Performer competitor


 
Yeah, I've taken a look at it in the store. It has its pros and cons. I'd say the biggest thing it has going for it is the price.
 
The big pro is the cost and bang for the buck. It's about half the cost of a Performer these days. Another plus is that it's sold by Sam's Club, and has their name (Member's Mark) on it.
 
Ed P said:
The big pro is the cost and bang for the buck. It's about half the cost of a Performer these days. Another plus is that it's sold by Sam's Club, and has their name (Member's Mark) on it.
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One could argue though, that there's an intrinsic cost-of-entry already built in though, having to be a paid member of Sam's Club to be able to purchase it.
 
The first review:

It’s NOT a Weber for a reason ​

I bought this a month ago and have regretted not going with the Weber ever since. First, the grate are horrible. The material is fine, but it come in 3 separate sections, meaning if you want to put charcoal in the center of the grill, you have to remove all 3 of those sections. Second, the gas assist has not worked properly since we got it. You can hear gas flowing but igniter will not stay lit unless it’s a brand new canister. After a single use it won’t stay lit. I hooked a larger tank up to it with an adaptor and it ran fine, but that’s not the intended us. Third, the top vent does vent as well as the Weber design. Fourth, without the gas assist this grill takes much longer to get hot than a Weber. Will be returning for…you guessed it….a Weber!


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★★★★★5 out of 5 stars.
Scott
· 16 days ago

Great Grill​

This grill has to be assembled but you only need a Phillips screw driver. It was a long process but was relatively easy. So now that we have been cooking on it for 3 weeks now, I can say that this charcoal grill has changed our grilling forever! I'm using hardwood charcoal, not briquettes, and it is a game changer. And do not use lighter fluid. No need for it.
Weather chicken, steak, lamb, potatoes, or corn on the cob, everything tasks great.
It's so nice to have a large workspace table right next to the grill. The propane assisted burner is great to get the charcoal going.
Can't recommend this grill enough!


Seems for any poor review there are more than enough like this to make up for it
 
I don’t really trust reviews on the sellers website too much.

Thought it was interesting that the bad review was the first one, and mentioned Weber.

Fwiw
 
John-NY said:
One could argue though, that there's an intrinsic cost-of-entry already built in though, having to be a paid member of Sam's Club to be able to purchase it.
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Agreed, but the cost is not that great. Even with the membership (currently $45, but I think it's going up soon), the cost of the grill is still about half the cost of a Performer, and I think the current promo is you get $45 Instant Savings with a new membership, so you might be able to apply that against the cost of the grill. It doesn't have the cachet of being a Weber, of course, but how do you assign a dollar figure to that? $300 upcharge for the brand loyalty?
 
Bruno said:
With Weber Customer Service and warranty you’d be crazy not to get the performer.
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They hold some value among the Weber faithful, I'll give it that much. Used Performers in my area tend to go from $0 to $150 (ones that are $200+ tend to languish), but from what I have seen anything Weber will sell eventually. I haven't seen any Member's Mark grills on the used market.

I had a controller problem with a new pellet grill recently that Sam's took care of with a new controller. Works great now, did a spatchcock chicken last night. Love the convenience.
 
Ed P said:
They hold some value among the Weber faithful, I'll give it that much. Used Performers in my area tend to go from $0 to $150 (ones that are $200+ tend to languish), but from what I have seen anything Weber will sell eventually. I haven't seen any Member's Mark grills on the used market.

I had a controller problem with a new pellet grill recently that Sam's took care of with a new controller. Works great now, did a spatchcock chicken last night. Love the convenience.
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Oh, you hadn't posted back about that. Glad it's now working correctly. Honestly I think Sam's Club has really stepped up their game in the outdoor cooking arena. And I did call them for an explanation of the smoking P1,2,3 thing I could not figure out. I called the 800 number, and got right through to a a nice polite CSR. No complaints at all. And if you save your receipt with the Member's Mark guarantee they'll take something back. Factor in the price quotient and IMO they're doing things better than most. If I wanted a new gas grill I would definitely be looking seriously at their Pro Series 5 burner. Frankly it's a high quality piece. Not a fan of the NS burners but if it was what I wanted I would be ALL over that for $500 as opposed to $1300 plus for a comparable Weber
 
I looked into getting a Weber kettle grill, but was turned off by the plated grill grates.

I read that the grill grates disintegrate and leave tiny flakes of plating in the food.

And that’s Weber chineseium.

Any concerns with these lesser know Chinese grills being toxic in any way?

Serious question.
 
LMichaels said:
Oh, you hadn't posted back about that. Glad it's now working correctly. Honestly I think Sam's Club has really stepped up their game in the outdoor cooking arena. And I did call them for an explanation of the smoking P1,2,3 thing I could not figure out. I called the 800 number, and got right through to a a nice polite CSR. No complaints at all. And if you save your receipt with the Member's Mark guarantee they'll take something back. Factor in the price quotient and IMO they're doing things better than most. If I wanted a new gas grill I would definitely be looking seriously at their Pro Series 5 burner. Frankly it's a high quality piece. Not a fan of the NS burners but if it was what I wanted I would be ALL over that for $500 as opposed to $1300 plus for a comparable Weber
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Apologies for digressing, but I wanted to get this to Larry without bumping an old thread.

I have no complaint about their customer service whatsoever. It took about 10 working days for the new controller to be delivered. As for the controller, it is much, much better at keeping a stable, accurate temperature. I took some pics of the PCBs and there is a definite revision. This is the old board:

20220918_184517.jpg20220918_184501.jpg

And here is the new one, much different (at least the silkscreens are, and fewer components of the face).

20220928_130836.jpg20220928_131021.jpg

Also, this sticker was affixed to the underside of the old controller (but not the new one).

20220918_182545.jpg
 
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John_NJ said:
I looked into getting a Weber kettle grill, but was turned off by the plated grill grates.

I read that the grill grates disintegrate and leave tiny flakes of plating in the food.

And that’s Weber chineseium.

Any concerns with these lesser know Chinese grills being toxic in any way?

Serious question.
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There are replacements for the plated grates. The kettles (and the Weber company) have/has withstood the test of time...the aftermarket is generally awash with accessories and replacements for their charcoal grills. Depending on your needs, a Smokey Joe is a good entry point, but there are others, too. My first was a new SJ, too small, then an used kettle for $25 for the RV, then a new kettle (30+ years and still hanging in there), then a new kettle with a table (OneTouch Platinum, almost 20 years and still have it.) The longest journey starts with the first step.
 
I would trust a Weber grill before a brand x grill.

Grates are one thing, the coating on the steel kettle is another thing. The Weber porcelain coating has definitely stood the test of time in my opinion.

If it’s a sub standard coated kettle, would high temperatures cause any off gassing into the food?

I am just suspicious of Chinese manufactured products in general.
 
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I have to admit I hate Weber grates, that I can not defend. If they can make SS grates for other countries we
deserve the same.

However the beauty is add some SS Killa Grilla or SS Hunsaker grates and you are set for MANY years.
I’ve become really fond of my SNS and KG grates on both my 26 and 22. It’s a really nice set up.
 
I originally wanted to buy a good condition first gen performer and restore it, including buying a stainless steel grill grate and some other goodies.

I decided to “send it” and bought a WSC- it already had the stainless steel grates, so… saving money already, lol
 
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