Choices - refurbish my Char Broil, buy a new cheapie, or a new Spirit?

Hey all,

I've actually had great luck with my 4 year old, $129 Wal-Mart special Char-Broil gasser. I'm surprised it has lasted as long as it has. It has always gotten up to temp quickly for me, puts a great sear on a steak, and has decently even heating. But a couple weeks ago, the regulator started leaking. Of course, it's not a universal regulator, but some weird design that clips on. It's a special-order part from Char-Broil, costs $52 (ouch!), and won't be in stock for at least a month. And after waiting that long, I'd still be left with a pretty well-used, 4 year old grill that needs a little TLC, only now it safely delivers propane to the burner.

So my second option was looking at Lowe's and seeing if I could convert to using all new universal parts - regulator, ignitor, burner. And while I'm at it, I may as well replace the grates, Flavorizer bars, and put a new coat of paint on it. Just shopping online, that will run me nearly $100 with tax. Yikes! So I'm thinking that for only $30 more, I can get a very similar grill, brand new for 2009.

But the Weber enthusiast in me is trying to justify getting a real Weber gasser. My wife nearly choked on the price of a new Genesis - not really an option for us, especially with a little one entering our lives in less than a month. A Spirit E-310 is a different story. Home Depot is selling the 2008 model online through the end of the month for only $299. That's a fantastic deal. Yes, I know it's made in China, but it's gotta last longer than the Char Broil.

So what are your thoughts? We're not rich people, but we have some tax refund money coming back (although a good bit of that will be spent on diapers and such).

Thanks!

Dan
Too many choices.
Whilst thje Spirit is made in China - it is made to Weber design and the finished product is inspected using Weber QA procedures. It is a great grill and is the economy cousin of the Genesis.
There are little differences such as the doors are a folded single side whereas the Genesis has a double skinned door. The metal gauge appears to be one size smaller. Having said that it cooks like a dream - I have cooked on both and can't fault the cooking performance of the spirit. It comes with the folded enamelled sheet steel grill in Australia which you would need to replace after a few years but I do love cooking on them.
The Spirit range has not been in Australia for long so I don't know about it's longevity, however it does come with a limited 25 year warranty so I am guessing that the design engineers are happy that it will give good performance for many, many years.

Regards

like you said I have a char broil gasser I don't use much now, but I used to and Have had it just seems like forever! Im not even afraid to say there nice grills. All I ask of anything is to last. Mines never had a problem. Im 100% for Weber but 110% for spend wisely. thats just a tough decision my friend.

I suggest keeping an eye out on Craigslist for a used Genesis gas grill. I bought a barely used two year old Genesis Silver B for $175, with the really nice cover, the cookbook and a vegetable grate. I figure I probably could have gotten for a little less but I had just lost a great deal on a WSM on ebay because I tried to get it just a little TOO cheap.

I have heard of the year to three year old Genesis going for $100 - $125. I had rather have a good, used Weber than a new Char Broil (and I have a 5 year old Char Broil Commercial for which the company replaced all four brass burners for only $8.95 in shipping.)

I also think, from what I've seen of the new Spirit, I had rather have the used Genesis than the Spirit. The Genesis just appears to be a better made, sturdier product.

My two cents - probably worth half that.....

Pat

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pat Smith:
I suggest keeping an eye out on Craigslist for a used Genesis gas grill. I bought a barely used two year old Genesis Silver B for $175, with the really nice cover, the cookbook and a vegetable grate. I figure I probably could have gotten for a little less but I had just lost a great deal on a WSM on ebay because I tried to get it just a little TOO cheap.

I have heard of the year to three year old Genesis going for $100 - $125. I had rather have a good, used Weber than a new Char Broil (and I have a 5 year old Char Broil Commercial for which the company replaced all four brass burners for only $8.95 in shipping.)

I also think, from what I've seen of the new Spirit, I had rather have the used Genesis than the Spirit. The Genesis just appears to be a better made, sturdier product.

My two cents - probably worth half that.....

Pat </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, this is another thing I could do, but no one has a Genesis for sale around here. And I dunno how patient I am with waiting for one to be put up on CL. There are a few out of state, but I have an insane work schedule coming up that won't allow me to drive 6 hours one-way.

I'm didn't realize how dependent I was on gas during the weeknights until I was waiting for a chimney to start last week... waiting, waiting, waiting. We didn't eat until after 8:00.

