On Amazon the offer is listed as the LotusGrill Starter Set Classic: a Classic grill in anthracite grey, plus charcoal, lighting paste, tongs, bag and batteries. It costs approx. €200 (as of September 2026).
We have not handled the set and have not grilled anything on it. The basis is lotusgrill.de and the operating instructions (version 38, dated March 2023), both read on 14 October 2026, plus the Amazon catalogue entry of 5 October 2026. We label our own calculations and assessments as such.
What is in the set, and what is not
LotusGrill does not sell a starter set on lotusgrill.de. The manufacturer lists the Classic (type designation G340) on its own and lists beechwood charcoal, lighting paste and grill tongs as accessories. The set is a bundle of grill and extras, and what is in it can only be taken from the Amazon listing: the grill with USB connection, a carry bag, 2.5 kg beechwood charcoal, 200 ml lighting paste, a sausage tongs (colour subject to availability), four AA batteries and the instructions for use.
On the Amazon photo, the charcoal sack carries the LotusGrill lettering and the print “15 x”. For the lighting paste and tongs, the picture does not allow a reliable statement about the brand, and the listing text names none for any of the three items. Whether the goods match the photo remains open.
A USB power adapter does not appear in the Amazon list. On the USB cable, the sources differ: the manufacturer counts it as part of the grill, while in the Amazon text it is missing from the list. The instructions require gloves for the hot grate, and none are in the set.
Compared with the grill on its own (LotusGrill G340, approx. €179, our rating 8.8), the set costs €21 more. In return you get charcoal, paste and tongs. The power adapter is missing in both cases: with the grill on its own, according to the manufacturer, neither charcoal nor lighting paste nor a USB power adapter is part of the delivery.
LotusGrill regards the Classic as the original; S, XL and XXL came later. LotusGrill GmbH is based in Limburgerhof and describes itself as an independent family business.
Construction: two shells, a grate with a plate
The photo shows a round body in anthracite, the outer shell with vertical air slots, and at the front bottom a round switch with a blue glowing ring. We read it as the combined on/off switch with heat control and light indicator from the parts list in the instructions. On top sits the round grate.
According to the product page, the outer shell is made of powder-coated steel with a metal base; the material line in the dimensions table of the instructions names steel and impact-resistant plastic. Grill grate, inner bowl, charcoal container and locking buckles are made of stainless steel.
Dimensions according to the manufacturer: Ø top approx. 350 mm, Ø bottom approx. 260 mm, height approx. 234 mm, grate diameter approx. 320 mm. The Amazon catalogue lists 34.0 x 34.0 x 23.4 cm. The height matches, while the footprint differs from the 350 mm at the top, probably a catalogue or packaging dimension. On weight, the product page gives approx. 3.7 kg for the grill alone, and the table in the instructions approx. 5.0 kg including carry bag, batteries and USB power cable.
Removable are the grate, charcoal container with lid, lighting bowl and inner bowl. The battery compartment and the electronics unit sit permanently in the outer shell. Two side locking buckles join the grate, charcoal container and inner bowl into one closed unit. According to the German product page, the charcoal container holds a maximum of 200 g of charcoal.
In detail: fan, stainless steel plate and the question of smoke
When lighting, the fan blows the fire directly into the charcoal, and afterwards it stays on for the entire grilling process. The heat is controlled by a continuously adjustable heat control on the fan. It is powered by four AA batteries of 1.5 V each (6 volts together) or via the USB power cable on a USB power adapter. The more air an ember gets, the faster and hotter it burns. That follows from combustion technology; we have no measurement on this device.
In use, this means the control is the only adjustment. The parts list has no ventilation slider, and LotusGrill does not offer a zone concept with direct and indirect heat either. How two zones otherwise work is explained in the guide Direct and indirect heat.
The stainless steel plate in the middle of the grate covers the combustion chamber. According to the manufacturer’s FAQ, fat therefore does not drip from above into the embers. On glowing charcoal it would burn and create smoke; the plate takes that route away from the grill. But it also takes up grate area: LotusGrill gives the diameter, a usable area in cm² is missing, and because of the plate it cannot be calculated from the diameter.
On smoke, the manufacturer writes of significantly reduced smoke and says that almost no fumes arise when lighting, not of smoke-free. When lighting, the lighting paste burns, and according to the instructions, oil residues from production can sit on the charcoal container, causing light smoke only on first use. With very fatty food, the inner bowl should be emptied regularly (the instructions’ notes speak of the inner basin; we read that as the same part). If it still smokes, the guide Grill smokes too much collects the causes.
