New for 2017: Weber Genesis II Gas Grills


 
Saw a LX in person at lowes

Seems better designed. Not sure about materials or workmanship.

Higher work surface.
Front tool hooks
More storage
Newer burner design (time will tell if better)
Better designed warming rack
Better lid hinge placement(not all the way in back)

Seems like a winner
 
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I'm in the market for a gas grill and Weber is a no brainer but must admit I am concerned about these new models. So I've been watching this thread intently and waiting for more replys.
 
I recently joined these forums because I was planning to get a Weber grill....unfortunately some things came up and I had to wait....now I am not able to find the grill I wanted (S-330)....since it seems all the local stores only have the new Genesis II series. Been looking at them and I am concerned at some of the directions Weber has taken with these....particularly what seems like higher sales price for less features and lesser materials and "built in china". Seems Weber may not be the "no brainer/go to" quality grill company it used to be.

Will keep an eye on this thread for more information as I start considering other options.
 
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I think you're spot on Rafael. Perhaps look further into an older model. They have MUCH better build quality (even better than the S330 you wanted which is mostly Chinese anyway), perform as well or better ESPECIALLY if you want to use a rotisserie. Yeah there will be some elbow grease involved BUT you'll have a truly American made product with better build quality that may actually outlast the newer ones by many years.
Another idea is peruse Craigslist for other high end products. You'll be amazed at what you may find. Example: About 3 years ago I discovered a Wolf grill. All solid 304SS (even the frame of the cart is sold welded 304SS square tubing). I did some research and found this product was sold in 2 pieces (grill head separate from the cart) the grill head sold new for close to $9000.00 and the cart was something like $2500.00. Yes you read that right. I bought the whole setup for $150. Yes you read that right too. Yeah I had to take it all apart to transport it, yeah my dad and I nearly got hernias getting it to his house for further disassembly so I could get it into the back of (get this) my Saturn Vue (think Chevy Equinox). It weighs in excess of 400lbs and I don't think I will ever let go of it. Looking ahead to if my Summit rusts out again I am investigating a Thermador grill I saw on CL. Again all solid 304SS outstanding build quality seller asking $250.
Bottom line don't be afraid of a little scrounging and elbow grease to get a better product for a lot less $$$$. Also don't be afraid of other brands i.e. say Broil King. Made in Indiana. IMO at least as good as any Weber for the most part but WAY less than half the cost. Sure may not have the same warranty or even maybe longevity BUT you can almost buy 3 of them for a comparable Weber.
Just throwing ideas at you. Have fun and enjoy whatever you find
 
LMichaels said:
I think you're spot on Rafael. Perhaps look further into an older model. They have MUCH better build quality (even better than the S330 you wanted which is mostly Chinese anyway), perform as well or better ESPECIALLY if you want to use a rotisserie. Yeah there will be some elbow grease involved BUT you'll have a truly American made product with better build quality that may actually outlast the newer ones by many years.
Another idea is peruse Craigslist for other high end products. You'll be amazed at what you may find. Example: About 3 years ago I discovered a Wolf grill. All solid 304SS (even the frame of the cart is sold welded 304SS square tubing). I did some research and found this product was sold in 2 pieces (grill head separate from the cart) the grill head sold new for close to $9000.00 and the cart was something like $2500.00. Yes you read that right. I bought the whole setup for $150. Yes you read that right too. Yeah I had to take it all apart to transport it, yeah my dad and I nearly got hernias getting it to his house for further disassembly so I could get it into the back of (get this) my Saturn Vue (think Chevy Equinox). It weighs in excess of 400lbs and I don't think I will ever let go of it. Looking ahead to if my Summit rusts out again I am investigating a Thermador grill I saw on CL. Again all solid 304SS outstanding build quality seller asking $250.
Bottom line don't be afraid of a little scrounging and elbow grease to get a better product for a lot less $$$$. Also don't be afraid of other brands i.e. say Broil King. Made in Indiana. IMO at least as good as any Weber for the most part but WAY less than half the cost. Sure may not have the same warranty or even maybe longevity BUT you can almost buy 3 of them for a comparable Weber.
Just throwing ideas at you. Have fun and enjoy whatever you find
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I might start looking around to see what I can find. I have also been looking at a few Napoleon grills (Prestige Pro 500) which seem to be pretty nice.

I currently have a Broil King that is about 5 yrs old and while it cooks nice its flavorshields, grates and burners really didn't hold up very well and rusted pretty quickly.
 
Chris Allingham said:
Here's a link to my write-up about my initial impressions of the Genesis II LX high-end models I saw at Lowe's Home Improvement Center, including photos.

2017 Weber Genesis II LX Now In Stores
Click to expand...

Nice write up Mr. Allingham.

