Summit Charcoal vs Summit Kamado E6/S6 and why?


 
TimA

TimA

TVWBB All-Star
It’s been somewhat interesting to me lately. It seems more and more have jumped on the Summit Kamado train and there’s more discussion revolving around it than there seems to ever have been regarding the original Summit Charcoal. And I’m curious why that is?

For you folks that have gotten or are thinking about getting the Kamado E6/S6, is it a matter of the price difference (with the original Summit Charcoal averaging about $4-500 more than E6/S6 variants), or the lack of propane ignition on the E6, the fact it’s “new” on the market and maybe a bit more buzz about it now? The original Summit Charcoal did not seem to get the buzz that this has.

Just curious. Use Summit Charcoal owners seemed like a fairly rare bunch and maybe already been surpassed in numbers by Kamado E6/S6 owners.
 
"Summit Charcoal owners seemed like a fairly rare bunch and maybe already been surpassed in numbers by Kamado E6/S6 owners"

This statement you made confuses me. You do realize the S6/E6 is the REPLACEMENT of the original Summit Charcoal...they do not sell the Summit Charcoal any more unless a vendor has it kicking around as old stock. So, S6/E6 numbers will grow...Summit Charcoal is static and done. But in the end...they are really almost identical.

Changes they made were almost all for for cost lowering. Slight differences include the E6 not having propane ignition vs the older model, a wire bottom shelf on the S6 instead of a solid steel shelf, a non-insulted diffuser instead of the previous hinged/insulated one.

I have the S6 as I wanted/needed the table (and I love it). I PREFER the wire bottom shelf over the previous solid one. I WISH I did not have the propane ignition either...never use it and adds complexity to the model and they could have lowered the cost more...I think I am actually going to remove it, seal up the hole, and add more shelf space underneath (I already made myself a custom shelf in place of the original smaller wire basket one.

The hinged diffuser plate change is irrelevant in the end...the E6/S6 are highly efficient and you never need to add charcoal anyways. Adding foil on top or a drip tray really does the same thing. I have seen very few complaints/comments regarding the changes. Some people comment, but mostly just white noise. The changes just really made sense for the most part.

I think part of the buzz is the "kamado" label they added and the increasing support of the community. Many just thought of it as a "kettle" previously, and it is earning it's place as a kamado. They are amazing cookers. -5C here yesterday, and cooked at 225 for 6 hours doing ribs and hocks. Lighter than a ceramic. I absolutely love mine. I have had a BGE, a Broil King Keg, and a Visions kamado. This one is my favorite above all of them. Nothing it does not do well.
 
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There’s zero confusion in my statement. I’m WELL aware the Kamado is the replacement for the original Summit Charcoal and the differences between the two.

The question revolves around, essentially, did purchasers of the Kamado think about getting the Summit and held off, or did the Kamado pique their interest due to whatever factors.
 
I'm also a little confused, but I also have not committed all the weber model #s and such to memory the way some folks have. I have the "Plane Jane" E6, so propane ignition, no side table. I sometimes wish I had the side table, but it's easier to move around my patio without it. I've never had a propane ignition system, and it just seems like something else to break on a grill/smoker that would be otherwise trouble free.

I bought the E-6 because I wanted a versatile cooking machine capable of cooking in windy and cold conditions and 12 to 14 hour cooks as well as high heat/steak searing. I was thinking about getting a Kamdo Joe, but the Weber E6 is a less expensive, and a better option IMO because there are no ceramic parts to ever crack, and the exterior paint on the Kamado Joe and BGE are both prone to cracking. Weber's paint has historically been pretty bullet proof...
 
I'd had my eye on the Summit Charcoal for a few years. I wanted one. Very few people had bought them in the U.K. Price was the issue for me. It seemed overpriced and never got the big discounts offered on other Weber grills. I was never interested in the ceramic Kamados.

At a major birthday milestone I asked family for vouchers for a big Weber dealer to help get me closer to affording it. Then I waited for a price drop that never came. In the end I bought a MasterTouch Premium.

The launch of the Summit Kamado piqued my interest again. It made sense that Weber had simplified the Summit Charcoal and dropped the price. Still quite expensive but just within range and better value for money. I'm pleased with the E6. I made the right choice.
 
John K BBQ said:
I have the "Plane Jane" E6, so propane ignition, no side table.
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I think you mean "no propane ignition, no side table."

