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The Pros, the Cons, and the Facts about the Fire Magic Echelon Diamond E790i 36-Inch Built-in Gas Grill.

For those looking for a luxury grill, Fire Magic’s Echelon Diamond collection offers a great set of outdoor cookers – especially their E790i model that is near the top of my favorite premium grills so far.

The Fire Magic Echelon E790i is everything one could want and need in a grill as it provides the reliability, technology, aesthetics, and plenty of other features to make your grilling experience top-notch.

It’s hard to find anything to dislike about this built in gas grill because what you pay for is actually what you get and more, believe it or not.

Without further ado, let’s begin this Fire Magic Echelon review.

Product Quick Facts

Product Name: Fire Magic Echelon Diamond E790i 36-Inch Built-in Gas Grill

Made By: Fire Magic

Top 3 Features:

  • Exclusive cast stainless steel E burners
  • 4-zone digital thermometer with meat probe
  • LED backlit knobs and internal halogen lighting for nighttime grilling

Standout Benefits Of The Fire Magic Echelon E790i

Most leaders in the outdoor grilling industry agree that the Fire Magic Echelon E790i is well worth the money.

One of the main reason is that it is built to outlast all the other cheaply constructed grills on the market.

To find a grill with great cooking capabilities, technology, and most of all, the ability to avoid breaking down frequently can be hard.

With Fire Magic’s Echelon E790i Grill, you can put all of your trust into this company for providing reliable products with nothing less than premium quality.

Fast and Reliable Start Up

The Fire Magic Echelon E790i’s quick “Hot Surface” ignition offers a reliable start-up every time.

Most grills offer electronic ignition.  The Fire Magic Echelon Diamond E790i Grill is no different as it too offers electronic start-up.  However, what I love about the ignition is not that it’s so easy to start but also that the cooking grates heat up at rapid rates, allowing you to begin the grilling process almost right away.

While the ignition was always reliable for me when testing this Fire Magic grill, each burner is also equipped with its own flash tube to provide an alternative way to fire it up.  You know, just in case something goes astray (which likely won’t because this grill is made so well).

792 Square Inches Of Grilling Area

The Fire Magic Echelon grill has a large cooking area that is perfect for medium to large gatherings.

The Fire Magic Echelon can hold up to 29 burgers at a time thanks to the 36” x 22” cooking space it offers.  The large grilling surface is complete with 16-gauge stainless steel Diamond Sear cooking grids, offering beautiful sear marks.

Just below the cooking grids, you have perforated steel flavor-enhancing plates to make meats juicier and smokier as they allow for water-heat diffusion.  Everything about the actual cooking components of this Fire Magic grill is award-winning quality in my book.

Proudly Made In The USA

All Fire Magic grills are made in the USA and have been since 1937!

Honestly, most of the grills I review are made in China. Why? Because this is where most barbecues on the market are made.

But the Fire Magic E790i is constructed in the U.S. meaning the quality can truly be trusted. When it comes to grills, it’s always nice to support something American made, but it’s not always easy to find that.  If you’ve done your fair share of hunting for grills, you probably know that reality by now.

304 Stainless Steel Durability For Substantial Longevity

It is completely expected nowadays that all premium grills be made entirely with a stainless steel build.  At these price points, it is amazing that many still aren’t.

My favorite grills for long-term use are the ones equipped with 304 stainless steel throughout. For the price of this Fire Magic Echelon grill, it can only be expected that it’d be made with the best materials, but I am genuinely pleased by the reliable construction.

This barbecue is on the heavier side for built-in grills, but knowing that there are heavy-duty parts that make up this grill, rest assured that the value and longevity are there.

Using The Fire Magic Echelon

As pathetic as it sounds, the E790i’s instruction manual is written in quality English as it was created in the U.S.

I’m used to reading trashy manuals written by foreign manufacturers with crude English skills, which doesn’t help new grillers much.  I applauded Fire Magic for their simple and organized manual.

Generally, using a gas grill isn’t hard, but to give you a gist of how the Fire Magic E790i operates, I’ll give you a quick synopsis for your convenience.

To use your grill, simply press in and turn the control knob to the ‘Hi-light’ position.  Release after the burner lights.  For electronic lighting, ensure your unit is hooked up to 120 VAC power.

After successful ignition, close the lid while the grill preheats for 15 minutes – or until the right cooking temperature is reached.  Place your food on the grill and adjust the temperature as necessary.

Manual lighting can also be performed on this grill by lighting the lighting tube of the associated burner directly.

Fire Magic Echelon Grill Description And Features

The Fire Magic E790i’s quality features are evident, and for the price of this barbecue, they had better be.  Let’s see what else this grill has to offer…

Exclusive Cast Stainless Steel E Burners

To provide consistent heat output, this Fire Magic grill offers three cast stainless steel E burners that provide an incredible 99,000 BTUs in total.

The fact that these burners have a lifetime warranty makes them even better and more reliable than ever.

4 Zone Digital Thermometer With Meat Probe

For awesome convenience, Fire Magic E709i grills have a 4-zone digital thermometer along with an accurate meat probe to ensure your grilling can be best measured and tended to quickly.

The illuminated display of the digital thermometer is just as cool in appearance as it is functional.

LED Backlit Knobs And Internal Halogen Lighting

Two large, bright, angled lights are placed in the interior corner of this BBQ’s hood to provide optimal lighting, making it great for cooking at any hour. (If only all grills out there would be equipped with a lighting system.)

The backlit control knobs on this model are also very bright and offer a nice, blue-colored display for both decorative and functional purposes.  These features help make this grill truly a standout showpiece in any outdoor kitchen.

