Hi
My wife wants to get me a new BBQ, replacing an old Barbeque Galore 4-burner that I've had for years. She is eyeing Webers as her sister has one and the brother-in-law loves it. I have resisted but my wife is wearing me down, and I had a look at the old one and could be convinced! But it's been years since I bought one, so my knowledge is as rusty as the old hotplate
Some background:
To be objective, my BBQ Galore one is on it's last legs, literally. It used to have 4 wheels but 2 snapped a few years ago. I can still push it around but had to chock it up to make it level to use. The ignitor doesn't work so I have to manually light it. And this is "interesting" as one of the burners has a leak, making the bbq a 3-burner! And when I cranked it up, flame was coming out of a part of another burner where flame shouldn't!
My culinary "style" is sausages, rissoles, kebabs, steaks, onion and sliced potatoes. I am prepared to be more adventurous.
During the summery months, we use the bbq once to twice a week, sometimes just the family (3-4 depending on kids being around) and occasionally 6-8 if we have some friends around. If it's just us, I crank out my old cassettes and enjoy a wine or 2 while my wife does the salady things.
So, the straight "replacement" BBQ Galore/Bunnings gas bbqs are cheaper than the Webers. But, would it be worthwhile getting a Weber? The next question, then, would be which one?
The portability of the portables is appealing. But would I regret the smaller size for times we have friends around? or, seeing as I'm not feeding the masses and most of the time it's only the 3-4 of us, could I get by with a portable? If it takes me a bit longer, that means more music and wine (responsibly, of course!).
I await your comments/suggestion.
cheers
Stick with what I know or Weber?
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Angryman65
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2013 3:47 pm
- Location: Batemans Bay
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
If you are going to be doing mainly hotplate and lid up type cooking where you watch it sizzling away then save a bit of money and go for a BBQ Galore or Bunnings gas one.
If you are keen to try lid down cooking (you can do all the things you currently do) then give a weber Q a go. I don't have one yet but will one day.
Then there's always charcoal, different taste and different techniques but a whole lot of satisfaction when it all goes right.
It's personal choice but someone who has a Q will be along shortly to extol their virtues.
If you are keen to try lid down cooking (you can do all the things you currently do) then give a weber Q a go. I don't have one yet but will one day.
Then there's always charcoal, different taste and different techniques but a whole lot of satisfaction when it all goes right.
It's personal choice but someone who has a Q will be along shortly to extol their virtues.
Vegetarian is an old Indian word for bad hunter.
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Powderdigit
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2017 12:33 pm
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
For what's it's worth - I just purchased a Weber Genesis 2 e440 LX Premium.
Why?
I have a Weber kettle already, so I have an exisiting charcoal option and I will continue to use this. I love cooking over charcoal. So, gas was my option for ease of use during week and for when I am entertaining larger numbers.
Prior to thisI had a gas Weber for 19 years prior to this one. Probably shouldn't have put it on hard rubbish after 19 years; Weber would have re-furb'ed it I am sure. Oh, well mistake 18 months or so ago and it took me that long to buy my next BBQ - in the meantime, I got much better cooking with Charcoal!
I am a reasonably adventurous (if supremely amateur) cook; I'll do a lot of hood down cooking - as well as the standard stuff.
Build quality (esp, this US made version - no all Genesis models are made in the USA) and proven Weber customer services had a lot to do with it.
I have had it for a few weeks now. A good experience this far...
The guy that installed it was friendly - spent 2-2.5 hrs assembling and taking me through it.
It's working well so far - albeit user error has caused some rather amusing stories - most recently a 20 hr low and (very) slow cook - pulled pork was delicious though - just finished it off today.
...
That said, if your needs are more 'standard' perhaps a paying a premium for Weber may not be necessary ... indeed, many on this forum may say that paying a premium is not necessary regardless. Each to there own.
Oh, and I felt like I saved money in the end ... for a while there I was looking at Yoder smokers .... the Wichita model I was looking at pretty expensive - looked ace though. Also, I was looking at Primo BBQ's - good but I have my kettle ... both great - different uses but ... I wanted the ease of gas ...
Enjoy the process and the diversity of views you'll get here. Good luck with your decision.
Cheers
PDx
Why?
I have a Weber kettle already, so I have an exisiting charcoal option and I will continue to use this. I love cooking over charcoal. So, gas was my option for ease of use during week and for when I am entertaining larger numbers.
