Is the Weber Summit Charcoal a flop?


 
I have the Summit Charcoal Grill Center (the one with the table). My wife bought it for me for Father's Day last year as a suprise. I probably wouldn't have bought it myself because I am cheap but she is the kind of person that says you should just get what you want and be happy.

It is probably a flop as far as sales go. I do not personally know anyone else that has one. I don't even know anyone that knows what it is outside of me telling them about it. When I go to stores that sell grills, I never see it and no one knows what I am talking about. Even popular YouTube personalities like Guga (Guge Foods/Sous Vide Everything) and Malcolm Reed do not know anything about it based on their comments on videos and twitter if people ask them about it. Outside of Baby Back Maniac and Harry Soo, I don't see any known YouTubers with it.

The biggest problem is they haven't really gotten the word out. I'm not sure how these dealer relationships work but I see BGE and Kamado Joe everywhere but never see this grill. They also haven't done a good job showing how it performs better than a performer or a WSM. Just read all the comments on this post or other threads, people say you can do all the same for less with a performer and a WSM. You can, but not as well. I have used all of those as well as BGE and the Summit is the best cooking device I have ever used. It took me about 5 low and slow cooks to figure out where to put my vents and how much charcoal to use and now it is like an oven. I check on it due to paranoia but it is always rock steady. It is way better at holding temps that the WSM 18 I had. I really can't say how much I love it. It can hold a ton too, especially if you add a second rack - which I have not done yet since I don't cook for 100 people or anything crazy like that.

I think another problem is that it looks like a kettle performer. People don't see how it could be that much better but it really is. It looks great but I think the BGE and KJ have a more stand-out look which really does sway people with the cermanic in nice colors. It is like a trophy or something. They have also been out longer so they have a bigger head start. Since they are ceramic, people are aware they hold temps for a long time. They do not understand that an air insulated kamado can hold just as long and has some benefits (can crank down the temp quicker, way less fragile, much easier to move around - take to the park - move off a deck - etc). I could go on and on about the benefits vs a ceramic but that's another post.

I hope they keep it around because:
A) I want parts years down the line should I need it
b) I like to talk to friends about it but they don't have the experience - I wish more people had it
c) it is just awesome

They really should be comparing it to BGE and KJ with the benefits. That's the target competition. They need to get to these dealers and really convince them it is better (I really think it is). Then hopefully it will sell more

The pricing is actually better or similar in some cases vs BGE and KJ.

Kamado Joe Big Joe (24 inch) = $1,899. They don't even make a cart for that but the cart they sold for the smaller size was $849 so that would be $2748. $748 more than the equivelant Weber Summit Charcoal Grill Center.

Big Green Egg XL (24 inch) = $1,199. I couldn't find pricing on the modular nest with wheels but a similar cart not made by BGE is $699 on Home Depot. So $1899, so about $100 less than the Weber. The actual BGE nest probably costs more if I had to guess.
 
I also have a Weber summit charcoal grill without the table. Got it at a special price of about $950 last year. I think it cooks fantastic and love how versatile it is and its allowed me to go down to 1 grill/smoker. It cooks like a ceramic (BGE) which is why I bought it, I don't have a dedicated space outdoors for my cookers and a gravel drive so pushing the summit in and out of the garage is a breeze and would be very tricky with a ceramic (unless fitted with a very fancy cart with large pneumatic tires - imagine a ceramic grill falling over while moving it about!) . Short story it was the right choice for me, and I am very very happy with it, but I have some unique circumstances.
 
I also have a Weber summit charcoal grill without the table. Got it at a special price of about $950 last year. I think it cooks fantastic and love how versatile it is and its allowed me to go down to 1 grill/smoker. It cooks like a ceramic (BGE) which is why I bought it, I don't have a dedicated space outdoors for my cookers and a gravel drive so pushing the summit in and out of the garage is a breeze and would be very tricky with a ceramic (unless fitted with a very fancy cart with large pneumatic tires - imagine a ceramic grill falling over while moving it about!) . Short story it was the right choice for me, and I am very very happy with it, but I have some unique circumstances.
If the price-was-right for me I would buy-one without the table in a heartbeat; say double the amount I paid for my new Weber Performer Deluxe of $550 last January here in Costa Rica!
 
I bought a Summit Charcoal Grilling Center when they first came out. It's a great grill, but I don't use it often. I have barely used it for smoking, since I'm mostly doing that on the WSM and photographing/writing about it. Most of our grilling happens on the Summit 450 gas grill, it's just more convenient.

