New Weber gasser worth the cost?

[jdefran]

Currently all my grills are Webers: Sprint gasser, SJS, 22" kettle, 26" kettle, and 18.5" WSM.

I typically use charcoal, but gasser is handy on week nights.

The past couple weekends I've used my father-in-law's char-broil and enjoyed it had a side burner and double (2 vs 4) burners than my Spirit.

If I were to look into a equivalent Weber, we're looking at least $1,000; where as a char-broil is around $300. Will the Weber last at least 3x longer than the char-broil if cared for properly?

Side note: Any one have or heard of Broil King?

[ramsfan]

My advice to you: Absolutely do not spend a single penny on a cheaper gas grill such as Char-Broil, Chargriller, Brinkmann, Nexgrill, Masterbuilt, etc. These are cheap, Chinese built, inferior products that will not last but a few years. If they are kept outside, expect them to last even less. There is a reason that a Char-broil grill cost $300 and a Weber cost $1000. You get what you pay for. Have you ever heard of the old expression: "Buy once, cry once"? If you look on CL and eBay, you will see old Weber gassers from the 1980's that are still working well and look great after 30+ years. How many used, 30 year+ Char-Broils do you see still hanging around? None!

I have a Weber Summit S-670. It is the biggest, baddest, gas grill that Weber makes. It has 10 burners. I can do everything with this grill: Grill, bake, roast, rotisserie, fry, boil, skewer, etc. I have every single available accessory you can get for it: Griddle plate, rotisserie, Gourmet BBQ system, etc. It has 10 lights on it. At night, the whole thing lights up like a Christmas tree. It is the only gas grill I would even consider. I will use it for the next 50+ years.

My advice to you is to INVEST in a brand new Weber gas grill. Realistically, it should last you the rest of your life (if properly maintained). If you can't afford a brand new one, then I would suggest looking for a used one that is still in the box unopened. You can usually get these for less than what a store sells them for, but the drawback is that you have to take whatever you can find whereas if you bought new from a store, you can get exactly the style and model you want. If either of these two options don't work for you, buy a good, clean, well maintained used Weber gasser off CL or eBay. They are all over the place.

As far as Broil King, I don't know much about them. I did some research and surprisingly found that they are made in the USA! They appear to be better made than the Char-Broil, Chargrillers, Masterbuilts, Nexgrills, etc. If it were me, I would go with Weber only because I am bias towards Weber and anything made in the USA. Good luck. Keep us posted on what ever you decide to buy.

[dwnthehatch]

I flipped a bunch of older geneses until I could afford to buy a new Weber gasser. I chose a S330 due to the limited footbrint of my deck. I regret my decision. The older grills were much better built.  The new generation cabinets are very prone to rusting out on the bottom cabinet. Luckily mine is elevated off of the ground. I have already touched up several areas with surface rust. I keep it covered when it is not being used. I do like the new burner orientation though.

[ramsfan]

I flipped a bunch of older geneses until I could afford to buy a new Weber gasser. I chose a S330 due to the limited footbrint of my deck. I regret my decision. The older grills were much better built.  The new generation cabinets are very prone to rusting out on the bottom cabinet. Luckily mine is elevated off of the ground. I have already touched up several areas with surface rust. I keep it covered when it is not being used. I do like the new burner orientation though.

Those problems you are citing should be covered under the Weber warranty? Have you ever turned in a claim to Weber for those problems?

[iCARRY]

Love my Genesis. Don't use it a lot. Mostly using the OTG and WSM, but it will last me a lifetime. Stays covered and gets cleaned. I have no problem spending the money on something that will last forever


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[demosthenes9]

I flipped a bunch of older geneses until I could afford to buy a new Weber gasser. I chose a S330 due to the limited footbrint of my deck. I regret my decision. The older grills were much better built.  The new generation cabinets are very prone to rusting out on the bottom cabinet. Luckily mine is elevated off of the ground. I have already touched up several areas with surface rust. I keep it covered when it is not being used. I do like the new burner orientation though.

Those problems you are citing should be covered under the Weber warranty? Have you ever turned in a claim to Weber for those problems?

Weber only gives a 2 year warranty on the cabinet.      Dwnthehatch is largely correct, at least about the Genesis line.  They are good cookers, but Weber doesn't make them like they used to. 

[pbe gummi bear]

A new Weber gasser is not worth it TO ME at this point in my life. I would not use it enough and I enjoy cooking on charcoal so much more. I did buy a E-310 last year on CL for $50 lol, because for that price why not? I see you already have a Spirit. What is your goal for wanting the larger gasser? Are you mainly interest in the larger size, the burner, or both? We'd be able to point you to the right direction once we have a better idea of your needs.

Whats your tolerance for a fixer upper? The original Genesises are built like tanks; partially because of their higher quality materials and simpler construction.If you consider this route, I really enjoy this thread for figuring out your ROI.
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-gas-grills-electric-cookers/what-to-restore/

The older genesis's are great grills. The older ones have a more robust tube frame that imo is superior to today's sheet metal frame. Here's some budgetary prices for commonly replaced parts so you have an idea of how deep you'll be in for. You could make out with a VERY nice classic genesis setup for <$200.

Commonly replaced items are:

3 Burner tubes/ crossover tube assembly- $50
Crossburner tube alone- $10
Ignition switch- $15
Flavorizers- $40 but I would buy aftermarket Stainless ones.
Regulator/Hose- $25
Grates- $40-70 depending on type.
Tank- $20 exchange or $50 new with fill.
Cover- $40

Older Weber gassers can regularly be had for <$100 depending on where you are.

And Weber has made some very nice gassers  :

Hot Tuna's Genesis Platinum C

[Jason]

One just like this popped up locally today for $360. From the pics, it looks to be in very good/excellent condition.

Click for Craigslist ad

[firedude5015]

I would highly recommend a used Weber...I have a 97 genesis that i added a side burner to...love it..and it's been very reliable. The newer ones IMO just arent built like that any longer. Scan CL and other apps such as letgo,wallapop etc. Here is my old redhead Gennie


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[demosthenes9]

One just like this popped up locally today for $360. From the pics, it looks to be in very good/excellent condition.

Click for Craigslist ad

The price is kind of high in my opinion.

[jdefran]

Thanks for all the insight guys. I do scan my local CL daily. Sounds like I will wait and hope to find a unit worth restoring.

[OoPEZoO]

I also bought an "old" Genesis from CL and rehabbed it.  I think I spent $50 on the grill and then replaced the burner tubes, standard hardware with stainless, and then bought new stainless grates and flavorizer bars from RCplanebuyer on Ebay.  Its built like a tank and cooks fantastic with nice even heat.  I would never drop a $1000 on a new grill when you can spend less than a quarter of that and rehab one of these great old cookers.  I have friends who have bough new Weber grills over the past few years, and I haven't been impressed.  Time will tell, but I don't think they are built to last like the old ones.

PS......spring is coming, watch CL like a hawk.  A lot of people will pull off their ratty cover, push the starter button, and nothing.......out to the curb it goes.  I've picked up really nice grills for free due to nothing but some spider webs in the burner tubes.  They will start to pop up, but be quick, as they typically sell very fast

Here is my current cooker.  I was holding out for an older one with the wood slat table tops, but this was a mile from my house, good price, and just happened to be the same color as both of my Performers.