Prior to thisI had a gas Weber for 19 years prior to this one. Probably shouldn't have put it on hard rubbish after 19 years; Weber would have re-furb'ed it I am sure. Oh, well mistake 18 months or so ago and it took me that long to buy my next BBQ - in the meantime, I got much better cooking with Charcoal!
I am a reasonably adventurous (if supremely amateur) cook; I'll do a lot of hood down cooking - as well as the standard stuff.
Build quality (esp, this US made version - no all Genesis models are made in the USA) and proven Weber customer services had a lot to do with it.
I have had it for a few weeks now. A good experience this far...
The guy that installed it was friendly - spent 2-2.5 hrs assembling and taking me through it.
It's working well so far - albeit user error has caused some rather amusing stories - most recently a 20 hr low and (very) slow cook - pulled pork was delicious though - just finished it off today.
...
That said, if your needs are more 'standard' perhaps a paying a premium for Weber may not be necessary ... indeed, many on this forum may say that paying a premium is not necessary regardless. Each to there own.
Oh, and I felt like I saved money in the end ... for a while there I was looking at Yoder smokers .... the Wichita model I was looking at pretty expensive - looked ace though. Also, I was looking at Primo BBQ's - good but I have my kettle ... both great - different uses but ... I wanted the ease of gas ...
Enjoy the process and the diversity of views you'll get here. Good luck with your decision.
Cheers
PDx
Powderdigit
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
Webber 320 q
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Davo
- Forum Administrator
- Posts: 5330
- Joined: Sun Jun 15, 2008 2:44 am
- Location: Albury NSW on the mighty Murray River
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
Hi and welcome Arturo,
Yeah you're old BBQ seems like it's on it's way out and I think should be replaced by what you have told us....could be an accident waiting to happen.
Ok....I've been using a Weber Q for over 10 years now, starting off with the baby Q120, great little griller but then I wanted more cooking space so I upgraded to the Weber Q 220, the mid sized model, it was good but I felt slightly underpowered for what I wanted.
I then had the opportunity to buy a Masport 6 burner BBQ, a behemoth of a BBQ which drank gas faster than a V8 supercar, I hated it...I was so used to lid down grilling and tried it on the Masport and ended up with almost the biggest fire i ever had...they were not vented for lid down high heat grilling....so I sold it to a mate who loved it and as soon as I got the money in my hot little hand....I went down and bought a Weber Q320 family Q....I was a Happy little vegemite once again....love the lid down grilling...trust me you get used to it and it's the best flavour you'll get out of a gasser for sure.
The Model now is a Q3200...comes with half grill/hotplate and another half grill to use instead of a hotplate...so versatile, you use all the grill realestate, not just some of it....
Now while I think the Weber Q's are the ducks guts...here are some cons too, the lid being cast aluminium tends to soak up the smoke and once black inside the lid, you won't keep it the original condition but i regard this as a seasoned BBQ, all you gotta do is wipe off the excess and the ends of the lid will stain too as thats where the smoke comes out. I also find that grease will drop from the lid when it's up....i have to clean off my gas cylinder every now n then....but these are small things compared to it's performance.
If your a constant burger & snag flipper, you can do it on the Q as you don't have to keep the lid down all the time on the family Q but you get the better flavour if you do. You can buy a rotiserie for them as well.
The Weber Q's have a 5 year warranty and their bigger brothers like the Genesis and Summits have a 10 year warranty and Weber's support is 2nd to none...they are the best!!
If you can spend up around 2K for a good BBQ...have a good look at Weber's Genesis range, they are designed like the conventional BBQ but they are anything but conventional....you'll still be using it in 15 yrs.(providing you're not near the ocean)
Otherwise, you might be better off with similar to what you had.....just don't look at bunnings stuff, but other well known brands too like Rinnai, Gasmate, beefeater etc.
It's like anything else in this massive market...you gets what you pay for....people buy Weber coz they know they won't be chucking it out after 10 years.....it's an investment in your enjoyment whilst at home with family and friends.
It's like buying a car really, you buy because you like the brand, you like the looks, the practicality, the reputation and how you'll see yourself behind the controls....it's an investment for your enjoyment and safety.
Spend some time on buying the right BBQ for you as you would any other furniture or appliance for your home....and remember.....the wife has some say in it too...she wants it to look good as well as perform good. they usually win
Good luck and let us know how you go with it.
