In the market for a gas grill

I'll bet some Chevrolets have similar specs to some Mercedes. Personally, I'd go with Weber-- there's a reason why they have such a good reputation.

I'm also looking at a new grill, preferably all stainless. My short list is Weber and Napoleon.

I wouldn't under-estimate Kitchen Aid.

I haven't looked at grills, but we just bought all of our appliances for the kitchen, and Kitchen-Aid was on par with much higher-end brands, in every way, and offered savings.

G-Man, "specs" are one thing, but look at things like the build quality. That's what really made KA stand out to me.

The appliances were sturdy, and had the "feel" of Viking, Sub-Zero, Thermador, etc. When I would handle the GE/Whirlpool/Maytag ones, you could feel a considerable step down. In some cases, I even preferred the feel of the KA to the Viking stuff.

Oh, and with respect to grills, I'm a big believer that storage and maintenance or the most important part.

I beat up my grills.

We use them a lot, I mean 3 - 6 days / week, and I rarely clean them.

I don't buy the cheapo grill, but I find that if you're really putting your grill through the ringer, it won't last more than 3 or 4 years. Doesn't matter if you spent $400 or $800. Burners burn, grease corrodes, shit just falls apart if you really use it.

yea i never clean mine either

tho my old (10+ year ) charbroil still works, except the grate was discontinued, so i'm stuck with looking to get a new one.

Check you inbox buddy.

quote:

Originally posted by Seaquam:
I'll bet some Chevrolets have similar specs to some Mercedes. Personally, I'd go with Weber-- there's a reason why they have such a good reputation.

+1 g-man.
Have had my modest Weber Silver Genesis for 10 years. Little to no maintenance and is rock solid reliable.

quote:

Originally posted by Wine doc:

quote:

Originally posted by Seaquam:
I'll bet some Chevrolets have similar specs to some Mercedes. Personally, I'd go with Weber-- there's a reason why they have such a good reputation.

+1 g-man.
Have had my modest Weber Silver Genesis for 10 years. Little to no maintenance and is rock solid reliable.

i was reading the kitchen aid utilizes the same graded rolled steel that weber utilizes in their construction though.

for 200$/cheaper if it offers similar perfromance build quality why not?

though i've never heard anyone use a ktichenaid before so am wondering.



--Snipes will check when ig et home. thanks!

I was pretty happy with the Home Depot brand CharmGlow gas grill. Relative to some other brands, it was inexpensive. In Seattle, keeping it outside (even under a cover) meant that it was going to break down and corrode quicker than in some other places. It worked well but, alas, it's almost dead after about 8 years.

I would avoid the ceramic-coated cast iron cooking surfaces, mostly because you can't use a wire grill brush to clean.

I've had a vermont castings grill that I've done very little to, cleaned beginning of year, brushed off rest of the time and never brought it in out of the elements. It's lasted 12+ years so far and it's still great.

quote:

Originally posted by BRR:

I would avoid the ceramic-coated cast iron cooking surfaces, mostly because you can't use a wire grill brush to clean.

Yes to this. We have a Kenmore 4 burner - I really like it although the starter crapped out last month.

quote:

Originally posted by BRR:
I was pretty happy with the Home Depot brand CharmGlow gas grill. Relative to some other brands, it was inexpensive. In Seattle, keeping it outside (even under a cover) meant that it was going to break down and corrode quicker than in some other places. It worked well but, alas, it's almost dead after about 8 years.

I would avoid the ceramic-coated cast iron cooking surfaces, mostly because you can't use a wire grill brush to clean.

I've been rocking a Charmglow for about a decade, used heavily like Jorge mentioned and covered when not in use. My dad liked his so well that he bought two more, put them in a trailer and brought myself and brother-in-law each one.

The outside still looks great. The burners are about shot as well as the drip trays. It's time for either an overhaul or a new grill. Leaning towards something new.

Get a Weber with the all stainless burners & grates. Had a Silver Genesis for 10 years and a Genesis S 330 for the last three. Can't go wrong with them. Don't get the lower end stuff at Home Depot with ceramic coated grates and bars - get the S line, which will save you lots of time and money in maintenance and parts over the years.

quote:

Originally posted by vinole:
Get a Weber with the all stainless burners & grates. Had a Silver Genesis for 10 years and a Genesis S 330 for the last three. Can't go wrong with them. Don't get the lower end stuff at Home Depot with ceramic coated grates and bars - get the S line, which will save you lots of time and money in maintenance and parts over the years.

+1

There are definitely two schools of thought on this. In fact, just this past weekend, I was in Home Depot buying a Weber One Touch Gold (love it already) and heard the Grill Department Manager telling another customer, "The trend in grills today is to price some of them low enough that replacement parts become obsolete. Use them until they're worn out and buy a new one." That's kind of the way I see my gas grill. Then again, I've never had a really top-end one either.

