Gas grill buying advice

[pete6032]

Looking to buy a 2- or 3-burner propane grill. Advice seems to be go with Weber and nothing else. I live in a wet, rainy, snowy environment so rust is a concern. Any recommendations or advice? Has anyone got a grill with a side burner for stovetop-like cooking? Seems like a nice feature but not sure if it's worth it.

 

[BoomerD]

Weber grills are damned good. Like many products, the drive to reduce costs has...cheapened them somewhat, but they're still among the best consumer-grade gas grills. As for your weather...buy a GOOD cover and use it.
IMO, the side burners are a waste...they add cost, waste propane, and add little value to the grill. It doesn't take much of a breeze to blow the heat away from the pot you're trying to cook in. They work...but not very efficiently.

 

[JM Aggie08]

We've had our Weber Genesis 3 burner for 8 years now -- absolutely love it. The only thing that needs replacing is the electric starter -- not a MAJOR issues since I have stick lighters, but pretty impressive for nearly a decade of use.

 

[Greenman]

I've had the webber spirt for many years. Had to replace the racks and burner covers a year or two back, still works works well, and looks great.

 

[Charmonium]

For covers, I would suggest a gas permeable one otherwise it can very humid in there. If you're out in the desert it's probably not an issue but it would be in NJ, even down in the pine barrens.

But since they're made to be outdoors, some overhanging eaves are also a good bet. I have a short, three foot wide roof in front of the garage and stuff that butts up against the house rarely gets wet. But then we tend not to screaming thunderstorms. That does seem to be changing a bit this year though.

 

[Charmonium]

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[Exterous]

If you can wait there tend to be some pretty good sales in Sept/Oct - sometimes as much as 80% off depending on the remaining inventory for the year. Although it's hard to find webers anywhere near that much on sale ever.

buy a GOOD cover and use it.

Somewhat related to the brand names thread but good grill covers seem hard to find anymore. I got 6 years out of my first one but all the ones after that only seem to last a couple years. Granted this is in snow, wind, sun etc but still

 

[Meghan54]

Looking to buy a 2- or 3-burner propane grill. Advice seems to be go with Weber and nothing else. I live in a wet, rainy, snowy environment so rust is a concern. Any recommendations or advice? Has anyone got a grill with a side burner for stovetop-like cooking? Seems like a nice feature but not sure if it's worth it.

The reason Weber is so recommended is it’s a damned good grill. Firebox is substantial, even on the “lowly” Spirit line, one of which I’ve owned for appprox 12 years. I also have replaced the grates and burner covers…for me a once-in-a-decade proposition. I do have a little rust on lower right corner of door…only problem I’ve ever had with it.

 

[Gardener]

Weber combines superior design and best availability of replacement parts, including upgrades and custom aftermarket parts. My weber is 25 years old.

 

[RLGL]

Mine lasted for 18 Yrs. Get the cover from Weber.

 

[HomerJS]

I’ve had a Weber 3 burner Genesis since 2003. Replaced grates and a few igniters but still going strong. Get a cover

 

[jmagg]

I finally gave up on our cast iron Master Forge after 9 years of service. It always sucked due to an oval burner. After strongly considering The 700 dollar, 3 burner Weber, I found what seems to be a Weber clone at Tractor supply. The 200 dollar Even Embers 4 burner Is certainly not a Weber, but it shares a few Weber niceties, and heats evenly. We have a heavy cover, so im fairly confidant it will last a decade with some minor replacement parts. I'd buy it again.

Edit
I really didnt want a 4 burner grill, but now that ive used it, its much more flexable than a three burner. For just the wife and I, light the 2 middle burners. Slow cook, the 2 outside burners on low with the food in the middle. etc
This partictular grill is not as wide ( huge ) as other 4 burners available, which is a positive imo.

 

[dank69]

Go with Weber and nothing else

Also, find an Agway near you or a similar store that sells the ES version of the Genesis. E and S versions are available at big box stores, but the ES combines the best parts of the E and S versions. Cast exterior (stainless exterior is a bitch to clean) but stainless grates which last a lot longer than the cast grates. ES used to be $50 more than E.

 

[Amused]

I live at the beach in SoCal. My first Weber Spirit 2 burner wasn't cleaned (exterior) and covered after each use and lasted about 5 years until I couldn't stand how bad it looked (It still worked fine though). For some reason food splatters cause rust spots by the ocean. My second is cleaned and covered after each use and after 5 years looks almost new.

The burners and flavorizer bars need replacing every 5 years or so though. Salt air is a bitch.

 

[MtnMan]

Weber, for the simple reason parts are readily available. My Weber is over 20 years old, and parts are still easy to obtain.

Even though the burners are stainless steel, they still need replacing every 4 - 5 years. Same for the flame spreaders.
The cast iron grates, which I ordered to replace the original stainless grates after about 5 years, are still in good shape.

Several other parts have also needed replacing over the years, but still easy to find. My grill sits out in the elements, and I don't even use a cover, as I found it a hassle, and of no use.

 

[NutBucket]