Updated Spirit grills for 2025

[LMichaels]

And hell, let's face it. I doubt I'd buy a new high $$$ grill of ANY company's. Though I will say if the $$$ were in my pocket the one Weber gas I WOULD buy is the new Summit. Yeah, spendy, but, IMO it's got it ALL OVER the lesser models. Unlike many others here that is the one model I truly believe where Weber has really shown improvement and advancement. But the others? MEH, and this is after looking at all of them in person. But hell, if I REALLY wanted one, I'd be calling up one of the finer craftsmen in the area here, (Bruce, Jon, Cody, Mark though he's a bit far) and simply say "build me a nice Genesis X000" and buy from one of them.
But, as noted the new Summit is "where it's at" for me in the Weber line

 

[Jon Tofte]

I can’t get myself down to less than 4!

• 1st generation Weber Summit (or maybe a stainless Platinum 2nd gen if necessary)
• Weber CharQ
• Weber 22” kettle, preferably a “platypus” or SS Performer
• A pellet grill. I love my Recteq, but in these disaster/alien scenarios I would give the Weber Searwood a try.

 

[LMichaels]

I can’t get myself down to less than 4!

• 1st generation Weber Summit (or maybe a stainless Platinum 2nd gen if necessary)
• Weber CharQ
• Weber 22” kettle, preferably a “platypus” or SS Performer
• A pellet grill. I love my Recteq, but in these disaster/alien scenarios I would give the Weber Searwood a try.

I'd do a Searwood! You BET! Also the new one The Smoque. They're both looking like great offerings. Although Traeger has a very nice looking new offering, as does Pit Boss. Tell ya looks like a lot of companies are really steppin up their pellet grill games. Offering better units for less $$$ then we've seen previously

 

[Bruce]

I'd do a Searwood! You BET! Also the new one The Smoque. They're both looking like great offerings. Although Traeger has a very nice looking new offering, as does Pit Boss. Tell ya looks like a lot of companies are really steppin up their pellet grill games. Offering better units for less $$$ then we've seen previously

Competition is what makes US products as good as they are.

 

[Cody Bratton]

I agree that the Summit has by far outpaced the Genesis in innovation and bolstering quality. I would think it was a necessity for a $3000 grill.

That being said, $3000 is an “affordable” grill to who they’re marketing it to. And as highly as we regard the Weber name I would think the folks who can afford those things, do as well. The number of Weber’s I see in the back yards of golf courses is staggering. Yeah, I look at the grills in the yards of those palaces, don’t judge me!

 

[Steve Hoch]

But hell, if I REALLY wanted one, I'd be calling up one of the finer craftsmen in the area here, (Bruce, Jon, Cody, Mark though he's a bit far) and simply say "build me a nice Genesis X000" and buy from one of them.

Larry, should I be offended at being left off of your list?

 

[LMichaels]

Larry, should I be offended at being left off of your list?

No, just me being a bit forgetful
But I will also add, another thing in the way of brand new mid priced product(s) I would LOVE to lay eyes on is the new Ninja gas grill. That thing is very intriguing and as noted may be the "reincarnation" of the old Genesis grill.

 

[Jon Tofte]

I'd do a Searwood! You BET! Also the new one The Smoque. They're both looking like great offerings. Although Traeger has a very nice looking new offering, as does Pit Boss. Tell ya looks like a lot of companies are really steppin up their pellet grill games. Offering better units for less $$$ then we've seen previously

Give Weber credit for bouncing back after the SmokeFire flop. I actually still think the SmokeFire has some admirable aspects, but they didn't do enough real-life testing. But Weber learned, kind of like how they finally shelved the gas kettle and came up with the original Genesis.

It is sure hard to complain about my Recteq RT-700 as it just keeps on trucking, solidly built (for the price range), and has never really let me down on a cook. I went with the Spider Huntsman and think it is a super well-built and innovative grill. On the other hand, my wife doesn't like charcoal cooking, so I sometimes wish I had gone with the Recteq Bullseye instead. It wouldn't be a close to forever choice like the Huntsman, but my wife is more tolerant of pellet grill cooking. Add easier to get cooking, and I have to think that a Bullseye would see more use for everything from basic grilling to even a small bbq that doesn't warrant the big RT-700.

