2022 Weber Price List

[EricV.]

I bought my WSM 22 back around 2012 via Amazon, probably around $399. One of the main reasons for the purchase was that it is a proven smoker in both competition & recreational use without breaking the bank. The majority of us know that it lacks a lot of bells & whistles, but nevertheless it out preforms the majority of its competition at this price point. Over time I have added more enchantments/mods in terms of dollars then what I paid for it, but that’s purely my preference. It puts a big smile on face when the finished product comes off the grate, not to mention the majority of my guests who have never seen one of these, which leads to further discussion. Let’s face it, we are rare breed here, dissecting every minute detail. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for & the WSM has always delivered in spades. In Weber’s defense, the old saying comes to mind, “If it ain't broke, don’t fix it!”

 

[Bradley Mack]

How dead is this horse now?

Flowing like glue.

 

[Brett-EDH]

Flowing like glue.

 

[Joe Anshien]

Here is another inexpensive improvement they can make. Add an additional vent or 2 to the top to give it a high end for chicken and such, making it a more versatile cooker without having to prop the top up to get better air flow.

 

[BrianO]

High prices! They are not unique to the BBQ and grill world. Anything made out of metal has gone way up in price. Take a look at appliances and cars. The tariffs on metal goods remain in place. And no, they are not paid by China. The price increases are paid by us consumers. Don't know why they have not been rolled back. And with the general inflation in the economy, manufacturers are not going to lower prices. You tell me what the solution is. The economy goes in cycles and prices were stable for a very long time, plus a war, plus energy price increases, plus water shortages for farmers and ranchers. Buy your grill or cooker now. It is not going to get cheaper from Weber or any other maker.

 

[Chris Allingham]

The only reason I started this thread was to document 2022 Weber prices vs. past price lists I've posted. It was not intended to be a thread about WSM deficiencies, inflation, future prospects for Weber, etc.

Let's move on.

 

[MartinB]

High prices! They are not unique to the BBQ and grill world. Anything made out of metal has gone way up in price. Take a look at appliances and cars. The tariffs on metal goods remain in place. And no, they are not paid by China.

There's ~ $40 of metal in an 18 WSM. It only weighs 39 lb.

A hand-made ...hand welded....375 lb open country gravity feed cooker is $1200.....$3.2/lb. Note that it is poorly finished and has no quality control.

A 39 lb wsm.... Machine made stamped /formed steel...machine welded. That you have to assemble yourself...is $12/lb. No doubt....made in nicer facility, by employees better paid with good health plans and insurance, 401k and vacation, with quality control, warranty, service, warehousing, distributing, advertising and marketing departments, legal teams, executive management, etc. Layers and layers of added costs by comparison. And then of course the retailers take there profit percentage as well which is not insignificant.


Weber is a quality finished product with outstanding warranty and service. But make no mistake... you're paying for that.....upfront. So I wouldn't hesitate to use it. All baked in the price. I'd be surprised if the actual cost to produce a WSM was more than 1/3 of the final sales price.

 

[Vaughan]

$519 for a wsm 18 is beyond absurd.
Expect to see some of these mainstay products simply disappear, as they won't be carried because they don't sell. Which will contribute to Weber's death spiral. This is what has been happening over the past several years anyway and it's just going to accelerate.

There's almost nothing to a WSM and you still have to put hundreds of dollars into it to make it a decent item to actually use. It is no wonder the company is going out of business

I downgraded from a 18.5 to a 14.5 and was/am able to do wonderful long and slow smokes with excellent temperature control right out of the box with no mods. Sorry but I cannot connect the dots on spending hundreds of dollars to "make it a decent item to actually use".. Please...what did you do to the WSM to make it decent? Thanks

 

[John_NJ]

The only reason I started this thread was to document 2022 Weber prices vs. past price lists I've posted. It was not intended to be a thread about WSM deficiencies, inflation, future prospects for Weber, etc.

Let's move on.

Thank you Chris.

That price list was interesting to me because of the “WEBER ACCESSORIES/COVERS/PARTS/COOKBOOKS” list.

Good reference in case I find myself needing something as web searches are not always easy to navigate.

Cheers.

 

[Vaughan]

The only reason I started this thread was to document 2022 Weber prices vs. past price lists I've posted. It was not intended to be a thread about WSM deficiencies, inflation, future prospects for Weber, etc.

Let's move on.

You may also close this thread if it is not going in the intended direction. Just a thought.

 

[MartinB]

I downgraded from a 18.5 to a 14.5 and was/am able to do wonderful long and slow smokes with excellent temperature control right out of the box with no mods. Sorry but I cannot connect the dots on spending hundreds of dollars to "make it a decent item to actually use".. Please...what did you do to the WSM to make it decent? Thanks

My WSM cost was $330 when new.
Total cost to make it into a really good cooker.....$1023

Increase coal ring capacity with expanded metal, ss fasteners....$20
Add remote temperature monitoring .... Dome temperature is unreliable place-$60
Weld handles to coal grate to pick up ring and grate as one piece.....$5

Replace too deep water pan with ceramic planter bottom and steel support to hold it..$25
Add handles to shell and bottom for carrying with ss fasteners....$25
Add turnbuckle to lock sections together to roll assembled one piece on wood deck...$18
Brace legs and add wheels...$45 (actually did twice 3-in wheels were too small replaced with 5")
Notch lip for temperature wire....free
Add legs to bottom grate so can sit it on top of top grate....ss bolts/washers ...$20
Make rack for hanging ribs..$15
Purchase different rib racks to try for cooking ribs x 2....$60
Add nomex gaskets for door and lid glued on with high temp black RTV...$20



Add blower/servo controlled damper and automatic controller (heatermeter)....$300
Add air distribution pipe for blower....$75

Right out of the box, my 18 doesn't hold enough charcoal for all night. Ash build up on the charcoal will cause the temperature to crater after 6 or 7 hours and to keep going you have to shake the ash off.... Then it will run several more hours.... Long enough to finish a cook. When I added the height to my charcoal ring with expanded metal, and got rid of the deep water bowl this moved up to about 11 hours that it could run without any attention reliably. That is the number one improvement to make to it, imo. Otherwise you'll wake up in the temperature will be 120. This could depend on the charcoal used as well. But for sure you typically have to shake the ash down after a number of hours, which makes it something you have to pay attention to.

