Are you considering the Member’s Mark Griddle (Sams Club Griddle) and wondering how it compares to the enormously popular Blackstone Griddle?
Are you in the market for a new griddle but unsure which one to choose?
There is one big issue you definitely need to consider first.
Table Of Contents
- Efficiency Of Member's Mark vs Blackstone
- Member's Mark vs Blackstone: The Differences
- The Biggest Difference That Really Matters
- Summary
I’ve had so many internalized arguments with myself about which one might be better than another one, so you’re not alone if you’re struggling with your decision right now.
I’m going to try and help you because that’s what I do best!
I’ve recently decided it might be a good idea to compare the more mainstream Member’s Mark Griddle from Sam’s Club to the more specialized Blackstone Griddle.
These two companies can be considered the most popular of all the choices of griddle out there, and it’s no surprise as to why.
I’m looking at the differences between the two and if there is any reason you should definitely buy one compared to the other.
Hopefully, you can pick up a few of the points I’ll be putting down to make that final decision nice and easy for you.
Efficiency Of Member’s Mark vs Blackstone
I think the best place to start then, is by comparing the two.
We’ll be looking at the Member’s Mark Outdoor Griddle and the Blackstone Gas Griddle to be exact.
I think these two are similar enough in design to warrant a healthy comparison.
I don’t plan on taking sides (at least not deliberately!) but I will decide at the end to help guide you.
Firstly, it’s good to note some efficiency differences.
I’m talking about the BTUs of each of the griddles I mentioned above. If you don’t know what a BTU is, it stands for British Thermal Unit.
You don’t need to know the exact details of what that means.
In essence, a griddle with a higher BTU will use more fuel over a shorter period of time. Basically, a higher number means a less efficient model.
The Member’s Mark Outdoor griddle has 20,000 BTUs, which is actually pretty good for the size of it.
The Blackstone Griddle that I’m looking at has 24,000 BTUs… You can see where the first problem lies.
The Members Mark is a little less efficient than the Blackstone Griddle is, but by only 4,000 BTUs it’s really not that bad.
In fact, it’s pretty much negligible but I thought it’d be good to cover anyway.
Wanna know just how hot the Blackstone Griddle actually gets? Check out my video test results where I put 3 different models of Blackstone griddles to the max heat test! Video Here.
Member’s Mark vs Blackstone: The Differences
Physically speaking then, which griddle wins? Well, that’s a matter of personal opinion.
However, the surface area on the Blackstone comes in at 330 square inches, with the Members Mark Griddle only being about 260.
It really depends on how much space you need, but the way I’m looking at it, the Blackstone having a slightly larger area gives it a bit more of an edge in my book.
And perhaps the most important difference that most people want to know is the simplest one of all. What about the prices?
Which griddle is the cheapest? This can often be the ultimate swaying factor in everyone’s final buying decision and it’s not without reason.
We all want to try and save a few bucks here and there if we can. Even if it means overlooking some of the more pressing issues. Money is money, after all!
While the prices can vary based on where you shop, the Member’s Mark is the cheapest of the two models.
In fact, a Members Mark griddle will almost always be cheaper than a Blackstone model because of how Sam’s Club run their business.
They take popular items from the US, send them off to China to make their own versions, and then re-sell them at cheaper prices as a competitor of the item they initially took from the US.
It can sound a bit like cheating, but at the end of the day, that’s how business is done.
The Biggest Difference That Really Matters
I want to run you through the absolute most defining difference between the two griddles before I close out this blog.
It’s not got much to do with the quality of the products, but more with the level of customer support, you can receive from them.
Customer support is the biggest selling point for me. I might be alone in that (although I hope I’m not) but if my product breaks down and needs repairing.
I want to be certain that I can pick up a phone, call the company and they’ll be able to sort me out with the next steps.
With Blackstone being a major company in the griddle business, they’ve set up quite an impressive customer support service for anyone that needs it.
They have a quality team in place that’s always on the other end of the phone ready to deal with the problems that have arisen.
Then there is the Members Mark Griddle. Sam’s Club is a big business that re-sells products from all sorts of ranges in Walmart.
That means that they don’t really have a specialty.
They have thousands of items under their belt and they don’t offer a customer support service.
What’s the best thing you can do if your Members Mark griddle breaks and needs repairing?
Well, you best hope that you’re still within your Walmart return period or you’re all out of luck. But, the no questions asked return policy on a Sam’s Club Griddle is a good insurance policy I suppose.
That’s about as good as it gets for Member’s Mark.
I’ve had a look online for plenty of reviews of the two griddles as well to make sure I’m not alone.
Many of them said much the same things I did.
There were so many high-rating reviews of Blackstone talking about the quality and the service provided should you need help.
However, I struggled to find any mention of a happy customer that needed to repair their Member’s Mark griddle.
Customer support is one of those things that gets overlooked but is a MAJOR determiner of how successful a business can be.
Summary
How’s that for a comparison blog then? The Members Mark flat top griddle versus the Blackstone griddle.
Both of them have their merits, I won’t deny that.
If I had to settle on one though that I’d recommend to you here and now, I’d always choose the Blackstone griddle over the Members Mark griddle.
It’s an easy choice for me. Sure, they cost a little extra, but you’ll thank me when you see how well they work.
It helps to always have that safety net of a customer service line to fall on to should you ever need it!
