Couldn't Resist this Summit!

After completing a Genesis S-310 (see earlier thread "Another Charity Project") I had planned to focus on a couple of my simmering early model Genesis projects including a red-head. Then I hoped to do another Genesis as a second grill for our college, this time an E-310. Well, I was trolling through "OfferUp" and came across this Summit:



The "offer" price was $100! I jumped like lighting and brought this monster back home hoping to make it a much larger second grill for our college cafeteria.

The owner was a very nice and helpful person who just didn't want to be bothered with dealing with the rusty bottom and was happy to see it gone. He scored a VIELUXE for $350, so his mind was on that!

Overall, for a seven-year old grill this Summit is in relatively decent shape. Other, that is, than the rusted out cabinet and broken leg:



Looks a lot like the last Genesis restore... Hopefully my sheet metal shop owner/friend can help me again with a solution for this grill's bottom and maybe back as well. The firebox and internals are really not that bad. In fact, the grates are only ONE year old:



This grill has a rotisserie motor that stores in a pop-up module on the left side. When I noticed this and opened it, I found the instruction sheet still tucked in with it. The owner stated that he had NEVER USED the rotisserie! Ditto for the smokebox which was in very nice condition. The flavorizer bars and burners don't look new, but they aren't a lost cause by any stretch. It will take some working over to determine what mechanicals can be cleaned up and re-used.

Here's a couple more pics:





It's going to take some work, but I am optimistic! So how do you all think I did for $100????

Crying shame Weber has degraded to the point that what you've observed does not look "bad for a 7 yo grill".The old Weber products would not look like this after 7 years. Ugh. That PO who found a Vielux got truly lucky. That is the product Weber should STILL be putting out given the ridiculous $$$ they are getting for the piir stuff they've been turning out the last few years and even worse now IMO

Not bad for 100 bucks! Can't wait to see it cleaned up!

I don’t think Weber is all bad...

LMichaels said:

Crying shame Weber has degraded to the point that what you've observed does not look "bad for a 7 yo grill".The old Weber products would not look like this after 7 years. Ugh. That PO who found a Vielux got truly lucky. That is the product Weber should STILL be putting out given the ridiculous $$$ they are getting for the piir stuff they've been turning out the last few years and even worse now IMO

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I definitely agree that there is no excuse for the painted steel closed in bottom and legs. The prior owner said he paid over $2,000 and for that you would think they could have used stainless - high grade stainless not the cheap rust-out junk He and I both agreed that they at least should offer a “coastal edition” for us poor Floridians who like to grill in spite of salt air, humidity and baking sun

That being said, I personally think the rest of this Summit isn’t that bad and had the prior owner invested a little more time in cleaning it might have looked even better. If my friend can come up with some stainless parts for the bottom I am hoping our college will enjoy another ten years of good use.

LM I know you don’t like the new Genesis IIs, and it does greatly aggravate me too that they are made in China. Still I think that going back to an open cart- at least as an option - and the more rugged frame legs are notable improvements. If I am not mistaken the new frame is a good bit like the well-loved Genesis Platinum from years ago. I have only looked at the new grills in the store, so my opinion is limited to observation and not actual use.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the simple quality, charm and durability of the old Genesis grills. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be working on three right now, including one to potentially replace my SE-330. These will always be the classics. Like cars, though, I think someone can enjoy a 57 Chevrolet (or better yet a 51 Hudson Hornet) while still liking at least some aspects of a new Tesla or Corvette.

Just my thoughts. I am pretty happy about getting this for just a hundred bucks.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the simple quality, charm and durability of the old Genesis grills. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be working on three right now, including one to potentially replace my SE-330. These will always be the classics. Like cars, though, I think someone can enjoy a 57 Chevrolet (or better yet a 51 Hudson Hornet) while still liking at least some aspects of a new Tesla or Corvette.

Just my thoughts. I am pretty happy about getting this for just a hundred bucks.

At least he modern car(s) are better. Less maintenance required, more safety, better handling, brakes, ride and yes even performance (though I think much of that comes from tire technology and suspension technology allowing a modern high performance vehicle to "launch" harder than back in my day. Weber sadly has not made improvements in quality, (and IMO) no improvement in performance. They have improved one thing though at the expense of everything else. Their own bottom line. I'll lay odds the profit margin has gone up to 80% on their product now. Given the huge drop in employment there, no need for actual production and the ridiculous prices they charge. Sorry I look at products with an untrusting eye. Any time a company sells their soul it's not a good thing.
So the car analogy really is not a good one as Weber is not "giving" us anything. It was a REALLY good company with REALLY solid product(s) and they kept people her employed in decent jobs. I would have much rather they cut the exorbitant warranty and kept the quality and US production as really the warranty was not needed on the product as it sat. Heck the burners in my Genesis lasted over 20 years, the frame, lid, and fire box still solid. Even the original enameled bars lasted over 10 years and were still good when my dad had the custom stainless ones made for me! We won't see this any more from them. Heck I never needed a single part under warranty! Made in China IMO = made cheap

Jon Tofte said:

I definitely agree that there is no excuse for the painted steel closed in bottom and legs. The prior owner said he paid over $2,000 and for that you would think they could have used stainless - high grade stainless not the cheap rust-out junk He and I both agreed that they at least should offer a “coastal edition” for us poor Floridians who like to grill in spite of salt air, humidity and baking sun

That being said, I personally think the rest of this Summit isn’t that bad and had the prior owner invested a little more time in cleaning it might have looked even better. If my friend can come up with some stainless parts for the bottom I am hoping our college will enjoy another ten years of good use.

