Purchase suggestion for new gas grill


 
K

Kenneth J

New member
I've been looking into buying a new gas grill lately.
Started with a Q200, which is still going strong after more than 10 years, then owned a coupled of kettles, sold some used, bought some used.

Now, I have a performer, a regular kettle and a Q120 (old model before they had high dome + split grate).

The Q120 is probably the one we use the most, since our daughter (who, by the way, has the old Q200 now :-) ) moved out of the house.

However, the Q120 is really small, and gets way too hot for low 'n slow.

I have been looking into getting a new, bigger gas grill, and not really been impressed with reviews of Napoleon (too flimsy?) or Broil King (uneven heat).

So, I'm thinking I'll stick with Weber, but do I go for Genesis or Spirit? And no. of burners? (I understand that 3 is minimum). And is LX S worth it for the stainless + sideburner, or is the regular e-310 all you need?

Also, and very important: It needs to be able to do (sorta) low 'n slow (< 150 celcius). I will probably keep the performer, and sell the other kettle and the Q120, so it doesn't have to be able to go really low for like 12 hours.

Basically, I'm deciding between 3 and 4 burners, and whether or not it's worth the extra money to get the LX version with the stainless steel and the sideburner.

BR. Kenneth.
 
IMO the Q3xxx is a great compromise. Yeah it's 2 burners but have a look at my Sunday dinner post in the Q section.
 
Can't answer on the LX vs E series (I have a 2012 EP and love it, BTW). But no matter what, I'd NOT buy a Spirit.
 
If price isn't an issue in would go with a genesis II with the throwback open cart design. I think a Spirit would be a fine choice too. Some people look down on the spirit line but not generally people that have owned one. I know two people that have spirits and they both rave about them. Both are holding up well too.
 
I have a Spirit, it cooks as well as my old genesis. The closed cabinet means typical rust issue, but I like it. I got it cheap... really cheap. I don't know if I would have selected a spirit at retail though. If I go new, I've been looking at Saber grills. Reviews seem good, full 304 stainless. A little pricey, but I'd pay a bit more for better materials vs buying a new Genesis II.
 
I was looking at Napoleon grills at the fireplace dealer I have been talking to to have a new FP installed in my home. Other than the weird wavy grates they look pretty impressive. 304SS and so on. Some of them even have heavy cast aluminum fire boxes too. The ones that don't use 304SS ones
 
I don't have comparison experience between teh various lines besides when I was shopping. Also, honestly with you in Denmark, I don't know what kind of $$ comparisons we're talking about either.

I bought an LX S-440 about a year ago. I am very happy with it. Items that sold em on it were the stainless grates, cabinet, higher output burners, and more solid feeling construction. Side burner I haven't used, although may at some point. I like the light, the lit knobs, and the aesthetics of the grill.

I almost went with an E-410 special edition with stainless grates. It was totally all I needed (if you could call it need). I probably would be as happy with that, but I had 12 years on my old grill and use it 1-2 times a week even in the winter. I found a dealer discounting the LX series decently to around $1400, so I splurged. I'm not sure I would have spent the full list price on it.

the newer spirits weren't out at the time so it was the older style, it didn't appeal and I was looking for a 4 burner.

I wanted 4 burners for larger BBQs, and times when I was cooking different food on each side and needed (wanted) space.

Definitely go look at all models and play with them to see how they feel.
 
I went through a similar scenario before buying an SE-410. I almost bought a 310 but I’m so glad I didn’t. I bought a griddle and replaced one of the three grates. Being a 4 burner, I have plenty of grill space and the versatility with the griddle. My son loves bacon and an egg on his burger so I can cook everything right there and toast buns on the griddle too. You always want more grill you don’t use rather than not enough.

aAw0JCG.jpg


AMYIXzq.jpg
 
Last edited:
AlexDurso said:
I went through a similar scenario before buying an SE-410. I almost bought a 310 but I’m so glad I didn’t. I bought a griddle and replaced one of the three grates. Being a 4 burner, I have plenty of grill space and the versatility with the griddle. My son loves bacon and an egg on his burger so I can cook everything right there and toast buns on the griddle too. You always want more grill you don’t use rather than not enough.

aAw0JCG.jpg


AMYIXzq.jpg
Click to expand...

