Mack Manning
TVWBB Super Fan
I upgraded my natural gas Genesis II S-435 to the 2022+ S-435 model and want to share my experience and correct some misinformation I've read.
First, the corrections:
The stainless steel and cast aluminum thickness is the same as the Genesis II, as well as I can measure with long reach calipers.
The end caps on the side tables are NOT plastic. They are cast metal, probably aluminum.
Reasons I upgraded a perfectly good grill:
Extra rotisserie space. Old spit was 2in above grates. New one is 5.5in above the grates.
Side cabinet to hold grates or other bulky things.
Larger upper rack.
Left side burner fits my space better.
Comparing and contrasting:
Manifolds, valves, burners, heat shields, flavorizer bars appear to be the same except the new sear burner orifice is larger. (12k vs 9k BTU by specs).
Most stainless on the new grill is magnetic. Stainless on the old one was not.
New side burner is now on the left.
New side burner grate is simpler, lighter. The old one was overbuilt and stayed hot for a long time, so this is probably an improvement.
New side burner does not have the metal shroud hanging under the burner assembly. Old one was full of spider webs, so I'll call it an improvement.
Old cabinet doors had screwed on tubular handles. New ones are riveted sheet metal, cheaper looking and feeling.
New knobs are lighter, cheaper feeling. They have translucent areas for lighting, but my grill doesn't have that feature.
Old grates were split in thirds. New grates are 1/2, 1/4, 1/4. This means that one can use the 3-burner griddle and one 1/4 grate for grilling space. Also, Weber can easily sell the 9mm SE grates for the 4-burner now. Just take the 3-burner set and add an extra 1/4 grate.
Observations:
Unboxing and assembly were easy once I stopped using the Bilt app and found the written instructions. In my Android Bilt app, the hardware needed for each step was unclear. It was perfectly clear in the paper instructions. I assembled it without help, with one deviation from the instructions: I removed the heavy natural gas hose and regulator assembly from the manifold before fitting the firebox assembly onto the cart. If I had a helper to feed it through the cabinet, I would have left it on.
WARNING: New grill blows more heat from the rear! I did the burn in about 18in from a wooden privacy fence, same location where I used my old grill. I noticed paint beginning to bubble and now pull the new grill out 3ft from the fence.
New grills runs about 50F hotter at grate and upper rack level than the old one at the same settings. Minimum is 300F with the outer burners on low. I've adjusted my cooking to suit.
New cabinet is much more open, in good and bad ways.
Good: Grease pan hangs from above, so the base is wide open for storage. I will put a plastic tote or two in there.
Bad: upper areas are open and there's a 3-4in hole for the gas hose in the rear, so the cabinet will get soaked by rain unless covered.
Cabinet has plastic hooks on the right side for hanging a single grate inside and outside.
New folding upper rack is great! I confirmed that it fits the Genesis II in case anyone wants to upgrade. Part number 64513 for the 4-burner size. https://shop.edyoungs.com/products/gen-400--2022--expandable-grate|64513.html
It's easy to use and holds a pizza stone closer to the hood. I used the griddle insert yesterday and put the bacon up top to drip onto griddle surface.
Black end caps on the hood hide smoke and grease better than the gray on the Gen II.
Casters work well for now, but the plastic brakes are very flexy and will likely break if used frequently.
Side cabinet works but could be improved. There are 2 slots on the door for a plastic cup, but Weber included only one. Other than the removable door cup, there is no organization. Hooks like the ones found on the right side of the main cabinet would have been nice.
My DIY improvements with Amazon links.
Added rotisserie from my old 435. Works perfectly, but now mounts on right side.
Added magnetic paper towel holder to the side table. Magnetic stainless isn't ALL bad!
Added second Crafted rack to give more options. Dual woks? Griddle and wok? Dual crosshatch sear grates?
Stanbroil full size stainless griddle top.
Here's the 3/4 size griddle top if you prefer to keep 1/4 grate space. Also, this one can be stored in the grill cabinet.
