New Weber grill....question about sear station and quality


 

LanceJ

New member
I just got rid of a Saber grill that I actually really liked. The only issue was it didn't last more than 5 years. I had a Weber before that and it lasted 10 years or so. Ok enough babbling, my question is about the new Weber grills and sear stations. Did they do away with them? I looked on the website and didn't see them on the new grills. Granted I didn't read everything but I figured I would ask. How do you all go about searing your steaks and such? Second, how is the quality now that they are being built in China? I don't want to spend extra money on a grill that is going to only last a few years now. I know some have 10 year warranty but I don't want to be fixing things all the time. Thank you for reading this and I look forward to your responses.
 
Whoah, how much did you pay for your Saber and don't they have a warranty greater than 5 years? I wanted to get a Saber but couldn't justify the price. I did get a '17 Genesis II E-310 this past summer for less than $200 brand new (I can show you the receipt) and it cooks very good but not sure how it'll be in the long run. I know Weber makes a searing grate for the Genesis grills and it gets mostly good reviews on Amazon...https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004A9SV3K/tvwb-20. Oh and welcome to the board!
 
Thanks Sam. I think I paid around 1400 for it. I really liked the grill and their customer service was really good. They sent me out new pieces for most things that rusted. But as I started to go to the trouble of taking it all apart to redo I noticed other areas that weren't 304 stainless starting to go. But I don't think I should have to be rebuilding my grill basically after 5 years. Maybe I'm old fashioned and expecting to much. But if that's the case with today's newer grills I'll stick to the cheaper alternatives.
 
Wow, I thought those grills were built to last. I'm not sure if you're into it but have you ever thought about rehabbing an old school Weber grill? There are tons of em out there that are either free or really dirt cheap...just check craigslist and you'll see. This is an excellent site for reference on what to do and how to do it. The old school Webers are built to last, just check out some of the threads on this forum.
 
The Genesis II grills have a new 10 year warranty on virtually all parts, minus exclusions for normal wear & tear, abuse, etc. Since we're only 1 year into the new design, I don't think anyone can tell you how well they're going to hold up. You'll have to rely on past experience and Weber's reputation for customer service when making your decision.

At this time, there are no Genesis II grills with the Sear Station feature. You can still get Sear Station on Summit grills. The Genesis II LX grills have a "High+ Heat Setting" not found on the base Genesis II models. Its function is described in the owners manual as follows:

"All burners can be turned up to the highest setting for an added boost of heat anywhere on the cooking grate. The High+ setting provides a quicker preheat and higher grilling temperatures."

For searing, it's hard to be a good-old cast iron skillet or the Lodge reversible griddle, shown here on my Summit 450:

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Thank you Chris. I appreciate the input. I actually like the open cart design. Less things to break and rust out etc. That's where my saber was getting bad also, was inside the storage areas. My old Weber, I can't remember the model, was open underneath and I never wished I had it enclosed that I remember. I think simplicity is better sometimes......maybe most times. Nice video by the way, great crust.
 
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I agree Lance. I rehab Weber grills and every one that had the enclosed storage area had rust and most under 10 years old. Some massive rust. The older Silver B's and 1000's with the open bottom fared much better. Usually just a bit of rust on the left where the frame bolt goes into the cook box and these are as old as 25 years.
 
I looked at the E-310 and for $749 (at least thats what I think they were asking, I didn't talk to anyone) I didn't think it was a real good value. They did not have an E-330 to look at. I'm kind of comparing the 310 to the Napoleon 485 LEX which was $899. I've never owned a Napoleon or known anyone that has but people seem to like them. Maybe someone here can chime in, although I know being on a Weber site I may start a war. That's not my intention, just trying to get the most out of my money and something that will hopefully last. The Napoleon had stainless everything and included an infrared side burner. Now the E-330 may be the one to compare to this Napoleon but there wasn't one for me to look at. Does anyone have one and how do you like it? Anyone here compare the Weber and Napoleon before making a decision?
 
The E330 no longer exists unless you're finding NOS. Like you I am disillusioned by Weber's ongoing cheapening of the product and reduction in quality now being nothing more than a "held" company of Black & Decker management which has become nothing more than a marketing arm of Chinese import products. I know that Napoleon does have some Chinese made lower end stuff (unlike Weber which has gone totally Chinese). Other than that from what I have seen of Napoleon stuff they seem to be top notch, but I have never been able to lay hands on one like I have with the new "Weber" product(s).
So no wars with me. While I will always love the older TRUE Weber products I cannot wrap my head around spending the $$$$ on their 3rd party ownership and products.
Especially after being let down so horribly by their warranty I cannot fathom ever again parting with hard earned $$$ on their stuff. Though I will keep my older product(s) going as long as I can
 
I have a 2009 E320 which has the E/W burners which I prefer and it's held up great and is used a lot. The cabinet is like new inside, but then again rust is not allowed in Arizona. As far as the older genesis grills go I have a 1999 1000 LX (now a 2000) I bought new and the only thing I replaced is the flavorizer bars in 18 years. I also have a 1995 1000 LX red head I restored. Both of those are great grills and fit my needs perfectly.
I just can't justify the high cost of the new Weber's and am somewhat suspicious of the quality.
 
I agree with Rich and Larry.
I have a 2008 E310 (E/W burners) and a 2012 E310 (N/S burners) waiting for me to start rehabbing them. I have been putting it off as I am sure I am going to find rust and other problems inside the cabinet. Also, the grills are much more complex and going to be a lot more work overall than the older Silver B's and 1000's. The previous owners didn't seem to take real good care of them either which doesn't help.
 
