Genesis or Summit?


 
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Phil Pavlovicz

TVWBB Member
I need to pull the trigger on a new grill this spring. My 5 year old Charbroil is on its dying a slow painful death, but will last another month or so. We grill two to three times a week in the winter and 4-5 times per week in the summer. I am stepping up to a Weber considering a Genesis 330 or a Summit 470. A side burner is a must and I like the rotisserie/infrared on the Summit. Any opinions on if the $1000+ price difference is worth it between the Genesis 330 and Summit 470?
 
1st, my opinion is somewhat biased and I have never owned Genesis. That being said I have a Summit S670 and absolutely LOVE IT. The features construction and cookability are without equal. The huge grilling area is an absolute must for me. I grill 6-8 times times a week (yes sometimes more than once a day) and the Summit takes everything I can throw at it. NYE I rotisseried a 15 lb turkey and it was awesome. If I had to say anything bad about my Summit, and this is hard to do, it would be the Smoker box/burner. It just seems to all go out the side wthout any real smoke flavor on the food. Perhaps it's technique on my part. All in all I would not do anything different and am very satified with my Summit.

-rog
 
I was faced with a similar decision a couple of years ago when I replaced a very good four burner equipped Jenn Air grill made by Vermont Castings that had given me years of good service. I opted for a Summit over a Genesis. The 470 has more bells and whistles and a significantly higher price tag than my Summit 420 so maybe it is not a direct comparison to your decision. What drove my decision was that the Summit offered 4 N-S burners vs. 3 E-W burners on the Genesis which was more of a direct replacement for my Jenn Air. All grills I considered had side burners since that was a requirement for me also. With the new Genesis models with N-S burners, that is no longer a negative. Rotisserie was never a consideration since I do that on a kettle.

Both are very good quality grills, but I can tell you that the Summit has completely exceeded my expectations. If you have the chance, open up both grills and take a good look at the grease management systems. I really like the one on the Summit because you can easily pull the entire bottom tray out for easy cleaning. Even without a sear burner, I get honest searing temperatures in the 700-750 range. I really like the heavy SS grates. They give you great grill marks but have the added advantage of being easier to keep clean so delicate items like fish can be done well on them.

In case you can’t tell, I am extremely happy with my Summit. However, I don’t think you go wrong with either one.
 
That's exactly the feedback I was hoping for. The griller in me says "Summit". The skinflint says "Genesis". I was tending toward Summit, but needed a nudge. Thanks guys. Just don't tell my wife how much it costs.
 
i'm far from an expert on gassers as i rarely use them. but the old adage of "buy the best you can afford"
can be applied here. i have a feeling that if you bought a genesis you will forever be thinking "i coulda had a summit" !
as to smoke, the problem is that the venting for a weber gasser is near grate level in the back. this allows the smoke/heat to exit
rather easily. one suggestion i read a while back was to block half the rear vent with foil on the side where the smoker part is. then put the meat near that with the open exit behind the meat. this way the smoke must go over the meat to exit. this applies to the n-s versions.
 
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My $00.02. If rotisserie is a big part of what you do the new style Genesis (with N-S burners) is a compromise at best. I have both an old style Summit 450 and a VERY old Genesis II. If I want to spin something that old Genesis has always been my "go to". If I had to live with ONLY the Summit I COULD but the only way that old Genesis is going away is being pried from my cold dead fingers. I know people ***** and complain because the controls are on the side but they are the people IMO that don't take the time to truly explore their grill and make the best of it. Weber hit it out of the park with that design IMO (at least for those of us who like to spin our foods.
So the Summit in your case would be the best choice because it has that burner for rotisserie. And please don't misunderstand me. The new Genesis CAN rotisserie but it's more a compromise because the burners are out on the ends rather than across your food.
 
My $00.01 for what it's worth... My Genesis EP-330 is one year old this month. I love the grill but I want more... As soon as I get the go-ahead to move the 330 up the street to a family member, I'm jumping up to the Summit E-470. I'm thinking the extra gadgets and controls will help feed my need ;)
 
I have the EP 330, and am thrilled with it. But compared to the Summit 470? I dunno - Never used it.

If money isn't an issue then yea, go for the big boy.

If the extra $1000 is a concern, I'd take a closer look at the EP330. You can add the hanlde light and a rosttissare to the EP33. You wont have the bling (LED tank scale, lighted knobs) and rotissare burner, but you will save about $900

I think the #1 performance difference between the EP300 and 470 is grilling surface. (580 vs 507). Do you need the extra space?

The 470 has 4 burners vs 3 to cover the extra space which boosts the total BTU , but on the smaller 330 with 3 burners I would imagine you're going to get comparable grill temps. I' think the sear staion on the EP330 is the same as the 470? I've gotten temps pushing 700 on my EP 330.

I think the SS grates on the 330 and 470 are also the same, no?

I can't comment on the infra red rotisarie burner. If this is important to you then, it's a plus. Other wise, I think it's a toss up .
 
Don't get me wrong. I love my Genesis,but if I had the money,I would have bought the Summit. I got to cook on one last summer at a friends house in NJ. SOO much nicer than my Genny.
 
Phil Perrin said:
Don't get me wrong. I love my Genesis,but if I had the money,I would have bought the Summit. I got to cook on one last summer at a friends house in NJ. SOO much nicer than my Genny.
Click to expand...

Phil, what did you find was nicer? Construction? Performance? Features? I struggled with the Genny/Summit queston too, but never had the chance to cook on a Summit. Inquiring minds want to know! :)
 
@Andy,it seemed like a TON more BTUs. Heated up quicker and got a very nice sear real quick! Plus,all stainless looked very nice also! :D
 
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