Cheers
Davo
Yeah you're old BBQ seems like it's on it's way out and I think should be replaced by what you have told us....could be an accident waiting to happen.
Ok....I've been using a Weber Q for over 10 years now, starting off with the baby Q120, great little griller but then I wanted more cooking space so I upgraded to the Weber Q 220, the mid sized model, it was good but I felt slightly underpowered for what I wanted.
I then had the opportunity to buy a Masport 6 burner BBQ, a behemoth of a BBQ which drank gas faster than a V8 supercar, I hated it...I was so used to lid down grilling and tried it on the Masport and ended up with almost the biggest fire i ever had...they were not vented for lid down high heat grilling....so I sold it to a mate who loved it and as soon as I got the money in my hot little hand....I went down and bought a Weber Q320 family Q....I was a Happy little vegemite once again....love the lid down grilling...trust me you get used to it and it's the best flavour you'll get out of a gasser for sure.
The Model now is a Q3200...comes with half grill/hotplate and another half grill to use instead of a hotplate...so versatile, you use all the grill realestate, not just some of it....
Now while I think the Weber Q's are the ducks guts...here are some cons too, the lid being cast aluminium tends to soak up the smoke and once black inside the lid, you won't keep it the original condition but i regard this as a seasoned BBQ, all you gotta do is wipe off the excess and the ends of the lid will stain too as thats where the smoke comes out. I also find that grease will drop from the lid when it's up....i have to clean off my gas cylinder every now n then....but these are small things compared to it's performance.
If your a constant burger & snag flipper, you can do it on the Q as you don't have to keep the lid down all the time on the family Q but you get the better flavour if you do. You can buy a rotiserie for them as well.
The Weber Q's have a 5 year warranty and their bigger brothers like the Genesis and Summits have a 10 year warranty and Weber's support is 2nd to none...they are the best!!
If you can spend up around 2K for a good BBQ...have a good look at Weber's Genesis range, they are designed like the conventional BBQ but they are anything but conventional....you'll still be using it in 15 yrs.(providing you're not near the ocean)
Otherwise, you might be better off with similar to what you had.....just don't look at bunnings stuff, but other well known brands too like Rinnai, Gasmate, beefeater etc.
It's like anything else in this massive market...you gets what you pay for....people buy Weber coz they know they won't be chucking it out after 10 years.....it's an investment in your enjoyment whilst at home with family and friends.
It's like buying a car really, you buy because you like the brand, you like the looks, the practicality, the reputation and how you'll see yourself behind the controls....it's an investment for your enjoyment and safety.
Spend some time on buying the right BBQ for you as you would any other furniture or appliance for your home....and remember.....the wife has some say in it too...she wants it to look good as well as perform good. they usually win
Good luck and let us know how you go with it.
Cheers
Davo
Moderator/ Admin
Weber Q320
Weber Performer Kettle
Weber WSM 18.5
Weber Q320
Weber Performer Kettle
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Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
I think all the above have covered most things and all I can add is it sounds like you are use to cooking with gas so stick to a gas bbq, cooking on charcoal is a totally different beast other then Weber you also have the Ziggy range at Barbeque Galore.
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
But if you want to be tempted, and experiment with Charcoal then there are the Webers and the various flavours of Kamado's to experiment with. I moved from gas to charcoal (Akorn) this year and I very rarely use my gas bbq these days.
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
Up to $1,000 for a gas BBQ it is a balance between how long it lasts vs the dollars spent.
Generally the higher quality bbq cost more but last longer and the cheaper ones last shorter so you replace it more often. So in the end over time it kind of evens out.
What you find with the more expensive BBQ is the heat is better spread out and more even so you use your grill/plate better so you can buy a smaller BBQ to cook the same amount of food.
If you have a family get a family sized BBQ. eg 4 burner or Weber family Q. You don't need to turn all the burners on.
Hood or no hood. Cooking snags, steaks etc a plate with no hood is fine. A hood is good for fat splatter eg lamb chops.
A hood is good for roasting.
Here's where a Weber Q can save you money. The Weber Q is pretty frugal with gas. Gas is getting expensive. If you cook quite a bit over time a Weber Q will be cheaper to run than a 4 or 6 burner.