Here's my opinion on current weber quality. I think the older models were simpler and somewhat better in quality. And I love my two older webers. BUT I know a number of people who have bought webers within the last few years and are VERY pleased with them. Every single one of those people think their weber is a big step up from their prior char broil, kenmore, or members mark. Does the extra quality justify the price? That's something that's an individual decision.

I agree that one of the main problem points with the newer webers is the enclosed cart. Weber was really wise in my opinion to go back to the open design.

BUT just because a product is made in China doesn't automatically denote poor or lesser quality. My experience from seeing and actually using the newer webers is that they are still very high quality albeit expensive.
 
I know a number of people who have bought webers within the last few years and are VERY pleased with them. Every single one of those people think their weber is a big step up from their prior char broil, kenmore, or members mark. Does the extra quality justify the price? That's something that's an individual decision.

My advice for someone that wants the Weber quality but doesn't want the $800 price tag is to buy an older one and fix it up or buy one that someone else already fixed up. For $150 and a little work, you can have one of those nice Silver B's or 1000-5000 Genesis grills with the open design. It is hard to even find a cheapo Charbroil, Kenmore, DynaGlo, etc... for $150 and you would have three times the grill.
 
I actually like the open cart design. Less to fail but I could see where some people would want enclosed to protect things from the elements. I'll be using mine under a covered porch so I actually like the open design better than the Napoleon closed in bottom.
 
My advice for someone that wants the Weber quality but doesn't want the $800 price tag is to buy an older one and fix it up or buy one that someone else already fixed up. For $150 and a little work, you can have one of those nice Silver B's or 1000-5000 Genesis grills with the open design. It is hard to even find a cheapo Charbroil, Kenmore, DynaGlo, etc... for $150 and you would have three times the grill.

I agree rehabbing an old weber gives the best bang for the buck. But
some people just aren't interested in a used grill or the work involved in restoring one.

My brother is one of those people. His three year old members mark just rusted through the firebox a few weeks ago. I'm trying to talk him into a weber restoration but the idea of a used grill doesn't appeal to him.
 
Lance, if you're still looking for a new Genesis check out this thread...

https://slickdeals.net/f/10409604-g...thread-ymmv?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1

That's how I got my Genesis II E-310 for $169 plus tax. YMMV of course but I was able to get 2 of em and flip one. Just read up on that forum because there is a method to get it at that price. Yah, the new Gennys are made in China now but I think they're better than a Char-Broil, Kenmore or Dyna-glo IMHO and for $169 you can't beat that.
 
Lance, if you're still looking for a new Genesis check out this thread...

https://slickdeals.net/f/10409604-g...thread-ymmv?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1

That's how I got my Genesis II E-310 for $169 plus tax. YMMV of course but I was able to get 2 of em and flip one. Just read up on that forum because there is a method to get it at that price. Yah, the new Gennys are made in China now but I think they're better than a Char-Broil, Kenmore or Dyna-glo IMHO and for $169 you can't beat that.

Thanks, according to brickseek there are none available anywhere near me. I could definitely live with one of those for that price though....darn

I did notice that Walmart is cheaper at $699 on it. If that price of $749 at the other place was correct.
 
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Sadly even at that $169 price there most likely was still a huge profit............Thanks to Chinese production. The new stuff is over priced period by a HUGE margin. Also with re to say a Member's Mark product there are different products they sell under that moniker. If you research their upper end product, you'll find about the same overall build and better material quality overall than Weber and a lifetime warranty to boot all for under $500! I'm sorry, $500 for lifetime warranty and pretty much equal build? Compared to $1000 (maybe more) and 10 year (maybe) warranty? Do the math. But yeah if I could snare a new Weber II series for under $200 I'd be jumping all over that like white on rice!
 
Sadly even at that $169 price there most likely was still a huge profit............Thanks to Chinese production. The new stuff is over priced period by a HUGE margin. Also with re to say a Member's Mark product there are different products they sell under that moniker. If you research their upper end product, you'll find about the same overall build and better material quality overall than Weber and a lifetime warranty to boot all for under $500! I'm sorry, $500 for lifetime warranty and pretty much equal build? Compared to $1000 (maybe more) and 10 year (maybe) warranty? Do the math. But yeah if I could snare a new Weber II series for under $200 I'd be jumping all over that like white on rice!

Where do they sell these higher end members mark grills? And do they have a cast aluminium firebox? I've looked at the ones in several Sam's stores in my home state (MO). And all I see are cheap *** grills about on par with a char broil or kenmore. Cheap burners, cheap firebox, etc.

To me the cast aluminium firebox is critical. That's where my kenmore failed and also two newer members mark that I know of. Sheet metal just isn't a durable material for that application (firebox).

If Sam's does sell a better premium grill it must not be available nationwide?

I'm not knocking Sam's or sears. They both well a lot of quality products at good prices. But not grills. At least not in my experience nor the experience of my family and friends.
 
Thanks, according to brickseek there are none available anywhere near me. I could definitely live with one of those for that price though....darn

I did notice that Walmart is cheaper at $699 on it. If that price of $749 at the other place was correct.

As long as there is a Walmart that has it for $169 near you then that's good. What you have to do is order it online (have it shipped to the store that has it for $169 per brickseek) for full price, pick it up when it comes in and then do a return/rebuy at the CS desk after you've picked it up. Just tell them you want to use a different credit card when they ask for a reason. When they credit you back you'll get the $699 back on the original credit card you used and when they scan it in store for the rebuy it should ring up at the clearance price of $169. That's how a lot of the folks have done it.
 

 

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