I will just leave this here


 
It is going to be interesting to see the shakeout in pellet grills. There are now an incredible number of manufacturers, although many of the internal components are from the same sources.

That one is certainly a bargain entry into pellet grill smoking. I like the one that @LMichaels picked up at Sam's better.

If I had $ for a new grill, I would be torn between the SmokeFire and the new Camp Chef Woodwind Pro that is getting rave reviews. Both offer better smoke profiles than any of their price-comparable competitors, at least as far as I can see.
 
Really the only mass market one that even "hints" at being American built is the Weber, and I have serious doubts that it is. Maybe a couple bits and pieces so they can say "Assembled" in USA but "made" here? Doubtful. Also, nearly every one of them uses all the same components. So much so that things like fans, auger motors control boards and more can be easily swapped from brand to brand.
 
Larry, that is exactly how MANY products from China are produced. Many products look extremely similar and list very similar specs even though they are branded differently. It is like they have huge factories that put out various spec'ed parts and then various companies buy those parts and assemble them into products and they simply slap their name on them. No one designs, builds and markets anything from the ground up over in China any longer. Sadly, it is going that way in the US as well.
 
Bruce said:
Larry, that is exactly how MANY products from China are produced. Many products look extremely similar and list very similar specs even though they are branded differently. It is like they have huge factories that put out various spec'ed parts and then various companies buy those parts and assemble them into products and they simply slap their name on them.
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Yep, no secret there. Nothing you and I can do about it. All we can do is live with it
 
Those Ducane models are pretty impressive products. They're solid 304SS though and through, if you can find a source of consumable parts well worth the trouble
 
LMichaels said:
Those Ducane models are pretty impressive products. They're solid 304SS though and through, if you can find a source of consumable parts well worth the trouble
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A far cry better than the Ducanes Weber produced after they bought them...at least the ones produced for big box stores. I bought a NG Ducane 3 burner for our beach house in 2010 when we bought the place. It had a porcelain coated steel firebox. Junk. Although Weber did send a replacement. I restored it and sold it.
I never quite understood the logic behind the acquisition of Ducane.
 
Jay D in Jersey said:
A far cry better than the Ducanes Weber produced after they bought them...at least the ones produced for big box stores. I bought a NG Ducane 3 burner for our beach house in 2010 when we bought the place. It had a porcelain coated steel firebox. Junk. Although Weber did send a replacement. I restored it and sold it.
I never quite understood the logic behind the acquisition of Ducane.
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There were different levels of Ducane models. That SS one WAS produced under Weber. Weber was experimenting I guess. I think it was a way for them to test the waters of making everything in China and to different price points. But those SS ones were definitely part of Weber. Re, those ones with the powder coated fire box. My sister and BIL got hold of one. Did not take long to rot through. Even worse than the old Summits because at least on the Summit they were porcelain. On the Ducane they were simply powder coated.
 
LMichaels said:
There were different levels of Ducane models. That SS one WAS produced under Weber. Weber was experimenting I guess. I think it was a way for them to test the waters of making everything in China and to different price points. But those SS ones were definitely part of Weber. Re, those ones with the powder coated fire box. My sister and BIL got hold of one. Did not take long to rot through. Even worse than the old Summits because at least on the Summit they were porcelain. On the Ducane they were simply powder coated.
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I recall Home Depot selling the SS ones. Lowes sold the other ones. The brand name itself had a value at that time. Not anymore.
 
Jay D in Jersey said:
I never quite understood the logic behind the acquisition of Ducane.
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From what I understand, it was a way for Weber to try some different things while protecting their brand name. I think Ducane was used by Weber to test the lower level less expensive grill market. I think it was kind of a predecessor to the Spirit line up.
 
LMichaels said:
There were different levels of Ducane models. That SS one WAS produced under Weber. Weber was experimenting I guess. I think it was a way for them to test the waters of making everything in China and to different price points.
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That is the exact story that I have heard. I wish it hadn't worked out for Weber. Maybe they would have stayed with US manufacturing. As it is, it gave them the "confidence" to offshore :( , and in the process, they destroyed the Ducane name.
 