No it looks like a "miniature" "real" 4 burner grill. Too much stuffed into such a little space. It's a marketing gimmick IMO

I was in Home Depot today and got to see the new Spirits. I actually like them if not the prices. The one dubious thing to me was the painted side shelves. At least they felt rugged. Maybe better than paper thin, cheap stainless.



I looked carefully and did some “biblical” measuring (the span of my hand with thumb and pinky extended ~=9 inches).

The 2-burner and 3-burner with the sear station are the same grate dimensions as the former 2-burner. The 4-burner is the same size as the former 3-burner and interestingly the same as a “classic’ Genesis AND the 4-burner 1st generation Summit like mine. So, it would seem the same spacing as my Summit. A pretty potent grill, if like my Summit.

 

[LMichaels]

Honestly they did not look that large. And keep in mine on the Summit you have a MUCH taller lid and much higher second rack (actually usable) so those extra BTU are needed and put to good use without "overdoing it". Just don't feel the "love" in these newer grills. Seem like all styling and gimmicks and not as much actual "substance" as the original Weber Genesis was

 

[Steve Hoch]

No, just me being a bit forgetful
But I will also add, another thing in the way of brand new mid priced product(s) I would LOVE to lay eyes on is the new Ninja gas grill. That thing is very intriguing and as noted may be the "reincarnation" of the old Genesis grill.

Interesting tidbit about that Ninja gas grill: my buddy that used to work for Weber now works for Ninja and helped develop that particular grill. I nearly got one from Home Depot for free to use and review but was a little too slow clicking on it.

 

[LMichaels]

Interesting tidbit about that Ninja gas grill: my buddy that used to work for Weber now works for Ninja and helped develop that particular grill. I nearly got one from Home Depot for free to use and review but was a little too slow clicking on it.

Nice, would love to see a veteran of the "real" Genesis try one of them and report.

 

[Jon Tofte]

Honestly they did not look that large. And keep in mine on the Summit you have a MUCH taller lid and much higher second rack (actually usable) so those extra BTU are needed and put to good use without "overdoing it". Just don't feel the "love" in these newer grills. Seem like all styling and gimmicks and not as much actual "substance" as the original Weber Genesis was

The 1st generation Summit is definitely higher in both the firebox sides and the hood and a far superior constructed grill. I do think the raised 2nd rack on the new Spirit isn't all that bad, but I am sure it is nickel-chrome plated and doomed to rust out, unlike the classy 304 stainless one on my Summit that still shines up great 25 years later.

I understand how you see it, Larry, and I certainly won't be plunking down $700 for that 4-burner. On the other hand, if I HAD to go buy a new grill, I would still include it on my short list.

 

[Jim Weber]

The 1st generation Summit is definitely higher in both the firebox sides and the hood and a far superior constructed grill. I do think the raised 2nd rack on the new Spirit isn't all that bad, but I am sure it is nickel-chrome plated and doomed to rust out, unlike the classy 304 stainless one on my Summit that still shines up great 25 years later.

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion --- the raised racks on even the Spirit (I) two burner I have are SS - maybe not 304 - never checked - and are holding up very well after 9+ years now --- no rust whatsoever with no special attention and would clean up shiny if I took the time to do it.

 

[Jonas-Switzerland]

There are newer Weber grills that I currently have and use and some that I have sold that have worked really well also
View attachment 107080

Oh wow, that's a nice pic.

IMO it also shows nicely why I would never buy a newer genesis. 4 Burners spaced miles apart. The extra sear burner may take up some slack, but I don't trust it. My three burner spirit is a lot smaller. I guess it has a similar power output per area. And the biggest need I have is more power per area.

The spirit is already big enough for my cooks of 4-8 people. If I need to feed more, then I'll always pull out my WSM for some Low n Slow cooks. Sure, with a huge summit I could do burgers for a soccer team, but that's only a choice if I hate the team. I'd be stuck behind the grill for most of the event. And then I am still sceptical if I get more power per area.

The new 4 burner spirit sounded like it was aimed at me. If my old spirit accessories are compatible, it would be at the top of my list. 1 extra burner, and two burners which are "up to 40%stronger than normal"? Perfect. But something does not add up.

The new 4 Burner is rated at 10.xx kW (well, kW/h, but if you divide power by time, you are at nonesense units) while the previous gen 3 burner with an extra sear burner is rated at 11.xx kW. So... how much stronger are the new +40% sear burner exactly?

