grill must have cooled down sufficiently beforehand. No flammable, abrasive or chlorine-containing cleaning agents. You wipe the surfaces with a damp cloth or rinse them hot, if necessary with a mild detergent whose own manufacturer instructions you follow, then rinse and dry. Before the next use, the appliance must be completely dry. You dispose of the grease from the grease trays in an environmentally friendly way. According to the manual, SIMPLE CLEAN means that the complete combustion chamber and the grease trays come out without tools. Before removing burners, you close the gas supply.

Only authorised specialist personnel repair and service gas-carrying parts. You must not modify either the grill or the pressure regulator, components sealed by the manufacturer stay untouched, and you never treat stiff valves or control knobs with oil or penetrating oil, because gas and oil form an explosive mixture. For the time when you are not grilling, the manual provides a frost-free and dry room, with the lid closed and covered. You store the gas bottle upright and secured against tipping over, below 45 °C in a well-ventilated, shaded and weather-protected place.

The manufacturer warranty of Enders Colsman AG is voluntary, applies to first buyers from the date of purchase and supplements the statutory warranty rights without restricting them. For the extended warranty, you register the grill on the Enders website within three months of purchase. The terms by component: lid unit and combustion chamber unit 10 years each against rusting through or burning through; grease drawer and Simple Clean 5 years against rusting through and burning through; CRUSTER 5 years; stainless steel burners, enamelled cast iron grates and warming rack 3 years against rusting through or burning through; plastic elements and side burner 3 years; all other parts such as burner covers, ignition bridge, screws and thermometer 2 years.

According to the terms, the following are excluded: normal wear such as rust formation, colour fading, scratches or dents, as long as function is not impaired; damage caused by improper use, improper assembly, misuse or neglected maintenance; damage caused by extreme weather conditions, salty air, chlorine sources, acid rain or other environmental influences; and damage caused by non-original parts or unauthorised repairs and modifications. We understand this to mean that surface rust is not covered, while a component that has rusted through within the term is.

Who is it suitable for?

For catering, hospitality or a grill shared by a residents’ community or a club, the UNIQ 4 is the wrong choice, at least if the manufacturer warranty means something to you. It applies only in Europe, only to privately used products and explicitly not to grills in commercial use or in communal facilities.

The manual lists the following as intended use. The grill is to be used outdoors only, the operating manual is to be read before commissioning, and only people who are able to operate the appliance safely may use it. Vulnerable people should use it with particular caution, in the area around the piezo ignition especially if they have heart problems. People with mental impairments or who are not of sound mind, and children, may not operate it or may do so only under supervision. And because accessible parts can get very hot, children and vulnerable people are to be kept away.

In our comparison, the UNIQ 4 suits a household with a garden or large terrace that actually uses a heat source from above, for pizza, gratins or the crust on a thick steak, and that leaves the grill in a permanent spot. If you only grill sausages and vegetables over direct heat, you gain nothing from the CRUSTER and little from the SWITCH GRID. For that buyer, it is worth looking at four-burner grills without a ceramic burner; a shortlist by location and budget is provided by our grill finder.