I once had a big pile of standing ash.... That still looked like charcoal... When I jostled it it all collapsed and put the fire out. To continue that cook I had to take the shell off light a whole new chimney of coals and start all over again. Not fun to do at 2:30 am. The temperature controller and the blower now uses increased air flow when that begins being a problem to fight through it keep the temperature up. The additional air flow may cause the ash to dislodge better, or something, but I can run 25-30 hours and never touch it now. Truly set it and forget it. No I don't need to run that long but that capability provides stability for the time I do need to run. I had one brisket cook once that took 21 hours once.... I don't cook at 225 anymore.... One experiment with that was enough.


The blower and air distribution pipe also gets it up to high temperature easy. A lot of people want to get hot to cook chicken and actually end up putting a second vent on lid for more air flow. No need to do that. I can hit 400° in 15 minutes from starting if I want to. Introducing the air beneath the coals is way more efficient to achieve high temperatures for cooking poultry.


Now, I like my WSM. If I desire, it's very portable it can be run without any electricity. I can run my blower and controller on battery as well. I can run it the way it was designed to be run too. But here's the overriding thing....$500 for a 1970 era WSM....... Or nearly the same price for a new masterbuilt gravity feed with digital controller and Bluetooth...... There's no competition for most people today. Hence the wide popularity of the masterbuilt gravity feed.

 

[Ed_T]

This price list makes me thankful quality older Weber grills are available. They will never be made that way again but their durability makes them stick around for those of us willing to do a little upkeep. Sometimes I wonder how many know that for a $100-200 they can have a classic American grill that delivers every time and may outlive them.

 

[Chris Allingham]

My WSM cost was $330 when new.
Total cost to make it into a really good cooker.....$1023

Increase coal ring capacity with expanded metal, ss fasteners....$20
Add remote temperature monitoring .... Dome temperature is unreliable place-$60
Weld handles to coal grate to pick up ring and grate as one piece.....$5

Replace too deep water pan with ceramic planter bottom and steel support to hold it..$25
Add handles to shell and bottom for carrying with ss fasteners....$25
Add turnbuckle to lock sections together to roll assembled one piece on wood deck...$18
Brace legs and add wheels...$45 (actually did twice 3-in wheels were too small replaced with 5")
Notch lip for temperature wire....free
Add legs to bottom grate so can sit it on top of top grate....ss bolts/washers ...$20
Make rack for hanging ribs..$15
Purchase different rib racks to try for cooking ribs x 2....$60
Add nomex gaskets for door and lid glued on with high temp black RTV...$20



Add blower/servo controlled damper and automatic controller (heatermeter)....$300
Add air distribution pipe for blower....$75

Right out of the box, my 18 doesn't hold enough charcoal for all night. Ash build up on the charcoal will cause the temperature to crater after 6 or 7 hours and to keep going you have to shake the ash off.... Then it will run several more hours.... Long enough to finish a cook. When I added the height to my charcoal ring with expanded metal, and got rid of the deep water bowl this moved up to about 11 hours that it could run without any attention reliably. That is the number one improvement to make to it, imo. Otherwise you'll wake up in the temperature will be 120. This could depend on the charcoal used as well. But for sure you typically have to shake the ash down after a number of hours, which makes it something you have to pay attention to.

I once had a big pile of standing ash.... That still looked like charcoal... When I jostled it it all collapsed and put the fire out. To continue that cook I had to take the shell off light a whole new chimney of coals and start all over again. Not fun to do at 2:30 am. The temperature controller and the blower now uses increased air flow when that begins being a problem to fight through it keep the temperature up. The additional air flow may cause the ash to dislodge better, or something, but I can run 25-30 hours and never touch it now. Truly set it and forget it. No I don't need to run that long but that capability provides stability for the time I do need to run. I had one brisket cook once that took 21 hours once.... I don't cook at 225 anymore.... One experiment with that was enough.


The blower and air distribution pipe also gets it up to high temperature easy. A lot of people want to get hot to cook chicken and actually end up putting a second vent on lid for more air flow. No need to do that. I can hit 400° in 15 minutes from starting if I want to. Introducing the air beneath the coals is way more efficient to achieve high temperatures for cooking poultry.


Now, I like my WSM. If I desire, it's very portable it can be run without any electricity. I can run my blower and controller on battery as well. I can run it the way it was designed to be run too. But here's the overriding thing....$500 for a 1970 era WSM....... Or nearly the same price for a new masterbuilt gravity feed with digital controller and Bluetooth...... There's no competition for most people today. Hence the wide popularity of the masterbuilt gravity feed.

Most of these upgrades are fun to do, but not necessary in my humble opinion.

I think this subject was beaten to death about 10 post ago...closing this thread.