As the title says...if I just stay married to my Silver B which I think I will, any recommendations for stainless grates as an upgrade? I am running some cast irons in there now (honestly can't remember if they were the porcelain covered ones or straight cast iron but I recall I bought a Weber branded product). Want good heat retention and sear marks which I believe you can still get with some good quality rods rather than stamped stainless steel
Recommendation for stainless bars for a Silver B
- Thread starter Chris-IL
- Start date
Bruce
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
There are several options, but knowing your budget helps.
You can get various offerings on Amazon, mostly 7mm SS solid rod grates for $50-$70. These are good grates at a good price.
If you better, probably the BBQparts.com grates are your choice but the price goes up to around $125 for 8MM grates. A guy that goes by the handle of RCPlanebuyer used to make the ultimate grates (9mm), but material prices have caused him to stop making them.
This is probably the set I would recommend for best performance and reasonable price:
You can get various offerings on Amazon, mostly 7mm SS solid rod grates for $50-$70. These are good grates at a good price.
If you better, probably the BBQparts.com grates are your choice but the price goes up to around $125 for 8MM grates. A guy that goes by the handle of RCPlanebuyer used to make the ultimate grates (9mm), but material prices have caused him to stop making them.
This is probably the set I would recommend for best performance and reasonable price:
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
For a hundred bucks, you can't really beat that Qlimetal offering.
For a Made in USA option, the BBQParts..com ones that Bruce also mentioned are another excellent choice from a company that has been a good friend to grill enthusiasts (The 2nd $138 option):
Not a lot more for Made in USA and supporting a US company. They are not quite as thick as the Qlimetal, but they also do not have the "extra" support bar that gets in the way when you use some cleaning tools such as the Chargon.
For a Made in USA option, the BBQParts..com ones that Bruce also mentioned are another excellent choice from a company that has been a good friend to grill enthusiasts (The 2nd $138 option):
Not a lot more for Made in USA and supporting a US company. They are not quite as thick as the Qlimetal, but they also do not have the "extra" support bar that gets in the way when you use some cleaning tools such as the Chargon.
HankBates
TVWBB Super Fan
A few months ago I hit the jackpot while searching for #9930 grates (originally offered for early Summits) and got a pair of them from an eBay seller who had been selling them in threes and ended up with a few as discounted pairs. They fit the 3000 well, and are 3/8" (9.5 mm) 300 series stainless rods, with no center crossbrace. They work really well...
It is probably good to search for these or other first or second generation Summit grates, as more suppliers may just wish to dump them without realizing the much bigger market for early Genesis grills.
It is probably good to search for these or other first or second generation Summit grates, as more suppliers may just wish to dump them without realizing the much bigger market for early Genesis grills.
Interesting thanks
Gotta decide if I pull the trigger now or wait longer for my cast irons to degrade further
Surprised that their own ad says that 7mm only has a 2-3 year life and 9mm a 3-5yr life. Why would the life be so short for solid stainless grates?
Am I getting any performance benefit from upgrading right now (beyond the aesthetics of shiny stainless) vs current cast iron?
Gotta decide if I pull the trigger now or wait longer for my cast irons to degrade further
Surprised that their own ad says that 7mm only has a 2-3 year life and 9mm a 3-5yr life. Why would the life be so short for solid stainless grates?
Am I getting any performance benefit from upgrading right now (beyond the aesthetics of shiny stainless) vs current cast iron?
So that model would also fit my Silver B? (Sorry I am not as conversant in all the various models as you guys are)
That's what I thought which was why it was interesting that their own ad for 304 stainless bars only listed those short service lives
7mm vs 9mm is it worth the premium? I assume y'all will tell me it holds heat better for better searing
Richard Garcia
TVWBB Wizard
Like 430SS?
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Grant Cunningham
TVWBB Pro
I bought these a little over 2 years ago:
I picked these because (at the time) they were the longest I could find short of going the custom route. They fit my Platinum B (same firebox as your Silver) perfectly, which is sometimes a concern with the budget offerings.
They get used at least once a week (several times a week during fire season, when I'm forced to use the gas grill exclusively) and there are no signs of pitting or corrosion. The notion that a 7mm stainless grate will only last 2-3 years is absolute nonsense.
I picked these because (at the time) they were the longest I could find short of going the custom route. They fit my Platinum B (same firebox as your Silver) perfectly, which is sometimes a concern with the budget offerings.
They get used at least once a week (several times a week during fire season, when I'm forced to use the gas grill exclusively) and there are no signs of pitting or corrosion. The notion that a 7mm stainless grate will only last 2-3 years is absolute nonsense.
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Thicker is definitely better for both heat retention and longevity. Like LMichaels said, real 304 SS grates will last way longer than you will need them to. I wouldn't listen too much to their write-up which is probably more about protecting them!
Don't overlook the BBQParts.com grates in spite of being a little thinner. They are one of the few options for USA made, quality grates left. If you go with stainless rod grates, the Chargon is a good tool to clean them. Like I mentioned, that is one of the things where the BBQParts.com grates really shines by not having that middle support.
Comparing stainless to cast iron is full of personal preferences. Both thick stainless and good cast iron will retain heat and sear well. Cast iron does, to me, have a certain charm about it. On the other hand, stainless is a LOT easier to maintain and forgiving of some neglect. The same can't be said about cast iron.
Thanks
But is the benefit of 9mm vs 7mm just more heat retention for better searing? Doing the math it would seem the 9mm has 66% more thickness volume
Are all these various Amazon versions seemingly honest when they say they use 304 Stainless?
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
$64,000 question. I will say that most all that claimed that when I tested a bunch of them a few years ago turned out to be at least non-magnetic.
Stainless Steel Grate Throwdown Challenge Results
I am still hoping someday to make my first "This Old Grill" episode, but hurricane and family stuff make that unlikely for a while. So, I decided I should at least publish my findings here so that you all can review them and maybe ask some questions. I did a separate page on each set of grates...
tvwbb.com
Keep in mind that this is out of date. Availability and prices have both changed a lot since when I did this detail review. Still, it gives you some good perspective on various grates and sizes.
Steve Hoch
TVWBB Hall of Fame
The #9930 grates are the holy grail as far as I'm concerned. I would love to have a set, but at $200 a pair minimum,from what I've seen, they remain out of reach. Hank, you didn't mention what you picked them up for, but I'm sure you did good.