New Weber 28" Flat Top Griddle Unboxing and first impressions

[SixZeroFour]

What's up all...

We finally received a delivery of the new stand alone flat-tops and I got my hands on one to assemble this morning. Unfortunately things didn't quite go according to plan as a couple of units including the one I opened was damaged in shipping. Nothing too crazy but the top lid and side shelves had some compression damage as well as the lower portion of the cook box assembly. Replacement parts are already on order but I at least slapped it together and snagged a few pics along the way.

First Impressions/Unboxing:

Like many other Weber enthusiasts I was salivating over the idea of a stand alone flat-top griddle for the back yard... but I'm not going to lie I was a little concerned when I saw the MSRP on the unit at $449 USD. As an old school Weber guy my knee jerk reaction was a little disappointment as I knew the grill was not going to be of the same build quality we've come to expect in the Genesis, or even Spirit model lines in the past based purely on price point alone. So how does it stack up???

I feel many legacy Weber fans who have grown up on the heavy duty builds of old are probably not going to be all that thrilled with this unit upon unboxing. The cookbox in particular is quite light and feels a bit tinny as its entirely made of bent panel stainless as opposed to a cast. It does however firm up once mounted and screwed into the stand.  The side shelves are also quite light metal and do not exactly inspire a feeling of confidence - both were dented in shipping. Then there is the hard panel cover that sits over the griddle - this one is a big let down in my opinion. First off I totally understand that its meant to be a cap more than a useable lid, but it is VERY lightweight and I guarantee you people are going to dent and bend the shit outta these things. Even if it fell off the griddle to the ground I feel it would likely dent or bend to the point it would be noticeable or worse. (You can already see the two pinched corners where our demo was bent in shipping) - so there's that.... 

The manifold and valves they are using are also not the standard fare from other Weber grills. They are a bit more simple and have quite small pins off the valves that the control knobs mount onto. Built-in snap ignition is a nice feature so no batteries required or buttons to push. Warranty on the flat top is essentially 5 years on most parts in comparison to the 10+ years they on their gassers - so that should be some sort of indicator for longevity.

Now for the good part - The griddle itself!

The griddle is quite heavy, has no welded seams and is reinforced with heavy almost flavorizer bar-like pieces on the underside. You can tell they sunk most of the $ into the griddle and tried to cost save on other areas such as the cart etc as it's really very nice. Nice enough in fact that at the $449 price tag I still feel there is solid value in this grill if you accept it for what it is.

Functionality wise I've been hearing good things about the actual process of cooking on the unit but have yet to fire it up myself. Reports are that heat is quite even and it maintains a good temp.

In the end (at least in my humble opinion) it all comes down to having realistic expectations of what you're going to get for your money. If you want a grill that will last you 10+ years with no maintenance this is likely not the one for you. But if you want an affordable quality griddle that gets the job done (and has a Weber badge ) it could fit the bill nicely.

Finally I wanted to point out that these are extremely tightly packaged in the box, likely to save dimensional space for shipping, but that means significantly less internal padding etc. I open BBQ boxes daily and this one in particular has me concerned about holding up to an overseas voyage plus shipment to retailers. If you pick one up be sure to inspect the box closely at the store as 3 of the 4 units we received were damaged. Hopefully just a one-off scenario for our shipment, but I'll be curious to hear if others run into any troubles. 

So there you have it. I hope to actually cook on one soon and will report back, but in the meantime here are the pics:


































Cheers!

[Chesapeake Weber]

Thanks for the detailed write up and sharing of the experience.  Looks like the welds for the support bars on the underside of the griddle show through on the top "business" side of the griddle.  Does the griddle surface have a nonstick coating?  Their website has a video about seasoning the griddle, so I'm guessing not.  Just seems odd to be able to see the welds through on the top.


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[bamakettles]

Thanks for the write up and the pics.  It's disappointing to see that the packing didn't protect the unit during shipping.  I have no plans to buy one - especially since I have a kettle plancha and a little griddle that works well on my old Genesis.  Great insight and pics....


