The Blackstone 1517 is the 28 inch griddle cooking station. It is the middle child of the Original line, between the tabletops and the 36 inch. On Amazon’s own comparison chart, it gives you 524 square inches against the bigger model’s 769. It costs $249.99 against $399.00.
That is roughly two thirds of the plate for well under two thirds of the money. Something had to go to make that arithmetic work. So this griddle review asks what the 1517 lost, and whether you will miss it.
Short answer up front: you lose two burners, a shelf and two wheels. Which of those matters depends on how many people you feed.
34,000 BTUTotal output from two H-burners
524 sq inSteel plate, per the gallery and A+ chart
64.9 to 65.8 BTU/sq inDerived heat density, from both area figures
Two wheelsFixed legs on the right, no locks
First Impressions of the Blackstone 28 Griddle Cooking Station
Unpacked, the 1517 reads as a 36 inch that went on a diet. The matte black steel top sits on an open frame with a lower shelf. A single folding shelf hangs off the left. On the right end there is just a loop handle.
The legs are the first surprise. Two wheels sit under the left side, and the right side stands on plain feet.
You lift the handle and roll it like a wheelbarrow. It moves across a patio easily. It also does not lock once it gets there.
The control panel is plain and readable. Each burner gets its own large knob. A push button for the electronic ignition sits to their left. The regulator and hose come off the left side, close to the shelf.
Cooking on it for the first time explains the whole appeal. Season the steel properly first, oiling and burning it off several times. After that, eggs slide, onions brown and bacon crisps evenly. Food tastes like diner food, in the best way, because the whole surface is contact.
Key Features of the Blackstone 28 Griddle Cooking Station
Blackstone kept this size simple on purpose. These are the parts you would actually use.
- Omnivore plate with built-in wind guards. Amazon’s listing calls it the Omnivore plate. A raised lip on three sides blocks breezes. Stray onions stay aboard as well.
- Two H-burners, two zones. Each burner runs its own half of the plate. That makes a real hot side and a cooler side, left against right.
- Rear grease management. A slot at the back drains into a black cup that hangs below it. Scrape toward the rear and the mess leaves the cooktop.
- Electronic igniter. A push button lights the burners. No match, no long lighter.
- Steel plate. Blackstone’s own care advice treats the top like cast iron: oil before and after, never soap.
- One side shelf and a bottom shelf. The folding shelf on the left holds a tray and a spatula. The lower shelf takes bottles and tools.
- Two wheels and a side handle. Tip it up by the handle and push. There are no locking casters on this size.
What is missing matters as much here. There is no hood on this listing. The Amazon parent page also sells a hooded version.
Photos of that hooded model sit in the same gallery, so look closely before ordering. It carries an orange logo and a second shelf. The 1517 reviewed here has neither.
Shoppers comparing pages will hit a naming puzzle too. Blackstone’s own page for the 1517 says “Original Series” and never uses the word Omnivore. Amazon uses it in the title. The plate shown in both places has the same wind guard lip.
Two burners and 34,000 BTU sound modest. Over this plate, they are enough. Divided by each printed area figure, the output gives 64.9 to 65.8 BTU per square inch. That is solid griddle heat for searing and steady enough for breakfast.
Blackstone’s capacity charts give a feel for the room. Its own page says 25 burgers fit. The Amazon gallery says 21. Plan on the lower count, because patties need space to smash and flip.
The bigger story is the layout. With two burners, you get exactly two zones. One half of the plate can run hot for smash burgers. The other half can idle low for buns, onions or cheese.
That is real zone cooking, but it is coarse. You cannot hold three temperatures at once, as on a bigger four burner. If you want a sear zone, a cooking zone and a warming strip, you are juggling.
For a family meal, two zones are usually enough. For a party menu with five things on at once, they are not.
There is a practical upside to the coarse split. With one burner off, the cool half becomes a resting shelf for cooked food. Steak rests there while the other side finishes the peppers.
Build, handling and durability
The top earns its keep. It is plain steel, which is why griddles like this sear so well. Steel is also why it rusts if you skip the oil after a rainy week.
Underneath, Blackstone saved its money on the cart. Two fixed legs and two wheels make it stable on flat concrete and fussy anywhere else. On a sloped yard, you need a level spot or something under the feet.
Blackstone’s own figures for the size disagree a little. The Amazon table says 69 pounds and 33 in H. The A+ chart says 66 lbs, and the gallery drawing says 36 inches tall.
None of these changes how it cooks. They do suggest measuring your space against the larger figures. A covered porch with a low beam deserves that check.
Running costs, upkeep and value
Price per inch is the strongest case for buying the 1517. At $249.99, it works out to about 48 cents per square inch of plate. The 36 inch at $399.00 costs about 52 cents per square inch. The smaller griddle is the slightly better deal per inch, not the worse one.
Fuel use is not published, so we will not guess at it. Two burners do cost less to run than four. That holds as long as two zones cover your menu. On a 28 inch plate, you rarely fire both halves on high.
Upkeep follows the usual steel griddle routine. Work the scraper toward the back slot while the steel is warm, then oil it. Blackstone’s guidance is clear: minimal water, no soap, oil to finish. Once full, that black cup unhooks and tips straight into a bin.
The warranty is the weak spot, since one year is short for an outdoor cooker. Blackstone’s page also lists the 1517 as backordered. A newer 28 inch model is on sale there. Amazon still stocks this one, and that is where most people will buy it.
Possible Blackstone 28 Griddle Cooking Station Complaints
- It will not stay where you park it on a slope. The cart has two wheels on one side, feet on the other and no brakes. You feel it on decks with a pitch or on grass. A level patio spot fixes it.
- One year of cover for a cooker built to stay outdoors. Rust on a neglected plate is the owner’s problem, not a defect. A cover and an oil wipe after every cook keep it in shape.
