Have 4 Webers and find the quality and service to be going down hill.

[Mark_E]

The last few times I called Weber they have been no help at all. I register all my grills and have had no issues in the pass when it comes to service yet difficulty now. I also have noticed hey use inferior materials now as compared to the past when Weber grills were like tanks and now thinner guage on materials with more rust issues. Also now they want receipts for your grills to service you even if registered years ago where they have all the information. I'm starting to get a sour taste as never considered another product but may now in the future.

Yep - my buddy up in Maine found an old Weber at the dump. It was in perfect working order and it's built like a tank, just like you say. Really thick gauge steel all around. He took it home and is using it regularly. I'm jealous.

And even the ones these days are not as nice and as well made as the ones in the 80s and 90s. I suspect China is to blame.

 

[BobH-SCW]

Like when Ford brought back the Thunderbird. Looked cool, but ultimately was

Cody, you can't imagine how many warranty claims I processed on the Tbirds! Junk!

 

[BobH-SCW]

I have no problem with the bells and whistles, I just don't need them or want them. I feel the same way about side burners and anything electronic. I just want a grill that cooks, holds up, and is pleasing to my eye. You know, like my old Genesis 1000.

Agreed Steve I like simple too! A neighbor had an older Sears with a side burner and wanted to move on, showed her my Q320 and she bought it right away! Will last them far longer than anything else they would have bought for $500 and up, and she was considering a new Weber 3 burner spirit for that!

 

[Ed_T]

Yep - my buddy up in Maine found an old Weber at the dump. It was in perfect working order and it's built like a tank, just like you say. Really thick gauge steel all around. He took it home and is using it regularly. I'm jealous.

And even the ones these days are not as nice and as well made as the ones in the 80s and 90s. I suspect China is to blame.

The funny thing about China is that they will build a high quality product if it is specified and checked. One example is the early Chinese Spirits, basically regurgitated Silver A's and B's. Quality is almost identical to their American made predecessors.

Consumers wanting flashy and cheap while companies look to maintain/increase profits dictates mediocre product regardless of the country of origin. Chinese manufacturers are just the most willing to meet low budgets, cut corners and misstate material grades, if not closely watched.

That said, I'll stick to early Gennys made in the States.

 

[Josh Dekubber]

That said, I'll stick to early Gennys made in the States.

Absolutely!

 

[Bruce]

I think that the progressions of the tables came with advancing technology. Especially within the field of plastics. That being said, the durawood was the most durable, in my opinion. It doesn’t show the fade, or crack and break like the thermoset. The handles, not as great, but longer lasting than the wood. However the sturdiness of the thermoset tables, both lifted and stowed is far superior.

The durawood is similar to the thermoset it durability, although the Zbars are not. The Thermoset shelves eliminated the rust prone z bars.

 

[Bruce]

I agree I don't like the dedicated sear burner but it is popular and they sell well on flips. I like my LX grills that have the built-in high+sear in each burner. That makes more sense to me but it's just essentially a higher version of high. Which is mainly nice for heating up very quickly. The LX grills do seem to regulate whatever temperature you're looking for very well though also for some reason.

Visually the difference in flame from High to High-plus-sear isn't a lot but the high plus sear sounds like a jet engine.

Josh, I didn't even realize they had the TURBO setting on those LX grills. I just thought it was a HIGH setting. But man, running the grill on that setting does boot the heat output greatly.

 

[Josh Dekubber]

@Bruce I'm much more a fan of the old school Webers but as far as the new ones go those LX grills are a standout favorite for me. I've had quite a few other newer ones come and go from my possession and nothing really grab my attention other than the LX grills.

 

[Bruce]

I am kinda the same Josh. I have never been overly impressed with the grills made by Weber after the Silver B era. But, I have been using this LX for a couple months now and keep finding it to be my go to grill. It doesn't seem to have much less grill space than a Silver B. I don't mind the N/S burners really since I don't do rotisserie on it. I have my SS Platinum set up for that. Now that I finally got my Q220 set up and hooked to NG, I will probably be using that more again. But, I only put the LX into use on a test basis and IMO, it passed the test and will stay for the time being. I even think it is probably better with indirect cooking as it is easier to get my food more separated from direct heat. That fold down warming rack is nice too.
The SS Platinum is going to be doing a roto turkey this week though.

 

[Josh Dekubber]

Josh, I didn't even realize they had the TURBO setting on those LX grills. I just thought it was a HIGH setting. But man, running the grill on that setting does boot the heat output greatly.

