Making an "exchange"

[MikeLucky]

So, a buddy of mine is looking for a Performer with gas assist and I was helping him look on CL. I find one and he contacts the woman but after saying it was still available she never responds back. So, I keep looking. I find this:



$100 and it looks beautiful. At first I was going to send it to my buddy but without gas assist I knew he wouldn't want it. Then it hit me that I could get this one and sell him my Performer for the same price since I use my Genesis side burner to start my chimney and don't even use the gas assist on my Performer. Kills two birds.... I get this grill and he gets what he's looking for.

I'm going in a couple of hours to look at it and take it home if it looks as good as it does in the pics. Seems like a decent price. One question for those of you that might know.... I don't see the upper bracket on the back for the lid holder. The rollers are there and the lid stop is in place, but don't see the bracket. Is that something that was possibly removed from this model, or is it just missing from this particular one? Thoughts?

 

[MikeLucky]

So, found the part and with it being discontinued I guess that means it was removed from the model? That was my suspicion, but was hoping someone here had more specific knowledge about it.

 

[Jon Tofte]

I believe you are correct that the slide-away bracket is in fact missing. With this grill you lift the unusual front handle and the lid rolls right back into the bracket. Maybe not a deal breaker, but you probably want to see what one will cost if the seller lost it.

I love this grill, even if mine is disassembled right now pending fixing up. It wasn’t popular, but the built in gas lighter doesn’t matter to me (I use a long handle blow torch). I personally really like the two tables that work well for food service on one side and a Smoke on the other. It is also more manageable then a Performer.

 

[Jon Tofte]

Those things do have a tendency to scratch the lid, but it is also an important part of the charm of this particular grill, at least to me.

 

[MikeLucky]

Yeah, I'm trading the Performer in this pic and putting this new one in its place and the double tables will be absolutely perfect.




I don't really care if the bale is there unless it's required to hold the lid, which I'm guessing between the rollers, the lid stop, and the corners of the tables the lid rests just fine in there without it.

 

[DrewZ]

View attachment 452

I'm going in a couple of hours to look at it and take it home if it looks as good as it does in the pics. Seems like a decent price. One question for those of you that might know.... I don't see the upper bracket on the back for the lid holder. The rollers are there and the lid stop is in place, but don't see the bracket. Is that something that was possibly removed from this model, or is it just missing from this particular one? Thoughts?

It looks complete. Here are some pics from the BBQ Guys website showing the backside of the same grill.

 

[MikeLucky]

It looks complete. Here are some pics from the BBQ Guys website showing the backside of the same grill.

Yep, exactly what this one looks like. Got it cleaned up and put back together. I fell in love with the grill the instant I saw it. I'm very happy to add it to my family.



Obviously I bought it. It's currently #11 in my collection, but like I said before I'm selling my current redhead performer to my buddy along with my Smokey Joe since he has a new camper and needs a portable grill as well. It was actually a tough decision for me since my current performer is my favorite grill of the bunch. But, I know it makes more sense because it'll be his only grill for his home and he'll use all the features of it more than I do since I don't need the starter.

When I met the guy to buy this new grill he actually shows me a newer copper performer that he acquired from someone that was either cheap or free. And, he pretty much offers me either one and he was going to keep one. He was very new to charcoal grilling and seemed a bit apprehensive about it all. I assured him he wanted to keep the copper one with the gas assist for the same reasons I was selling mine to my buddy; it's his only grill and the gas assist version is definitely what he needs. As he's helping me break down the 2 table performer he asks if he can keep the non-descript old cover and I could take the actual Weber cover from the copper grill. I said he could keep both since my patio is covered and I use my grills enough to keep them clean I didn't need a cover. He then explained that he wanted the old cover for sentimental reasons. His brother recently passed away and the 2 table performer was actually his grill and he was using it but didn't need 2 grills and he wanted to keep the cover for sentimental reasons since he was with him the day he bought the cover.

I was kind of floored. I showed him a picture of my back yard patio with all my grills and assured him his brother's grill was going to the best possible home.



It would now be my favorite grill and the center of my Weber family. It was really cool because I was still feeling kind of weird about selling my current favorite grill to my buddy, but after hearing the story about this new grill it really all kind of fell into place for me. Plus, I got the free redhead SS Performer 2 years ago that I'm cleaning up and fixing and didn't know what I was going to do with it when I was done. Now I can just keep it in the collection.



I actually hung out with the guy I bought it from for a good hour and he had a lot of questions about charcoal grilling and his copper performer. He had no idea what the gourmet system grate was so I explained it to him. By the time I left he kept thanking me for sharing the knowledge with him and he was legitimately excited about his grill and how he will be using it.

So, I am really happy about the whole exchange and am looking forward to making this new 2 table performer my own.

 

[Kyle in Woodstock]

Great story. Sounds like it all worked out for the best. For you, it certainly is easier to let a Performer going since you have another one waiting to step into the rotation. I prefer the older SS style myself. Jealous of your red head! And the new double table looks great too! The new one you just picked up, it's a burgundy color? Kind of hard to tell with the lighting.

