weber q 1200 vs go-anywhere gas for travel grill


 

David-B

TVWBB Super Fan
It's time to retire my go-anywhere gas that I have been using since 2000, I use it mainly on trips where using charcoal may be frowned upon like dry weather conditions and some tailgating at football games / car trips where I don't want to wait for the fire to die out. I have been checking out the q1200 and it looks interesting, it's slightly bigger than the go anywhere but wondered if the q1200 is an overall better grill or would it be a hassle to use as a portable? I looked at one at home depot but was not able to lift it as it was tethered down. The q design looks like it may distribute heat more evenly and I like the CI grates.
 
I own one of the Q's, next size up, a 220. Use mainly in our rv, also carry a Smokey Joe, 95% of the time the Q gets used because of it's convenient and versatility. I can sear a steak, grill veggies, fish, chicken, and with a rack, do an indirect cook like PSB for sammies, or use the grate that came with it. If i hadn't got a smokin' deal on the 220, I'd for sure own a Q100 series, you won't be disappointed.
 
I have a Q200 & a gas go anywhere - I never liked the GGA.

The Q is a respectable little grill, just remember to set it up before you're going to use it the first time, or do the hose/regulator mod, otherwise it might not ignite or get up to temp until after it's sat for an hour or so.

http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?49713-Weber-Q-low-flame-or-no-flame

What didn't you like about the Gas Go Anywhere?

I see some complaints about design changes. But does it still work?

I also see some complaints about how it's hard to clean.

How is that different than the Charcoal Go Anywhere, or the Q 1000?

This would mainly be used for grilling corn, and maybe some veggies, for a vegetarian.
 
The gga is fine for light cooking. Just mind the wind. If windy make a wind break from some cardboard. I have used mine for a hot dog party at the park. Did just fine and it was cold windy day.
 
This past weekend, I used my brand new Go Anywhere gas grill for the first time. It was a windy day at the beach. The grill gets very, very hot. At full blast, it can easily hit 600F+. I have a IR gun to check temperature. I was keeping the grill on low and it was easily 400F. The wind kept blowing out the low flame. I bought two of these these 16 plate portable stove windscreens and plan to use it on the beach. I think it will help with the problem.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32954359198.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.4d6f4c4dfrCR9c

I have the above windscreen for a portable propane heater and it works quite well. Bay Area beaches are occasionally chilly and windy. I found the windscreen helped the portable heater's pilot from being blown out. I imagine wrapping the windscreens around the Weber Go Anywhere will mitigate the blow out issue.

Overall, I'm quite happy with the Go Anywhere gas. I also have a Q2400 electric. I think it's way too heavy to be portable.
 
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In regards to the design changes, it still works. I tired to retrofit the GGA with an upgraded grate and flavorizer. The upgraded grate and flavorizer easily added 5 pounds to the grill. The upgraded grate also had some fitment issue that I was not happy about. I ended up returning the upgraded grate and flavorizer and kept it unmodified as it was lightweight.

I can see why cleaning the new grate is annoying. You can't really use a standard grill brush and clean it. However, I fit the entire grill rate in my sink and scrubbed it with ScotchBrite. It wasn't that bad.

I think the new GGA works great. If anything, it gets a bit too hot for me. At home and the gas on high, I measured 600F on the grates with my IR gun. On the beach and the gas on low, I measured 400F on the grates with my IR gun.

The only thing I didn't like was the blowouts from the wind. See my above post about the windscreen. Mine is currently in the mail.
 
Thanks for the feedback E Lam. Welcome to the forums. I was in SF a couple weeks ago for vacation. Had a good time. I was prepared for the cooler weather but still, I was surprised how cold and windy it is at the beach.
 
I suppose the Go Anywhere would be hard to beat as far as weight goes. Still, the Q line is perhaps one of the best thought out products that Weber has come up with since the original Genesis. They cook so well that some people use them as their “permanent” grill - ala the 300/3200 big Q. If you have any thought of that the 2200 is a great compromise and my favorite Q. But if it is exclusively for travel/tailgating then I would get a 1200.

You can sometimes get a great bargain on a used one. They clean up well as long as the grate is still good. But even with buying a new (suggest aftermarket) grate you could still save over the cost of a new Q. The cast aluminum and glass infused plastic will surely outlast a Go Anywhere. And I would think it cooks better but admit I have never used a GA. The q shaped burner seems to offer a lot more coverage than the Go Anywhere’s straight one.
 
In a post long ago i showed my fix. Just wrapped a piece of aluminum from a can. Then cut slots and made fingers to hold it on the tube. But another issue is that to much wind comes up the holes on the bottom of the housing. I noticed that in germany they put a shield betwweent the holes and the burner tube. Havnt done that mod yet.
 
In a post long ago i showed my fix. Just wrapped a piece of aluminum from a can. Then cut slots and made fingers to hold it on the tube. But another issue is that to much wind comes up the holes on the bottom of the housing. I noticed that in germany they put a shield betwweent the holes and the burner tube. Havnt done that mod yet.

@George Curtis Do you have a link to a picture of this you could share?
 
No. All gone after the photobucket fiasco. I posted here. I have the pic but no ability at this time to post. Not even by email. Was many years ago.
 

 

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