44" Vieluxe Stainless Steel Propane Grill in Maryland/D.C. Area

[Jake_MD]

44" Vieluxe Stainless Steel Gas Grill - The Weber Luxury Grill You've Probably Never Heard Of...

Set up for liquid propane. Complete with original Vieluxe cover, side smoker compartment, rotisserie shaft assembly + split forks + screws (sorry, not sure I still have the motor) and manuals.

If you know anything about Vieluxe, these were reportedly hand built by a company in Wisconsin for Weber. Apparently, from what I’ve read on this site, Weber lost their *shirts* on this one and they scrapped a lot of them for parts, thinking they could compete with the Vikings, and other high-end outdoor kitchen appliance makers. The Vieluxe series are built like tanks and were once at the apex of the Weber brand.

Vieluxe 44-inch stainless-steel gas grill includes a primary cooking system featuring four 12,500-BTU burners. Vieluxe's patented flavorizer bars eliminate flare-ups. The stainless-steel cooking surface on the Vieluxe grill features two 3/8-inch, individually removable grates that are easy to clean and incredibly durable. The flavorizer bars and grill grates are original, but I have the contact info for the well known (on this board!) guy in California who custom welds these parts. The grill's 20-by-25-inch side work surface slides out to expose the dual side-burner station--two burners at 14,000 BTU's apiece. The continuous-spark electronic igniters were originally weather sealed and battery powered, but they no longer work. A professional-grade (but currently non-working!) thermometer is center-mounted on the grill's hood. The drip tray and catch pan are designed for quick cleanup, and the unit transports easily on 3-1/2-inch locking stainless-steel casters with rubber tires. This unit is set up for propane. It could use a good cleaning. Note that I tested surface temps recently… fairly consistent around 670 degrees at HIGH setting on left and right sides of grill surface.

Vieluxe 44″ Specifications​

• Dimensions: 65″ W x 33″ D x 50″ H
• Weight: 370 lbs.
• Cooking surface: 432 sq. in.
• Warming rack: 117 sq. in., expandable to 247 sq. in.
• 4 primary burners 50,000 total BTU/hr (12,500 BTU each)
• Smoker burner: 8,000 BTU/hr
• Infrared rotisserie burner: 10,000 BTU/hr
• 2 side burners: 14,000 BTU/hr each burner
• Rotisserie: 2 spit forks

Known issues (as best I can tell):

• Igniters do not work – all need to be replaced (they haven’t worked for many years – I never fixed); I use a long wand lighter to light
• "Ledge" segment in the interior that holds one of the flavorizer bars in place broke off. You can still rest the flavorizer bar on the ledge, but the bar is prone to fall if grill is moved or heavily bumped (tough to do, as it’s super heavy!). Should be a simple weld or possibly hand-forming a piece of malleable copper or thick wire to hold in place
• Original “catch pan” (removable pan that slides in and out of the catch pan holder in the bottom tray) has some small pitting in the bottom of the pan; could easily line with aluminum foil to prevent grease dripping (the spots are maybe 1/8” to 1/4” in diameter)
• Plastic markings under the knobs/dials has mostly worn away
• Thermometer on the hood does not work consistently
• Rubber on wheels should be replaced if you intend to move the grill around
• Missing original warmer tray? It’s possible I have it somewhere, but not sure where
• Not sure the infrared burner works... it will light, but not sure it stays lit... looks very clean when S/S cover is removed.

---

Pickup in Bethesda, MD 20817. Happy to work with a buyer if they need to have it picked up and shipped. (I’ve happily used uShip for similar less-than-truckload objects… but I’ll leave that up to you.)

$1500.

Thanks for looking!

---

I found this somewhere on the internet several years ago... thought Vieluxe fans would appreciate including it here...

Some Historical Perspective on Vieluxe Brand – the “Lexus of grills”​

"In 2001, grilling was more popular than ever. According to the Barbecue Industry Association, over 15 million grills were sold in America the previous year, up 32% from 1997. About 75% of households owned a grill, and over 50% used them all year long. The most popular book at the time was How to Grill by Steven Raichlen.

The Dot Com Bubble had burst in 1999 and the Housing Bubble was just starting to build in 2001. Homeowners were upgrading their kitchens with high-end commercial appliances. Appliance manufacturers like Viking and Jenn-Air started bringing expensive luxury gas grills to market around this time. How did Weber respond? By creating an entirely new brand called Vieluxe. Vieluxe luxury grills were available in 44″ and 56″ models with suggested retail prices of $6,000 and $8,000 respectively. And quite noticeably, they did not carry the Weber name or logo.

