Broilmaster (first one) Finally Done!


 

Jon Tofte

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
After chasing down the Crown Verity for my organization - no, i didn’t buy it; I just helped THEM get it;) - I had just enough time tonight to put the now dry and finished handle on my first Broilmaster rehab. This is the one that was a pile of scrap parts:

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Here it is tonight all ready to go:

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The wooden handle is hand made. The logo was hand painted by my artist friend. I varnished it with three coats of spar urethane - what a pain! :p

I am thinking about adding the flip down front table that also came with the “nice” Broilmaster I got with these parts. It is taupe colored and I don’t really like it.

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I may try another Krylon Fusion paint job and make it black.
 
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That’s impressive, Jon! I’m going to wait and see what you are going to do with the Crown Verity. I’m going to follow your steps.
 
Looks really nice Jon. I'm also interested to see how it performs in comparison to a vintage Weber. It will also be interesting to see if you can find an interested buyer and at what price if you choose to sell it.
 
It seems people know what they have with those old Broiler Masters. I don't see them going for pennies or curbside pickup. Before I saw these threads on them, I would have driven right on by one on the curb for free pickup....

Actually, I probably still would as I have little desire to rehab one. If I could grab it for someone else, I certainly would though. To me, they are just too ugly to be desirable.
 
Weber style vs Broilmaster lack of style...or, what to do with a homely grill!

It seems people know what they have with those old Broiler Masters. I don't see them going for pennies or curbside pickup. Before I saw these threads on them, I would have driven right on by one on the curb for free pickup....

Actually, I probably still would as I have little desire to rehab one. If I could grab it for someone else, I certainly would though. To me, they are just too ugly to be desirable.

Yeah, Bruce, it is like I said. They are sort of the “librarian” of grills. I actually have some interested friends in buying one or maybe even two of my Broilmaster acquisitions. I am going to try and resist the strong temptation to use my new rehab and instead finish my second nice one and then rehab the large “3” that club member Chiku helped me get. Then I will keep whichever is left after I sell two.

You know, classic Weber gas grills and Broilmasters share some real commonality. Both are (were in Weber’s case:() USA made and both emphasize quality materials, simple construction and durability. But Weber’s designers deserve credit for recognizing that solid functionality wasn’t enough. They figured out some ways to introduce style to the equation. From the first redhead with its sloping porcelain front and cedar wood tables to the last Platinum with its monochrome stainless and light gray accents, the classic Genesis has almost always offered a stylish take on grilling.

Broilmasters are powerful, solid grills but their appearance doesn’t light many fires. They have tried with updated tables and a few other tweaks, but it is still essentially an aluminum box on a cart. I think Weber was fortunate to go with porcelain hoods. They probably did that to tie in with their extensive experience and reputation with porcelain kettles; the perhaps unintended benefit was to have a shiny hood with long lasting color and lots of color options.

The aluminum hood is probably better for grilling, but Broilmaster does need a stylist to come on board and help them bring style to compliment their quality construction and grilling capabilities.
 
Larry, you are an instigator. :p

It won’t work;). I am done; although my cousin-in-law in suburban Chicago picked up for me a disassembled bunch of parts from a Broilmaster “3” ($50 on OfferUp) so that I can rehab the last one I got. Even with shipping it was a better bargain than buying new parts.

I am glad I did the Broilmaster “experiment” and have decided to keep one and sell my big Q which I also love, but even I can’t keep them all. I probably will keep my eyes open someday, though, for a 200/2000 Q at a super bargain to use only for picnics and travel. I actually enjoyed cooking on my old 200 I gave to a friend more than the 3200:confused:.
 
Librarian of grills. That sounds like a good analogy.

Behind the 1960's eye glasses, they usually have it going on.

I just picked up a Q300 for $30. I keep telling myself that I will rehab it and sell it, but it keeps sitting there staring back at me. I actually opened it up and just looked at it today. My mind telling me that all I need to do is clean the grates and throw on some cow flesh. But, I have a Q100 and Q200 already. Actually, I picked up a Q320 a couple months back and Larry was looking for one, while I was really looking for a Q200, so I swapped him straight up. I was more into the portability of the Q200 than I was into the size and horsepower of the Q320. I just see the Q300 as overkill when I have a Q200 on one side of it and my Genesis 1000 on the other. But, then again...........
 
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Don’t get me wrong, the big Q is a GREAT grill. The dual burner setup does give you some flexibility, too. I guess for me, I just for some reason actually enjoyed grilling with the 200 more. Slower to heat up, but worth the wait.

As far as giving up a 3200 for a Broilmaster, I think it is partly just to have something a little different but also because they share the almost entirely rust-proof construction which is very important to me with my grill continually sitting in the salt air breeze. The Broilmaster can do simple quick grills like the Q but can also do low and slow indirect better than a Weber, or at least so I am told. I haven’t tried that yet. And with grate temperatures pushing the mid 800’s on high heat, I am also eager to try steaks on the Broilmaster.:cool:
 
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It seems people know what they have with those old Broiler Masters. I don't see them going for pennies or curbside pickup. Before I saw these threads on them, I would have driven right on by one on the curb for free pickup....

Actually, I probably still would as I have little desire to rehab one. If I could grab it for someone else, I certainly would though. To me, they are just too ugly to be desirable.

Ugly is in the eye of the beholder LOL
 
Ugly is in the eye of the beholder LOL

There is a lot of truth in that, Larry. Depends a lot on what you are looking for. Here is another “homely” grill, a charcoal PK. These have also been around quite a while and are well regarded- just not very eye-catching:

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PK, I think, is trying what I am suggesting Broilmaster does. Here is their newest model which essentially works the same, but is packaged way nicer:

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If you haven’t heard of PK, it is worth looking at, although very expensive. Club member Chiku picked up a used one of the original versions for only $40!
 

 

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