This is the first year since its release in 2016 that Summit charcoal grills are featured in the Weber product catalog. In 2018, when I asked the Weber charcoal products manager why Summit wasn't in the catalog, he said, "Because the Summit Charcoal Grill was launched with limited distribution (and still remains the case), the decision was to leave it out of the main catalog that goes to all accounts." It was only available at select Weber dealers, including Weber Alliance dealers. Those dealers were the ones most committed to Weber and most prepared to explain to customers what Summit charcoal grills were, how they worked, how they compared to a kamado grill, etc. They also had dedicated marketing collateral like the Summit brochure I posted here.

IMHO, it's a grill that does not sell itself, it needs someone to sell it, unlike BGE which has enough buzz and word of mouth that it does kind of sell itself (and maybe good profit margins from those high prices). I've watched Summit charcoal grills sit for long periods of time at Ace Hardware stores...very expensive and no one is making the cost/benefit argument you're making compared to a BGE or KJ.

From a dealer perspective, they don't want to waste floor space on something that won't sell. But on the other hand, you can't sell something if people don't know about it, can't see it, etc. But as I said before, I imagine there's very little SELLING going on at Lowe's, Home Depot, or even many Ace and True Value stores. A Weber Alliance store has the best shot at moving these grills, but those stores can be few and far between.

Or perhaps those that know about them and want them are buying online.
 
You can’t even find a list of Weber Alliance dealers on Weber.com. Not in their dealer locator either.
 
You can’t even find a list of Weber Alliance dealers on Weber.com. Not in their dealer locator either.
I wonder if they're discontinuing that dealer status...

Update: I took a look at the weber.com store locator. Stores that I recognize as Alliance Dealers are now listed as "Full Service Specialty Stores".
 
I love my grill station. Have had many grills and smokers through the years and since i got my Summitt i have unloaded several eggs and my backwoods fatboy. Kamados are great but they crack and not just some crack they all crack and frequently. Over a 10 yr span i replaced 4 bases on eggs and cant tell you have many fire boxes and fire rings. I found my grill station at an Ace marked down to $1,499 and bought myself a christmas present. The gas assist start and the ash clean out are my biggest pluses versus a kamado as well as the not cracking part. Heres some flap meat that spent 48 hours at 131 in the sous vide then seared off on the Summitt from last night.4D6209F1-1F62-47BA-95F1-2D8A71F2C4AA.jpeg9F1FE148-135D-4EB3-988F-405554838523.jpeg
 
I agree with so much that has been voiced in this thread. The Kamados are out of my price range at this time, I just feel so lucky to have found this site and have learned everything I have and now feel like a king cooking on my WSM and my Master Touch. However, if I have the money I would go for a Kamado grill. Now before finding this site and then learning about Baby Back Maniac (from this site) I had no clue that Weber made a Kamado, I had no clue that you could make a metal Kamado, and I would have walked right past a Summit and thought it was just a new Kettle. Before this site and learning, if I was able to afford a Kamado it would have been a Kamado Joe, they are doing new cool thing to improve the product and for ever personal reasons just would not go with a BGE. However, after learning from this site I would go with a Summit hands down. In a post a few months ago someone said if they would have priced the Summit right at the same price as a Kamado Joe or BGE and then placed the Summit right beside them in a store with a sign that said "Is your egg not all it's "cracked" up to be?" what could have been the conversation? I will start to look for a used Summit, as that has become my white whale.
 
I see many on this site who have a large collection of grills. I was headed in that direction, as I had a Performer Deluxe, 18”WSM, Jumbo Joe and a Genesis gasser. The patio was getting crowded and the wife a little exasperated. (The latter was a bigger problem...😀). So I made the decision to sell the three charcoal grills and pick up the Summit Grilling Center. It does all the things that the WSM and the two kettles did, with better functionality and much easier cleanup. Just as importantly, it cleared up space out back.

The bank account suffered a bit, but it is a great, great cooker that serves the function of many grills. I don’t regret the decision one bit. And the wife appreciates less clutter.
 