In a 2003 Weber press release, Vieluxe Brand Manager Shaun Chinsky said, “Vieluxe grills are painstakingly handmade using only the finest materials. From the welder’s arc to the polisher’s cloth, no detail is overlooked.” In a 2004 interview with GenieKnows.com, Chinsky was quoted as saying that Vieluxe “is like our Lexus.”

Vieluxe grills were built to the highest standards of quality, featuring a welded chassis of 16-gauge stainless steel 304 tubing. They included a commercial-grade thermometer in the hood, heavy-duty 3/8″ welded stainless steel rod cooking grates, stainless steel Flavorizer bars, a rotisserie with infrared burner, a fold-away warming rack, and a funnel-shaped drip pan that directed drippings into a Teflon-coated catch pan for easy cleaning.

At a time when other Weber gas grills had the propane tank hanging on the outside of the grill, Vieluxe hid the tank inside a cabinet with “swing-out easy-change tank support”. Vieluxe was the first grill made by Weber to use continuous-spark electronic igniters powered by AA batteries.

Two unique patented features included a stainless steel work surface that “glides open on a steel rail and ball bearing assembly” to reveal two 14,000 BTU side burners and the Integrated Smoker System “with ported flues that disperse wood smoke evenly across the cooking surface, powered by a dedicated 8,000 BTU/hour burner.”

In 2006, a Weber insider told a popular Weber enthusiast site that the key factor to the demise of Vieluxe was the high cost of hand fabrication. In 2005, Weber Summit Platinum stainless steel grills could be manufactured using the same tooling as the Summit Gold but at a fraction of the cost of Vieluxe. Not that these were comparable grills in any way, but time shows us that people voted with their wallets. Weber Summit grills are still with us today and Vieluxe is but a distant memory.

Presenting the Vieluxe™ grill: a professional caliber grill, designed for everyday living. This striking, beautifully designed grill features advanced, intuitive technology, plus the capacity to prepare your entire meal, from lamb chops to veggies to sauces.

Lift the lid of a Vieluxe grill and you’ll see features designed by a team with 120 collective years experience. Each grill is precision-assembled, by hand, one at a time, beginning with the heavy-duty stainless steel frame. To provide you with the most culinary flexibility, the large grilling surface is complemented by a rotisserie and expandable warming rack. And our exclusive stainless steel work surface slides open to reveal two side burners with porcelain-enameled cast iron grates.

So whether you’re serving elegant chilean sea bass, cornish game hens or hot dogs for the kids, the Vieluxe grill makes it look effortless. And feel that way, too."

 

[DanHoo]

Wow

 

[Jon Tofte]

Wow from me, too!

I guess I will stay content trying to finish my 1st generation Summit which at its launch was the “apex” of Weber’s offerings - and proud to wear the Weber name.

 

[Chris Allingham]

I found this somewhere on the internet several years ago... thought Vieluxe fans would appreciate including it here...

Most of that text is from my article on The Virtual Weber Gas Grill.

Vieluxe: The Weber Luxury Grill You've Probably Never Heard Of - The Virtual Weber Gas Grill

Background In 2001, grilling was more popular than ever. According to the Barbecue Industry Association, over 15 million grills were sold in America the previous year, up 32% from 1997. About 75% of households owned a grill, and over 50% used them all year long. The most popular book at the time...

virtualwebergasgrill.com

 

[Steve Hoch]

She's a beauty, best of luck finding a home for it!

 

[TomRc]

I put my 44 up for sale at the same price point this summer and vowed I wouldn’t let it go for less than $1200. I received a couple of $1000 offers as a result and, in both cases, the potential buyer seemed to think I’d fall all over myself in a rush to grab the $$. I don’t know if this was a case of the market telling me what it’s really worth for a very niche item or just a couple of guys looking to make a score of their own, but I don’t have any regrets in turning them down and keeping it thus far. Vieluxe ownership is certainly an exclusive club and I’m happy enough just to have the story to tell of owning and cooking on one along the way in my Weber adventures.

 

[Jake_MD]

Most of that text is from my article on The Virtual Weber Gas Grill.

Vieluxe: The Weber Luxury Grill You've Probably Never Heard Of - The Virtual Weber Gas Grill

Background In 2001, grilling was more popular than ever. According to the Barbecue Industry Association, over 15 million grills were sold in America the previous year, up 32% from 1997. About 75% of households owned a grill, and over 50% used them all year long. The most popular book at the time...

virtualwebergasgrill.com

Thanks, Chris. I’ll credit you in my listing. I found your posting a few years ago…. before I was a member here.

 

[Jake_MD]

The Vieluxe has been sold. Thank you for looking.