 

[Jon Tofte]

It looks complete. Here are some pics from the BBQ Guys website showing the backside of the same grill.

That's pretty interesting. Mine does not have those clip things attached to the tables and instead has the bale. (Not exactly sure how those work other than maybe to keep a hot lid from scraping and melting the table.) I am guessing they changed design because of too many warranty claims for scratched up lids. With the front handle it is pretty hard to safely lift off the lid while cooking. You pretty much have to use the method it was designed for. And like I said, those bales do have a propensity to scratch the lids.

So you got the better design of a really cool grill. Cool! Maybe I will look into how to retrofit mine.

p.s. Awesome collection!!!

 

[MikeLucky]

Great story. Sounds like it all worked out for the best. For you, it certainly is easier to let a Performer going since you have another one waiting to step into the rotation. I prefer the older SS style myself. Jealous of your red head! And the new double table looks great too! The new one you just picked up, it's a burgundy color? Kind of hard to tell with the lighting.

Yeah, it's a bit darker than the Performer I'm replacing it with. I'll take another comparison pic when I get home to show the color difference.

That's pretty interesting. Mine does not have those clip things attached to the tables and instead has the bale. (Not exactly sure how those work other than maybe to keep a hot lid from scraping and melting the table.) I am guessing they changed design because of too many warranty claims for scratched up lids. With the front handle it is pretty hard to safely lift off the lid while cooking. You pretty much have to use the method it was designed for. And like I said, those bales do have a propensity to scratch the lids.

So you got the better design of a really cool grill. Cool! Maybe I will look into how to retrofit mine.

p.s. Awesome collection!!!

Yeah, the little clips just attach to the tables via a screw into the bottom of the corner of the table. And, the associated screw holes are on each end of the table. One of mine was stripped out so I swapped the tables so that I could get them both reinstalled firmly. They don't even touch the lid if it sits properly in the lid stop tab. But, a few times I noticed the lid slid over the stop tab and it goes down lower so the tabs kept the lid from touching the tables in that case.

I can snap some pics of that too when I get home tonight.

 

[J Grotz]

That story had me tearing up.

 

[Kevin L (NKY)]

I have always liked this grill and in that color too. Everytime i see one for sale I am to late or yo far away.
Do if you get rid of this one I would love to take it off your hands of it could be shipped.
Now i need to see a cook on that teo fisted grilling machine.

 

[MikeLucky]

That story had me tearing up.

I'm glad I found this place because y'all are my people. lol. I also was getting emotional about the whole thing. Both having to let go of my favorite then the story of his brother's grill.... then I told the whole story to my wife and after listening to the whole thing, her response was, "So, you got ANOTHER grill?" lol. I'm like, "dead brother?! You are just flying right by that one, huh?"

I have always liked this grill and in that color too. Everytime i see one for sale I am to late or yo far away.
Do if you get rid of this one I would love to take it off your hands of it could be shipped.
Now i need to see a cook on that teo fisted grilling machine.

No plans to sell this bad boy. I'm completely truthful in saying that the instant I saw the CL ad I instantly fell in love and wanted this grill. But, definitely if I decide to move it I'll shoot you a message.

I will be posting pics, for sure. I'm going to clean and work on ALL my grills tomorrow. I usually wait until the Spring, but I use my grills year round so it's time to clean them now. It'll be a perfect day for a good, full family photo. Plus, I need to revive my photo thread of Weber Wednesdays and get back to doing something special on the Webers on Wednesday evenings.

 

[MikeLucky]

My buddy is coming today to get the grills he's getting in this deal. I have them ready and cleaned out for a new place.



I feel like the Reba MacIntyre song Fancy where I'm dressing up my kids to go be prostitutes. Lol.

They are going to be his only grills, one for home and one for the camper. And, I feel good that I'm passing the Weber gene to someone that previously only had a rusting out CharBroil that I told him not to buy in the first place because it wasn't a Weber. Lol. He does also have a WSM that his wife won in a work contest and I convinced him to keep it and he's been using it for several years now. So, now he's got a nice little family and it'll serve his family well.

(tear)

 

[MikeLucky]

So, I finally fired up the new grill tonight to grill some wings and then kicked the vents down and tossed some wood on the coals to smoke some hot dogs for burnt end hot dogs (I call them Turnt Up Ends lol) and some smoked bologna for a potluck today. I was wondering why the temp wouldn't get over 300 degrees then after busting out a second thermo realized that the dome thermo is obviously broken. lol. Otherwise, it killed it as I expected it would.

https://imgur.com/B8ydImy

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

You know, I think I’d like to add a “platypus” to the arsenal, of the right one comes along, I’ll do it!

 

[MikeLucky]

You know, I think I’d like to add a “platypus” to the arsenal, of the right one comes along, I’ll do it!

I've been calling it a 2 table.... Platypus is awesome. Lol

Yeah, I certainly didn't need a grill, but just seeing this one on the ad and I couldn't escape it. I had to have it.