Alright!

After throwing out a want ad on craigslist, I found a guy about 15 miles from me selling a 7 or 8 year old Genesis 3-burner. Says it's in fantastic condition, cooks perfectly, and that it has the plastic side tables.

He wants $200 for it. I think that sounds a little on the high side for an older unit, but if it's been kept well, I might spring for it. Your thoughts on that price?

Dan - I would say that the price is a little on the high side. I saw a Genesis on the Atlanta CL while back (week - 10 days) for $100, but it may or may not have been in decent shape.

If its not too far away, take a look see. If its just dirty, a good cleaning isn't that bad. Fire it up if you can and check the burners - they can be cleaned, too, but make sure the burners are not starting to wear out.

All in all, I would say $125 - $150 would be a fair price for a Genesis in good shape. Take cash - cash talks!

As for lighting your charcoal - think about stopping by a Harbor Freight and picking a weed burner torch. You can get a chimney full of charcoal lit in about 3 minutes and be cooking in 10 if you want!

And GOOD LUCK!

Pat

Pat, thanks for the opinion.

I've seen a couple Genesis grills come up the last couple of days, all a bit higher than what I'd really like to spend on an older grill. Like you say, 8 years old and $200 is a bit steep.

The Home Depot special on the Spirit E-310 is still super tempting. The reviews I've read on it put it as the best budget gasser under $500. I messed with one up at Lowe's last week - definitely not as heavy-duty as the Genesis, but a huge improvement over the gargantuan paperweight that I currently have.

REgarding a 7-8 year old Weber Genesis. $200 is high. I'd start at $125 and go to $150. If it's in great shape, I may go to $175 or $200. If it's not, you'll want to replace some things on it to get it like new (that's the best part of Webers, replace the burner tubes and grates and it's like a brand new grill). Cost you like $50 for tubes and $50-$80 for grates. Keep that in mind whilst bargaining.

That $299 Spirit 310 is a pretty good deal, specially considering it was a hundred bucks more last year. They're being replaced by a redesigned Spirit hence the clearout.

I'm with the watch Craigslist crowd. Amazing bargains to be had if you're patient. I wouldn't pay more than $200 unless it was a 3 burner that was just a couple of years old and in great condition. If the $200 grills are close enough go check them out. Bring a printout of the $299 Spirit for sale at Home Depot. It might help when you haggle for a lower price. Good luck!

i have a 9 year old broilmaster and i'm getting REALY tired of the porcelin grates rusting out on me and splitting. and they want nearly 300 for the stainless steel ones. argh.

Choice has been made. I ordered the Spirit E-310 off HD online. Even at $395 including tax and shipping, it's still quite a bargain over the $550 (inc. tax) for the 2009 model in-store. I'd have loved to have a Genesis, but that $395 is about all the wife could handle right now.

I'll continue to keep an eye out on CL for a bargain, but I know some other Weber-savvy locals are doing the same.

I know you're eagerly awaiting the arrival of your new Weber family member.

Please be sure to post some pics and pics of your first cook (I always get caught up in the cooking and forget to take the pictures until its too late!)

Pat

LOL... I don't take photos of anything very often.. last thing on my mind is photos while I'm cooking!

And just like I had predicted, no photos.

Whew, what a long day. The first cook was burgers. I was pretty tired and didn't want to work too hard behind a grill, and these seemed like a simple and cheap solution.

The unit was delivered via UPS Ground on Friday with no damage. It went together like a charm. It did feel a little on the flimsy side, but not too bad. Certainly better than the Char-Broil it's replacing.

After completing the build, the first thing to do was fire it up, I attached the gas tank.

*shhhhh* DANGIT!! Leaky valve on the tank.

So maybe the regulator wasn't bad after all on the Char-Broil. Oh well, I own a Weber gasser now. Went to Wal-Mart and swapped it out with no problems.

Came home, exhausted, and went out to ignite it. Click. Click. Click. Maybe the "Crossover Ignition System" ain't all it's hyped up to be. Stuck an Aim-n-Flame in there and she fired right up. I'll email Weber and see what they think.

500 degrees came in about 5 minutes!

And the burgers came out fantastic.

I just checked the FAQ on Weber's site about grills not lighting. Humidity and wet weather was mentioned - sure enough, we've been a bit deluged here in Georgia the last few days. I'll give it another shot once it dries up.