Future:
Add shelf and/or totes to organize stuff in the main cabinet. Maybe something like these sealed totes.
First, the corrections:
The stainless steel and cast aluminum thickness is the same as the Genesis II, as well as I can measure with long reach calipers.
The end caps on the side tables are NOT plastic. They are cast metal, probably aluminum.
Reasons I upgraded a perfectly good grill:
Extra rotisserie space. Old spit was 2in above grates. New one is 5.5in above the grates.
Side cabinet to hold grates or other bulky things.
Larger upper rack.
Left side burner fits my space better.
Comparing and contrasting:
Manifolds, valves, burners, heat shields, flavorizer bars appear to be the same except the new sear burner orifice is larger. (12k vs 9k BTU by specs).
Most stainless on the new grill is magnetic. Stainless on the old one was not.
New side burner is now on the left.
New side burner grate is simpler, lighter. The old one was overbuilt and stayed hot for a long time, so this is probably an improvement.
New side burner does not have the metal shroud hanging under the burner assembly. Old one was full of spider webs, so I'll call it an improvement.
Old cabinet doors had screwed on tubular handles. New ones are riveted sheet metal, cheaper looking and feeling.
New knobs are lighter, cheaper feeling. They have translucent areas for lighting, but my grill doesn't have that feature.
Old grates were split in thirds. New grates are 1/2, 1/4, 1/4. This means that one can use the 3-burner griddle and one 1/4 grate for grilling space. Also, Weber can easily sell the 9mm SE grates for the 4-burner now. Just take the 3-burner set and add an extra 1/4 grate.
Observations:
Unboxing and assembly were easy once I stopped using the Bilt app and found the written instructions. In my Android Bilt app, the hardware needed for each step was unclear. It was perfectly clear in the paper instructions. I assembled it without help, with one deviation from the instructions: I removed the heavy natural gas hose and regulator assembly from the manifold before fitting the firebox assembly onto the cart. If I had a helper to feed it through the cabinet, I would have left it on.
WARNING: New grill blows more heat from the rear! I did the burn in about 18in from a wooden privacy fence, same location where I used my old grill. I noticed paint beginning to bubble and now pull the new grill out 3ft from the fence.
New grills runs about 50F hotter at grate and upper rack level than the old one at the same settings. Minimum is 300F with the outer burners on low. I've adjusted my cooking to suit.
New cabinet is much more open, in good and bad ways.
Good: Grease pan hangs from above, so the base is wide open for storage. I will put a plastic tote or two in there.
Bad: upper areas are open and there's a 3-4in hole for the gas hose in the rear, so the cabinet will get soaked by rain unless covered.
Cabinet has plastic hooks on the right side for hanging a single grate inside and outside.
New folding upper rack is great! I confirmed that it fits the Genesis II in case anyone wants to upgrade. Part number 64513 for the 4-burner size. https://shop.edyoungs.com/products/gen-400--2022--expandable-grate|64513.html
It's easy to use and holds a pizza stone closer to the hood. I used the griddle insert yesterday and put the bacon up top to drip onto griddle surface.
Black end caps on the hood hide smoke and grease better than the gray on the Gen II.
Casters work well for now, but the plastic brakes are very flexy and will likely break if used frequently.
Side cabinet works but could be improved. There are 2 slots on the door for a plastic cup, but Weber included only one. Other than the removable door cup, there is no organization. Hooks like the ones found on the right side of the main cabinet would have been nice.
My DIY improvements with Amazon links.
Added rotisserie from my old 435. Works perfectly, but now mounts on right side.
Added magnetic paper towel holder to the side table. Magnetic stainless isn't ALL bad!
Added second Crafted rack to give more options. Dual woks? Griddle and wok? Dual crosshatch sear grates?
Stanbroil full size stainless griddle top.
Here's the 3/4 size griddle top if you prefer to keep 1/4 grate space. Also, this one can be stored in the grill cabinet.
Future:
Add shelf and/or totes to organize stuff in the main cabinet. Maybe something like these sealed totes.
Attachments
Last edited:
