Are Weber gas grills worth the premium?

[IceBergSLiM]

For gas grills I believe in getting cheap ones.

Get the 89 dollar aussie or char broil from Wal-Mart, use it for about 6 years, then replace. I'm on year 6 of my aussie and it still works.

If you wanna spend money on a grill, get a ceramic kamado style cooker, Primo or Big Green egg.

They're charcol, but for lazy people, easy to clean, very low maitenence, low ash, and they just plain rule. If I need to grill up some quick hot dogs or burgers, ill use my gas grill, for steaks, chicken, cooking for a party, smoking some beef brisket, etc.. I use my Big Green Egg.

how much is the big green egg?

 

[Tea Bag]

If they're anything like my Kettle charcoal grill, the answer is hell yea.

Speaking of which, I need to start saving up for one of these babies.

 

[BoomerD]

Cook ribeyes, not T-bones. :\

Porterhouse gives you both the "New York Strip" that is from the T-bone plus a bit of tenderloin as well.

 

[waggy]

Cook ribeyes, not T-bones. :\

best steak i have EVER had was a bone-in Ribeye. it was fricken amazing.

 

[Deeko]

Porterhouse gives you both the "New York Strip" that is from the T-bone plus a bit of tenderloin as well.

I'm a big fan of the porterhouse.

 

[Deeko]

Ok - so we've established at this point that Weber grills are very good. What I'm still curious about - does anyone have experience with the better Char Broil models? Online customer reviews are generally pretty positive - there are some who have had durability/rust issues, but overall they're still rated highly. For what its worth, I bought one of the cheap $120 models about 4 years ago, to the best of my knowledge my parents are still using it...

 

[vi edit]

My Dad has a Char Broil "professional" that I think he got from Lowes about 4 years ago. I've used it every weekend the last three weeks with no major complaints. The electric ignitor is flaking out, but I blame that in part to humidity and drippings starting to gum it up.

Otherwise the stainless steel grates, heat deflectors and burners look good as new. It's been kept outside in the very extreme weather of the Midwest that whole time with nothing more than a canvas cover on it. It's only a three burner but it can get up to 450 degrees without much effort. For the $400 I think he paid for it, it has held up very well.

 

[Lounatik]

I've lived in my house for 16 years and went through a grill every two years or so. I grill at least 5 times a week all year round. I was tired of that crap, so I got the Genesis S 310 from Home Depot for about 800.00. I agonized over it, but the wife said to get it when HD offered 1 year same as cash, so I did. Man do I love this grill. It cooks so evenly and heats up really fast. I also got the rotisserie and love using that with turkeys and eye round roasts. The thing is built like a tank and the warranty cannot be beat. I spent more than this grill on all of the other pieces of shit from Target, Wal Mart, etc. Just not worth it. In this case you really do get what you pay for.


Peace

Lounatik

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

No need to be crass. Weber DOES have a premium over other grills in its range. That doesn't mean they're the most expensive grills you can buy, nor did I say that.

A premium implies that people are paying more for no reason. Like Bose and Mercedes which both have cheaper alternatives of equal quality. regardign Bose, most anything is a better option. With Mercedes , your better off with a Lexus.

Comparing a Weber to less expensive brands is like comapring a Toyota and a Kia and thinking that they are the same.

 

[Deeko]

A premium implies that people are paying more for no reason. Like Bose and Mercedes which both have cheaper alternatives of equal quality. regardign Bose, most anything is a better option. With Mercedes , your better off with a Lexus.

Comparing a Weber to less expensive brands is like comapring a Toyota and a Kia and thinking that they are the same.

Weber grills cost a lot more than other grills with similar features at similar stores. Therefore, they command a price premium over the competition. The question posed in this thread, was are they actually worth the extra, or is it solely for brand name.

You're obviously just arguing with me for the sake of being an ass. And there are probably people out there that would disagree with you about Mercedes vs Lexus, too, so your little example actually validated my choice of words. Bravo, sport, now stop trolling my thread.

 

[sjwaste]

Cook ribeyes, not T-bones. :\

I do, but a porterhouse is great every once in a while. The Ribeye, bone in only, is the king of beef.

 

[Kanalua]

I don't think so...I've had both a cheap char-broil (that I won at a work party) and a cheap no-name brand gas-smoker...both we left outside in the snow and freezing winters of Utah as well as the sweltering hot summer without fail. Both lasted years, outside, without covering, etc. and both worked fine for years. As with all grill, you must season them properly, I believe a proper seasoning will make all the difference between a rusted out piece of crap and a nice working grill (as well as a good burner gaurd/cover)...

My next gas grill will be a two burner Weber-Q...those things are bad okole!

 

[iRONic]

I bought a Weber Genesis E-320 for $699 from Amazon today. Free shipping and 6 months interest-free on my Amazon card.

Been wanting one for years!

Linky

 

[Zebo]

You may have paid too much. Lowes is clearing them out right now... E320 I think was $499.

