Weber Summit Review

[Tony Coloma]

699. Darn. I am already in trouble with GF. So...

 

[Jon Tofte]

Wow, Larry, that one is pretty much a dead ringer for the new Summit with regards to features, and now as Tony pointed out, just $699!

I would like to see it in person to better evaluate. One thing I will note is that a few years back, I posted about a sharp looking, all 304 stainless Costco "Signateur" exclusive grill. It got horrible reviews as the huge stainless shield (similar to what is used in most pellet grills) apparently made it hard to get the grill up to high temps. Worse, the support turned out to be non-existent, and reviews have owners lamenting their purchase unable to get replacement parts. I know you can apparently "bring them back," but that doesn't take away from that particular grill being a non-supported, poor product in spite of checking a lot of boxes and, for that matter, being well styled.

Grills I saw at Costco

Well, tax season is finally over:D! So, I had time to go with my wife on a trip to Costco. We had to patrol almost all the aisles, but I was at least able to take a brief look at the grills being offered. I was especially interested because of several posts here about grills others had looked...

tvwbb.com

I am not saying this Kirkland one you posted is at all the same, but it would still be prudent to look at it hard. I noticed that there were 19 ratings of the lowest possible score of "1."

 

[LMichaels]

Wow, Larry, that one is pretty much a dead ringer for the new Summit with regards to features, and now as Tony pointed out, just $699!

I would like to see it in person to better evaluate. One thing I will note is that a few years back, I posted about a sharp looking, all 304 stainless Costco exclusive grill. It got horrible reviews as the huge stainless shield (similar to what is used in most pellet grills) apparently made it hard to get the grill up to high temps. Worse, the support turned out to be non-existent, and reviews have owners lamenting their purchase. I know you can apparently "bring them back," but that doesn't take away from that particular grill being a poor product in spite of checking a lot of boxes and, for that matter, being well styled.

Grills I saw at Costco

Well, tax season is finally over:D! So, I had time to go with my wife on a trip to Costco. We had to patrol almost all the aisles, but I was at least able to take a brief look at the grills being offered. I was especially interested because of several posts here about grills others had looked...

tvwbb.com

I am not saying this 5 one you posted is at all the same, but it would still be prudent to look at it hard.

I did lay eyes on it. First off it's a pretty well made grill. Would I call it a "premium" grill i.e. Wolf, Lynx, and so on type? Definitely not. But to my sense of touch, a magnet I absconded with at the store, and so on. I would put it up against any new Weber and maybe even give it the nod for a touch better quality. Features of course were off the hook. Comes with both LP and NG capability (by changing only one orifice) which is ingenious IMO, the top down IR burner, the full rotisserie kit. I mean at $699 you could buy 3 of them and still be $$$ ahead

 

[Joe Anshien]

I think they're banking on the "smart" version saving their bacon and possibly the upper IR burner. But, you can get the Kirkland product with the same rotisserie/broiler setup, in a higher quality all 304SS product for 1/4 the price. https://www.costco.com/kirkland-signature-stainless-steel-6-burner-gas-grill.product.4000098457.html

They say 304 SS cookbox, not the whole grill but still nice. They also mention you can convert from LP to NG, a big plus over Weber IMHO

 

[Jay D in Jersey]

Back in 2005 or so, I bought a Costco Kirkland Signature all 304 SS grill.
It was big. The cabinet was SS too. It had an infrared rotisserie burner, an infrared searing burner, a solid brass side burner, all solid 304 ss grates,, an oven and it came with a rotisserie that was SS and a cover. I think we paid about $800 at the time. It was made by Nexgrill. Took a buddy of mine and me to get it into a borrowed pickup and into our screened porch in the house we were in. I remember getting several parts replaced including the grates( welds failed in some spots) and infrared burners. Sold it to a guy that was a chef and cooked for various charities in his off time. No smart features back then but whoa...a lot of grill for the money.