I'm a Summit Charcoal Grilling Center owner, not an E6/S6 owner, so I can't answer the question posed by TimA, but I think it was very smart for Weber to 1) add "Kamado" to the name, as that word carries with it a lot of assumptions in buyers' minds, and 2) lower the price point. But these grills also need promotion in order to sell. For a couple of years, they weren't even featured in the annual product catalog and only select dealers had them on the sales floor. I still think they're hard to find in retail stores. I'm not really sure how the word is getting out about these great grills.
 
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I think it took a while for people to find out how good the Summit Kamado was and it took a while to realize that ceramic kamados run in the the same price range or higher.
 
My Summit is a 2016 and had presumably sat in the dealer showroom for nearly four years before I got it. The display stand still stands in the show room, empty. Hmm, I may have to ask if I can get it when they are done with it....🤔

The initial Summit wasn’t marketed well at all. Had it been given the factory hoopla that Smokefire has gotten, it would have been a far different discussion.

I got cross referencing ceramics for comparison, and found they generally had less cooking area for a higher price than Summit. And I didn’t want to deal with ceramic.
 
In response to TimA's original question, it was just timing for me. I had been looking around for a used Performer deluxe as I really wanted the table (and other upgrades) after using my OTS kettle for 9-10 years. I either couldn't find a right deal OR they kept getting away from me. I was about to just go with a brand new Performer deluxe but started reading about the advantages of the Summit Kamado. I was back/forth on this for months and found out Weber had a price hike coming in November 2021. With the $500 for the Performer and a $500 gift/credit check from a card company, I rationalized that I was only going to spend an extra $700 for the Summit Charcoal Grilling Center. I'm pretty sure this rationalization tactic has been used for years on me by my wife:). I bought this thing about 2 days before the prices jumped about $200.

I love everything about this cooker. I got everything I wanted in the performer deluxe PLUS extra capacity and pure efficiency in the Kamado. This cooker is everything that everyone is saying about it. I kept my old kettle because I still like to use the rotisserie sometimes and my WSM 18 has now been mostly relegated as a travel smoker. For the propane ignition, I think I could take it or leave it. For the Summit Kamado, the placement seem a little too far away from the upper fuel grate. For the lower fuel grate (used on low and slow smokes with the pan, I tend to still fire it up like the WSM 18 and using the minion method. I'm still working on this though.

Hope this helps....
 
I was a gasser only since 1993 and then progressed to a WSM 18 in 2018. In fact when we bought our current home twenty years ago, having the NG stub was pretty key to buying the place (pure bonus never having to fill a tank ever again AND i could do long cooks; briskets specifically). The WSM allowed me to take my smoking to a new level, one that a gasser could never achieve. Loved the WSM 18 except that I couldn't easily sear meats without having to disassemble the barrels and then place my grate atop the hot coals, while in a squatting position. Suffice it to say, searing was laborious and frustrating.

So I then started to look at getting at new charcoal grill. I looked at all the 22's and thought they'd be too small for larger cooks when going indirect. And I strongly considered a 26" kettle and almost bought one off of CL but got beat to it. And then I discovered the WSC with gas assist.

I was very intrigued by the WSC and did a bunch of reading and research. After looking at ceramic kamados, I wasn't confident I'd keep the kamado in one piece over time due to their weight and lack of solid footprint. So the WSC became the front runner in my next grill search.

I didn't pull trigger on the WSC due to price. I knew I was paying for gas assist and that I'd never want/use/need it. I wanted a charcoal grill that was old school, as in no other parts that need replacing, refueling, requires electricity or has electronics on it. I wanted to get back to grilling in peace and quiet. Just like my old Smokey Joe days.

I made an offer on a used WSC for $1100 that ever so rarely appeared on CL for sale. Deal was about to be done and seller decided to keep the grill at the last minute. Good thing for me in that a few weeks after, Weber announced the WSK E6 and I knew I'd found my grill and at the right price point.

No gas assist, a manageable footprint and for the same money as a used WSC, I would be getting Weber's warranty. Then the original E6's had engineering issues on release so I had to wait from March until Father's Day, and the price increased from $949 to $1049. So I just pulled trigger at my local dealer and had one delivered.

BUT they delivered an EX6, not an E6!!!! A few calls later and some very hard work by my dealer, and I got the first of the new E6's in my region (the new fixed E6, not the wobbly ones that were pulled out of the channel) delivered on Saturday before Father's Day. Weber's local rep pulled my unit from distribution and got it to my dealer's store and it was delivered that afternoon.