LM I know you don’t like the new Genesis IIs, and it does greatly aggravate me too that they are made in China. Still I think that going back to an open cart- at least as an option - and the more rugged frame legs are notable improvements. If I am not mistaken the new frame is a good bit like the well-loved Genesis Platinum from years ago. I have only looked at the new grills in the store, so my opinion is limited to observation and not actual use.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the simple quality, charm and durability of the old Genesis grills. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be working on three right now, including one to potentially replace my SE-330. These will always be the classics. Like cars, though, I think someone can enjoy a 57 Chevrolet (or better yet a 51 Hudson Hornet) while still liking at least some aspects of a new Tesla or Corvette.

Just my thoughts. I am pretty happy about getting this for just a hundred bucks.

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You did very well for a hundred bucks. It's great that you have the ability to fix those carts. Saving a weber from a landfill and helping out the college is a big WIN/WIN.

I would prefer that weber made their grills here as well. But just because they are made in China doesn't mean they aren't well made. I agree with you that weber has gone back to their roots with the new genesis which looks VERY well made. No weak points that I can see.

People complain about the price of the genesis II but a 3 burner model with a porcelain hood and open cart is $699. Cheap? No but it's not that out of line IMO. Didn't the similarly sized 3 burner old genesis 1000 and silver B go for 400 or 500? If so accounting for inflation 700 isn't that out of line for a grill that with reasonable care will likely last 20 or 30 years or more. I paid about $400 to completely rehab my father's genesis 1000 and make it like new. It's great and has a lot of sentimental value but 400 is a lot of money. Point being not much is cheap these days unless you get really lucky.

Horrible to see an top line grill all rusted out like that. Sure sign of cheap construction. I think it would be bad to see a baseline Spirit grill look like that. I am sure the owner didn't care for it all that well, but it still should be able to take the elements better than that. I suppose if you live near the coast, it could be an issue with salt in the air.

Like Larry, the Old 1990's Genesis 1000's and early 2000's Genesis Silver series grills are what put Weber at the top of the grill market. They were simple, durable, reliable and extremely versatile. I think maybe now they are going more for flash and profit now in their business model. It may serve them in the short run, but it doesn't bode well for the future.

Greg M said:

You did very well for a hundred bucks. It's great that you have the ability to fix those carts. Saving a weber from a landfill and helping out the college is a big WIN/WIN.

I would prefer that weber made their grills here as well. But just because they are made in China doesn't mean they aren't well made. I agree with you that weber has gone back to their roots with the new genesis which looks VERY well made. No weak points that I can see.

People complain about the price of the genesis II but a 3 burner model with a porcelain hood and open cart is $699. Cheap? No but it's not that out of line IMO. Didn't the similarly sized 3 burner old genesis 1000 and silver B go for 400 or 500? If so accounting for inflation 700 isn't that out of line for a grill that with reasonable care will likely last 20 or 30 years or more. I paid about $400 to completely rehab my father's genesis 1000 and make it like new. It's great and has a lot of sentimental value but 400 is a lot of money. Point being not much is cheap these days unless you get really lucky.

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Given their reduction in costs that $699 should have been reduced to $300 or so. Honestly given what Weber has done their cost is now maybe 1/3 what it used to be. And no they have not "gone back to their roots" if they had they would not have sent production over to China and they would build to the quality they used to. Yes the older models i.e. when I bought my Genesis II it was a closeout of an older model (II was replaced by 2000) and yes I paid in the upper range of $500 for it. But with minimal care and upkeep that grill is a family heirloom since it has been handed down to my son in law where he is now "the keeper of the flame". This new version? I doubt it. I am still a fan (of TRUE Webers) but not this new product which has gone the way of all the other once great companies like Charbroil, Charmglow, Ducane, and many others. Sorry but the whole thing just leaves me angry and sad.

Bruce said:

ike Larry, the Old 1990's Genesis 1000's and early 2000's Genesis Silver series grills are what put Weber at the top of the grill market. They were simple, durable, reliable and extremely versatile. I think maybe now they are going more for flash and profit now in their business model. It may serve them in the short run, but it doesn't bode well for the future.

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I'll drink to that Bruce. I can guarantee my $$$ will never be spent again on a new Weber branded product. Not because it's now some Chinesum made thing but simply on principle. If (and I mean IF) I ever have to buy a NEW grill I'll likely go for one of the more feature packed units found in Sam's or Costco and take advantage of a LIFETIME warranty (though given how quickly I am falling apart not sure how long that might be LOL). IMO they're EVERY bit as well made with the same materials (maybe on the same lines the "Weber?" comes from at 1/2 the price yet still backed with lifetime warranties. Or who knows?????? Maybe I'll break into some investments and go for broke on a real high end product i.e. a Viking or new Wolf or such.