All my grills are used. The most expensive one at $200 which was more than I wanted to spend. I don't grill that often that I could justify that much spent. I have seen a few used Charcoal Summits around. Recently one without side tables for around $700 and one with side tables for around $1,200. But even that is too much money for me for a grill. And yes I am also worried about the long term support on these. Weber made several expensive models in the past where you can no longer get parts for such as the first gen gas Summit or the Vieluxe. Or even the CharQ and Weber Genesis x000.
But for the cheap grills you can find cheap used donor grills for parts. Not so much for the expensive exclusive models.
 
Used Weber Grills for sale here in Costa Rica are a "very-rare-bird". Stefan H's point-above makes very good sense regarding finding available parts for our Weber Kettle in the years-to-come. My Weber Performer Deluxe Grill that I bought new here in Costa Rica for $550 last January is basically a Non-Sofisticated basic Weber Kettle with a table attached with a propane gas assist. Since this Kettle is now registered with Weber.com I feel very confident that parts for my Kettle will be available for the next ten(10) years plus.
 
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...And yes I am also worried about the long term support on these. Weber made several expensive models in the past where you can no longer get parts for such as the first gen gas Summit or the Vieluxe. Or even the CharQ and Weber Genesis x000.
But for the cheap grills you can find cheap used donor grills for parts. Not so much for the expensive exclusive models.
If I bought one, I would almost treat it like a restoration project even though it is new. I would replace all of the hardware with quality SS. I would buy a set or two of spares (igniter, igniter button, wheels, diffuser plate). And commission Mark Baron of Killa Grilla to make a complete set of grates. If you have the coin to spend $1.5-2K on a cooker what's another $400-500, right? Way out of my league.
 
I am returning my Traeger to Costco on Friday (I do not think pellet grills are my thing) and I am thinking about taking the refund and buying the Summit Charcoal Grill. I have a Performer and 22.5" WSM, so I know there is some overlap, but I think I would use the WSM still, and likely gift my Performer to a friend who wants to start grilling.

I actually want to get one now because I am worried that by the time I actually go to buy one, they will no longer be in production.
 
I'm sure the Summit is a great grill and competitively priced with the ceramic kamados.

But it looks very much like a 22 kettle or performer or WSM. But is priced 4-5 times higher.

Seems like you have to really thread a needle to find a buyer at full price.

Someone who is really jones-ing for a Kamado, but for some reason wants a Weber rather than a kamado. But who is unaware or unmoved by the fact that there are similar Weber products (at least superficially) costing sooo much less at retail price. Plus even cheaper when considering how plentiful used Webers are. I mean I scored my 18 WSM nearly new for $80!!

Maybe the target buyer is someone like Jeff who would swap out a Performer and a WSM to get a one arrow quiver. But who is also fully committed to charcoal only. Cause it really gets expensive if your quiver is also going to include a gasser or pellet grill too.
 
I'm sure the Summit is a great grill and competitively priced with the ceramic kamados.

But it looks very much like a 22 kettle or performer or WSM. But is priced 4-5 times higher.

Seems like you have to really thread a needle to find a buyer at full price.

Someone who is really jones-ing for a Kamado, but for some reason wants a Weber rather than a kamado. But who is unaware or unmoved by the fact that there are similar Weber products (at least superficially) costing sooo much less.

Maybe the target buyer is someone like Jeff who would swap out a Performer and a WSM to get a one arrow quiver. But who is also fully committed to charcoal only. Cause it really gets expensive if your quiver is also going to include a gasser or pellet grill too.
From someone who has gone through probably 15 kamados the Summitt cooks the same but wont crack and has gas assisted light and more important its much easier to empty the ash. It can cook like a kettle with the lower grate raised but like a kamado with it dropped. Ill never own another kamado.
 
I'm sure the Summit is a great grill and competitively priced with the ceramic kamados.

But it looks very much like a 22 kettle or performer or WSM. But is priced 4-5 times higher.

Seems like you have to really thread a needle to find a buyer at full price.

Someone who is really jones-ing for a Kamado, but for some reason wants a Weber rather than a kamado. But who is unaware or unmoved by the fact that there are similar Weber products (at least superficially) costing sooo much less at retail price. Plus even cheaper when considering how plentiful used Webers are. I mean I scored my 18 WSM nearly new for $80!!

Maybe the target buyer is someone like Jeff who would swap out a Performer and a WSM to get a one arrow quiver. But who is also fully committed to charcoal only. Cause it really gets expensive if your quiver is also going to include a gasser or pellet grill too.
I think I'll end up keeping my Performer and WSM... We'll see how I feel when the Summit arrives next Wednesday!
 

 

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