Attitude on Weber Summit Charcoal Grill pricing


 

Which of these statements describe your feelings about the PRICING of Weber SCGs?

  • The Summit Charcoal Grill is priced fairly.

    Votes: 18 7.1%
  • The Summit Charcoal Grill is priced too high.

    Votes: 161 63.9%
  • The Summit Charcoal Grilling Center is priced fairly.

    Votes: 14 5.6%
  • The Summit Charcoal Grilling Center is priced too high.

    Votes: 158 62.7%
  • I intend to buy one of these grills in the next 12 months.

    Votes: 10 4.0%
  • I aspire to buy one of these grills someday.

    Votes: 71 28.2%
  • I have no interest in ever buying one of these grills.

    Votes: 42 16.7%
  • I would buy a Weber charcoal grill at these prices if it had more/better features.

    Votes: 18 7.1%
  • I would buy a charcoal grill at these prices, but not a Weber.

    Votes: 5 2.0%
  • I would never buy ANY brand of charcoal grill at these prices.

    Votes: 76 30.2%

  • Total voters
    252

Chris Allingham

Administrator
Staff member
Hi all,

We've had two days to digest the news about Weber's new Summit Charcoal Grill and Charcoal Grilling Station. So many of the comments are about price, so I thought a poll on the subject would be interesting.

Answer these questions based on your understanding of product features and capabilities. Click all the statements that apply.

Note: This is NOT research sponsored by Weber-Stephen Products Co.

Best,
Chris
 
As I have digested the new Summit Charcoal Grill and the reaction of its price point, I have come to the conclusion that Weber is NOT targeting those of us who have HAD a Long Term passion for Weber products for both smoking and grilling. But, Weber is targeting that specific set of consumers who are entering the world of grilling/smoking. We on the TVWBB have developed our love of grilling and smoking over years of trial and error, modifications, set ups, techniques and experience. We have passed our knowledge to others on this board - for the most part we know what we are doing.

But, if I did not already have a Ranch Kettle, Performer Deluxe, Jumbo Joe, WSM and a gasser (along with all the grills I've burned through over the years): then the Summit Charcoal Grill would be a great product for me or a newbie getting into outdoor cooking. I've seen successful people over the years who didn't own a grill and didn't know squat about grilling or smoking make the BGE their first purchase b/c they 1) could afford it and 2) could do multiple styles of cooking on it. This is Weber's target. I currently have no use for the Summit Charcoal Grill b/c i already have at my disposal an arsenal to grill/smoke anything. Weber isn't try to convince me, a loyal customer over decades, to buy the Summit Charcoal, but is appealing to all the others out there with disposal income who want to enter into the world of grilling/smoking. Call them yuppies, professionals, millennials or whatever - they have disposal income and BBQ is HOT. BBQ and cooking shows are off the chart these days and people are coming to outdoor cooking in droves. Newcomers want a versatile product to do what the Kamado products can accomplish: one grill to smoke/grill/bake etc.

Based on the Amazing Ribs first review, it looks as if Weber put a lot of thought into the product and the pricing and design. Adjustable grill heights? On point. Port of digital temp control? On Point. Air insulated without weighing 500 pounds? On point. Ability for long cooks? On point. Sturdy. Moveable. Weber Quality. The only thing missing that I can see is a 'notch' or ability to put probes under lid. Do I think the price point is ridiculous? Yes, especially for the table ($600 more? give me a break), but this is the price points for the competition. As i have seen my 'newbie' friends with their eggs buy up every freaking accessory available and easily spending hundreds of dollars after their initial purchase and good coin on special lump charcoal.

Just my thoughts. If I had no grill or smoker, I would buy this product as a first purchase.

Shoot, i agonized over buying a WSM b/c I got proficient smoking on my Ranch, but i wanted a dedicated smoker to play with and learn on after trolling this board for years. I love my Weber products and enjoy using them all. Many of us on this board have no use for the Summit Charcoal Grill b/c we already own multiple grills/smokers. If you were just getting into grilling/smoking and wanted to learn all aspects of outdoor cooking, would you buy the Weber Summit charcoal Grill?
I would.

Semper Fi.
 
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You sum up my own thoughts pretty well, Jim.

I agree that most of us here are not the target demo, they want a completely different group of buyers. Respect to them for that.

