I am in need of a new grill as I gave my aging grill that most of you have had food off of in the past to my nephew.
My last grill was a 6 burner all stainless and was left outdoors for about 10 years and took it very well. I want the same quality and better for this one. I plan on keeping this one covered so that I do not have to worry about the elements, but I still want stainless because I know i will not keep it covered all the time, and frankly I just like it better than the painted models.
I have nearly convinced myself that I want the Weber S-470 as I hear good things about the Summit series. I really love the sear burner and the ability to do indirect lower temperature smoking. Also from hands on the summit series I think that the gauge of the stainless is heavier.
I have taken a step back today and thought about $2K for a grill and is it worth it? There is also the Weber Genesis series which seems to be their more budget friendly line as well as their most popular. I feel like I could settle with an S-330, but it would truly be setting as it is smaller, one less burner, no rotisserie, and a lower build quality.
Does anyone have experience with either of these models or something comparative? I am open to other brands so long as it is a quality product and under 2K. Also it has to be Natural Gas, or convertible as I piped a line out to my patio last year and I do not want to waste it.
I almost bought a Genesis at the same time my buddy bought one in 2009. I was stupid and got suckered in by the $700 Sears grill on ridiculous end of season sale for $250 and got that instead. My grill is now a pile of shit while his Genesis works and looks like the day he got it. He had a tiny little dent in the lid when he took it out of the box, Weber 2 day air shipped him a replacement no questions asked.
I’ve been watching for a natural gas Genesis to go on sale for the last year… they never do. If one doesn’t go on sale soon I’m probably just going to order one at full price.
EDIT:
Oh, and I manned the grill for a bit at a summer party at his place, grilling chicken for 20+ people. Even with chicken covering every square inch flare ups were not a problem and everything was cooking evenly.
My dad and I both use Kenmore, I’m not sure if they have a 6-burner or not but they are durable. My dad uses his probably 8x as much as most people do if not more. Food pics available upon request.
My dad has had his webber for 10+ years. It sits on a covered porch without a grill cover. It is still in fantastic condition. It is not a super fancy model like you are looking for but I am just speaking positive for their long term durability
Kenmore was my last grill and it required a lot of maintenance on the burners, grates etc… I did really like it though.
I don’t want anything too big as I have only allotted a 6 foot space for the grill. I will look into the Jenn Air grills and see what is out there. I think the Extra money is in some of the features, but also in the name.
I have heard good things on their durability and my kenmore was durable as well. This will not be under a roof so that is a key factor and a driving force behind using a true stainless vs a painted.
I like that webber has a good aftermarket where you can buy all kinds of stuff like even heavier angle bars for holding even more heat and tons of other stuff. Mine is about 15 years old and I did a full rebuilt a couple years back.
I have a Copper Weber Genesis S-330 w/ sear station and side burner. Get it through Ed Youngs, as all their grates are stainless steel as opposed to the Home Depot or Lowes versions which usually come with iron.
I store it in my garage all winter and use it occassionally. The summit series is a waste of money IMO. I spent $1000 and I’ll never have to replace it in the forseeable future. 20 Year warranties, etc.
PS - If you buy anything but a Weber, you’re an idiot.
Personally I’d much rather have Weber porcelain enameled cast iron grates than stainless steel. You get all the heat retaining advantages of cast iron with low maintenance. You just have to be a little more careful cleaning it. The key there is I said the Weber ones, because shitty porcelain enameled grates start chipping off after a year.
For the most part those enamel covered ones are bad news, I don’t have experience with the Weber ones so I can’t say anything about them. Typically I prefer stainless
Love my side burner, works great for my diver scallops or veggies although I usually put stuff right on the grill. I’d look at the Kenmores
I have never used the side burner on my current grill but I have bitched at the wife for cooking scallops in a pan in the house and stinking up the place. Last time I just threw out the hood filters it was so bad, so my next one will have the side burner and I do expect to use it.