I am not sure Weber ever intended to continue the Ducane name. I think they always intended to use it as a test bed and then either transform it and incorporate it into their lineup under the Weber name or to simple bury it like they did. It sounds harsh, but from a business standpoint, it probably made sense. It is a common business practice in the US.
 
I
Bruce said:
I am not sure Weber ever intended to continue the Ducane name. I think they always intended to use it as a test bed and then either transform it and incorporate it into their lineup under the Weber name or to simple bury it like they did. It sounds harsh, but from a business standpoint, it probably made sense. It is a common business practice in the US.
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I don't know...it seems somewhat dumb to buy the brand name and totally squander it. Ducane enjoyed healthy brand recognition...it could have been used to market a variety of related products...camp stoves, fire pits, coolers, BBQ accessories, outdoor kitchen products, etc...
 
Yah, you have to look deeping into it and take emotion out of it. Most from the outside it would look like Weber simplly acquired a competitor and folded it. But, there was more too it.
 
It was almost all about evaluating outsourcing, I think. At least at that time, the ownership of Weber must have had trepidation about shifting to offshore production. (Well they should have, for a variety of reasons.) With Ducane bankrupt, it was a low-cost way to see how manufacturing overseas would work out. I can see why they let the name go after they drew their conclusions. It would have been cool, though, if they retained the old Ducane cast aluminum grill tooling and kept making at least those in the US. It would be an alternative for people seeking out that set of values.
 
For any of you in Central Michigan, If I wasn't four hours away... On facebook marketplace
 

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Bruce said:
Yah, you have to look deeping into it and take emotion out of it. Most from the outside it would look like Weber simplly acquired a competitor and folded it. But, there was more too it.
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I like grilling but I have no emotional attachment to it or companies that make grills...neither in the US nor China.
 
Jay D in Jersey said:
I like grilling but I have no emotional attachment to it or companies that make grills...neither in the US nor China.
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That's probably a better way to look at it. I admit to having some emotional attachment - probably quite a bit - to both grilling and Weber. If I see something from Weber that is old and tells something about their interesting past history, I am sucker for wanting it. I wouldn't do the same for something from Charbroil or Nexgrill. PK grills has its own story in the same timeframe as Weber's. I can (and have been) drawn down that whirlpool as well!

tvwbb.com

A 50-year time capsule

I was taking a break from tax season misery and checked out OfferUp. I actually like OfferUp the best of web-based buying and selling, but unfortunately, FB Marketplace has proved to be an unstoppable juggernaut. Anyway, buried in the limited selection of Weber items for sale, I came across a...
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com

tvwbb.com

The "Duchess Cooker" - An All aluminum kettle made by maker of PK Grills

You probably have seen pictures of the PK Grill. It is an all cast aluminum grill that was made for decades in Arkansas before the company (Hamlin) had a fire and financial difficulties and then shut down. Much more recently, the name was purchased and the original design faithfully brought...
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com
 
Jon Tofte said:
That's probably a better way to look at it. I admit to having some emotional attachment - probably quite a bit - to both grilling and Weber. If I see something from Weber that is old and tells something about their interesting past history, I am sucker for wanting it. I wouldn't do the same for something from Charbroil or Nexgrill. PK grills has its own story in the same timeframe as Weber's. I can (and have been) drawn down that whirlpool as well!

tvwbb.com

A 50-year time capsule

I was taking a break from tax season misery and checked out OfferUp. I actually like OfferUp the best of web-based buying and selling, but unfortunately, FB Marketplace has proved to be an unstoppable juggernaut. Anyway, buried in the limited selection of Weber items for sale, I came across a...
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com

tvwbb.com

The "Duchess Cooker" - An All aluminum kettle made by maker of PK Grills

You probably have seen pictures of the PK Grill. It is an all cast aluminum grill that was made for decades in Arkansas before the company (Hamlin) had a fire and financial difficulties and then shut down. Much more recently, the name was purchased and the original design faithfully brought...
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com
Click to expand...


I think Weber only sold the Duncane Stainless Steel at Home Depot, it was their exclusive.

The powder coated Ducane gas grills were sold to independent and co-op stores as a lower price point option compared to Weber Spirit, Genesis and Summit lines. It allowed Weber to capture some of the opening price point market.

I agree that “Made in America” is nostalgic and there is something very cool about cooking on those classics.
 
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