Lighting, burn time and charcoal
For lighting, the instructions recommend the LotusGrill safety lighting paste. First, four AA batteries go into the compartment in the base of the outer shell (mind the polarity), the inner bowl into the outer shell, and the charcoal into the charcoal container, which you fill completely and close with the lid. Around the centre hole of the lighting bowl goes a ring of lighting paste approx. 10 mm wide (the instructions say grill lighting gel), and the bowl then sits on the inner bowl. Then you switch the fan on and first turn the control to the highest setting, to the right: the fan must run so the flame is not smothered. Only then is the paste lit, until it burns. You must not reach into the open flame. The filled charcoal container is placed carefully and evenly on the lighting bowl, and the charcoal begins to glow in a very short time. Finally, you set the grate with its four metal feet into the slots of the inner bowl, hang the two brackets in the buckles and press them down.
According to the instructions, the grill is ready to use after approx. 3 to 4 minutes; the principle page advertises 3 minutes, and the Amazon text a 4 minute pre-glow time. So 4 minutes is the upper limit in the instructions.
According to the manufacturer, one fill burns for 40 to 90 minutes, depending on the type of charcoal, and can be topped up at any time. A full fill on the original is roughly 150 to 200 g of charcoal, and according to the FAQ 2.5 kg of charcoal, as in the set, lasts for approx. 15 grilling sessions. That fits together: 2.5 kg divided by 200 g gives a good 12 fills, divided by 150 g just under 17 (our own calculation). The manufacturer also states approx. 80% lower charcoal consumption than other grills. We cannot verify this claim by the manufacturer.
On lighters, the instructions state: use only lighting aids according to EN 1860-3, and no methylated spirit or petrol for lighting or relighting. On the page for the LotusGrill beechwood charcoal, it says that no lighting aid may be put on the charcoal when used with the LotusGrill. The LotusGrill safety lighting paste consists of ethanol and comes in bottles of 200 ml and 500 ml; the accessories page lists these safety notes: liquid and vapour are highly flammable, it causes serious eye irritation, it must be kept out of children’s reach, it must be kept away from ignition sources, and smoking is not permitted.
Is the grill allowed on the balcony?
According to the manufacturer’s information, only outdoors: the FAQ permits outdoor use only. Balconies and minimum distances do not appear in the instructions. Whether charcoal is allowed at your place is decided by your tenancy agreement and house rules; more in the guide Grilling on a balcony.
The reason is on the warning page of the instructions: “There is a danger to life from carbon monoxide poisoning.” This refers to closed and habitable spaces, with buildings, tents, caravans, motorhomes and boats named. According to the FAQ, carbon monoxide is invisible and odourless. The LotusGrill releases only a little of it, but it can still be dangerous in closed spaces. The boat that the Amazon text gives as a place of use is expressly ruled out by the instructions.
Minimum distances to walls, parapets, wooden furniture and flammable materials are not found in the instructions. Before use they require a stable surface, nothing more; nothing is said there about balconies, wooden tables and wind. In general, for every charcoal grill: keep away from anything that burns, and choose a spot sheltered from the wind. This rule applies generally; the manufacturer does not word it.
Under WARNING, the level for serious injury up to death, the instructions list four points: risk of burns, risk of suffocation, do not use in closed spaces, keep children and pets away.
According to the manufacturer, the outer shell never gets hot, the grill can be touched and moved on the outside during operation, and the inner bowl reflects the heat upwards. The instructions still stay with the risk of burns: wear gloves when touching the hot grill grate, and never leave the hot grill unattended. Our assessment: a cool outer shell protects your hand on the casing, not on the grate and not on the open flame in the lighting bowl.
On water, the instructions say two things: never pour water into the charcoal container to extinguish the glowing charcoal, and do not use water to cool the hot grill, otherwise burns and scalds are a risk.
Cleaning, spare parts and accessories
The instructions (page 8) regulate cleaning like this: grill grate, inner bowl and other dirty parts are cleaned after each use, but only when the grill has cooled down completely, otherwise there is a risk of burns. The grate and inner bowl may go in the dishwasher or be cleaned by hand with ordinary dishwashing liquid. For stubborn residues, it recommends ordinary grill cleaners, such as the LotusGrill grill and oven cleaner, never acid, white spirit or other flammable substances. The outer shell with the electronics unit is cleaned only with a damp cloth or brush. The charcoal container is cleaned dry only, for example with a brush; under CAUTION it says there: never clean with water. Before longer periods out of use, the batteries come out of the device.
On batteries, the instructions also require: check before each use, do not replace empty ones while grilling, change them only when the grill has cooled down completely, and use only AA batteries approved for sale in perfect condition. Under the German Battery Act, empty batteries belong at the retailers’ collection points, not in household waste. Used charcoal may only go into containers made of metal or other non-flammable materials, not into plastic or other flammable containers.
