Weber Grills
 

My hand me down 2001-03 Genesis has been donated to a Veteran and friend. Rebuilt entire insides, including replacement thermometer. Another buddy took out its cart. Now looking into building a wood frame, Corian top cut out and drop in. All Happy.

After donating it to my buddy in ‘13, I purchase two of the same model, two different locations, same time. Igniter on left, three burner Spirit. POS! POS!

They each and both SUCK equivalently.

Vezo, Part II

Yes, I feel better.

LOL - been down those roads.
You have company.
Genesis is great, Spirit is awful.
Remember: 302 Z28 and Vega came from the same company.

Yo Mike
Check the Battery

I feel the quality of Webers has decreased in the last 25 yrs.

Weird when you get so P.O.ed that you have No place else to vent. I should have to donate $25 to the site. I mandatorily have to see a therapist weekly. My copay is $30 an hour. Haha. Apologies.

Part II

P.S. I tried every freaking else but purge the cylinder. The Captain was here.

Not to hijack your thread - Can’t go too wrong with lump charcoal. I prefer the taste over gas. Gives you time to enjoy an adult beverage while the coals redden. My Green Egg has served me well for over 15 yrs.

I still use charcoal mainly also, gas if im in a hurry at the track and don't have time to tend to the grill but its hard to beat the taste of a bone in rib-eye cooked fast and hot on coals up wards of 800 deg f.


Been wanting to get one of them green egg units. The are hard to beat for efficiency

Yeah Frizz the Eggs are pretty sweet, however I'm giving mine a rest and loving my new pellet grill/smoker. They will spoil you very quickly!!! I've been put on grill buying "shut down", the wife thinks five is too many!! She does not understand that three of them are smaller in size and should not count as full value! :)

I'm on my second 2 burner Spirit and have had zero issues and use it 3-4 times a week. They last me 4 years then I toss them. While they are no Genesis, they are the best of the cheap grills out there and 4 years of sitting by the pool and being used so much makes them the best option and I actually like them as we don't want a big grill, just a small fast to heat up one for Mel and I.

I've had the Genesis before and while they did hold up, you still have to order the "free" parts and basically rebuild them after 4 years anyway. Flavor bars, burners, worn out wheels, igniters, grates... My time is worth more than fixing an expensive grill that for the same money will buy 3 new Spirits. In the end they all end up on Barbeque Reef.

Each of mine have been 20% as dependable as the Genesis still is. “Played” with the damn thing for two hours yesterday, removed everything, wire brushed what was effectively clean already, put it all back together and cooked Saturday nights single chicken breast at 345*, Best I could get. Only thing left is the regulator, which Weber sent me when I bitched long enough to squeeze out of the female representative, “I’m sorry sir, that model is now built in China, and you cannot return or exchange the grill”. It was like being hit in the head with a baseball bat. When my vision came back, I could not believe the damn thing was still at the top of my boat ramp!

Vezo

I fear you may be correct, I have a 3 year old Genesis that sits on our deck in KW, under an awning of sorts and always covered with the Weber brand cover when not in use. It is showing its age at a wildly accelerated rate, much more than I would off thought for such a well regarded brand.

When it was brand new I sprayed most of the area below the cooking part of the grill with "Fluid Film" to prevent corrosion and I think that has helped a bit.

I have never really bitched about it to anyone till now, good therapy, ha!!, but it is good to know I am in good company with my rant.

I will say one thing is that the grill works better than any I have ever owned and I really enjoy using it and it makes me look like a much better cook than I am!!

I have three Weber grills, a round charcoal and a small and a large "Q" grill that I use for the small simple quick stuff like burgers, hot dogs, etc. They work perfect for that plus they are very easy to take with you using a 1 pound propane bottle. The large gas grills I gave up on years ago.

Oh yeah Frizz, even though the Green Eggs are not cheap they come with a lifetime warranty. After at least ten years, I had my fire box and fire ring replaced at no charge. While I was at it I put in new high temp felt for the seal, good as new!!! My neighbor is on the list to get a new/once used Egg at the "Florida Eggfest' in Vero Beach in a few months, big savings for a once used Egg.

Sounds like the Captain didn’t get me fined.?.

I agree with each of your points. Haha

Michael

Jason - Do your burgers ever taste like a goat or a sheep? Every time I spray my truck with Fluid Film...it smells like a farm for about a week.

On a more serious note, forget the Weber grills. My father in law bought us a MHP grill when we got married 10 years ago and it still works A-OK. They are made out of cast aluminum (and some stainless) in the USA.

https://www.mhpgrills.com/

Hey Don - been curious about those pellet smokers. How's the taste?

