Genesis II vs Napoleon Prestige
- Thread starter Howard
- Start date
Rich Dahl
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
As much as restoring a older genesis is a filthy, dirty and hazardous job (think runaway angle grinder) I really enjoyed it. I made a few bucks and was able to collect a few nice Weber's for my personal use.
Then the market here and in Phoenix dried up, here I haven't seen a X000 genesis in over three years and the silvers maybe one or two.
It was fun while it lasted but I wonder how long the aftermarket parts suppliers will continue to make parts for the older gens with a dwindling demand for the older grill parts.
My last restore will be my chocolate gen 2 which I'm slowly acquiring the parts I need and will do that this spring. It will be put into the rotation with the other two gassers for our no charcoal summers here.
Then the market here and in Phoenix dried up, here I haven't seen a X000 genesis in over three years and the silvers maybe one or two.
It was fun while it lasted but I wonder how long the aftermarket parts suppliers will continue to make parts for the older gens with a dwindling demand for the older grill parts.
My last restore will be my chocolate gen 2 which I'm slowly acquiring the parts I need and will do that this spring. It will be put into the rotation with the other two gassers for our no charcoal summers here.
Marty in Toronto
TVWBB Member
I have both a Napoleon Prestige 750 (my Summer BBQ) and a Weber S320 (my Winter beater).
The Weber (mind you my Weber was made in USA) is far superior in construction quality & design.
The Napoleon has a few quality/design issues - the sear plates (Napoleon equivalent of "Flavorizer Bars") rest on a bracket that is spot welded to the rear of the cooking chamber. Over the years the spot welds fail and the bracket sags and falls off. Napoleon sell a replacement bar and recommend that you drill holes in the rear of the BBQ and use stove bolts to secure it.
The control panel designations/labels on the Napoleon are silkscreened on the stainless and wear off. Napoleon's response is to offer to sell a new control panel (ain't cheap) or they sell a sheet of some generic stickers.
Napoleon use some el cheapo rubber bumper stops as lid rests (when lid closed) - the rubber gets hard and brittle over time and they fall out.
Beware the Napoleon BBQ's in the Ted Reader, Legend, Rogue product lines - made for big box stores (think Brinkman quality).
The Weber (mind you my Weber was made in USA) is far superior in construction quality & design.
The Napoleon has a few quality/design issues - the sear plates (Napoleon equivalent of "Flavorizer Bars") rest on a bracket that is spot welded to the rear of the cooking chamber. Over the years the spot welds fail and the bracket sags and falls off. Napoleon sell a replacement bar and recommend that you drill holes in the rear of the BBQ and use stove bolts to secure it.
The control panel designations/labels on the Napoleon are silkscreened on the stainless and wear off. Napoleon's response is to offer to sell a new control panel (ain't cheap) or they sell a sheet of some generic stickers.
Napoleon use some el cheapo rubber bumper stops as lid rests (when lid closed) - the rubber gets hard and brittle over time and they fall out.
Beware the Napoleon BBQ's in the Ted Reader, Legend, Rogue product lines - made for big box stores (think Brinkman quality).
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Marty,
That is a very interesting perspective from a hands on owner/user. I would have to say that many of the faults you attribute to the Napoleon grills have noted equivalents in the latest Weber Genesis II series. And Weber similarly offers a “big box” version in the Spirit II line. To me what you said is just all the more evidence in favor doing quality restorations of “classic” Genesis grills - from back when they were built robustly and without a lot of dubious bells and whistles.
I do share Rich’s concerns about the declining availability of parts for these 15 to 25 year old grills. We are already seeing some evidence of that. There are no sources I know of for replacement drip pans and control panels for x000 grills already. I suspect some other parts will also become more difficult as well. Fabrication is possible but not likely cost practical. We are not talking about Dusenbergs or even ‘57 Chevys. There is only so much you can expect someone to pay for even the most perfectly restored classic grill.
That is a very interesting perspective from a hands on owner/user. I would have to say that many of the faults you attribute to the Napoleon grills have noted equivalents in the latest Weber Genesis II series. And Weber similarly offers a “big box” version in the Spirit II line. To me what you said is just all the more evidence in favor doing quality restorations of “classic” Genesis grills - from back when they were built robustly and without a lot of dubious bells and whistles.
I do share Rich’s concerns about the declining availability of parts for these 15 to 25 year old grills. We are already seeing some evidence of that. There are no sources I know of for replacement drip pans and control panels for x000 grills already. I suspect some other parts will also become more difficult as well. Fabrication is possible but not likely cost practical. We are not talking about Dusenbergs or even ‘57 Chevys. There is only so much you can expect someone to pay for even the most perfectly restored classic grill.
I have the same Napoleon grill and agree 100% with your comments. Prestige Gemini 750 with dual hoods. Napoleon no longer makes this one. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this thing for grilling steaks, with the dual ceramic sear station under a separate hood. These ceramic burners at a claimed 1800° (they heat up FAST) will definitely put a great crust on your steaks at about 90 seconds per side. Then I move them over to the regular burners under the main hood to finish them to taste.