Kirkland 720-0432 Parts | Grills

Buy Genuine Grill Parts for Kirkland 720-0432. It's Easy to Repair your Grill. 130 Parts for this Model. ✓ Parts Lists, Photos, Diagrams and Owners manuals.

www.appliancefactoryparts.com

 

[LMichaels]

Back in 2005 or so, I bought a Costco Kirkland Signature all 304 SS grill.
It was big. The cabinet was SS too. It had an infrared rotisserie burner, an infrared searing burner, a solid brass side burner, all solid 304 ss grates,, an oven and it came with a rotisserie that was SS and a cover. I think we paid about $800 at the time. It was made by Nexgrill. Took a buddy of mine and me to get it into a borrowed pickup and into our screened porch in the house we were in. I remember getting several parts replaced including the grates( welds failed in some spots) and infrared burners. Sold it to a guy that was a chef and cooked for various charities in his off time. No smart features back then but whoa...a lot of grill for the money.

Kirkland 720-0432 Parts | Grills

Buy Genuine Grill Parts for Kirkland 720-0432. It's Easy to Repair your Grill. 130 Parts for this Model. ✓ Parts Lists, Photos, Diagrams and Owners manuals.

www.appliancefactoryparts.com

View attachment 87226

There was quite the cult following to those at the time on a couple different web messaging boards I remember being on. In addition to the one without the oven which was it's predecessor.

 

[Joe Anshien]

Back in 2005 or so, I bought a Costco Kirkland Signature all 304 SS grill.
It was big. The cabinet was SS too. It had an infrared rotisserie burner, an infrared searing burner, a solid brass side burner, all solid 304 ss grates,, an oven and it came with a rotisserie that was SS and a cover. I think we paid about $800 at the time. It was made by Nexgrill. Took a buddy of mine and me to get it into a borrowed pickup and into our screened porch in the house we were in. I remember getting several parts replaced including the grates( welds failed in some spots) and infrared burners. Sold it to a guy that was a chef and cooked for various charities in his off time. No smart features back then but whoa...a lot of grill for the money.

Kirkland 720-0432 Parts | Grills

Buy Genuine Grill Parts for Kirkland 720-0432. It's Easy to Repair your Grill. 130 Parts for this Model. ✓ Parts Lists, Photos, Diagrams and Owners manuals.

www.appliancefactoryparts.com

View attachment 87226

An oven is a pretty sweet option. Did it have a thermostat, and was it able to keep a fairly accurate temperature? I like to keep the heat out of the house in the summer. Also be great to keep stuff warm. I can see many uses, especially in the warmer locations.

 

[LMichaels]

An oven is a pretty sweet option. Did it have a thermostat, and was it able to keep a fairly accurate temperature? I like to keep the heat out of the house in the summer. Also be great to keep stuff warm. I can see many uses, especially in the warmer locations.

Yes they were just like your indoor oven. Dial a temp and bake. IDK how well these held up but they were impressive to see

 

[Jay D in Jersey]

An oven is a pretty sweet option. Did it have a thermostat, and was it able to keep a fairly accurate temperature? I like to keep the heat out of the house in the summer. Also be great to keep stuff warm. I can see many uses, especially in the warmer locations.

Joe, it was just like a regular oven on a kitchen stove. The inside racks and guides were 304 SS but the walls were porcelain enamel...like a typical indoor range. That was about the only part that was not SS. It was handy for large holiday dinners which we hosted often then. It was smaller...like one of those 24" range ovens.
It did go through some propane and I considered having a plumber run gas through the brick directly from our basement but he wanted $1000 to do it back then. I figured I could by a lot of propane refills for $1K. It did come with a NG conversion kit, orifices and instructions though.

 

[Paul Warner]

Our mate Trevor is back for more.....

 

[Bruce]

I don't think I want to sit through another one of his reviews.

 

[BFletcher]

I can't.

 

[Brett-EDH]

someone pls post his TLDW version. the last one was painful without a shot glass present.

 

[LMichaels]

While he's not well spoken, he makes valid points. I've seen that Napoleon in person and honestly I would take it any day over any Summit ever made

 

[Jon Tofte]

I don't think I want to sit through another one of his reviews.

I couldn’t believe he referenced his earlier review of the Summit and even a link. If I were him, I would pull that one and try to forget it ever happened.

