Weber Kettle Club Forums

On February 8,2016; I joined the WKC.  On February 17, 2016; @SixZeroFour  posted a thread titled "Skittles".  This photo of his MBH collection is what ignited the passion for me.  What or who inspired you to begin collecting these magical spheres?

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/skittles-weber-metal-bowl-handle-kettles-(mbh)/msg207503/#msg207503


(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/2016/02/17/skittles3.jpg)

I love vintage kettles for their combination of form and function.  I love that I have  50 year old 'cado that not only works as well as a 2019 kettle but has an elegance and beauty that is so cool.  Chasing them is great fun and, and I have some great memories with my family of finding them.  I have met a lot of great people in the process, too.  I find it rewarding to bring something back to life again much the way car guys probably enjoy restoring cars.  These old kettles are a piece of Americana to me.  I think they have one at the Smithsonian!

I joined January 25 2016 while looking for accessories for my only grill an AD code 26er. Never anticipating becoming a collector. In April that same year I scored my Red Ranch and named her Big Red One. @jebivswife says that big red beast has taken me down a path I will never recover from, I still have the 26er aptly renamed The Iron Horse. 80 or so grills later I am having a blast

I agree with what @michaelmilitello said.  I don't have a 50 year old cado but i do have a 50 year old weathered warrior.

Let me tell you a story about a clown named dazzo...

Growing up was hard. I could handle OK the walking to school, barefoot, in the snow, uphill, both ways. But what I missed out on was BBQ and grilling. Unlike some stories I've read, I don't have memories of growing up with a fruity kettle. I had to start my own memories with a Weber.

It started with a black '78. My wife and I were a young married couple with two young kids. I wanted to "BBQ", so we bought a Weber kettle – brand new. I remember it being a lot of money for us (although I'm cheap so it's probably all relative anyway). I must have some repressed memories somewhere of charcoal grilling because although I don't remember, I knew enough to buy a Weber kettle – they were the best.

I had later gotten away from charcoal, but I got gas   :o   I admit it, I had a Charbroil Precision Flame 9000 that some good friends had bought for us, since I was always grilling. Loved that thing!

I wanted to grill with charcoal again. Along comes a green Double D Performer SS, which came with a quick disconnect 20# tank.

I didn't know that I was suffering from Weberitis. Realization began when I happened to be on CL, and stumbled upon a Weber Gas Kettle. Too cool. Went to meet the guy – it was like five minutes from my house – with traffic.

I had already done some research using this new little Web site – I think it was called Weber Kettle Club. I found some guys in some foreign country were having some discussion on some kettle gassers.
Thankfully, there was no mention of banana hammocks at that time or I probably never would have joined.

Anyway, "Duke" grabs the propane torch – total overkill, but that's what it's all about – and fires the thing up. Sold!
The Weber Gas Kettle made a great (original) Weber Wok burner – great for pancit. And fried ravioli.

Went home, and a little while later joined the WKC. I was assigned number 218 at ground zero for Weberitis.

Then, the readheads – I had it full-blown – but down to only one now. Of all the kettles that have come and gone, the '78 green MBH was one of my favorites to look at. My other looker, and cooker, is the C&B Performer with the matching granite table.

Down to just one gas grill now - a Copper E-330.

Shameless promotion - I need a copper 18 to go with the E-330, 22 and SJ.

And attachments - original Weber Wok, Manturion griddle, cast iron, side tables, roti and skewer rings, Santa Maria attachment!, etc...

My wife gave me a bad time about how I don't want to join Facebook, but that I'm always on the WKC site. I didn't join FB because I don't want to be found, and there's too much drama – oh, wait, drama?

And I have a blue platinum waiting in the wings, to give to my son when they move into their house soon - and so it begins.

Thanks for listening.

@dazzo you are a clown LOL neat story

10 months ago we moved from California to Texas.  I had been cooking on Weber's for 15+ years, but had no idea people collected them.  We had two moving PODS and couldn't fit my performer and 22 wsm so I sold them before we hit the road.

On the drive to Tx I joined a few of the Facebook Weber groups.  Got to our new house, and bought a new master touch at Home Depot.

Then I started looking at the marketplace and seeing these amazing cheap kettles keep popping up!  Then I saw some people post in the groups about the colors in Canada.  Then I started looking at eBay.  I became hooked on collecting pretty quick.

Funny though, my wife was looking on Craigslist on day and a guy was giving away a green ssp for free!  She texted me, and told her to call the guy right away and I would head that direction.  I guess the treasure hunt and thrill of finding something really cool before anyone else got her addicted too lol.  Now she is the one that keeps spending money on crazy kettles from all over the world!

I cook on a Weber kettle almost every night, and we have put together a respectable collection so far.  Happy to be here!


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After years of laughing at people that spent hundreds on grills. I spent less than 50 every few years and burnered right through the cheap grills. Then I went to a buddies house and he gave me a deluxe tour of his gas assist performer. I drooled over it at the party and then on the way home my wife said I should buy one. I looked it up and it would be over $400 for everything he had that I wanted and I laughed again and said forget it.

2months later my wife got me the crimson performer! Then for fun I turned my old cheap smoker and grill into a R2 unit grill and sold it for too much on craiglist. When I was able to pick up a couple different kettles from the proceeds of the R2 unit my craiglist searches started. Then curb days was a few weeks later and I picked up a great Gen2 performer for free 2 blocks from home and have never looked back.