I'm curious to see if the wave of negative responses from the traditional Weber fans (which I am sure Weber anticipated, they didn't throw darts to come up with their pricing) can be offset by that target audience. I expected a lot of Weber fanatics to react unfavorably to the pricing. What I didn't expect, and I am curious to see if it becomes a larger market response, is how many people who would consider buying something at that price level (BGE, KJ, etc) did not see as much value to it compared to the ceramics. Those are the people I am sure Weber is worried about.
 
In my opinion, $999 and $1,499 are more appropriate. My initial reaction to this cooker was "no way! Not even at half that price". I've come around a little, to think I might actually like to have one. But I won't even consider it at current pricing.
 
In my opinion, $999 and $1,499 are more appropriate. My initial reaction to this cooker was "no way! Not even at half that price". I've come around a little, to think I might actually like to have one. But I won't even consider it at current pricing.

I won't consider one at its current price. If it came down to $999 and $1,299 then I would think about it.
 
Does the poll not show up in the mobile version of the website?

Edit: poll showed up when i switched to the "full site" view from the mobile view.
 
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As I have digested the new Summit Charcoal Grill and the reaction of its price point, I have come to the conclusion that Weber is NOT targeting those of us who have HAD a Long Term passion for Weber products for both smoking and grilling. But, Weber is targeting that specific set of consumers who are entering the world of grilling/smoking. We on the TVWBB have developed our love of grilling and smoking over years of trial and error, modifications, set ups, techniques and experience. We have passed our knowledge to others on this board - for the most part we know what we are doing...
Some really well thought out points here from Jim.

I refer back to my earlier post from a few days ago from my barber. Here's a guy who makes decent money but is not rich. He does not own a smoker, but wants to learn. He knows me well as the "Weber smoker website guy" and every month asks me how things are going with the site. He lives right down the street from an Ace Hardware that has sold Weber grills for years but recently added BGE to the line-up. So one day I show up for a haircut and he tells me he's sprung for a BGE without ever consulting with me about whether he should buy a WSM. I couldn't believe it!

Fast forward a year or so...I tell him Weber is coming out with a grill to compete with BGE and he asks how much, I tell him $1500, and he says, "Not bad, I've got a lot more than that tied up in my BGE with all the add-ons."

This is exactly the guy Weber wants to target. Good disposable income, doesn't own a grill or smoker, wants the convenience of both in a single unit. Now the salesman at Ace Hardware has two choices to show the customer, the BGE and the Weber SCG at similar price points. No, it's not a grill for the masses, but I think it's a smart strategy on Weber's part.
 
I like the grill but I do think it's too expensive, however if it were 26" or better, I'd probably have one on order right now. If you were to buy a Traeger or a Rec Tec with comparable abilities, you'd speed $1K, maybe more. You can't even think about a Memphis Grill (which IMHO is the cat's meow) unless you spend just shy of $3K (and you can easily spend considerably more on a Memphis Grill) My point, I think the Grill of a Lifetime is a tad too expensive for it's current size limitations. I would have to think, that there will be additional sizes available in the future, after all, in nearly all their line ups, size is the factor
 
While waiting for my Wish-List 26-inch Performer, and giving-up / "settling" for the Standard New Performer Premium -
Is it just me, or does it seem that the latest versions of the Performer have been cheapened / moved "down-scale" just a bit - maybe in preparation for the release of the Summit Charcoal Grills? (Steel top instead of the durably plastic or Stainless / Char Bin does not seem to be as well damp-proofed as older models...)

I was a little "bent" that they chose only a few weeks afterward to release this unit
(Realistically, it's just a bit of "Sour Grapes" because even though it currently sells for WAY more than what Wifey would let me $pend, the TIMING of it gets under my skin just a little...)

In hindsight though - If I wanted to only have ONE grill unit, that could replace my WSM, Performer, and Gasser, THEN I could see the logic in something like this.
However, I think that the price needs to moderate a bit. I cannot see how a stamped-steel Weber is not considerably less expensive to build and ship than the BGE.
Even if it cooks in a comparable manner to the BGE (Maybe if Weber went to a more comparable Warranty, then maybe the long-term costs could make it easier to justify.)
 
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I like that Chris added the option to this poll for someone to aspire to buy one of these someday.
 
I agree with Ron.

How can a pressed steel cooker cost so much? That's a very expensive air gap.