Hard to get a picture with all the settings all the way around the knob but this one's pretty good just can't see the off position.

So each knob / burner is like this whether it's a 2,3,4 or 6 burner LX.

Straight up is off position.

First position to the left engages the Infinity igniter for that individual burner.

Next position is high-plus-sear

Next is high

Next is medium

Next is low

 

[Josh Dekubber]

I am kinda the same Josh. I have never been overly impressed with the grills made by Weber after the Silver B era. But, I have been using this LX for a couple months now and keep finding it to be my go to grill. It doesn't seem to have much less grill space than a Silver B. I don't mind the N/S burners really since I don't do rotisserie on it. I have my SS Platinum set up for that. Now that I finally got my Q220 set up and hooked to NG, I will probably be using that more again. But, I only put the LX into use on a test basis and IMO, it passed the test and will stay for the time being. I even think it is probably better with indirect cooking as it is easier to get my food more separated from direct heat. That fold down warming rack is nice too.
The SS Platinum is going to be doing a roto turkey this week though.

That all sounds excellent Bruce! It's cool to see other die hard vintage Weber guys appreciate the LX grills also.

 

[Josh Dekubber]

@Bruce and for what you paid for your LX I would damn near drive across the country for that!!!

 

[Bruce]

For $25, it was definitely worth the 100 mile drive.

 

[HankBates]

The durawood is similar to the thermoset it durability, although the Zbars are not. The Thermoset shelves eliminated the rust prone z bars.

It seems to me that the zbars were even more prone to rust when holding durawood. The wood would tend (to its ultimate detriment) to wick away moisture, durawood does not.
I ordered a set of stainless zbars from Dave Santana, painted them black, and put them on my LX with stainless screws. Guess they will be intact until somebody hits them with something too hot.......

 

[Bruce]

Hmmmm, I guess I never took note of the difference between wood and durawood on rusting of the Z bars, but my logic says that the wood would indeed soak up some of that water, but in turn would keep the area wet for a longer time than durawood making wood tables more prone to rusting out.

 

[Josh Dekubber]

It's amazing to me how many grills have been around for 30-40 years and the original wood and Z metal is still in excellent condition.

Even my 1985 has excellent wood and Z metal

 

[Bruce]

That is not the case up here Josh. Virtually every one I have picked up save a few have required grinding and repainting at the least.

 

[Josh Dekubber]

I don't mind buying Dave's SS Z metal and swing table brackets if needed. Great craftsmanship at a reasonable price.

 

[Josh Dekubber]

Old school Webers are an icon of vintage excellence and I can appreciate all the different old-school models whether they are my favorite models or not. All of them are part of the legacy that is the Weber Genesis. Whether you're into the thermoset tables or the Z metal and slats. It's a pretty cool thing to be apart of. Also I think it makes it interesting to not all like the exact same thing.

 

[DanHoo]

I already knew you liked the sear burner, fine. I won't pay more for it though.

I do like it, and 90 percent of my cooks are on the side with the sear burner since I only use my gas grill for hot and fast.

As far as paying more, you know how cheap I am Steve the last E330 I bought was free. I even drove by an E310 front control at the curb with a free sign on it. I should have grabbed it for parts.

IMO "Sear Zone" is a pretty dumb idea. Never understood wanting just one narrow area for this type of thing.

Maybe the name "sear station" is what's dumb

It isn't just a narrow strip, it brings the heat level up significantly on half of the grill. The extra 10K BTUs under one side of the grill brings the BTUs per square inch on that side up to the level of the Summits, and maybe even your Wolf.

IMO, the extra burner is a game changer for the front control 300s. Having cooked a lot on an E310 without the extra burner I can say with enough firsthand experience it is worth it.

edit: here's the thread with a table of BTUs per sq inch for a few grills that I have.

Post in thread 'Weber Connect vs ThermoWorks'

Feb 24, 2023

below are the grills that I own ( Genesis 1000, Silver B, E330 ) or often cook on ( E320, E310 )

BTU rating is from the tag on each grill.
Grate square inches is from literature on sales sites and is only the main cooking grate.

	1998 1000 (side)	2000 Silver B (side)	2009 E320 (side)	2016 E310 (front)	2016 E330 (front)
square inch	424	424	507	507	507
BTU	35000	36000	42000	38000	48000
BTU/sqInch	82.5

...

• DanHoo

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