That is seriously more grill than you need for one burger! :D
 
AlexDurso said:
I went through a similar scenario before buying an SE-410. I almost bought a 310 but I’m so glad I didn’t. I bought a griddle and replaced one of the three grates. Being a 4 burner, I have plenty of grill space and the versatility with the griddle. My son loves bacon and an egg on his burger so I can cook everything right there and toast buns on the griddle too. You always want more grill you don’t use rather than not enough.
Click to expand...

I agree. My 3 burner always felt cramped, expecially when I started using a vegetable tray. My 4 burner, not a Weber, but same depth and 4 inches wider feels like so much more space.

That griddle accessory is cool.
 
Interesting thread.

I didn't know what to do with three burners (east / west placement) after upgrading from my old two burner Sunbeam. Now, I hear you guys saying we need more, lol.

Should east / west, or north / south, burner placement play a role in one's buying decision? Does Weber even make grills with east / west burner placement anymore?
 
I wanted the higher end but went with the spirit 310 and it works fine for quick cooks,$ always plays a part and think I have had it for 3-4 years,replaced flavor bars recently and want to get some thick SS angle cut for it the next time
 
The biggest benefit of E-W burners is that it is so much more beneficial for rotisserie cooking. It is extremely hard to get an even cook on the meat with N-S burners. One benefit of the N-S burners is the control knobs on the front leaving the right hand table open. No, I don't think Weber makes any E-W burner grills any more. The fact that it is hard to find E-W burner grills any more is one reason, among other things, that a lot of people like the older Weber grills.
 
Rusty James said:
Interesting thread.

I didn't know what to do with three burners (east / west placement) after upgrading from my old two burner Sunbeam. Now, I hear you guys saying we need more, lol.

Should east / west, or north / south, burner placement play a role in one's buying decision? Does Weber even make grills with east / west burner placement anymore?
Click to expand...

No, Weber no longer makes "E-W" burner grills. It is a shame, because it was the hallmark of the Weber Genesis design. If you have time, compare the first generation 300 series Genesis that still retained the E-W configuration with the second generation that went to the front burner layout. Identical size fire box but now you have considerably less burner coverage (3 long tube vs. 3 short tubes). I have to believe the earlier design is more even, and the fact that Weber had to add "heat deflectors" underneath the burners of the newer version seems to confirm that shortcoming. So now you also have yet another part to rust/corrode and replace.

I actually have not been a rotisserie person (YET), but it is clear E-W is the best for that. Myself, I always liked having the option to run one burner that spans the full width of the grill while doing indirect grilling. Some others seem to feel that the N-S burner layout is better for indirect. I guess each to his own.
 
Jon Tofte said:
I actually have not been a rotisserie person (YET), but it is clear E-W is the best for that. Myself, I always liked having the option to run one burner that spans the full width of the grill while doing indirect grilling. Some others seem to feel that the N-S burner layout is better for indirect. I guess each to his own.
Click to expand...

I just started using a rotisserie in the past few weeks, and I believe the east / west burner configuration suits a rotisserie well. I only ignite burners one and three with a drip pan positioned over burner two.

I do miss the front control panel of my Sunbeam however.
 
Thanks for all the answers.
I finally decided on a Genesis II E-310.
My wife actually persuaded me not to go for Napoleon or any other brand. She's not much of a griller, but she has seen how all our Webers have lasted a long time, and demanded that I not buy anything else.
At around the same time, the price dropped to 4999 DKK, which is roughly 770 USD, so I decided to do it while there's still a few months left with good weather.
 
Sounds like a good decision. Keep us up-to-date on how you like the grill going forward
 
Will do. Sofar it has cooked perfect pizza (my favorite) and pork roast with crackling (my wife's favorite), so it's definitely been a nice addition.
Burgers will go on tomorrow, and in the weekend i will probably try baking something.

IMG_0385_zpsccxnegtn.jpg
 
Last edited:
No wonder the wife wanted you to get a new Weber. Sounds like she is off the hook for cooking now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top