2018 Spirit II Gas Grill Redesign


 
Honestly you're right, things have cheapened up considerably. Unless you're current one is rotted or burned through not sure why you'd want to change. FWIW though all the Weber stuff has cheapened up a lot what with the switch of management companies and no longer being a family owned company. Since they're cashed out IMO it's gone down the toilet
 
Robert Scott said:
Question for those of you who have either seen or used the new Spirit II (3 burner). I have decided to make the upgrade from a 2008 spirit 310 which has done me amazingly well for the last decade or so. I was looking at the new spirit line and to be honest I am a little concerned with what appears like a cheaper made spirit than what I am used to. The grill is the same size but looks like it has dropped 10 pounds, which is never a sign of high quality. Furthermore, I stopped by a local home depot who had one on display and was dismayed when i opened the lid at how light and flimsy everything felt. Now full disclosure, they only had 1 and it was tucked in between a few other grills so it was difficult to get a great look at it. Also, I will always take these floor models with a grain of salt because I know they can sometimes be assembled pretty poorly. Having said that, it just doesn't feel from a quality of materials like my old spirit. Has this just changed with the II's, or did this change a few years back?

I am now at a loss as to what to do. I don't particularly want to spend the money on a genesis although I will say that line still feels like an extremely solidly made grill (like the weber i am used to). Or god forbid do I look at a Napoleon or Broil King? I thought I had my mind made up until that day I saw one in the store and now I am more confused than ever. Would love to hear anyone else's thoughts on this.

Maybe I am reading too much into this weight thing, Weber has never steered me wrong (I also have a WSM which I love). Its just concerning that to the naked eye, at least at this one particular location, the Nexgrill next to the Weber felt more solidly built than the new spirit lineup.
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Curious, why do you want to upgrade if your current grill has done amazingly well? With a little TLC and elbow grease you can make your current grill as good as new again (if you're into that kind of thing). Or you could look into a used Silver/gold/platinum or 1000/2000/3000 and rehab it so that it becomes like new again and last you a very long time. Spring is just around the corner and grills should be popping up on CL soon.
 
I have considered just keeping my 2008 spirit, I don't have any rust I am just in need of replacing the burners and the igniter switch. I love the build quality on it I just never liked the design of the burners on those old models going across rather than from front to back. I find indirect grilling a bit more difficult and my shelf on the right side is basically useless with the knobs over there. I also have a considerable hotspot on the right side, not sure if the new burners would help that or if that is just a side effect of having longer burner tubes when you have to go across.
 
I've taken a look at them at Lowe's. I saw one where the tank scale was put on backwards. Other than that, I don't see how they are any worse than the slighly earlier models. The colors are cool. Now, the 2008 is probably a better grill, I'm just comparing this one to the 2017 model. I think you would find a pretty big difference changing those parts, and maybe cleaning your manifold. If you aren't into rotisserie then NS burners are fine as far as I'm concerned.
 
Stick with the 2008 E310. You are right. They have gotten lower quality. Some would say that even the 2008 E310 is lower quality than the Silver B's in the previous generation.
 
I finally got to look at a new Spirit recently. Pretty sharp looking grill. Not as heavy duty as the genesis models but the quality looks ok to me.

I have a strong magnet on the money clip I always carry and I was surprised that all the stainless on the exterior of the new Spirit is non magnetic / higher quality stainless just like the new genesis II. That's a welcomechange from the old Spirit models.

I was curious about some of the other grills in my local big box store. The stainless on every other non weber grill I tested was magnetic. That included char broil, nexgrill, and a couple of different broil kings. I wasn't surprised at the first two but the broil kings being all low quality stainless was surprising.
 
All those throw away grill outfits use the lower quality SS. To the average joe, it is stainless steel and they think there is only one kind/grade of stainless steel. So, why pay twice as much for a similar looking grill? They don't care about their reputation as they know they can land plenty of customers every spring with a few buzz words and bells and whistles while cutting costs everywhere possible. Most people would never pay $500 plus for a grill. They just don't believe any grill will last more than a few years, so why pay $500 when you can get a two year grill for $300.
 