Napoleon construction quality is very good with 304 stainless steel. It’s also HUGE and heavy at over 300 lbs. No rust in or on mine, even though it’s outside under a cover during the non-winter months in WI. The cabinet is solid inside and out. The thick stainless steel grill rods are also very heavy and well built. And it has a huge rotisserie included which runs under both hoods and a rear rotisserie burner under the main hood. I feebly admit I have yet to use the rotisserie, but it’s still in my cooking menu bucket list
Design-wise, there are things Napoleon could have done better. The sear plates (I.e. flavorizer bars) seem pretty thin, although I’ve never had to replace mine yet. And I agree with your comment about the rear support. So far mine is hanging in there. Barely. Also, I’m not a big fan of the “M” shaped burners (more like 2 attached upside down U’s) since it causes uneven heating with more heat towards the rear of the grill. The hoods are hinged in the center so they don’t need any additional clearance to the rear, which is a nice thought, but that can inhibit access to the rear of the grill for flipping food, etc. Inside, the drip tray is only about 1/2 or so the entire width of the grill. On either side (left/right) of the bottom of the cook box is a sheet of slanted stainless steel (which is a permanent part of the cook box), which feeds into center drip tray. This makes cleaning more of a pain in my opinion.
I also own a Big Green Egg and and Weber Genesis Gold. The BGE is my “go-to“ for most everything, especially smoking and low and slow cooking and is my overall favorite. Except steaks which absolutely go on the Napoleon and simple things like bacon, burgers or brats which go on the Weber. I tell my wife it’s like being a mechanic or carpenter with a lot of different tools for different jobs
She never complains about my grill collection or my cooking
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Marty in Toronto
TVWBB Member
Wow we have similar taste in grills - I have a Visions Kamado for charcoal grilling - and the Genesis S320 for Winter use.I have the same Napoleon grill and agree 100% with your comments. Prestige Gemini 750 with dual hoods. Napoleon no longer makes this one. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this thing for grilling steaks, with the dual ceramic sear station under a separate hood. These ceramic burners at a claimed 1800° (they heat up FAST) will definitely put a great crust on your steaks at about 90 seconds per side. Then I move them over to the regular burners under the main hood to finish them to taste.
Napoleon construction quality is very good with 304 stainless steel. It’s also HUGE and heavy at over 300 lbs. No rust in or on mine, even though it’s outside under a cover during the non-winter months in WI. The cabinet is solid inside and out. The thick stainless steel grill rods are also very heavy and well built. And it has a huge rotisserie included which runs under both hoods and a rear rotisserie burner under the main hood. I feebly admit I have yet to use the rotisserie, but it’s still in my cooking menu bucket list
Design-wise, there are things Napoleon could have done better. The sear plates (I.e. flavorizer bars) seem pretty thin, although I’ve never had to replace mine yet. And I agree with your comment about the rear support. So far mine is hanging in there. Barely. Also, I’m not a big fan of the “M” shaped burners (more like 2 attached upside down U’s) since it causes uneven heating with more heat towards the rear of the grill. The hoods are hinged in the center so they don’t need any additional clearance to the rear, which is a nice thought, but that can inhibit access to the rear of the grill for flipping food, etc. Inside, the drip tray is only about 1/2 or so the entire width of the grill. On either side (left/right) of the bottom of the cook box is a sheet of slanted stainless steel (which is a permanent part of the cook box), which feeds into center drip tray. This makes cleaning more of a pain in my opinion.
I also own a Big Green Egg and and Weber Genesis Gold. The BGE is my “go-to“ for most everything, especially smoking and low and slow cooking and is my overall favorite. Except steaks which absolutely go on the Napoleon and simple things like bacon, burgers or brats which go on the Weber. I tell my wife it’s like being a mechanic or carpenter with a lot of different tools for different jobs
I just picked up a used WSM 18.5" to play with (It was only $50 and is in perfect condition) - I will be selling my El Cheapo Brinkman Smoke N Grill in the Spring.
I paid $400 for my Prestige 750 at a contents sale (came with an almost new OEM cover which alone is worth $100 CAD) - both infra-red burners were shot (the brick was a pile of gravel) and I bought a new set of sear plates. Total investment $700. I have had it for 5 years now and I agree - the infra-red sear burners are amazing for searing steaks - sometimes when we are in a rush - I will cook burgers or chicken breasts on the infra-red burners only.
Joe Anshien
TVWBB Platinum Member
#1 They keep popping up here free or very cheap.
#2 I like to cook 20 Wings at a time
#3 Plastic cart never rusts
#4 2 burners give more flexibility with temp control
#5 Our only gas grill so has to be able to cook anything.
#6 The Q1xxx are too small and the Q2X still only has 1 burner.
#7 The Q3x comes set up for 20lb tank. I know adapter hoses are available and I have 1.
#8 Now that I added 2 pop up swivel casters I can roll it around.
I do wish that the burner setup were more like the Napoleon TravelQ PRO285 so you could have 2 zone cooking. In fact if I were to buy a new Q type grill I would probably try the Napoleon instead of the Q 3xx or Q2xx
Thank you for all the responses. I didn't expect the discussion to continue but I'm glad to read up on it. I couldn't arrange in house delivery during the height of the pandemic so I held off on my grill purchase. I'm still on the fence but I'm leaning towards getting the Napoleon - likely between the Prestige 500 or Prestige Pro 500 for the sear zone and Rotisserie. Smokefire is also in the back of my mind...
Joe Anshien
TVWBB Platinum Member
Howard,
My wife and I are doing a little road trip tomorrow to pick up a Napoleon Prestige 500, Q3xxx, and an old Kettle with Roto. Unfortunately, the reason the Prestige was so cheap is that it is NG. So having a bunch of Weber conversions under my belt I will have to research and find appropriate parts to convert it. I will try and post some pictures when I get it home, and then after it is cleaned up and hopefully working. It will probably take me a few weeks to a month to clean and source parts.
My Prestige 500 (non-Pro) has a rotisserie and side/sear burner. Love it.
Joe Anshien
TVWBB Platinum Member
Yes - That is their signature item. I just cleaned up a 2 year old one I bought and can't wait to get it converted to LP to try out.