The spare parts page lists for the Classic the lighting bowl (124 g), charcoal container (0.235 kg), grill grate (Ø 320 mm, 0.800 kg), inner bowl (0.600 kg) and carry bag. The outer shell with fan and the locking buckles are not listed there, although LotusGrill writes on the principle page that all components are available as spare parts. According to the instructions, wear, rust formation, deformation and discolouration of the parts directly exposed to the fire, especially stainless steel parts, are normal and functional and are not a warranty case.
For the Classic, the accessories page lists a stainless steel grill hood with safety glass insert and thermometer in the knob (approx. 1.8 kg), a glass hood (approx. 1.42 kg), a travel hood (0.660 kg), a cordierite pizza stone (Ø 290 mm, 1.45 kg), a teppanyaki plate (Ø approx. 291 mm, 2.2 kg), a cast iron grill grate (approx. 2.8 kg), a fondue set (1.5 kg) and a small pan set. With the stainless steel grill hood, the manufacturer names roasting, cooking, baking, braising and keeping warm. A cover to protect the grill is listed only for XL and XXL; it is missing for the Classic.
What LotusGrill does not state
These details are missing on lotusgrill.de and in the instructions:
- Maximum temperature or temperature range in degrees (there is only the continuously variable control)
- Surface temperature of the outer shell and cool-down time of the residual embers (all that is required is to let the grill cool down completely)
- Fan data: power consumption in watts, speed, number of settings, noise level
- Quantities (how many bratwursts or steaks at the same time) and cooking times as a device specification
- Stainless steel grade (V2A or V4A), wall thicknesses, type of powder coating and its heat resistance
- Amount of smoke as a measured value
- Heat-up time of other charcoal grills against which the 3 to 4 minutes could be measured
- Marks of approval and certifications such as CE or GS (the instructions refer only to EN 1860-3 for lighting aids)
- Country of origin and year of market launch of the Classic (all that is known is the company seat in Limburgerhof)
- Manufacturer’s price and prices for charcoal, lighting paste and accessories
- Ash chamber or ash catcher (the parts list has none)
- Weight of the complete set including charcoal, paste and tongs (the catalogue value applies to the grill alone)
What else is worth considering?
Three alternatives that we compare with the set:
| Model | The difference | Price | Our rating | Choose this if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LotusGrill Starter Set Classic (this set) | Classic G340 with 2.5 kg charcoal, 200 ml lighting paste, tongs, bag and batteries in the package | approx. €200 | 8.3 | you are starting from zero and want everything in one purchase |
| LotusGrill G340 | The same grill on its own, without charcoal, lighting paste and USB power adapter according to the manufacturer | approx. €179 | 8.8 | you already have charcoal and lighting paste at home |
| LotusGrill XL G435 | Larger grate: Ø 40.5 instead of Ø 32 cm, up to 10 instead of 5 people according to the manufacturer, but 6.5 instead of 3.7 kg | approx. €269 | 8.5 | you regularly grill for more than five people |
| barbecook Carlo tabletop grill yellow | Rectangular grilling surface of 38.5 x 28.5 cm according to barbecook, batteries not included | approx. €165 | 8.1 | you want a larger, rectangular surface for skewers and vegetables and buy batteries yourself |
The table is good for a first comparison, not for the purchase decision: prices are guide values as of September 2026, and the rating is our editorial assessment and not a measurement result. Both offers are rated separately; that the grill on its own is ahead at 8.8 versus 8.3 for the set is not explained by any technical difference, because the grill is the same.
When the set fits and when another grill does
LotusGrill describes the Classic as suitable for up to 5 people, and the plate in the middle of the grate makes the area smaller than the diameter suggests. If you regularly cook for more, look at the LotusGrill XL G435, which costs approx. €269, so €69 more than the set. If you mostly grill for two, the LotusGrill G280 is a smaller design: approx. €149, €51 below the set, grate Ø approx. 26 cm, approx. 2.8 kg, our rating 8.6.
If you want to sear steaks and then finish them by indirect cooking, you need two zones and usually a lid. The Classic has no zones, and a lid exists only as an accessory, the stainless steel grill hood. Grills with lids are collected in the category Charcoal grills, and the Grill finder helps with the selection.
If you carry the grill often, include the charcoal in the sum: to the approx. 5.0 kg from the table in the instructions (including bag, batteries and cable) add the 2.5 kg from the set, together 7.5 kg (our own calculation, without lighting paste and tongs).
If the house rules forbid open fire, the LotusGrill is no more of a solution than any other charcoal grill. In that case an electric grill is worth considering.
The set is wrong for anyone who wants to use the grill commercially, for example at a snack stand. As intended use, the instructions (page 7) describe: the charcoal tabletop grill may be used for grilling with charcoal to prepare grillable food, and all requirements of the instructions must be followed unchanged. It must not be used in closed spaces, and it is intended for private use only.
