32 years old
- Thread starter Stefan H
- Start date
Jason in CA
TVWBB All-Star
In my short time working with old grills I've had some of those bars and bolts with little to no problems and others that were not worth scrap metal on two identical grills. I think it comes down more to how much use and how well things were cared for (like how was it stored for example) during the life of the stuff.
My dad's '87 or so grill was the same way. That bolt looked brand new, and the frame was in great shape. Those slide rails on the bottom were not as good as yours though.
He kept the grill outside all year with a cover on it. There was a roof overhang that somewhat protected the grill. The wall that the grill was in front of faced West and had a lot of sun exposure, so it was never damp.
I remember these grills being very expensive back then, so the grill actually got stored inside during the first several winters of its life.
Anyone know what they cost back when they came out?
Gerry
He kept the grill outside all year with a cover on it. There was a roof overhang that somewhat protected the grill. The wall that the grill was in front of faced West and had a lot of sun exposure, so it was never damp.
I remember these grills being very expensive back then, so the grill actually got stored inside during the first several winters of its life.
Anyone know what they cost back when they came out?
Gerry
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Seems to me I read them being around $300 which was a very steep price in the day, especially compared to Sunbeams and Kenmores that dominated the market then. Some time back we had a big back and forth where someone calculated the inflation factor and found that current Genesis grills are still priced in the same or even lower price range when you adjust for inflation. Of course, now they face even stiffer competition from imported inexpensive throwaway grills that many seem happy to buy and trash every two years. See my “Oceans of Junk” picture.
I think you may be right. I was thinking it was much more, but I can't say for sure.
Back then, in my world, grills were for cooking hamburgers, hot dogs and the occasional steak. It was hard to justify the Genesis high price for cooking those back then.
I remember that the other choices for gas grills back then were all filled with lava rocks.
What a disaster that was!
I think the Genesis grills were more than twice the price of the competition, and it took a couple of years to get the word out.
But wow! What a success it was!
Back then, in my world, grills were for cooking hamburgers, hot dogs and the occasional steak. It was hard to justify the Genesis high price for cooking those back then.
I remember that the other choices for gas grills back then were all filled with lava rocks.
What a disaster that was!
I think the Genesis grills were more than twice the price of the competition, and it took a couple of years to get the word out.
But wow! What a success it was!
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
When you consider that the first Genesis grills came out in 1985/6, and that they used the same basic layout all the way through the 2005/6 Genesis Silver/Gold/Platinum, that is quite an impressive 20 year run that testifies to the sound engineering and stylish design. In fact, the three burner Spirits for a few more years after that still had the same underpinnings concealed by a more modern - though made overseas cheap - stainless covering. I don’t think Weber can ever hope to ride any design for that kind of longevity again. I guess that’s why a bunch of us here put in so much effort to restore and preserve them. They were a quantum leap over their competition back then and are still leagues ahead of the typical stuff people sadly buy today at the big box stores.