My middle spawn was kind enough to build it for me (he's a good tinkerer and likes to work). So we had the new E6 up and running for Father's Day bbq.

So my purchase was predicated on my need/desire for a new grill and I happened to be in the market as the product was changing. I was reluctant to buy a gas assist WSC as I was buying a feature I specifically didn't want. At around $1500 for the original WSC, I found the price to be too high. To me it was only worth around $1100. So I just got lucky in product and market timing.

And I'm beyond happy with my purchase. The E6 is the best grill I've ever owned since 1991. I can cook in peace again and not have to squat to sear, and I can smoke large amount of meats, and the grill has plenty-o-real-estate to cook direct to indirect. The E6 makes me genuinely happy when I cook.
 
JohnTak said:
I think it took a while for people to find out how good the Summit Kamado was and it took a while to realize that ceramic kamados run in the the same price range or higher.
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Yes...Weber just totally totally blew the marketing and I think missed out on a lot of "kamado" sales. Tacking that on the name was a good step. Can't recall how many threads (even on Weber forums) poo-poo'ing it as an overpriced kettle.

Ceramics here are SIGNIFICANTLY higher price here (Canadian $$). I wanted a 24" grill (after owning a 14" and two 18"). Kamado Big Joe was over 3000. I got my S6 for less than $2500 - which I still think is crazy, but I just bit the bullet....no regrets now...still love it over a year later.
 
I really liked the summit charcoal when it first came out. But it was cost prohibitive. So for a thousand bucks they went with the kamado Joe 18 inch. Damaged in transit, so returned it. Ended up going with the $400 vision ceramic kamado in August 2016.

Since I was looking for larger real estate on the cooking area last year, when they came out with the Weber summit kamado (E6/S6) I researched it a long time, and eventually purchased an E6.

Hindsight is 20/20, but if they came out with the weber summit kamado e6/s6 in 2016, they probably would have had a chance at overtaking kamado Joe.
 
Tony P in Florida said:
I really liked the summit charcoal when it first came out. But it was cost prohibitive. So for a thousand bucks they went with the kamado Joe 18 inch. Damaged in transit, so returned it. Ended up going with the $400 vision ceramic kamado in August 2016.

Since I was looking for larger real estate on the cooking area last year, when they came out with the Weber summit kamado (E6/S6) I researched it a long time, and eventually purchased an E6.

Hindsight is 20/20, but if they came out with the weber summit kamado e6/s6 in 2016, they probably would have had a chance at overtaking kamado Joe.
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On Weber's own site showing their grill ratings as submitted by owners, the WSK is the highest rated charcoal cooker with a 4.8 stars rating. Mind you the total reviews are fewer than traditional kettles which rate 4.7 stars on average.

I'd say Weber has a hit on its hand with the WSK E/S6. TVWBB is a pretty good testament to unsolicited ownership reviews/experience and if someone is researching a kamado cooker, which I'd assume any buyer spending $1K+ on ANY grill will do some research, the WSK is an incredible value at its price as compared to its competitors and I do think it'll prove more durable over time as well.

And for those on the fence, the WSK is NOT just a large kettle. It's insulated build, quality materials and hinged lid with gasket make it a substantially more efficient cooker. And I am using less coal now than when I first started since learning how this beast cooks food.
 
RLittle said:
Also, if you’ve ever tried to help someone moving a BGE……vs a Weber Kamado, its an all day party vs a one handed tug. Hope this makes sense.
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One of the (first world) problems I have is living in a terraced house. No side or rear access. Everything comes through the house and there are many steps to the back yard. A heavy ceramic kamado would have been a nightmare.

My BBQ shelter has riven slabs for flooring and I have limited space so I needed it to be light and manoeuvrable. The E6 is light enough to move around, although I'd prefer not to have two fixed wheels. Plus, three legs means it will not wobble on my uneven floor. Four wheels would be a problem.

So that's another couple of reasons why the Summit Kamado E6 is the perfect choice for me!
 
Before the Kamado version was released, I often saw here and numerous other places people saying they would like the Weber Summit Charcoal, but it was just way too overpriced. I think the price drop brought a lot of those people in. I know had it been out or announced as coming I would have waited for it over the WSCG. I rarely use my ignitor and would have much rather saved the cash for something else. I also think the word of mouth is just spreading about how great the product is. I have a coworker that used to ask about mine a lot and jumped on the Kamado as soon as it was released. He had a 26” kettle and is happy with his upgrade.
 
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