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[JEBIV]

Thanks for the write up Matt, waiting on one to come in here to look at

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[stillgriller]

Thanks for the pictures and review. Looks like quite a bit of dings and dents. If it dented that easy with in-the-box protection, it's not going to hold up well without any. The griddle, while hefty, also looks like it will have an uneven surface due to the welds that show through in the pics. Overall, it looks flimsy to me. But I feel that way about many of the Weber products I own, and they still perform.  I've watched a few initial reviews that came to the same conclusion.

[FlashHokie]

Thanks for the pictures and sharing your experience. I saw a YouTube video that said very similar things. The lid being so flimsy is very concerning. I may get the Weber griddle top for my Gasser once it's available.

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[MacEggs]

Matt, thanks for the quick review and write-up.
What will the price be in CAD ?

[dazzo]

Thanks!

This kinda makes me lean even more towards the Genesis insert.

I'd like to see pictures if you get some of those in.

[SixZeroFour]

One quick revision - after closer inspection the griddle plate it does have a few seam welds at each vertical corner bend but they have been finished nicely and ground smooth so its hard to even notice.

Looks like the welds for the support bars on the underside of the griddle show through on the top "business" side of the griddle.  Does the griddle surface have a nonstick coating?

Good catch! - I totally forgot to mention the visible spot welds. The Weber rep came to our store yesterday after learning of our shipment issues and that was actually something he brought up on his own - so they are at very least aware of it. Of course the standard answer is that it will not have any effect on grilling and its purely cosmetic. You can feel some of the spots ever so slightly if you put paper over the grill and feel around, but I'm talking BARELY. I really dont think its going to have any negative impact on actual grilling. I'd rather have slightly visible spot welds and a heavy reinforced plate rather than no reinforcement and all sorts of potential warping and bending issues. 

The griddle is bare steel and comes shipped in a food grade mineral oil coating so it must be washed throughly with soap and water (first time only and the entire griddle) and then there is an extensive 3 cycle seasoning process that Weber details in the manual. Factor in at least a couple hours of seasoning to do out of the box before its ready to cook.

Matt, thanks for the quick review and write-up.
What will the price be in CAD ?

Hey Mark! $649 MSRP but actual selling price at retailers will be $589

This kinda makes me lean even more towards the Genesis insert.

I'd like to see pictures if you get some of those in.

Will definitly post up some pics as soon as they arrive. If they are of the same quality as the griddle portion itself it will be an great combo used on a Gene'. The new CRAFTED #7672 carbon steel griddles are also excellent (but not full size) so hopefully they come out similar quality. If so they will be a winner for sure.

[SixZeroFour]

Weber's recommended seasoning process:

https://consumer-care.weber.com/hc/en-us/articles/4413193773460-How-do-I-season-my-Flat-Top-Griddle-

[michaelmilitello]

Thanks for the write up.   Ive heard good things about the cook surface and the cooking performance.   It's a little sad the cart and cook box aren't up to typical Weber.    On the other hand, I have no reference point or benchmark since I don't own a griddle.   I'd be curious how it performs versus the black stone.   


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[bladz]

I think I want one of these.   I have a kettle griddle, but grease fires and totally trashing the inside of a kettle after frying bacon keeps me from using it as much as I like.


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[dazzo]

@SixFourZero can you tell me for sure if the griddle insert will NOT work on my E330?

From what I'm seeing it appears that it will not

Especially since mine is from 2015, and the specs are for 2016 and newer (next gen)

And my measurements seem to confirm it



Thanks,
-Rick

[1spacemanspiff]

Looks pretty cool.  Here's a youtube review for those wanting more information...https://youtu.be/7bJFFzVvWCQ

[SixZeroFour]

That is correct @dazzo, only for the newer generation 2016+ unfortunatley 

@SixFourZero can you tell me for sure if the griddle insert will NOT work on my E330?

From what I'm seeing it appears that it will not

Especially since mine is from 2015, and the specs are for 2016 and newer (next gen)

And my measurements seem to confirm it



Thanks,
-Rick