BRR, my point was stainless parts don't need to be replaced and are good for a decade with average use.

quote:

Originally posted by BRR:
There are definitely two schools of thought on this. In fact, just this past weekend, I was in Home Depot buying a Weber One Touch Gold (love it already) and heard the Grill Department Manager telling another customer, "The trend in grills today is to price some of them low enough that replacement parts become obsolete. Use them until they're worn out and buy a new one." That's kind of the way I see my gas grill. Then again, I've never had a really top-end one either.

there was a really funny review with pictures on homedepot with a charbroil unit where the flames started coming out of the knobs.

talk about uneven heating =)

quote:

Originally posted by BRR:
There are definitely two schools of thought on this. In fact, just this past weekend, I was in Home Depot buying a Weber One Touch Gold (love it already) and heard the Grill Department Manager telling another customer, "The trend in grills today is to price some of them low enough that replacement parts become obsolete. Use them until they're worn out and buy a new one." That's kind of the way I see my gas grill. Then again, I've never had a really top-end one either.

That's the school of thought that I subscribe to.

Like you, though, I've never sprung for a high-end grill.

I figure mine will last 3 - 4 years and start to crap out. At $300 - $400 I figure it's easy to replace instead of splurging for a $800 - $1000 grill that might last 6 - 8

That happened to me. Two of my knobs melted.

+1 on the fact that grills, no matter what kind, only last but a few years whether stainless or not. I have found that while the structure of a stainless will hold up, its inner parts (valves/burners/ash bed/igniters) go fast. And replacement parts are so expensive that yeah, you might as well just buy a new one.

quote:

Originally posted by vinole:
BRR, my point was stainless parts don't need to be replaced and are good for a decade with average use.

Understood, vinole. My post wasn't in response to yours at all. In fact, I agree with you 100%!

I'm on my 10th year with my second Weber Genesis Silver. I'm tough on my grills too, and use them 12 months a year. I'll look at Weber first when I replace this one next year.

PH

quote:

Originally posted by WineTrooper:

I have found that while the structure of a stainless will hold up, its inner parts (valves/burners/ash bed/igniters) go fast.

Exactly my experience.

I'm curious to hear what the people on here who have grills that last 8 - 10 years cook, how they maintain, etc.

What I find is that burger grease, cheese, steak grease, butter, etc all get very hot and eventually melt onto and corrode valves and burners completely.

Stainless steel is stainless steel. I'm sure the Weber is better built than my Kenmore or the Home Depot numbers, but I doubt there's much difference in the steel used for the burners and whatnot. I'm curious how your grills are maintained or used that they last so long.

We have the Weber Summit S-470 and really love it. Not cheap, but I'm guessing it will give us a good 10-15 year run easily. I pay a guy to come clean it every year. I use it 4-5 times a week and it still looks new. Weather is obviously a bit easier here so a good cover and it should last for a long time.

Ive had a Charbroil RED I picked up at Home Depot about 3 years ago. Its on the smaller side and has been great. I use it 3 to 5 times a week. I love the infrared technology which keeps drippings away from burners and makes it very easy to clean the pan every couple months. It gets plenty hot to seer a steak and does a great job with burgers, dogs and chicken. Its stainless teel and cost about $300.

My gas grill is a Weber Summit S-670 with a natural gas hookup. As GlennK said, they are not cheap, but this will last. I wanted this grill for some time, but was waiting for my last Weber Genesis to kick the bucket before buying the Summit. After 13 years, the Genesis refused to die and I eventually gave it to one of my brothers.

I use all of my grills year round almost exclusively instead of the indoor oven - easily at 90-10 ratio for grill to oven at our house. I only clean the cooking grate after preheating for a new cook. I keep the stainless steel clean as I go, but not excessively, and I do a thorough cleaning every spring.

As for the burners and innards, the burner tubes are under warranty for 10 years, the stainless steel grates and flavorizer bars for 5 years, and the stainless steel shroud itself for 25 years. I'll be shocked if I have to replace the grates or bars after 5 years as they still look brand new after almost two years.

I would recommend a Weber...they last forever and perform great.

Jorge- I'm afraid you are incorrect about the value of the Weber grill. You might prefer to buy a new one every few years and that's cool with me but in the long run the Weber is of greater value and it is a superior device as the quality of the burn goes.

I think I spent about $500 on my Weber about 11 years ago (it was a $100 off at the end of the season). I live in Chicago, the grill is outside (but under a covered deck) 365 days per year. It gets snowed on when the weather is bad.

I use it on average 3-5 times per week, a little less in the winter (but I still use it), a little more in the summer. I've replaced the burners twice, flavor bars twice, cleaned it out twice, and replaced the grates once. I have never replaced the starter, it still lights mostly on the first click. I can't imagine when I'm buying a new one, I could see it lasting another 10 years.

Parts are so easy to buy it's ridiculous. I go to Weber's website, answer a series of questions (is your grill black? Is the temperature gauge in the middle or on the side? Where are the knobs? etc) and it tells me what parts I need. My total outlay including parts and the grill is about $700. The per-annum cost is about $65, not including gas, and that number will go down over time assuming it lasts.

I've owned crap ones before, the most they'd last under these circumstances is 3-4 years and the burn is terrible and uneven.

Bottom line- Weber is the only grill to buy.

