The Construction Behind Fire Magic Grills
Fire Magic’s premium tiers — Echelon Diamond and Aurora — are built around ¼-inch thick cast stainless steel "E" Burners, patented Diamond Sear cooking grids, and 304 stainless steel housings, all warranted for life. Choice (the value tier) keeps the Diamond Sear cooking grids and adds 14-gauge u-shaped stainless steel burners (also lifetime warrantied) with Turn-to-Light spark ignition that requires no power, batteries, or 120V outlet — the only Fire Magic gas series that lights without a wired electrical supply.
Echelon Diamond ships with the Black Glass touchscreen control panel on the digital -9E1* SKUs, with Bluetooth/Wi-Fi remote control via the Fire Magic app and Single-Touch lighting that fires every burner from one tap. Aurora keeps the same patented Diamond Sear grids and cast "E" Burners as Echelon, with Fire Magic’s traditional analog control face and analog thermometer at a lower price. Push-to-Light Hot Surface Ignition (requires 120V) is standard on every Echelon and Aurora variant.
The Legacy Charcoal series covers the wood-and-coals path — 304 stainless steel built-ins and post-mount with smoker hood, adjustable charcoal pan operated by a crank handle, and front-loading charcoal door — plus the powder-coated Lift-A-Fire 3339 entry tier. The Electric series splits two power tiers: EL500 (30″) requires a dedicated 240VAC / 30A circuit and reaches 650°F (analog) on a 480 sq in cooking surface with Diamond Sear grids; E251 (15½″) plugs into a standard 120V GFCI outlet and reaches 650°F on a 252 sq in surface.
Fire Magic Lineup at a Glance
The Echelon Diamond Built-In & Portable Grills page covers the four flagship sizes — E660i (30″, 75K BTU), E790i (36″, 90K BTU), E1060i (48″, 112K BTU), and the E1060s 48″ portable on a cart base with a 60K BTU Power Burner. The Aurora Built-In Gas Grills page covers the five Aurora sizes — A430i 24″, A540i 30″, A660i 30″, A790i 36″, and the A830i 46″ Gas/Charcoal Combo with side-by-side gas and charcoal cooking under one hood.
The Choice Built-In & Post Mount Gas Grills page covers the value-tier C430s 24″, C540i 30″, and C650i 36″, plus the CM Multi-User variants (1-hour mechanical timer for shared-use installations) and the CMA Accessible variants (5″ shorter post for ADA reach-range). The Legacy Charcoal Built-In & Post Mount Grills page covers the 12-SC01C-A 24″ built-in, 14-SC01C-A 30″ built-in, 22-SC01C 24″ post-mount, and the Lift-A-Fire 3339 entry tier. The Electric Built-In, Post Mount & Countertop Grills page covers four EL500s post-mount variants (P6 patio, G6 in-ground, AP and AG accessible) plus the E251s patio post and E251t counter top.
Three adjacent product categories complete the lineup. The Aurora & Echelon Built-In Griddles page covers the 30″ two-zone flat-top griddle in Echelon Black Glass and Aurora analog control face options. The Echelon Built-In Pizza Oven page covers the propane 5660P with Black Glass touchscreen, thermostatic digital control, and an 18″ × 18″ cordierite pizza stone. The Echelon E540D Drop-In Grill page covers the 30″ drop-in chassis in three configurations: with-hood NG, with-hood LP, and the no-hood flat-top NG.
Installation: What to Know Before You Order
Built-in installations require 18″ minimum side-wall clearance, plus 4–18″ rear-wall clearance depending on rear-wall construction (4″ from non-combustible, 14″ from protected combustible, 18″ from unprotected combustible). Corner walls require 24″ minimum. Adjacent cooling appliances (refrigerators, kegerators) require 14″ minimum; adjacent heating appliances (pizza ovens, griddles) require 12″ minimum. Combustible enclosures require an approved Fire Magic insulating liner (sold separately) — the cutout dimensions change to accommodate the liner thickness.
Gas inlet pressures: natural gas 7″ W.C. normal (5″ min, 10½″ max); propane 11″ W.C. normal (10″ min, 13″ max). Supply pipe ½″ minimum interior diameter; manual shut-off valve required within 6 feet of the unit. Echelon Diamond and Aurora both require a 120VAC / 15A GFCI three-wire grounded receptacle for the Hot Surface Ignition system, halogen lights, and (on Echelon digital models) the Black Glass touchscreen and digital thermometer. Choice and Legacy Charcoal need no electrical service — Choice runs Turn-to-Light spark ignition; Legacy is charcoal. The EL500 electric series requires a dedicated 240VAC / 30A GFCI circuit; the E251 series plugs into a standard 120V GFCI outlet.
Cutout dimensions vary by series and size. Per-model cutouts and full clearance envelopes are published in the dedicated size guides: Echelon Diamond size guide · Aurora size guide · Choice size guide · Legacy Charcoal size guide · Electric size guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Fire Magic grills so expensive?
Fire Magic builds with 304 stainless steel across the lineup, uses ¼-inch thick cast stainless steel "E" Burners on Echelon and Aurora (covered for life), and warranties the patented Diamond Sear cooking grids and the stainless steel housing for life as well. The grills are manufactured by RH Peterson Co. of City of Industry, California, in continuous production since 1937 — over 85 years of accumulated tooling and dealer support. The first two years of warranty include factory-paid labor allowance, and Fire Magic ships warrantied replacement parts at no charge. The price reflects materials and warranty depth rather than annual model-year cosmetic refreshes.
What is the difference between Echelon Diamond and Aurora?
Both share patented Diamond Sear cooking grids, ¼-inch cast stainless "E" Burners, the same Push-to-Light Hot Surface Ignition, the 90° opening dual-walled hood, and identical lifetime burner / lifetime grid / lifetime housing warranty terms. Echelon Diamond ships with a Black Glass touchscreen control panel, digital thermometer, and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi remote on the digital models. Aurora uses Fire Magic’s traditional analog control face and analog thermometer. Cooking output by size is identical — A660i and E660i both deliver 75,000 BTU on 660 sq in; A790i and E790i both deliver 90,000 BTU on 792 sq in. Pick Echelon for the touchscreen and remote control; pick Aurora for the same cooking performance with classic controls and a lower price.
Where is Fire Magic headquartered?
Fire Magic grills are manufactured by RH Peterson Co., headquartered in City of Industry, California. The same parent company makes American Outdoor Grill (AOG) and Peterson Real Fyre Gas Logs. Fire Magic has been in continuous production since 1937 — over 85 years — and is sold through specialty BBQ dealers, authorized online retailers, and outdoor kitchen specialists nationwide.
Does Serene Yards offer free shipping on Fire Magic grills?
Yes — every Fire Magic grill, griddle, pizza oven, and drop-in we carry ships free to the contiguous United States. Hawaii and Alaska are not currently supported. Order any model directly from the eight product pages above; checkout includes any current promotions automatically. The Fire Magic gas grill comparison guide is the right starting point if you’re still deciding between the five core series.
Related: Echelon Diamond Built-In & Portable Grills · Aurora Built-In Gas Grills · Choice Built-In & Post Mount Gas Grills · Legacy Charcoal Built-In & Post Mount Grills · Electric Built-In, Post Mount & Countertop Grills · Aurora & Echelon Built-In Griddles · Echelon Built-In Pizza Oven · Echelon E540D Drop-In Grill · Fire Magic Gas Grill Comparison Guide