E: I looked it up. My old 3 burner spirit is rated at 9.x kW, the 3 burner with sear zone is rated at 11.x kW (makes sense, sear burner is abou 2.2 kW). But a four burner spirit should at the very least end up at 12 kW. With two extra strong burners involved, I expected 14 kW minimum.

 

[DanHoo]

Oh wow, that's a nice pic.

IMO it also shows nicely why I would never buy a newer genesis. 4 Burners spaced miles apart. The extra sear burner may take up some slack, but I don't trust it. My three burner spirit is a lot smaller. I guess it has a similar power output per area. And the biggest need I have is more power per area.

The spirit is already big enough for my cooks of 4-8 people. If I need to feed more, then I'll always pull out my WSM for some Low n Slow cooks. Sure, with a huge summit I could do burgers for a soccer team, but that's only a choice if I hate the team. I'd be stuck behind the grill for most of the event. And then I am still sceptical if I get more power per area.

The new 4 burner spirit sounded like it was aimed at me. If my old spirit accessories are compatible, it would be at the top of my list. 1 extra burner, and two burners which are "up to 40%stronger than normal"? Perfect. But something does not add up.

The new 4 Burner is rated at 10.xx kW (well, kW/h, but if you divide power by time, you are at nonesense units) while the previous gen 3 burner with an extra sear burner is rated at 11.xx kW. So... how much stronger are the new +40% sear burner exactly?

E: I looked it up. My old 3 burner spirit is rated at 9.x kW, the 3 burner with sear zone is rated at 11.x kW (makes sense, sear burner is abou 2.2 kW). But a four burner spirit should at the very least end up at 12 kW. With two extra strong burners involved, I expected 14 kW minimum.

My brain is wired to BTU.

Converted some two pages ago.

Post in thread 'Updated Spirit grills for 2025' https://tvwbb.com/threads/updated-spirit-grills-for-2025.99286/post-1189445

 

[Josh Dekubber]

Oh wow, that's a nice pic.

IMO it also shows nicely why I would never buy a newer genesis. 4 Burners spaced miles apart. The extra sear burner may take up some slack, but I don't trust it. My three burner spirit is a lot smaller. I guess it has a similar power output per area. And the biggest need I have is more power per area.

The spirit is already big enough for my cooks of 4-8 people. If I need to feed more, then I'll always pull out my WSM for some Low n Slow cooks. Sure, with a huge summit I could do burgers for a soccer team, but that's only a choice if I hate the team. I'd be stuck behind the grill for most of the event. And then I am still sceptical if I get more power per area.

The new 4 burner spirit sounded like it was aimed at me. If my old spirit accessories are compatible, it would be at the top of my list. 1 extra burner, and two burners which are "up to 40%stronger than normal"? Perfect. But something does not add up.

The new 4 Burner is rated at 10.xx kW (well, kW/h, but if you divide power by time, you are at nonesense units) while the previous gen 3 burner with an extra sear burner is rated at 11.xx kW. So... how much stronger are the new +40% sear burner exactly?

E: I looked it up. My old 3 burner spirit is rated at 9.x kW, the 3 burner with sear zone is rated at 11.x kW (makes sense, sear burner is abou 2.2 kW). But a four burner spirit should at the very least end up at 12 kW. With two extra strong burners involved, I expected 14 kW minimum.

These are my current 2 favorite small 2 burner grills. Both have plenty of grill space for most of my cooks for my 3 person family. Genesis Junior and Genesis LX 240. I have no idea the btu output but also don't care because both grills get up to 500-600 °F pretty fast and can easily sear a good steak to my liking. I bought the Genesis Junior for $60 and put a little $ in it. I bought the Genesis LX 240 for $175 as is. I have one in WA. And one in AZ.

This spirit on the bottom pic I made out of 2 free grills and have sold but shows for little to no $ you can get a good little griller. I'm cheep and expect a lot for my money though.

 

[Jon Tofte]

The LX-240 was kind of a Jr. reincarnated!

 

[Jon Tofte]

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion --- the raised racks on even the Spirit (I) two burner I have are SS - maybe not 304 - never checked - and are holding up very well after 9+ years now --- no rust whatsoever with no special attention and would clean up shiny if I took the time to do it.

That’s very interesting and good to hear. I know the racks on the old Genesis grills were nickel-chrome plated and turned to rust quickly. It is encouraging to learn that your Spirit ones have done way better.