I like Justin's videos too and find his channel entertaining so no disrespect here. On the other hand, becoming a Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center owner has changed my opinion on some of his feedback on this grill.
Curious - is anyone else experiencing smoke leakage with the Summit or only Justin? After seeing his video and purchasing my SCGC, I made sure to get one in a factory fresh box versus assembled and carefully then assemble it myself paying attention to the seal. I was an ASE Master tech many years ago so i tend to assemble everything that i can anyway.
I am in the zero leak club and this is what i noticed.... First of all, my hinge had slotted bolt holes and allowed for a small amount of lateral movement. I made sure that the lid was nice and centered over the bowl before locking everything down. My SCGC is brand new so i don't know if this is the same, original hinge design or if it is possible that i somehow got the updated hinge that Justin speaks of via a production run change. Either way, i did get some adjustment, made to center it when going together and have no leaks. I feel like if i had to make any more adjustments that i could have just gotten out the Dremmel or pneumatic die grinder and slotted the hinge holes a little more. Should not have to do that, though.
The other thing i noticed about the gasket is that it seems to be identical to the type of gasket (complete with the same push clips) that is on the GE electric oven in the kitchen. Another thing i would experiment with if i had a stubborn leak would be perhaps be to cut a small slit into the gasket and insert a thin piece of gasket inside of it to bulk it up for a better seal. I don't remember if Justin said that the push pins are falling out of the gasket but I feel like you could bend those a tad to make them fit more tightly if you had to.
I do get a tiny leak when i am using pit and meat probes inside. The leak is where i run the cables through but goes away when they are gone. What i am thinking to do here is to instead run the cables around the back of the SC and hinge and route the cable across the bowl at the point where the two ends of the seal come together and poke back into the lid. There is a tiny notch there in the seal.
It would be great to better understand why Justin's is leaking at the front like that and where the misalignment is. It would also be great to get a look at the updated hinge if/when it materializes and what additional adjustment it provides.
It is actually in his Kadado Joe model update video that he talks about a new problem that i don't think he mentioned in the Summit 1 year follow up. He unfairly (IMHO) lumps the SC in the same group as other Kamados that do exhibit the issue that he talks about. The summit's temperature setting won't actually change when you open the lid. Yes the whole door flips down but just flip it back up. It's not like the setting changed. Coincidentally, the same "problem with other kamado grills" is also highlighted in the Kamado Joe marketing video.
Justin also took issue with the wheels on the SC/SGGC. I suppose that's personal opinion because i don't see a problem with them at all. They do what they are supposed to do and i can't imagine what i would replace them with that might not result in a downgrade in function in order to get better looks. I can push the SCGC accross my lawn and the wheels seem to be made of a dual compound where the rim itself is a durable plastic and the tire is a hard rubber compound. I think that pneumatic tires would be a downgrade for most folks because that would make the grill too shaky (IMHO) and require higher maintenance. I saw the nice wheels on those Rec Tec pellet smokers and those just look like wheels off of one of my kids' scooters. The smooth operation of ball bearings might be nice to have.
As far as his comments on the leg mounts, I am a long time kettle fan so those don't bother me. If you look carefully at a snake, you can still see on some species where the legs used to be back when they still had legs.
For me (and I am in software Technical Marketing), Justin didn't really qualify the "it's a 1.0 product" statement very well beyond taking issue with the wheels and leg mounts. I know what a "1.0" product is in terms of computer hardware and software as well as new car models. I would agree that it is a ".0" product but seeing as how it is still a kettle and we are talking about Weber here this is probably more like a "Kettle 5.0" product or something and coming an experienced company.
The only issue i have had with my SCGC is that the thermostat had condensation in it since the first cook and it did not go away. It was promptly replaced and i have had zero issues since. Weber customer service has gone above and beyond with all of my other Weber products.
Topic: Baby Back Maniac red kettle update (Read 5155 times)