My local Ace Hardware (I'm just a bit south of you down in Scotts Valley) doesn't have the LX and I haven't hopped over Hwy17 to look at Lowes over there nor have popped down to Home Depot in Santa Cruz. I know there are folks on this thread (and pretty much every other reply they make on the Forum ;)) that can't seem to say enough bad things about the new Weber's, but I really like like the looks of what I've seen from the new Genesis II's, and especially the upgrades on the LX.

I was pretty sure I wanted the 6 Burner but after seeing the 4 burner (non-LX) at Ace, it might have enough cooking area for me. But given the LX upgrades, I think it will be worth the extra $ for me to go that direction... will just need to decide 4 or 6 burner.

Thanks again for your reviews!

-Wade
 
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It's not "saying bad things about the product" so much as disappointment in the direction Weber is going as a company. Oh sure the new ones are shiny and nice and have some cool "features" but seriously? $900 for a 2 burner unit? Who is kidding who? Weber is glaringly turning into an importer rather than a manufacturing company. It's also painfully obvious to anyone that bothers to look how badly they are undercutting quality (compared to their older products) while raising prices unmercifully all to keep more factories in China running. Obviously we live in a free market place and one is free to drop their money wherever they want. However: There is no excuse for what is going on with this company.
Even the LX model I'll lay odds is a majority of pieces made in China. They simply do some ore-assembly on parts shipped here. Some can continue to ooh and ahh about lit control knobs but in the end does features like this add to the performance of the product? I think not.
So call it whatever you want but I don't see anything good or positive about moving your manufacturing center out of the US to China (or other 3rd world sourced production) and yet cheapening the overall quality of the product all while you're doubling the price.
I don't think this was the vision of George Stephens.
 
LMichaels said:
It's not "saying bad things about the product" so much as disappointment in the direction Weber is going as a company...
Click to expand...
These are all great points, made many, many times in this thread. I understand and agree with many of these points.

What I'd like now is to hear more from actual owners, especially how they feel about the build quality and how well this new GS4 burner system works. I would especially like to see someone do the Toast Test where you preheat the grill for 15 minutes (probably on Medium heat), then cover the grill surface completely with slices of white bread to see how evenly (or not) the grill toasts each slice of bread--you basically end up with a heat map of your grill. This is the test method used by Cook's Illustrated and you can see a couple of interesting examples here:

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/213-the-best-gas-grill-under-500-dollars
 
Awesome review on that site( specifically the toast test) . Somebody has to do that on a new II's. Them broil kings seem to have had some big hotspots in the middle.
 
Chris Allingham said:
These are all great points, made many, many times in this thread. I understand and agree with many of these points.

What I'd like now is to hear more from actual owners, especially how they feel about the build quality and how well this new GS4 burner system works. I would especially like to see someone do the Toast Test where you preheat the grill for 15 minutes (probably on Medium heat), then cover the grill surface completely with slices of white bread to see how evenly (or not) the grill toasts each slice of bread--you basically end up with a heat map of your grill. This is the test method used by Cook's Illustrated and you can see a couple of interesting examples here:

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/213-the-best-gas-grill-under-500-dollars
Click to expand...

Here you go:

https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?68...stribution-AKA-Toast-Test&p=760177#post760177
 
ChuckO said:
I agree, the Rotisserie is too low on the S330, you can barely spin a rib roast. I got a rotisserie for my 22" kettle and that's the way to go, if you want to spin some food
Click to expand...

Definitely. No question about it.

The rotisserie capability is the major reason why I bought one of the pre-2011 Genesis Models right after they began to go on clearance in late 2010. I got the EP-320 and was so happy I did. The E/W burner configuration cant be beat for roti work as far as a gas grill is concerned.

Between that grill and the roti ring for my performer, I'm pretty set for doing anything in regards to rotisserie :D

One roti accessory that I highly recommend is an EZ-Que Rotisserie cradle. They're sold through EBay. I have two. One for my Genesis and one for the Performer. They're great for cooking smaller items like Game Hens, Pork Loins, Pineapple, etc. You can even fit a small chicken up to 3.75 pounds in them. Anything larger than that. Forget it.
 
Comparing Genesis II LX s/s grate rod spacing to current and old Summit

I was checking out new Weber gassers at Lowe's today. I used my finger as a gauge to get a rough sense of rod spacing on the grates.

Here are the 9mm rods on the current Summit grate. Note that my index finger inserts just short of the first joint.

ndCCXcy.jpg


Here are the 7mm rods on the new Genesis II LX. Rods are closer together than the current Summit.

iPUVzFL.jpg


And here are the 9mm rods on my 2002 Summit 450. These rods are the closest together.

8TSouWo.jpg


So there is some improvement on rod spacing with the new Genesis II LX.
 
Good visual. You have larger fingers than me LOL. I can fit past my first knuckle on my index finger on the new Weber products. Flip a hamburger wrong and you lose it :)
 
If you look closely at the tongs used by CookIllustrated magazine after the toast test, for the steaks. Yup, dollar store tongs.
 
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