The Fire Sense Stainless Steel Foldaway Charcoal Grill, model 63724, does one trick very well. It folds from a working grill to a flat stainless slab 1 inch thick. Legs, coal plate, cooking grate and handles all pack inside that profile.
That trick is paid for in controls. The lid is gone, and so are the dampers. The grate sits at one height forever.
So the real question is simple. When everything adjustable is gone, what is left to cook with? The short answer is the fire itself. How much charcoal you light, and where you spread it, is the whole control panel.
First Impressions of the Fire Sense Foldaway
Folded, the 63724 could pass for a steel serving tray, hinged along its spine. Unfold it and swing the legs out. An open trough appears, standing about 8 inches tall.
The perforated coal plate drops into the bottom. The wire grate sits across the rim.
That is the whole assembly. No screws, no tools, no hardware bag to sort through.
The two wire handles are the clever part. Hooked under the grate’s cross bars, they lift it off the fire. Pushed into holes at each end, they carry the hot grill. Then they pack flat with everything else.
The first cook shows the shape’s character quickly. Briquettes sit close under the bars, so sausages blister fast. Skewers laid crossways rest on both long rims, with the meat over the coals. Burgers fit too, but only in a single row down the length.
Key Features of the Fire Sense Foldaway
Most of what this grill offers comes from what it leaves out. Here is what it does carry, plus what the manual adds that the listing skips.
- Stainless steel body, frame, legs and handles. Fire Sense says the steel will not peel or flake. There is no paint anywhere to blister.
- A cooking grate of 3.5mm bars. The maker’s page gives 14.875 x 7.5 inches, which works out to 111.56 sq in. Amazon’s bullet prints 14.85 inches, a small slip in the listing.
- A perforated coal plate that doubles as the ash catcher. It rests on the floor of the trough. Ash sifts through its holes onto the steel below.
- Fixed slots in the trough walls. Air comes in through them whether you want it or not. Nothing slides or turns.
- Two multi-purpose wire handles. They lift the grate and carry the hot body, then store flat.
- A carry bag. The folded grill zips into it. The manual asks for a clean, dry grill before it goes back in.
- Briquettes only. The owner’s manual bans lump charcoal, hardwood and softwood. Neither the listing nor the maker’s page says so where a shopper would look.
- Rules about where it can stand. The manual wants a hard, level, non-combustible surface such as concrete, rock or stone. It also says not to use it in wind.
Those two rules shape real use more than anything on the box. Together they describe a narrower set of picnic spots than the photographs suggest.
With no lid, this is direct grilling and nothing else. Heat rises from the coals, through the bars, and away into the open air. Thin food does well here: sausages, flattened chicken thighs, halloumi, peppers, satay. Anything that must finish through the middle under a lid has no home.
Control comes down to the fuel. A full bed gives a hot, even surface for a quick round. Banking the briquettes toward one end leaves a cooler stretch at the other.
That is the only zone trick available. Once the fire is lit, the slots set the airflow and you cannot slow it.
Fire Sense wants the briquettes burning for roughly 30 minutes first. The coals should wear a thin coat of ash first. That wait is longer than many of the cooks this grill suits. Fire Sense publishes no heat figure, so nothing here can say how hot it runs.
The narrow trough helps in one way. With only 7.5 inches front to back, coals spread thin never sit far from the food. A modest fire covers the whole grate.
Put plainly, the grill is as hot as the charcoal you were willing to light.
Build, handling and durability
Every structural part is stainless, which is unusual at this money. Most cheap portables use painted or enamelled steel. That finish chips at the corners after a season of travel. Here there is no coating to lose, and the manual calls discoloration after use cosmetic.
The trade is that the metalwork is simple. It is a folded box on four hinged legs. There are no castings and nothing heavy enough to feel planted. At 7.5 lbs it is easy to knock, so a level surface matters.
Durability turns on the hinges and the handle holes, the parts that move every trip. Fire Sense does not name the steel grade. The manual admits that all metals may eventually rust. For spots, it suggests emery cloth and a heat-resistant spray paint.
Carrying it is the easy part. Folded, it measures 17 x 8.75 x 1 inches. That is roughly a large cutting board. It slides behind a car seat or into a duffel with room to spare.
Running costs, upkeep and value
Running costs are just charcoal and fire starters. The firebox is small, so a modest load does the job. Briquettes are the cheapest fuel on most shelves, which suits the manual’s rule nicely.
Cleaning asks for patience rather than effort. Everything must cool fully before you touch the ash. Then the grill should be clean and dry before it goes back in its bag.
Mild dish soap or baking soda handles the steel. For stubborn bits, use a citrus degreaser and a nylon brush. Abrasive cleaners and oven cleaner are off limits.
Amazon listed it around $47.74 in our October price capture. Spread over 111.56 sq in of bars, that lands near 43 cents apiece.
The Weber Smokey Joe 14 asks $54.99 for 147 sq in, and it has a lid. The Char-Broil 190 portable costs around $29.97 for 190 sq in. Its warranty, though, runs just 90 days.
Per square inch, then, this stainless trough costs more than either. What the money buys is stainless steel and the flat fold. That flat fold is the thing neither rival offers.
The warranty runs 1 year for the original owner, with proof of purchase. A second year comes free with a review on Balkene Home’s site within 365 days. The terms exclude normal weathering and exposure to water. On a grill built for the outdoors, that exclusion is worth reading twice.
Possible Fire Sense Foldaway Complaints
- Nothing turns the heat down. Fixed slots and no lid mean a fire that runs hot stays hot. The fix is to light less than you think, then add more carefully.
- The briquettes-only rule is buried. Buyers who prefer lump charcoal find the ban only in the manual. Using lump anyway sits outside the maker’s instructions, which could matter in a claim.
- The 8 inch stance is low. On the ground you cook kneeling. On a wooden picnic table, you need a stone or paver underneath.
