Weber Gas Kettle?


 
DanJC

DanJC

TVWBB Fan
Just curious if anyone here owns one, or has even seen one? Assuming they’d be pretty rare, but could be a few kicking around.
 
They are fairly rare, especially in good working order. I believe Dave in KC has a very nice one. I am hoping he will bring it to our Upper MidWest TVWBB Meet this summer :coolkettle: !

They are pretty much a novelty, since they don't have the best reputation for grilling. Just like you can now get equipment to convert your kettle into a pellet grill, there used to be a conversion to LP gas kit for charcoal kettles.
 
I bought one second-hand years and years ago for $25. I didn't keep it very long before the novelty wore off. People couldn't sell them fast enough back in the day...they had a reputation for rusting out quickly.
 
I think I had seen a couple advertised on the buy/sell sites around me, but never really considered them. I think the price new was fairly high on them, like in the Performer range.
 
I sure no one here is surprised, but I would be a pushover for one that was moderately priced and not a total loss in appearance. I wouldn't want it for grilling (although I would like to try one at least once), just to look at😇. Someday I will buy a 3rd shed so I can have a grill museum :coolkettle: !
 
Interesting stuff.

Sounds a bit like the Star Wars Holiday Special -- best to forget it exists, but still kiiiinda want to have one.
 
DanJC said:
Interesting stuff.

Sounds a bit like the Star Wars Holiday Special -- best to forget it exists, but still kiiiinda want to have one.
Click to expand...
well the people you see trying to unload them think they have something so special that they try to command ridiculous prices for them, but you gotta wonder or ask them...................If it's so wonderful why you tryin to unload it? :D But they really were just terrible. They had one huge round burner like a turkey fryer burner, Above it there was an inverted "cone" shaped piece of steel. If you dropped the lever down it dropped that cone down into the burner to deflect the huge jet of flame to the outer part of the grill (indirect heat). If you brought the lever up the flames shot out in a giant jet directly under the center. (direct heat). It used lava rocks as well. They either did not cook or incinerated everything you put on them. No joke. It was about the singular most awful piece of gear ever made
 
If you had to cook on it your opinion might change. But, yeah they're nice to look at but then...............What's the point? For me if it's not worth cooking on it's not worth lookin on. :D Besides, the post started out asking if anyone had personal experience actually using one. I did. I answered as my experience was.. My parents did not keep it long. It quickly went away for a Genesis right after I got mine and they saw how terrific it was in comparison
 
Yep, I agree that the primary question at hand was whether anyone here has had direct experience with one of these gas kettles. Besides Larry, probably few have.

I do think, though, that the discussion can be extended as to the "collectability" of one of these grills. Most people can't even imagine collecting grills, especially gas ones🤔. But why should it be different from classic cars? Both are products of engineering to meet a need a lot of people associate with positive experiences in their lives.

I think it is clear that it was not a good cooker - based on Larry's direct experience - but also confirmed by other comments I have read about the gas kettle and the origin of the Genesis. But even a failed product with so much nostalgia (another of George's kettles:george:) has an interest to collectors. Think Edsel which were pretty poor cars and a marketing disaster. Now they are highly collectible. I admit I have a desire to own a few grills just to look at!:coolkettle: A gas kettle would be on that list. Hey, I would be content with a black one, but that red beauty Dave in KC got is top drawer!
 
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The fact Weber completely abandoned the design and totally stopped making any parts the year after they quit making the product tells all. It was a cool idea but the burner design is what did it in. Had they made it as a 2 burner design. Say a 12" center round burner and then a ring burner in 2 sections around the perimeter so it could do a true hot/cool zone type fire it could have been an excellent product. Issue was they didn't ask me
 
My neighbor across the street had one. He used it for a few years and one day it was out by the trash.
I asked him what happened and he said I just can't use that thing and he bought a regular Weber kettle.
 
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