Frizz - Look for an EggFest in your area. You can pick up a "used 1 time" large egg for a good price. Green Egg supplies the eggs and then sells them off after.

Well Casey.....outstanding. I did two 8 - 9 pound butts with a light rub at 220 degrees for 14 hours. I used the Hickory pellets, they were VERY well received by my neighbors. I'm going to Costco soon to pick up a "prime" brisket, should be killer. My smoker has a 160 and 220 smoker setting, I see the brisket going 14+ hours at 160.

Seems like the pellet grills/smokers are gaining a lot of popularity. A friend of mine started his own gas business and told me he sold more of them than anything out of his show room. I would like to get a nice pellet smoker. I have two of the cheep round ones with two grates in them and in the fall I trim my apple trees and save the branches I cut off and have the kids cut them in 4" sections so I can smoke with green apple wood. Im going to have to switch to pellets once the kids are gone and wont be around to cut the trimmings down. Lol.


I will have to check that out. Ive been wanting to pick something up but haven't pulled the trigger yet. After seeing the price on the larger ones at Lowes I thought about finding a lightly used one.





Wonder if the "used 1 time" eggs come with the same warranty as a new one? Not that it is a big deal. I never usually take the time to claim warranty on much stuff other than craftsman tools at sears and that's now becoming a pain.

Fluid Film is Lanolin based so that makes sense.

No, I did not spray the inside or even the outside of the cooking areas so no funny tastes

The more I think about my grill, the more I seem to realize that this inconsistent temperature issue, may be in direct correlation to the weight of the propane cylinder. It’s a given that the new “fuel level gauge” is crap compared to the old style on the Genesis. However, after an hour on the phone with Weber, trying everything they explained, I was sent a replacement regulator, back in 2013 when I bought them both. Maybe there’s a reason they sent it. Next variable to replace. It’s like the pressure and/or volume of the cylinder is effecting proper flow to valves. Especially if Kmoose is reporting a consistent burn. Will report back.

Michael.

Frizz: It's my understanding the eggs sell with all life-time warranties as new. My brother bought a few that way. For any Florida members interested, here's a link to an upcoming one: www.naturecoasteggfest.com/demoeggs.php

Mike,
One issue you could be having is a crappy cylinder valve. We get a bum tank on exchange every once in a while. All the safety crap incorporated into the reg and tank valve really kills performance.

I just got done grilling 2 chuck eyes and thewere perfect. I preheat my Spirit with the lid closed to almost 600. Open and drop them in and close the lid. As soon as the temp runs back up to 500 or 3 minutes (whichever comes first) then I flip em and and repeat. I end up with a pretty rare to med rare that is fully seared with black grill marks.

If your grill isn’t hitting 550-600 with the lid down you have a problem.

Here is a pic of Mel’s fully rested

You’re the man. I understand grilling, just having my ass kicked. I’m thinking regulator above all else. When can we get to HB?

Vezo.

I have long said that all grills cost the same - the cheap ones rust out/burn up in one third the time as the high quality ones, and cost one third as much. I have a vermont castings grill that has had two complete inside refurbs in - 18 years. Still looks great on the outside and runs like a .... Seacraft....

I remoted to replacing “free” replacement regulator, with identical Chinese manufacturer stamped on high pressure line as original and... no result. Cannot possibly be refillable cylinders. Chinese Crap.

Vezo Out

Have you checked for spiders or mud dobbers in the air intake. Sometimes critters get in them and cause the burners to run rich.

I guess that would be next. Something seems amiss with burner controls. Has a mind of its own. Yet hook a new cylinder to it and it’s like the old Genesis...

The best grill on the planet hands down is the Wilmington Cape Fear. They aren't cheap but mine has survived 15 years on the Outer Banks and is still going strong.

I be got a 13 yr old Ducane ss that is by far the best grill I’ve owned everything is stainless including all of the cabinet unlike most so called stainless grills but that’s probably why they don’t make them anymore

I'm just an old Weber charcoal kettle kinda guy.

Go with 220 there Kimosabe. 225 is optimal.

You need the heat to make proper bark and not overcook the ring.

You are cooking to temp. Prime rib all day at 160.

The Genesis has served us well, but i wish i could hit 800+.

Checked these out (Wilmington Cape Fear) as Im only about 2 hours from Wilmington. I like the travelers model as it would be nice to keep in my race trailer when out at the track. Just need something easy to use that wont rust up when left in there over time. The one I have now got left all winter in my enclose trailer and it started to rust up. Don't know why as I keep it parked over several strips of conveyor belt so I dint think moisture would be bad in there. May be getting moisture from the aluminum panels sweeting or either the race gas fumes are corroding it up. Who knows.

I second the cape fear. Shipped one of the first to Texas and it’s still cooking...