Five Ways To Cook

If you admire grills that have versatile options for cooking, you’ll get plenty of that in this Fire Magic model.

Grill as you would normally on a gas grill, easily sear meats at high temperatures, roast just like you would in your oven, or smoke your food with charcoal and wood with the handy charcoal/smoker basket that is included.

There are so many ways to cook your favorite meats or other foods for champion flavor with this grill.

Having a handful of cooking options on an outdoor cooker for me is important as I enjoy using my grill for everything I can.  You may be satisfied with traditional grilling alone, but there’s nothing finer in a grill than cooking versatility.

Feather-Lite Hood For Easy Lifting

The grill hood on the Fire Magic Echelon Grill seems surprisingly light considering it’s a 304 stainless steel, heavy-duty, double-walled lid.  That’s because the lid is spring-assisted for easy opening and closing.  It seems like a simple feature, but for frequent grillers, ergonomics is incredibly important.

This grill’s hood is a roll top, allowing the barbecue to be conveniently placed anywhere, even against a wall, even when the lid is up.  It’s little things like this that make grilling that much easier.

Who Is The Fire Magic Echelon E790i Grill Built For?.

Without a doubt, the Fire Magic Echelon Grill is for those who want a premium quality grill with all the bells and whistles
Your expectations will quickly be met as it has everything from restaurant quality cooking to convenient details such as a built-in meat probe.  Of course, we can’t forget the incredible aesthetics of the grill itself.  This grill is a stunner to look at.

There’s really a lot that the Fire Magic Echelon E790i grill offers.  Focusing on the interior lights, nighttime grillers will love this grill.  The five different ways to cook on this grill are also nice, making it perfect for those that love to cook up new foods on their grill all the time.

There’s also quite a bit of space on this grill.  With this in mind, grillers who plan to regularly whip up fairly large amounts of food will also like the Fire Magic Echelon E790i.

Why You Should Think Twice

This grill is designed with built in heat zones, which means there is a bit of a learning curve.

This also means that you get more heat towards the back of the grill than you do in the front.  If you are looking for a more consistent heat throughout your grill, this is something you should consider.

One a positive note, many owners love this feature as it makes it easier to shift food being cooked around on the grill to slow down or quicken the cooking process.

The biggest challenge with the grill is trying to wrap your head around the hefty price.  At this range, it is not for everyone.

Based on this, if you aren’t a frequent griller, this isn’t the barbecue for you.  For those who plan to only use this beast a few times out of the year, you won’t be getting your money’s worth.

This grill is designed to be used frequently and one of the reasons why it is constructed of such durable materials and has a favorable warranty.

Pros And Cons

PROs
Offers a variety of options with plenty of cooking power
Includes an integrated smoker box for charcoal or wood chip cooking
Has three heat zone separators to allow different foods to cook at different temperatures at the same time
Offers the best, most heavy-duty burners on the market
Has a large warming rack for holding plenty of food
You have the option to choose an all infrared grill or a magic view windowed grill (for $323 and $442 extra, respectively)

CONS

The price is hefty for a barbecue in general
Doesn’t have the most even cooking surface due to heat separators

Price And Warranties

For the digital thermometer propane gas grill version of the Fire Magic Echelon Diamond E790i 36-Inch Grill without all-infrared nor a window display, the average cost is a whopping $5,717.95 with free shipping.  (Does free shipping at this rate even matter anymore?!)

The price may not be affordable for most, but this Fire Magic grill has a great warranty.  Cast stainless steel burners, stainless steel cooking grids, and the housings have a lifetime warranty.

The stainless flame tamers are covered for five years, electronic parts (e.g., lighters, thermometers) and the ignition system (besides batteries) for one year, and all other parts have a warranty for three years.  For repairs up to $95, this Fire Magic BBQ offers a limited one year of labor warranty as well.

The Bottom Line

There’s a lot of good and not much bad to say about the Fire Magic E790i 36-Inch Built-In Gas Grill.

While it’s pricey and the distribution of heat across the cooking area could take a little getting used to, the many features of this barbecue and its durability place it near the top of the class in the world of grills.

All premium materials, longevity, and a high-performance grilling experience in one cooker is a hard find, but all three are available in this Fire Magic device.

If you want a grill from a U.S.-based company that doesn’t mess around when it comes to quality – and you are willing to pay extra costs to get the best grilling experience possible – go for the Fire Magic Echelon Diamond E790i 36-Inch Built-In Gas Grill.

Now It’s Your Turn

We want to hear from you!

Which built-in gas grill have you used before?

Have you used this grill or any other Fire Magic Grills before?

What other features would you like to see in this grill?

Are you going to be purchasing a built-in gas grill in the future?  Or do you plan on looking at a pellet grill, standalone gas grill, or charcoal model?

Let me know by leaving a quick comment below.

If you still have questions, please feel free to send me a message.

Cheers,

Patrick

Disclosure At The Grilling Life, I am committed to researching and writing thoughtful, informative and editorially independent reviews of the best products for your outdoor cooking needs.  If you like what I do, you can support me through my chosen links, which earn me a commission.  This allows me to continue sharing with you my love for all things barbecue.  Your support is truly appreciated.

Patrick Ginise

A backyard warrior, certified carnivore, lover of good whiskey, self-proclaimed grill master and I’m Living The Grilling Life!

I have a passion for cooking with live fire and smoke, no matter the weather. I’m a real person just like you, who loves outdoor cooking and BBQ. Food, fun, and time spent with family and friends are what it’s all about! It is my mission to take my passion and knowledge for outdoor cooking and all things BBQ and share this expertise in techniques and grilling equipment with you. In other words, Living The Grilling Life!