Which Genesis?


 
Rob Mc

Rob Mc

New member
Hello, I am in the market for a grill and I know I want a Genesis, but the amount of models are overwhelming. I was originally looking at the E310 but I am leaning towards the E410 for the greater cooking space (we plan to have guests over often). I am not experienced in grilling but am looking to get into it now that I own my own house. In addition to a large cooking area, I mostly want to be able to properly sear steaks. When it comes to value I am torn between getting the E410 or spending the same and getting a better 300 series, like an S330. I don't care for the enclosed propane tank or having side burners, but the extra searing burner and having stainless steel seems intriguing. Any thoughts or input? I am also confused as to the difference between S and SE models. It appears S models are better than SE as they are more expensive. I found someone selling a brand new "SE 410" locally...not really sure what that is and I'm assuming it's discontinued as on Weber's site I only see the E410. Any clarification would be great.
 
S means it has a Stainless Steel lid, flavor bars and grates.

SE means it has a colored lid, and stainless steel flavor bars and grates....also has the cool Weber Special Edition logo badge.
SE models are only sold at BBQ specialty shops and stores like Ace. Home Depot doesn't offer them.

I'd go with the SE and find a unique color that you like, maybe brick red? I don't like the stainless lids. Hard to keep clean IMO

I have an S-310 from around 2008. "Only" 3 burners, but it has a lot of grilling surface. 4 burner seems massive to me. Weber didn't used to offer the 4+ burners in a decent price range until now.
 
If I were you, I would pick up an old weber grill and play around with that. It's cheap enough where you'll still be able to cook almost anything without breaking the bank. I first started off buying a nice shiny SS off brand grill and that went down within 2 years. Read up on this forum and picked up a Gen B silver for 50 bucks 10 years ago and it grew from there. Since then I've stuck with these models as they lasted longer and survived hurricanes and floods here in the North East. No grill is going to make you cook better (pretty sure others will debate). But you'll appreciate how you learned about grilling starting off small and working your way up.
 
GenesisIICrimson2.jpg
Crimson SE-330. If I were in the market for a new Genesis, this is the model that would be on my patio. The crimson lid harkens back to Weber's red kettle roots. The sleek, modern, open cart is much less prone to rust than the closed-cart version. 9mm stainless grates and stainless flavorizer bars. And that sear burner. Hmm...I'm talking myself into one. What's that saying about permission vs. forgiveness???

The closed-cart version of this grill (E-335) earned a Platinum Award from Max Good at Amazing Ribs:
https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/gas-grills/weber-genesis-ii-e-335-gas-grill
 
If you want a sear burner you will also get a side burner. I think Weber does no longer offer one without the other. And you can get them as a 3 or 4 burner. The question is also how often do you need the extra space? If you are grilling smaller batches the larger grills become are less effective. You need to heat up more volume to get to the same temperature. The more burners you run the more fuel you need. For me a smaller grill works better for most of the time. And if I need the extra space for a party I heat up one of my kettles I have as well.
Costco also has a good offer. They sell the S-335 packaged with iGrill3 thermometer and cover labled as S-345. I have seen them in the store for $999. But I am not sure the offer is still valid.
 
JohnS NJ said:
If I were you, I would pick up an old weber grill and play around with that. It's cheap enough where you'll still be able to cook almost anything without breaking the bank. I first started off buying a nice shiny SS off brand grill and that went down within 2 years. Read up on this forum and picked up a Gen B silver for 50 bucks 10 years ago and it grew from there. Since then I've stuck with these models as they lasted longer and survived hurricanes and floods here in the North East. No grill is going to make you cook better (pretty sure others will debate). But you'll appreciate how you learned about grilling starting off small and working your way up.
Click to expand...
What Jon said. But, if you are dead set on a new grill, they seem to be fine grills. I would also stay away from enclosed base cabinet versions. They are rust magnets. At least they have been for the last 20 years with Weber.
 
J Grotz said:
View attachment 3431
Crimson SE-330. If I were in the market for a new Genesis, this is the model that would be on my patio. The crimson lid harkens back to Weber's red kettle roots. The sleek, modern, open cart is much less prone to rust than the closed-cart version. 9mm stainless grates and stainless flavorizer bars. And that sear burner. Hmm...I'm talking myself into one. What's that saying about permission vs. forgiveness???

The closed-cart version of this grill (E-335) earned a Platinum Award from Max Good at Amazing Ribs:
https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/gas-grills/weber-genesis-ii-e-335-gas-grill
Click to expand...
That is currently also my favorite model. Open cart, solid SS rods, sear burner and red. I am not a large fan of SS. The dark blue one from ACE also looks nice. But they only offer a closed cart model.
Anyhow I cannot justify buying a new grill with all the restorations I have been doing for a fraction of that price. But maybe used in a few years. By then we might also see how the new grills hold up rust wise.
 