I got an Genesis S-320 Natural Gas Version for $520 out the door but I had to negotiate and get additional 5% off with LAR commercial account.

 

[iRONic]

You may have paid too much. Lowes is clearing them out right now... E320 I think was $499.

I got an Genesis S-320 Natural Gas Version for $520 but I had to negotiate and get 5% off with LAR commercial account.

No Lowes here so shipping + tax woulda bit me.

 

[TrueBlueLS]

I say they are worth it. My parents have a Genesis from the mid 90s that is going strong and barbecuing like no tomorrow. My Genesis is from the early 2000s and is unbelievable. It heats up very quick, cooks evenly, and is built like a tank.

 

[iRONic]

Amazon + Weber = a shitload of WIN!

Old Kenmore.


Breastesess.


Country pork ribs.


It was with great trepidation and much anxiety that I had to finally replace my trusty Kenmore gas grill ^ ^ . It has served me well since 2004 and I was happy to buy new parts for it every few years just to keep it working. Sears screwed up though... no more parts available.

To the web(ATOT included) to research gas grills! Weber wins most of the categories that are important to me. Amazon had the model I want on sale with free shipping and no tax... pulled the trigger on 9/21 and it was delivered 9/24.



So my neighbor Will, me, and our buddy Sam Adams assembled this beast Saturday, 9/26 to prep for the Bruins/Panthers game that evening.


Awesome grill! Crazy heavy duty, bulletproof materials. Perfect engineering/fit of the parts. iRONic™ approved.



That night I grilled some rib eyes, roasted carrots, and baked potatoes with the sauteed mushrooms & onions done on the side burner... perfect! Sunday I grilled italian sausages with the sauteed peppers 'n' onions done on the side burner. Perfect again!





Summer may be over but I cook on the grill year-round. Reviewers state they can still buy parts for Weber grills they bought ten years ago. I'm down with that.

And the thing I like most about this Weber; my bruins grill cover fits it!!

 

[Kaervak]

We have two Weber grills actually. A Silver 22" charcoal kettle grill and a Silver B propane grill.

We bought the kettle grill brand new about five or so years ago and have been bulletproof ever since. A small spot of surface rust on the lid handle, but otherwise it looks like it was taken right out of the box.

The Silver B was just given to us by my aunt. It's sat outside (covered) for 12 years and the only part that needs replacement is one of the warming racks due to rust. It was a bit dirty, but after a cleaning it looks practically new. Highly recommend Weber gear.

 

[Deeko]

I ended up getting the Charbroil:

Time will tell if it holds up as long as a Weber, but it did great work for its first summer.

 

[BUTCH1]

I was lucky and got a used Weber off CL for $100, some old rich retired dude's wife didn't like the fact that it lacked a side burner. After owning and constantly repairing/replacing cheaper grills Weber rules, even heat , great cooking and quality construction. My previous gas grill (a Vermont castings re-brand) got converted to a charcoal grill and now is on a pole concreted in my backyard so I have the best of both worlds, charcoal flavor or gas convenience when I'm tired and want to eat faster..

 

[qliveur]

I use charcoal, but I have a large Weber charcoal grill that kicks ass.

 

[spidey07]

I ended up getting the Charbroil:

Time will tell if it holds up as long as a Weber, but it did great work for its first summer.

Give it a little more maintenance than normal and it will serve you well.

Who really cares, enjoy cooking over fire and learn from it.

 

[xSauronx]

We have two Weber grills actually. A Silver 22" charcoal kettle grill and a Silver B propane grill.

We bought the kettle grill brand new about five or so years ago and have been bulletproof ever since. A small spot of surface rust on the lid handle, but otherwise it looks like it was taken right out of the box.

The Silver B was just given to us by my aunt. It's sat outside (covered) for 12 years and the only part that needs replacement is one of the warming racks due to rust. It was a bit dirty, but after a cleaning it looks practically new. Highly recommend Weber gear.

ive had my weber mini for 18 months and have been a bastard to it....for 2 reasons
1: i wanted to check out the weber reputation. i figure if its well built itll hold up
2: its 30 bucks....its easy to replace and if i get a couple of years out of it i definitely got 30 dollars of enjoyment out of it

i dont throw it around...but im not particularly careful with it. i clean it fairly well every couple of months. its in great shape, just looks well used. also after using charcoal i really dislike gas pretty much ever

 

[MikeMike]

The Weber grille we have at my parents house has to be around 15 years old... it was purchased prior to the '00s... My dad has replaced the ignitor, and the grates... the lid is starting to rust, but this grille is stored outdoors 24/7/365 in the Snow Belt region of Ohio... it's a beast.

I believe some of the paint issues on the lid are from when i was younger, deciding to put snowballs on top while cooking...

 

[hans030390]

I usually just cut up my neighbor's fence, use it as fire wood, and cook my food with that. Why waste money on a grill?