E-320 from 5 star dealer or big box?


 

Adam Drake

New member
I called a local 5 star dealer today, and got a quote on an E-320 Black. It was $200 more than list on an E-320 from a big box store. The guy told me that since he was a 5 star dealer, that his E-320 was a better version (i.e. SS grates)

Are the grates the only difference?
If so are the S.S. grates for an E-320 worth $200?
Thanks for any info you guys can provide!
 
Adam
I am not sure of the standard configurations in North America for the E320 here the SS grills are only available with the S320. and the E320 has PCI grills.

If you look at the replacement cost of the SS and the PCI there should only about 30-40 bucks difference.

You are paying for the additional support and the fact that the 5 star dealer does not do the volume so they need to maintain a profit margin.

You need to assess the following considerations that differ from person to person.

SS grills will last 2 to 3 times longer than PCI and are easier to maintain.
SS have better heat retention but take longer to heat up.
What is the level of support offered by the 5 Star dealer compared to the Big Box store.
Do either offer an assembly service.
What sort of deal can you squeeze from both.

The E320 requires some degree of mechanical apptitude and the ability of following detailed instructions to assemble. I am an engineer and demonstrate for Weber, the fist one that I put together which was my own took me 2 hours. Of course I took my time and went to great pains to ensure that I didn't damage anything.
When demostrating I always recommend the customer take the delivery and assembly option that is offered in Australia.

At the end of the day if money wasn't the prime consideration I would go with the SS grill as long as they were the 7 mm rods and negotiate a better price or get free delivery and assembly from the 5 Star dealer.

With either option you will have a world class grill that will give you many, many years of service.

The E320 retails in Australia for $AUD1499.00 which is about $USD1370.00 - they are only available from Premium (5 Star) Dealers. No other Weber distributor has access to them.

Adam, the choice is yours.

Regards
 
Check with the dealer to see if the flavorizer bars are SS. If so then I would consider the dealer.

I bought the 310 online and wound up buying SS grates for $99 from Amazon. So the $200 difference is not really much at all. Plus you should get better service.
 
I just purchased the E-310 (I have never used the side burner), I didn't notice that the S-310 had stainless grills and flavor bars.

Is it really worth it to replace these items right off the bat? or should I wait?

What are the correct part numbers?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by *Matt*:

Is it really worth it to replace these items right off the bat? or should I wait?

What are the correct part numbers? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

In my use of the Weber I needed the SS grates. The cast iron grates were absorbing too much heat and restricting the airflow. I am using a 2stone pizza grill on it. Therefore I remove the flavorizer bars and using the SS grates allow me to heat up the pizza stone much faster.

In the regular application I would use the cast iron until they don't work for you anymore. Had I known this upfront, I would have bought the grill locally with the SS installed.

The SS grates are the 7528 Weber

sam
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by *Matt*:
I just purchased the E-310 (I have never used the side burner), I didn't notice that the S-310 had stainless grills and flavor bars.

Is it really worth it to replace these items right off the bat? or should I wait?

What are the correct part numbers? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

If you have PCI stick with them you will get 4 - 5 years out of them.
As for the side burner, mine gets as much use as the grill. I use it for cooking things that would smell up the kitchen such as curries, fish/seafood dishes, I also use it for stir fries and side dishes for a BBQ.

Regards
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Adam Drake:
Thanks for the replies Phil & Sam. I went with the 5 star dealer. Should have my new Copper E-320 next week. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Adam

If I could swear in this forum I would. I desperately wanted a Copper E320 but they did not import them into Australia. Oh how I envy you!
Congratulations you made a wise decision and a great purchase.

Heres a recipe for honey and soy mushrooms on the side burner to get you started.

Ingredients
1 kg (about 2lb) Button Mushrooms

Honey and soy stir fry mixture

1 tbs soy
1 tbs honey
1 tbs oyster sauce
1/2 tsp granulated garlic.

Garnish
1/2 chilli thinly chopped up
1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

Mix the stir fry mixture in a cup and set aside.
In a 12" Wok or deep frypan toast sesame seeds and reserve.
Heat 1 1/2 tbs of oil in the wok and add Button Mushrooms stir fry for a few minutes until the mushrooms have started to darken and cook, add the stir fry mixture ensuring that the mushrooms are well coated continue to toss and stir fry for about 3 - 5 minutes. (If the sauce increases in volume and thins from excess moisture in the mushrooms you can thicken it with a slurry of cornflour and a little bit of water),
remove from the heat and serve garnished with the sesame seeds and chilli (optional)

This is a fantastic side dish for steaks and marries Asian and Western flavours together. Serve the steak and mushrooms with a tossed salad with fresh coriander in it and you have a great meal. - Enjoy

Regards
 
If you are in the US and have Ace Hardware in your area I would suggest giving them a call. I believe Weber makes a model exclusively for Ace Hardware - EP-310. I'm not sure what the P stands for but you get SS cooking grates and flavorizer bars with it and its not much more than the E. Also, most Ace's assemble and deliver for free.
 
I believe the "P" stands for premium and it gets you SS flavorizer bars and SS cooking grates. They also had a special bronze color avaiable at one time.

The premium is available to independent dealers, not big box, I think. That should include Ace.

I have a 320 from a big box and it is great, but I personally really like the PCI grates which is on the non-premium one.

Paul
 
Yes, the P in EP-320 is for premium. Last year when I was looking, the premium version was only $50 more than the big box model, both at ACE and at a high-end garden center. That could have changed, but $200 extra seems high
 

 

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