Robert a good cleaning or burner replacement will help the hot spot. The design of the burners on your old one is superior to the newer design if you ever want to do anything on a rotisserie. If you never want to do a rotisserie than the burner design means nothing other than aesthetics.
As for 304 vs 430 SS except in areas of high stress I really don't put a whole lot in it.
 
I have only briefly looked at the new Spirits. Like all new grills it does seem that flash is more and more important vs. simple quality. That being said, I am glad about the 304 SS vs 430 SS which in many other posts here has been called out as an important factor. For a person who isn't up to rehabbing, one of these might not be that bad of a purchase as long as they are committed to giving it good care.

However, I agree with the other posts that the Spirit 310 mentioned sounds very redeemable and a better plan. Or go for the classic look and restore (or, if needed, even buy from a restorer) a classic Genesis 1000.:redgenesis1:
 
I was able to check out the new Spirit at Wally world today and it looks good at first but when I lifted the lid it didn't feel as heavy duty as the previous ones. Maybe because it was a 2 burner, I don't know but it seems like the lid is way lighter now than previous generation 2 burners. Also when I closed the lid it made that hollow sound, you know, like when you close a car door and you know that there's not a lot of metal in the door because it doesn't make that solid "thump" sound. The price is $369 and I was like no way would I pay that much for something like that. Like a lot of folks have said on the board before, the new Webers are more about flash than quality and that's too bad.
 
Sam, I think Weber was feeling the pinch from all the competition from the cheaper chinese stuff. Instead of maintaining their quality and staying in the premium grill range where they had always been, they have moved down closer to the disposable grill sector and are simply hoping they can charge more based on their reputation.

It is a tough deal for them. When people buy grills, they see all the flash and bling and jump on it. Then, they take it home, use it for two or three years and never clean it or care for it. When the burners, grates, flavo bars, igniters go out on them, they just buy a new $250 grill. THat is where the market is going and Weber is being pulled into it.
 
Bruce, yah and that's just too bad. Their customer service is still great IMO and I do hope it stays that way.
 
I thought they felt roughly the same. I guess time will tell if these grills hold up. The thing is, it's normally so dry where I live even a cheapo grill lasts forever with a little bit of care.
 
Bruce said:
Sam, I think Weber was feeling the pinch from all the competition from the cheaper chinese stuff. Instead of maintaining their quality and staying in the premium grill range where they had always been, they have moved down closer to the disposable grill sector and are simply hoping they can charge more based on their reputation.

It is a tough deal for them. When people buy grills, they see all the flash and bling and jump on it. Then, they take it home, use it for two or three years and never clean it or care for it. When the burners, grates, flavo bars, igniters go out on them, they just buy a new $250 grill. THat is where the market is going and Weber is being pulled into it.
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Spot on, Bruce...I wish there was a way to effectively promote RESTORED classic Weber grills to these people who keep rewarding the companies that outsource to China and bamboozle people into being repeat buyers of fake stainless junk:p.
 
I bought my spirit 3 burner 3 years ago in may,flavorizer bars wore out and replaced with a cheap stainless set a month ago,will have to wait until I can get a day off thru the week to have some cut.found a set of Weber stainless racks that seem heavy duty for $35 brand new in the box,will look at the new line next trip to the stores just for curiosity
 
Solid,didn't measure but are heavy,going to pu a couple of thick steaks and test them out better,temps been ugly with the wind since I got them tried a couple sausages and chuck eyes but cheated on the sausages pan/beer/grill :) ,looked on line and $70 was the first price I seen so don't feel like I got ripped,should be easier to keep clean and the little steaks didn't seem to stick like the cast iron grates
 
Yeah I looked at the latest redesign last trip to Wally World. IMO it's where they belong with all the other Chinese stuff
 
My brother is GM of an Ace Hardware store. We were chatting over Easter dinner, he says he's selling a lot of Spirit II grills. People love the features, the color choices, and the price point. Looks like this grill might be a winner for Weber.
 
Well, it is still a Weber after all and if they turn out to be dependable and durable, maybe it will be become the prime line in the Weber Lineup.
 
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