So this is the new Genesis


 
Jon Tofte

Jon Tofte

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Note from Moderator: Please see this closely related thread for additional 2022 Genesis gas grill info and photos:

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New Genesis 2022

Note from Moderator: Please see this closely related thread for additional 2022 Genesis gas grill info and photos: https://tvwbb.com/threads/so-this-is-the-new-genesis.89666/ new grill was presented to dealers in moscow
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OK, I went to a Lowes an hour from me hoping to wrangle a deal on a SmokeFire based on half price deals in other parts of the country. In spite of posted Lowes stickers, no such luck.

However, my trip wasn’t entirely a waste as this Lowes had the new Genesis “Tech” E-325 on display.

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To be honest, I was underwhelmed. Whether you like the more futuristic tech look I guess is a matter of taste. This one did not have the off-centered look our friend in Europe posted of theirs. The tank is now again underneath, whereas I am guessing that may not be the case for the European model.

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Several things are a reversal of what I did like about the Genesis II: No large wheels, just 4 casters. @Dave in KC is correct that the regular ones are just like in the SmokeFire - kind of small. The pair with locks are different with large plastic toe steps.
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I hate to see the tank back under the firebox, the apparent elimination of the open cart option. The thing that I was most disappointed in was the thin, large sheets of stainless for the shelves and the unbelievably thin aluminum in the firebox.

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The Genesis II grills - particularly the open cart ones - are looking better all the time. Hopefully this new model will drive down the prices of used Genesis II grills. Personally, I still would rather have a classic old Genesis.
 

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Not sure I get the "Tech" aspect either. Maybe this is supposed to be the entry-level Genesis.

@Bruce, I believe you may have a Genesis II firebox in your collection. If you are up to it, I would be very interested in hearing what a sampling of caliper readings on the thickness gives you. Then like to compare that to a Genesis 300 series box, a Silver/Gold box, a x000 box, and a 1-5 box, all of which I have. We say stuff about them being thinner and thinner, but some actual measurements would be more objective. I will see what I can do to measure mine and keep an eye out for the next new Genesis I see.

I can tell you, though, that the side of the firebox in this grill felt alarmingly thin to me.
 
It looks like every other gas grill you see at home depot, Lowe's etc. Except it costs 5 or $600 more. Why wouldn't the average person just buy the other grill? I guess we'll see if Weber can keep getting away with this.
 
So many companies sell out quality and try to get by on reputation. It doesn't work as a long term strategy but management is so often quick to focus on today's bottom line and the future be damned. Family run businesses are less likely to behave this way than those publicly traded. Shareholders demand a return on their investment and management's focus becomes myopic. We've seen so many great industrial corporations go this way. They can get away with it if no one is competing by offering great quality at a reasonable price. I'm wondering if Weber has a competitor who tries to accomplish what Weber has been known for.
 
I visited my LowesHomeImprovementSanJoseCalifornia and perhaps I should chalk it up to labor shortages, but what a sad state of affairs in the grill department. None of the new Weber Smart gas grills on display, none in boxes on the shelves. What I did see in boxes on the shelves were Weber Q and Traveler grills but none on display. I believe you can't sell what people can't see and touch first-hand, but maybe I'm wrong about that, maybe people are making their buying decisions online and then coming into Lowe's to make a local instant-gratification purchase and don't need to see it on the floor.

The whole store looked kind of tired, to be honest. What was really sad were all the cheap grills lined up outside the store. It's one thing to see them covered in dust during the warm summer months, but wet and bedraggled in the rain, knowing they're starting to rust...what a waste.

What I also noticed since my last visit (which granted has been a while) is a whole section dedicated to Blackstone griddles. That speaks volumes about the popularity of these products and accessories.

IMG_3421[1].JPG
 
Looks like a lot of corner-cutting to meet
a certain price point.
I am just convinced that a little thicker
gauge of sheet metal makes that big of
a price difference. Perhaps there is someone
here that can explain that.
 
Dave in KC said:
Looks like a lot of corner-cutting to meet
a certain price point.
I am just convinced that a little thicker
gauge of sheet metal makes that big of
a price difference. Perhaps there is someone
here that can explain that.
Click to expand...
Sure, thicker material would cost more. Since Jon said that the metal seems thin all around on the new grill, the cost cutting there seems to be for maximizing profits. Not to beat a dead horse, but since Weber is paying next to nothing for it's labor, there isn't any logical reason that grill costs what it does other than you now paying for the name.
 
Steve Hoch said:
Sure, thicker material would cost more. Since Jon said that the metal seems thin all around on the new grill, the cost cutting there seems to be for maximizing profits. Not to beat a dead horse, but since Weber is paying next to nothing for it's labor, there isn't any logical reason that grill costs what it does other than you now paying for the name.
Click to expand...
True of so many things. Is a Sub-Zero a better fridge than a Kitchen Aid or a Samsung. I don't think so. They're all designed to last 7 to 10 years with some deviation on both ends based on luck. Frankly, it's garbage compared to the appliances our parents bought. Good luck finding something better made (at any price) because there's no real competition in that market.

For years and years, the same thing had happened in the American car market. In the 1950s, Cadillac could still make claim to being the best tooled vehicle on the road with superior features, fit and finish. By the time the Japanese stormed our shores in the late "60's, they were just Chevrolets with a fancy name plate and the sheet metal on the outside bent in a distinctly Cadillac style. All American cars were poorly designed and, as Ralph Nader so famously said, unsafe at any speed. But there had once been differences in quality and longevity just the same.

We've been fortunate that there's been no significant consolidation in the automobile market. The brands that got bought up were largely also-rans with a few exceptions. Like when Ford went on a spending spree to buy up (and destroy) Volvo, Jaguar, et. al. Sure enough, before long, they were all just re-badged Fords. Both have since been sold and are in recovery. My larger point is that cars have become safer, more reliable and better in many ways over the years and they continue to improve. People are attracted to quality and will pay extra for a Toyota or Honda precisely because they're designed, machined and assembled well.

It's a very small segment of the market that will pay extra for a Sub-Zero because they're really just selling snob appeal. I can't speak to Wolf except to say, whatever the quality, people who buy them are still largely paying for the name plate. I'm an advocate for enforcement of antitrust laws. I say enforcement because they're mostly still on the books. A few have been repealed and would be impossible to place back into effect in this political climate (e.g. Glass Stiegall -- thank you, Bill Clinton). But most could simply be dusted off and enforced by any administration up to the challenge.

I believe we'd all be better off if that happened. There was a time when one shoe company couldn't acquire another because it would have wound up with more than 1% of the national market. We wouldn't have to set the bar that high. Let's say no more than 10%. When we get down to 2 or 3 or 5 "competitors" it becomes too easy to conspire to set the market with winks and nudges.
 
That thing looks pretty ugly. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad if it was branded and priced as a Spirit model though.
 
Well, on a positive note, looks like you can get a sear station without a side burner. I think I prefer the Gen II look better.
 
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