Just assembeled my new 22.5 WSM http://picasaweb.google.com/lh...9hwE&feat=directlink I noticed three things that appear to have been improved on the 2010 models: 1) The lower leg attachment bolts have been relocated to a slightly lower position; now the charcoal grate is seated very firmly. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh...9hwE&feat=directlink 2) The charcoal bowl vents have been relocated slightly higher; now there is no vent tab interference. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh...9hwE&feat=directlink 3) The heat shield tabs on the legs are spaced away from the bowl slightly; this allows you to attach a leg before heat shield installation making assembly less cumbersome http://picasaweb.google.com/lh...9hwE&feat=directlink I'm assuming these welcome refinements are new for 2010 as I've not seen or heard of them elseware.....many kudos to Chris Allingham for his interaction with Weber and kudos to Weber...on a very fine product.

Thanks for sharing these photos. The vent has clearly been moved higher, and that's a good thing!

Regards,
Chris

How do you know when ordering, from Amazon for example, if you are getting the 2009 model or the 2010 model? Or, Ron, did you order yours from another vendor?

Do I get a commission for pointing these out and correcting them? This web site save them TONS of $$$ on R&D. WE SHOULD be rewarded with discounts or free something.

Hey,Bruce! I always order my stuff from Amazon...it benefits TVWBB and if you are patient, they generally have the best prices. In this case, however, I had been shopping and waiting and regretably got pushed by holiday time constraints.... I got mine via info from another member at aimtofind.com..$339, free shipping, no tax .....if I had waited 2 more days, I'm told....Amazon had it for $321 delivered, RATZ!!!!! "Some times you get the Bear, sometimes the bear gets you!" Getting a 2010 was just blind luck Sooo..compensating errors or... Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then...I just wanna smoke him

Nice write up and pics Ron.
Did Weber also close up that gap on the charcoal grate??

Tim

Thx Timothy. There are no gaps in the 22.5" charcoal grates...just in the 18.5" grates, I belive. They did fix the charcoal grate stability problem though. To correct it, they may have put the grate in the bowl without any lower leg bolts... letting the grate down to it's lowest possible position ..and then, drilled the bolt holes low enough that, with the nut installed, the charcoal grate now has contact with the bowl almost continually through 360*...very solid.

Interesting - my 22.5" arrived yesterday from Amazon. It has a 2009 date code, but as far as I can tell it has the features mentioned above. It's hard to be sure without "before" pictures but as an example the bottom vents are definitely well above the charcoal grate and there's no risk of the tabs hitting. Or was that only a problem on some units?

On the plus side it was only $304.77, delivered.

Great price Wade! About the date codes..my lid damper is stamped "AD"... my bowl dampers are all stamped "DE"....I must be in a time warp

Well crap. If I had waited just another week I could have saved $70. I checked the price for a couple of weeks on Amazon and it was $399 every day. I guess those are the breaks.

I'm happy for you, though, Wade.

I just put in an amazon order today for the 22" model using the link on this website, so I'll let you know what date codes I get too.

Interesting to hear about the mismatch. I just checked mine and they're the same top and bottom. I gather they stamp them in advance and the year isn't super precise?

It was at that price for only a day or two. I'm on Amazon fairly often and I put it as a saved cart item months ago and when I logged in it said "the price has changed to such and such" and I bought it immediately.

Or.... the top is more precise than the bottom... Beats me! I'm just glad about the vent & charcoal grate changes...

Did they change the legs,is the water pan deeper? I'm going to call Weber up tomorrow and see what they will charge for the new bottom. I was annoyed that the vents hit the grate.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dennis Stilwell,

Called today and spoke with a very nice lady. She insisted that I was doing something wrong that the one she checked did not hit the grate and closed all the way. It is 60.XX + shipping for a new one. I'll have to wait. The wife will kick my butt if I spend anther dime on anything to do with Grilling or smoking. LOL!!!

Good to know. From my reading people just fold down and/or break off any inner tabs that are hitting. Did you get an answer to your other questions? Looking at them just now I would think that there's enough play that the exact position of the holes wouldn't affect the legs. I don't think the water pan changed.

quote:

Originally posted by Doug Wade:
Good to know. From my reading people just fold down and/or break off any inner tabs that are hitting. Did you get an answer to your other questions? Looking at them just now I would think that there's enough play that the exact position of the holes wouldn't affect the legs. I don't think the water pan changed.

I was having a hard time talking to the nice lady that I didn't even ask any more questions. When I mentioned something about the lower being updated it seemed she didn't even know what I was talking about. I felt like another issue was that I told her I bought it off craigslist. The only reason I bought it off craigslist was because I got a great deal, brand new in the box, weather I bought it from the store or off craigslist should not matter. I'm the owner and very loyal to Weber products.

I plan to break off the tabs so its not an issue.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dennis Stilwell,

Hey guys...the water pan is the same 3 gal pan as the '09. On the 2010 models all vents in the charcoal bowl have been moved up significantly...no interference...nice. Finally, the holes for the lower leg bolts have been moved slightly lower, making the charcoal grate fit firmly against the charcoal bowl all the way around....very stable grate... this also lowered the ash pan a little, making assembly less cumbersome The "Double Deuce" WSM is a bad machine

Just out of curiosity. Why are the lower vents above the charcoal grate? I would think that air would be drawn up the sides of the body instead of being drawn in and under the charcoal grate. Seems odd to me...or am I just over engineering?

It keeps them from getting clogged with ash (which is a real problem with other designs), and the oxygen seems to find the coals somehow. I'm not really sure what the airflow pattern is down there but it obviously works OK...