 

[EricV.]

It may be called a review, however in my opinion, it's more of a sales promotion/pitch for Embers Fireplaces & Outdoor Living! The dude is in sales & is being asked to sell these grills as part of his job. It's obvious he lacks the knowledge to properly demonstrate grills especially at this price point. If I were in the market for one of these, I would wait for a consumer to post an honest review.

 

[Jon Tofte]

I had to laugh at the beer bottle lids in the collector. He wondered how they got there. I think we all know!

Without seeing real cooking in action, I am not willing to draw a conclusion yet. For whatever reason, I like the way the Summit LOOKS better (remember he was basing his assessment in part on multi-colored lights). I also think he was swayed a lot by the certainly superior infrared side burner. However, I think I would like Weber's top-down one myself, since it can do way more than one steak at a time. Again, without actual cooking experience, it's all just a guess.

I had a chance to cook on a VERY nice Napoleon last winter at my millionaire college roommate's house in Florida. I was pretty impressed even if my lack of familiarity with the grill resulted in only average steaks.



Napoleon definitely makes some very nice grills, so in the end it probably has more to do with what you personally happen to like. I will say, however, although you don't see nearly as many, there are some great deals on very nice used Napoleons. It seems around here, anyway, that they don't hold there value quite as well.

 

[Brad Gould]

He was sooooooo close. If you notice at about the 5:20 mark,
he pulls down on it to make it nearly level, but just not quite enough.
If he would have pulled it just a little more it snaps in place, fully level.

Has this guy ever used a side burner? He doubts it can boil corn?
He calls it a piece of junk before even testing it. SMH.
For the record, even the side burners on the Spirits will boil water,
or fry chicken and fish just fine.

@9:25 when lifting the lid he says ..."I haven't even dug into this,"
Yes, we know. That is blatantly clear.

Terrible and rushed review aside.... this as mentioned above, is
nothing more than a glorified Genesis.
Folks that buy $50 cups and $500 coolers from Yeti may like this grill.
Real grill guys that are looking to invest 4K in a lifetime grill will
be looking elsewhere.

Hey! I am a real grill guy but I own a few Yetis!

 

[Joe Anshien]

I had to laugh at the beer bottle lids in the collector. He wondered how they got there. I think we all know!

Without seeing real cooking in action, I am not willing to draw a conclusion yet. For whatever reason, I like the way the Summit LOOKS better (remember he was basing his assessment in part on multi-colored lights). I also think he was swayed a lot by the certainly superior infrared side burner. However, I think I would like Weber's top-down one myself, since it can do way more than one steak at a time. Again, without actual cooking experience, it's all just a guess.

I had a chance to cook on a VERY nice Napoleon last winter at my millionaire college roommate's house in Florida. I was pretty impressed even if my lack of familiarity with the grill resulted in only average steaks.

View attachment 87524

Napoleon definitely makes some very nice grills, so in the end it probably has more to do with what you personally happen to like. I will say, however, although you don't see nearly as many, there are some great deals on very nice used Napoleons. It seems around here, anyway, that they don't hold there value quite as well.

Jon - You are on the money. My Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB beats out Weber's Genesis and Summit in almost every area as it has the best of both of the models. Thick cast aluminum cook box, better cross overs and flavorizers, built in flame jet igniters on knobs, higher rotisserie so I can spin and cook w/o removing grates, IR side burner, etc. The only weak points I have found is the back of the grill does get hotter than the front so I think Weber has more even cooking and the drip tray is a 400 series of stainless that is way inferior to either 304 or enameled. I had to replace mine when I bought it as it was full of small holes after I spent hours cleaning it up. You can find some great deals on them used as they are not as well known as Weber, but you can say the same of other higher end grills that most consumers don't know. Also, since mine is a 2017 it does not have a bumper to bumper life-time warranty as the ones from 2020 forward. I will say that their warranty service was very nice, as when I purchased the new drip pan I noticed that one of the burners had a crack and they sent me a free new set and drip tray liners for free;-) Napoleon seems to have a very high customer satisfaction as I noted in the FB Napoleon group.