Attached is a picture of my meager beginnings.

Quote from: Cellar2ful on April 04, 2019, 09:42:32 AM
On February 8,2016; I joined the WKC. 

...and ever since that day we've become a better community Jim!

I'm thrilled to see that my picture helped to inspire the Weberitis in you! Hope all is well and grill on!

Around 20something 15, 16, whatever... I ended up joining this asylum. I had gotten a few Smokey Joes, and thought I want to collect those, then the Weber Kettle Club shit happened.

Good stuff here. I joined in '15, I believe it was @SixZeroFour 's hedge picture that initially blew my mind, and still does. Then @Plant_City_Mike shows me pics of his skittles, and I'm double hooked. He lives just 45 minutes away and he's finding them, so.... There's just something about the combination of the colors, MADE IN USA, Americana, etc that trips my trigger. And I'm into bbq contests for 16 years now so it all just fits.

... Weber bbq's have been in my life since childhood, but had only experienced the black 22 in kettle, SJ and genesis. Roughly 2 years back I stumbled into forum looking for a 26er in northern California,  I meet Jim Cellar2ful at his home and pick up a great flat top with smoke Ez which has since moved on to Spacemanspif. Anyone who is familiar with Jim or has been to his place will definitely understand the exact moment the addiction began.

Also right there with you Rub on there truly is something about the Americana, made in the USA and beauty of colors past that I truly love. As a professional cook of over 20 years whom earned his chops on grill. I love live fire cooking. My kettles and grilling corner are a happy place.

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I love Americana. Of my kettles, the oldest is a '98 18"... love it to death. I don't have the room to collect old kettles... but I have enough. I DO have a 1951 Plymouth business coupe however. Princess. She doesn't get the attention she used to, due to health and time issues. Probably gonna put her up for sale soon.

@dazzo
Banana hammocks too funny


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I found this site, probably in march. I was looking for info on cooking on a kettle. I didn't even have a weber. My buddy has one, but he just loads it with coal and cooks on it. I was never too impressed. After seeing that there are a bunch of beautiful old kettles around I got an old beat up 2001 black. Had to have the leg sockets welded back on. Then the other day I bought 3 beat up kettles and a jumbo Joe off of Craigslist. Had my friend give me a ride to Kansas city to grab them. Got 2 of them cleaned up so far and gave the jumbo Joe to my neighbor.

If we are being honest, I only cleaned one ash pan and used it for both pics lol.

Oh, let's see.  Bought my first house in 2006 and had a grill before I had fridge. A big, shiny, Charbroil. 4 burner gas grill,  side burner,  stainless,  yada yada yada.  Couldn't believe anybody would spend more money on a weber for less features and REALLY couldn't believe anybody would waste their time on charcoal.  Fast forward a couple of years and my girlfriend found something about the bacon explosion.  Army it to my buddy,  and he decided to do a modded ECB to try it. We had a blast and I thought there was something to this charcoal thing.  I bought a 22" kettle off Craig's to make a UDS, basically,  just buying for the lid. 

Luckily,  I found a $15 WSM before I could build the UDS and toss the rest of the kettle, because it is still my oldest kettle (a thumbscrew super faded black). I loved cooking on the WSM and I kept hearing on the WSM board about how good the performer was.  I found one on Craig's for $30, offered $20, and took it home bummed that it was grey and not 'normal' black.  Turns out I did love cooking on a performer and cooking with charcoal,  not just smoking with it.

By this time my charbroil had fallen apart and I was STOKED to find out there were some cheap gas webers online since the WSM had taught me about Weber quality and efficiency.  I bought one for $26 (I was out of work and broke as hell). I started flipping Weber gas grills and never thought twice about charcoal, even though I would see them for sale all the time. (Facepalm, since this was probably 09ish and the insanity hadn't been unleashed...I shudder to think what was out there then).  Eventually, having learned that red Genesis grills had been out of production since the 90s, I thought it was cool to swap my black lid for a red one. That led me to decide to pick up a red charcoal to match. I've always been a collector and a little obsessive about quirky things not everyone can get. Found an early 70s 18, introduced myself here not too long after it opened up,  caught the bug, and now am around 20 kettles, ALL colored except a 26" and a smokey joe that my dad gave me (after someone gave it to him).  I'm pretty maxed out on space,  but I've got a focus on red,  with SSP performer, outrider, new in box 22", mbh 18 &22, 3 or 4 22s, a couple 18s, a blue, a lime, copper 18 & SJ, and have gifted a couple.

I love the made in USA,  the origin story,  the simplicity,  the quality,  and the camaraderie here.  Even though the names change,  and some of the OGs don't post as much as they used too, newbies have (largely) the same attitude. People are just nice here. I like reading about somebody finding their first kettle as much or more than seeing Harris newest brand new 1957 find.  I've met a member from Australia for a beer and chatted with people from around the country. I want @charred to find his yellow,  damnit! I laugh whenever people ask why I need so many, and enjoy firing up 2, 3, 4, 5 of them for a party and bouncing between them.

I like to cook on any of the grills, and then think of the story behind it. Most of those stories involve me and my Dad.  And it makes me happy. Especially the couple times a year when I have him and his Amvets buddies over for a big cookout.

So I think that's why I collect Webers.