It sounds like your wife has given you the green light to buy a Weber Q and fine with the extra cost compared to a cheapie Bunnings BBQ. Easy choice, agree with your wife and buy the expensive one. Get the expensive BBQ and with that some nice thick cuts of steak to bbq and a nice glass of red to celebrate.
Generally the higher quality bbq cost more but last longer and the cheaper ones last shorter so you replace it more often. So in the end over time it kind of evens out.
What you find with the more expensive BBQ is the heat is better spread out and more even so you use your grill/plate better so you can buy a smaller BBQ to cook the same amount of food.
If you have a family get a family sized BBQ. eg 4 burner or Weber family Q. You don't need to turn all the burners on.
Hood or no hood. Cooking snags, steaks etc a plate with no hood is fine. A hood is good for fat splatter eg lamb chops.
A hood is good for roasting.
Here's where a Weber Q can save you money. The Weber Q is pretty frugal with gas. Gas is getting expensive. If you cook quite a bit over time a Weber Q will be cheaper to run than a 4 or 6 burner.
It sounds like your wife has given you the green light to buy a Weber Q and fine with the extra cost compared to a cheapie Bunnings BBQ. Easy choice, agree with your wife and buy the expensive one. Get the expensive BBQ and with that some nice thick cuts of steak to bbq and a nice glass of red to celebrate.
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
Thanks for the advice/feedback - much appreciated.
After reading the above it seems like the Weber might be on the cards. Will have to look at them in the flesh (so to speak) to gauge the sizes of the Q2xxx vs Q3xxx. I'm leaning towards the Q2200 - the portability seems appealing. But if I did get one, would I need to get a stand? Or, at home, could I use my wooden garden trolley?
After reading the above it seems like the Weber might be on the cards. Will have to look at them in the flesh (so to speak) to gauge the sizes of the Q2xxx vs Q3xxx. I'm leaning towards the Q2200 - the portability seems appealing. But if I did get one, would I need to get a stand? Or, at home, could I use my wooden garden trolley?
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
Post a photo of your garden trolley. Helps with an answer.Arturo wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2017 5:33 pm Thanks for the advice/feedback - much appreciated.
After reading the above it seems like the Weber might be on the cards. Will have to look at them in the flesh (so to speak) to gauge the sizes of the Q2xxx vs Q3xxx. I'm leaning towards the Q2200 - the portability seems appealing. But if I did get one, would I need to get a stand? Or, at home, could I use my wooden garden trolley?
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
I don't have accounts with any image-hosting sites (the Luddite in me!). But, if it helps, the trolley is just a timber one with a "table top" with dimensions of 85cm x 45cm. It has edging around the top which means the top is recessed about an inch. The height off the ground is about 85cm, and it has a shelf underneath with similar dimensions.
If that doen't help I might have to take pics and sign up to an image site!
If that doen't help I might have to take pics and sign up to an image site!
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
Or maybe this will help (actually described as an "outdoor drinks trolley"
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/or ... e51c16.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/or ... e51c16.jpg
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
You cant go wrong with a weber Q.
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
Handy looking trolley. I see why you are interested in the Q2200.Arturo wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2017 8:22 pm Or maybe this will help (actually described as an "outdoor drinks trolley"
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/or ... e51c16.jpg
No need for an external site. Just load up the photo as an attachment and place inline.
- trolley.jpg (44.73 KiB) Viewed 9227 times
Re: Stick with what I know or Weber?
Thanks for that - I probably should've looked up the forum rules!
Had a look at a local Weber store and the Q2200 looks like it would be big enough for our purposes. SWMBO is also happy with the portability aspect.
But I have a fly-in-the-ointment. The trolley I have actually belongs to my daughter. My vegetarian daughter. Who would not appreciate the risk of splatters on her trolley
So, if I did get the Q2200, I would need to get the cart or a stand of some description which takes the price closer to the Q3200. Decisions decisions.
Also, are Weber sellers open to discounting? Or is it a case of "we have good stuff, we're not discounting"?
Had a look at a local Weber store and the Q2200 looks like it would be big enough for our purposes. SWMBO is also happy with the portability aspect.
But I have a fly-in-the-ointment. The trolley I have actually belongs to my daughter. My vegetarian daughter. Who would not appreciate the risk of splatters on her trolley
So, if I did get the Q2200, I would need to get the cart or a stand of some description which takes the price closer to the Q3200. Decisions decisions.
Also, are Weber sellers open to discounting? Or is it a case of "we have good stuff, we're not discounting"?