First, we all know that Weber is a private company and can do what it wants. Any of us may think they should do it differently. For instance, I myself cannot understand why they wouldn't offer a Gourmet System grilling grate for the 26er. Seems like with one simple move they could open up an an entire market to the rest of Gourmet System line of accessories. But I will probably have to build one myself before Weber gets around to making one.
Second, if color costs more then Copper Premiums would cost more, but they don't. In fact, you can order either a black, copper, or green one from Amazon, right this very second, for exactly the same price and get free shipping if your a Prime member. Which leads to . . . . .
Third, the fact that HD or Lowes doesn't want to carry a variety of colors should not limit our access to them. That's what Amazon is for ! !
So, what have we discovered?
1. Weber can do what it wants, even if it doesn't make sense to any of us.
2. It can't cost more to produce kettles in red or blue or yellow than it does to produce them in copper or green, and we already have access, if limited, to those options.
3. With an overall population five times that of the UK, and a grilling population that's probably even higher, statistically, there should be a market for the kinds of products that we see in the UK or in Canada. The fact that one or two huge retailers aren't interested is mitigated by the availability of the products online.
All that being said, I have no idea how many Orange Crush Performers they would sell in a given year. Maybe they do.
BD