Sorry, grossie, I have to respectfully disagree. The burn is absolutely NOT terrible and uneven on non-Weber grills, even the cheapies. My Charm Glow was a very nicely performing grill - even burn, easy to cook on, could get screaming hot and hold a low temp well, too.

Sounds to me like it's hit or miss on most of the cheaper grills. If it works out, that's great; if not, then it's money wasted. With the Weber's, you seem to have happy customers all around. I guess it depends on which way you want to go.

I'm about 2.5 years into my Weber and love it. I keep it outside in Chicago (even in winter) and use it quite frequently.

Have had 2 Weber's and loved them.

Over a year ago, I gave my Weber Summit to my sister and "traded up" to a Lynx simply because the Lynx was on close-out at a local store and selling below retail.

Love the Lynx cabinet and build in drawers. Cooking quality-wise, I can't say it's notably different or better than the Weber. Perhaps fewer flare-ups because of the burner technology they employ but that is not to say no flare ups.

Webers are not cheap but having had 1 Weber for 6 years and my last Summit for 12 years, they are incredibly reliable. AND, their customer service is fantastic. Had to replace a few parts on the Summit over my 12 years of ownership and always got them for free from Weber and shipped within 3 business days

quote:

Originally posted by Wine Sparty:
Sounds to me like it's hit or miss on most of the cheaper grills. If it works out, that's great; if not, then it's money wasted. With the Weber's, you seem to have happy customers all around. I guess it depends on which way you want to go.

I'm about 2.5 years into my Weber and love it. I keep it outside in Chicago (even in winter) and use it quite frequently.

Sounds like a good summation.

I won't be needing another grill for another year or two, but I'll see if anyone I can find locally has a Weber and see how it's doing.

Purchased the Weber Genesis 330 last month, love it so far.

I also had a Weber Summit 670 and loved it. But when I found a smokin' deal on a massive KitchenAid, I couldn't resist. Huge grilling area, built in warming drawer, storage drawer and cabinet, side burner and sear burner (rocks Ahi like nobody's bidnezz) built like a tank and after two years in the elements, still looks and performs as new. Highly recommended and pricey, but IMO worth it. See here: http://www.kitchenaid.com/shop...]-404347/KFRU488VSS/

quote:

Originally posted by Vinolocity:
I also had a Weber Summit 670 and loved it. But when I found a smokin' deal on a massive KitchenAid, I couldn't resist. Huge grilling area, built in warming drawer, storage drawer and cabinet, side burner and sear burner (rocks Ahi like nobody's bidnezz) built like a tank and after two years in the elements, still looks and performs as new. Highly recommended and pricey, but IMO worth it. See here: http://www.kitchenaid.com/shop...]-404347/KFRU488VSS/

You could live in that thing!

quote:

Originally posted by Parcival:


You could live in that thing!

Right? Wait til you see the rest of the Outdoor Kitchen. She's a beast!

quote:

Originally posted by Vinolocity:

quote:

Originally posted by Parcival:


You could live in that thing!

Right? Wait til you see the rest of the Outdoor Kitchen. She's a beast!

you bringing this to Daniel's!?

quote:

Originally posted by Vinolocity:

quote:

Originally posted by Parcival:


You could live in that thing!

Right? Wait til you see the rest of the Outdoor Kitchen. She's a beast!

Yeah. I was going to say that's not a grill, it's a kitchen.

quote:

Originally posted by Parcival:

quote:

Originally posted by Vinolocity:

quote:

Originally posted by Parcival:


You could live in that thing!

Right? Wait til you see the rest of the Outdoor Kitchen. She's a beast!

you bringing this to Daniel's!?

I'm sure DK has his grill spit shined for the Matsuhita, Wagyu, or whateva the heck he's got up his sleeve...

True story. Up the lane at a neighbors BBQ, when informed that the guy's old, propane grill won't fire. Headed back to our ranch, with a couple mates, loaded up the Weber Summit into the back of our F-350... Tied her down and rolled into his driveway 10 minutes later. Ended up grilling tri-tip for 40 from the bed! Gave a new meaning to the term "food truck"

so,

i've been reading and finally found that weber switched from 304 series steel (better corrosion resistance) to 430 grade steel.

that unfortunately would put the new models in line with the rest of the other crappy producers out there.

sigh.

quote:

Originally posted by Vinolocity:

quote:

Originally posted by Parcival:

quote:

Originally posted by Vinolocity:

quote:

Originally posted by Parcival:


You could live in that thing!

Right? Wait til you see the rest of the Outdoor Kitchen. She's a beast!

you bringing this to Daniel's!?

I'm sure DK has his grill spit shined for the Matsuhita, Wagyu, or whateva the heck he's got up his sleeve...

True story. Up the lane at a neighbors BBQ, when informed that the guy's old, propane grill won't fire. Headed back to our ranch, with a couple mates, loaded up the Weber Summit into the back of our F-350... Tied her down and rolled into his driveway 10 minutes later. Ended up grilling tri-tip for 40 from the bed! Gave a new meaning to the term "food truck"

I'm looking into buying a tabletop binchotan hibachi but I think it'll cost me as much as a Weber summit. Time to make myself one out of aluminum.