Stefan H said:
That is currently also my favorite model. Open cart, solid SS rods, sear burner and red. I am not a large fan of SS. The dark blue one from ACE also looks nice. But they only offer a closed cart model.
Anyhow I cannot justify buying a new grill with all the restorations I have been doing for a fraction of that price. But maybe used in a few years. By then we might also see how the new grills hold up rust wise.
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I'm in the same boat. The grill I use is a fraction of what the cost of a new one is. There is nothing like a good meal on a grill after you cleaned and restored it. Nice reward to the hard work. But I do like the dark blue from ACE. Really pops out.
 
Crimson would be my first choice. Ace dark blue with the cabinetry removed would be my second!!! As new grills go, these are both really nice looking and have some great features. As mentioned, need more time to see how they do long-term. I guess I hope in a few years to get one cheap that needs to be restored.

I will quickly add I still think a person would be better served by a well-restored classic Genesis. You could get two for less than a new Genesis.
 
Kyle in Woodstock said:
S means it has a Stainless Steel lid, flavor bars and grates.

SE means it has a colored lid, and stainless steel flavor bars and grates....also has the cool Weber Special Edition logo badge.
SE models are only sold at BBQ specialty shops and stores like Ace. Home Depot doesn't offer them.

I'd go with the SE and find a unique color that you like, maybe brick red? I don't like the stainless lids. Hard to keep clean IMO

I have an S-310 from around 2008. "Only" 3 burners, but it has a lot of grilling surface. 4 burner seems massive to me. Weber didn't used to offer the 4+ burners in a decent price range until now.
Click to expand...

Good info, thanks everyone! Makes sense to me now, I think. So the SE is a $50 upgrade, but the S is a $150 upgrade I guess because of the addition of the stainless lid? Both you get the upgraded stainless steel bars and grates, but people prefer the SE colored lid and not stainless because its prettier and easier to clean.

I do really like the SE 330. However I can buy an SE 410 for $750. What to do...
 
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SE 330 like shown below. I personally would rather have the concentrated sear burner than just a regular, bigger grill. Make sure the one you get has the 9mm stainless grates. The handle light is a nice touch, too. This one is a little above the one posted above:

www.bbqguys.com

Weber Genesis II SE-330 Special Edition Propane Gas Grill with Sear Burner & Side Burner - Crimson - 61032201 : BBQGuys

The 2019 Weber Genesis II gas grill raises the standard in backyard grilling with the GS4 high-performance grilling system, featuring continuous-spark Infinity ignition, revolutionary stainless steel high performance burners, stainless steel Flavorizer bars with flame view window and a Grease...
www.bbqguys.com www.bbqguys.com
 
Really depends how much square inch you need, how many people u have over. I say 10 to 15 the 3 series is plenty the 4 series maybe 20 to 25 people. Someone correct me if I am wrong.
 
I agree with Jon, the concentrated heat of the sear burner and the 9mm SS grates (as opposed to 7mm or even coated CI) of the SE-330 is worth the trade off of greater real estate of the 410.

Does anyone know if the 4 and 6 burner Gennies have one piece cast aluminum fire boxes?
 
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Pretty sure both were still one piece cast aluminum. I think they canned those bigger models because they were cannibalizing Summit sales. If you need a huge grill, that 6-burner Genesis II wouldn’t be a half bad choice, especially with some low ball prices I have seen.
 
If I were in your situation I would get the S-345 from Costco because of the warranty from Weber and Costco. It's $999 at the warehouse vs. $1,129 if you order it online.
 
Anyone have experience with how well the sear burner actually works? If an SE410 was the same price as the SE330 it would be a close decision, let alone if I can get an SE410 locally for $200 cheaper, it seems like the best choice. I could use the money for a cover and other accessories.
 
It's unfortunate that with the new line of Webers, the more you pay, the less you can get. It's pure marketing and I get that. It really comes down to your cooking style. If searing is what you like to do - get it. I have 2 grills - a Gen silver B that I use for high sears and a Gen 1000 for more even cooking. I find that I have better control and versatility when doing cookouts.
 
Rob Mc said:
Anyone have experience with how well the sear burner actually works? If an SE410 was the same price as the SE330 it would be a close decision, let alone if I can get an SE410 locally for $200 cheaper, it seems like the best choice. I could use the money for a cover and other accessories.
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I had the previous generation Genesis 330 SE. Some people say they don't see much benefit from the sear burner, but I found that it did help. Not spectacularly but definitely an improvement. So, I can recommend it. On the other hand a larger 4-burner without it is still a very nice grill. If they are marking it down I can see going with that. My other big plug for the SE version I posted are those 9mm grates. The 4-burner is likely to have porcelain coated cast iron (likely to start chipping off) or at best 7mm stainless rods. I guess I see the one I posted as Weber's best contemporary attempt to bring some quality features while going back to an open cart at the same time.
 
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