How much more material and construction effort is needed over a similar sized Kettle?

There has to be a lot of profit in it for Weber so I would expect BIG discounts in the near future.
 
Let's acknowledge that this grill is Weber's answer to the BGE, without a doubt. They've tried to design a grill that is as good (or better?) than the BGE, relying on their heritage and know-how in metal stamping rather than going the ceramic route.

For sake of argument, let's assume the SCG grills and smokes as well as the 24" BGE X-Large and is close in terms of fuel efficiency. I don't know for sure that it does either of these, but for sake of argument, let's assume that it does.

The 24" SCG costs $1,500. Add a cover for $60. Add the mysterious charcoal rake for a guess of $25. You're sitting at $1,585.

Based on BGE prices at www.abt.com:

The 24" BGE X-Large costs $1,200. Add a nest (wheeled stand) for $180. Add a premium cover (looks like higher quality than Weber's) for $100. Add a plate setter (for indirect cooking) for $115. Add an ash tool for $20. Add a grill gripper (because the cooking grate doesn't have handles) for $14. You're sitting at $1,629. Maybe there's more stuff needed, I'm not sure.

SCG includes gas assist and One-Touch ash system, BGE does not. SCG is said to be able to transition more quickly from high temp cooking to low temp cooking than BGE, if that means anything to you. SCG is lighter and easier to move/transport than BGE.

So what's wrong with the price of the SCG vs. a comparable BGE? Yes, both are expensive, but both seem to offer comparable value and performance at their price points.

I think the angst comes from the fact that we're used to Weber grills being like Chevrolets and BGEs being like Cadillacs, both get you around town but at different price points. And now Weber has come out with a new luxury model and we can't reconcile the pricing in our heads because Webers are not supposed to cost as much as a BGE. But they can and do now.

Just my ramblings...I'm curious to continue reading what others think and watching the poll results.
 
Just my ramblings...I'm curious to continue reading what others think and watching the poll results.
The results are pretty much what I expected. I remember way back in the day (mid 60's) asking my dad "how come you don't have a BBQ like that" (pointing to a Weber kettle) and he said....."too expensive son."
 
The results are pretty much what I expected. I remember way back in the day (mid 60's) asking my dad "how come you don't have a BBQ like that" (pointing to a Weber kettle) and he said....."to expensive son."

I stayed away from Weber until 2009 due to the higher cost, but in years past one could buy a very nice American made grill that would last for years.
One I had was a square Sunbeam? It was solid, the coal grate could be raised and lowered, and it lasted me for many years.
Then I had an American made Kingsford egg shaped grill with an ash catcher and side tables, it lasted me for several years and was still in good enough shape to sell at a garage sale.

In '09 when I was in the market for a new grill I called Weber to verify that their kettles were still USA made, the rest is history.

As far as a future drop in the price of a SCG, I don't see it, IMO it's not Weber's way of doing business, but they do seem to hold nearly the same prices for a long time.
 
The results are pretty much what I expected. I remember way back in the day (mid 60's) asking my dad "how come you don't have a BBQ like that" (pointing to a Weber kettle) and he said....."to expensive son."

Weber grills have always been much more expensive that other grills from Day One.

From this Chicago Tribune article in 1990:

In 1956 he (George Stephen) came out with his first catalog. The Custom Bar-B-Q Kettle Model BK 710 in that offering bears a striking resemblance to today's One-Touch Kettle Model 71001, the classic, flagship, familiar Weber grill. The price back then was $46.95-outrageous! five times the price of other backyard cooking devices!-and gave the product a certain snob appeal as well as the informal nickname the Cadillac of Grills.

$46.95 in 1956 would be $414.61 in 2015. That was and is an expensive kettle grill even by today's standards!
 
I am one of few who thinks the price is not grossly expensive. Basically echoing what Chris said and others have mentioned elsewhere, but the price is pretty comparable to a BGE. If the SCG can do everything a BGE why do so many think it is too expensive? Plus you get the added bonus
-Will not crack or break, spending $2k on a grill that can shatter is scary to me.
-propane ignitor
- one touch system

I just convinced a buddy at work to buy a performer. He can't believe how easy it is to grill with the thing after coming from a gasser.

One thing I love about the SCG is the amount of discussion its created. My brother and I have been talking about this for weeks!
 
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