I’ve decided and convinced my wife that we should get a charcoal kettle. It’s between a 22” Weber or SnS. Is there a reason to choose one over the other, other than price?
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I think if you are going to buy a weber, and then turn around and buy all the sns add-on’s, the sns is probably the better decision. They are not necessary, 2 fire bricks and you can build all the zone sizes you want with a kettle. I do think the SNS easy spin stainless grate upgrade for a weber 22 is a good decision though.
can you be talked into a 26 kettle upgrade?-
I considered the 26” . The finance and aesthetics departments (damn she has a lot of titles) said it wouldn’t fit in the only spot available and is too expensive for just the two of us for an occasional cook. {A word of advice to the single gents in the group, if you want to ever win an argument, don’t marry a lawyer.}
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Have you considered a 26" Weber kettle? Having the extra space comes in really handy. I have a 22" and a 26" and mostly use the 26". I haven't owned an SnS kettle, so cannot give any personal experience there. I just love Weber and their customer service is top tier.Comment
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Get one of each and then you don't have to choose.Comment
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I vote 26" as well. More room for more zones if ever needed.Comment
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I have the 22 inch weber, the 3rd one now over about 20 years. Only thing negitive is you need to replace the ash scrapers about every 2 years but are easy to find online and replace. I buy 2 kits at a time to beat inflation. I do not have the SnS add on's but have looked at them and they are definitely on my radar so consider some of them if you decide to go with the weber. Also, as others have mentioned, the 26 inch does give you more room if that is need. Good luck shopping.Comment
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I love my Weber Master Touch 22" Kettle with all the SnS added Stainless Steel accessories, a Vortex and a Stainless rotisserie. I can do almost anything with this setup. Either the, 26 inch Kettle or Kamado would be nice as well. SnS makes a great grill from what I have read and been told by several Pit members. Not to question your choices but have you looked at the Spider Grills Giant Huntsman?
Mr Flavorsmith of YouTube has almost every accessory possible for his Weber Kettles as well as his Spider Grills Huntsman Kettle. He has also added a number of Spider Grill upgrades to one of his Weber Kettles. Check him out below.
As always, YMMV
Have fun making your purchase. Glad I don't have to make that choice between these great options. Wait, this is The Pit, get several !Last edited by Purc; September 2, 2026, 12:51 PM.Comment
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See my comment above to Richard Chrz regarding the finance department. My worry is if you came up with this, what will Panhead John be suggesting.
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I have nothing but positive experience with my SNS Kamado, but also love my Weber Performer Deluxe (22" kettle). I love that Performer so much it would probably be the one grill I would keep if I had to get rid of all other cookers. Kettles have so many accessories, and are so flexible.
If you had asked me a year ago, I would have recommended a Weber Performer Deluxe, with its charcoal storage bin, and propane ignition. I love those, and the expansive working table. And the overall stability. HOWEVER, I feel that Weber screwed the pooch, and ruined a good thing with the 2026 iteration of the Performer. The price is jacked up, and they dropped the very useful charcoal storage bin. I've been storing charcoal outdoors in that bin for more than a decade, and never had wet charcoal, and never had an issue with it being dry, in Alabama rain and humidity.
Today, if I didn't already have Weber specific accessories like their rotisserie ring, and needed a kettle, I would look at the SNS options - especially the model with the 4 legged cart with table. Note however that they have a different diameter at the lip of the grill, and items like Pizza ovens and Rotisserie rings sized for the weber 22" kettles do NOT fit the SNS kettle. That is why SNS has their own rotisserie ring however.
The SNS has the bonus of already having a stainless cooking grate, something you would be replacing in a couple of years on the Weber 22" kettles.
EDIT:
Poking around the SNS website just now reveals that they apparently have dropped their ceramic kamado grill entirely! They appear to now only sell kettles.
I love my SNS Kamado gen 1, but already had to deal with the second grill cover I bought for it after 5 years being a sloppy fit, as it was sized to the Gen 2 version. Now it looks like parts and such for providing their lifetime warranty listed in my Kamado manual may be difficult or impossible. Here's praying I never see a failure....Last edited by jfmorris; September 2, 2026, 12:58 PM.Comment
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I’ve owned 3 Weber kettles from their cheapest model up to their Master Touch kettle……all their 3 legged variety. I’ve also owned SNS’ original 4 legged kettle and currently own their 22” Master Kettle, so I’ve had extensive experience with both brands. Unless you move up to Weber’s models with the built in cart, I’ve found the SNS Master Kettle to be the winner hands down. Here’s why………
1. SNS wisely puts their thermometer farther down the lid, closer to the grate for more accurate temps. I found Weber’s overhead thermometer to be almost useless. I’ve used my grate probes to test SNS’s temps and found them to be only 10*-15* different than my grate probes. Afterwards I was able to do most of my cooks without having to use a grate probe, once I knew those numbers.
2. SNS kettles all come with a probe port for inserting your probe cables through the bowl, no running them under the lid or through the top vent like you would on the Weber. They also have a smoke hole if you want to run a controller fan, both holes come with a sliding cover when not in use.
3. All SNS kettles come with the slow n sear insert, Weber does not.
4. Unless you move up to Weber’s Master Touch kettle, they don’t even give you a heat proof tab on the lid vent , for opening and closing the vent!
You’ve got to use gloves or a utensil to make vent adjustments without burning your fingers! Cheap bastards won’t even give you the 50 cent plastic tab unless you buy their top models…..😡 All SNS kettles have this feature.
5. The SNS Master Kettle has a built in side shelf/prep table, wire rack shelf for placing bottles, bbq sauce, utensils etc. and a large storage area underneath. For Webers 3 legged kettles a side shelf is an option you can buy. SNS offers 2 different kettles, 1 with a side shelf and 1 without…….in addition to their Master Kettle.
6. All SNS kettles come with their EZ Spin SS cooking grate. This is a big plus IMO.
7. All SNS kettles come with a lid bale on the left side for holding your lid while cooking. This is so convenient. My Weber kettle Master Touch had the lid bale in the BACK of the kettle, meaning I had to lift the lid over the hot coals for placement or walk around to the back of the kettle…..🙄 Also, unless you step up to their Master Touch model, you don’t even get a lid bale, they just have a small hook welded inside the lid. You’ve got to use extra effort to get the hook clipped onto the side of the lower bowl for placement. I had a model with that hook and hated it. I wound up just placing the lid on the ground because it was so cumbersome.
I’m not knocking Weber kettles, just pointing out the differences. A few more things I missed….I’ve found the SNS ash catcher to be a little easier to remove and put back in place vs Weber, not a big difference but…..I also like the square bottom storage rack on the SNS vs the triangular shape of Weber’s. You get a little more storage area with SNS. Anyway, if I was in the market for a kettle, I’d buy the SNS brand over Weber’s all day long. Remember, this is not a comparison for the Weber Performer, just their 3 legged kettles.Last edited by Panhead John; September 3, 2026, 12:02 PM. Reason: Corrected myself about the SNS model without a side shelf.Comment
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If I had the choice and the extra $$$, didn't already have a ton of extras from my first Weber 22, and didn't already find an inexpensive Weber 22 on FB Marketplace, I would've probably gone with the SNS.
That being said, I've had Weber kettles for years, and I think I'm with jfmorris I will always have one (well, that and a Pit Barrel, at the very least). The 26 is tempting, but I already have so much for the 22, I'd hate to have to buy it all again. Plus you can find 22 accessories at the end of season sales for dirt cheap sometimes. I never see the 26 stuff on sale.
There's always the chance of being drawn for the Giveaway, ya know. That SnS setup looks pretty awesome.
Sorry, not much help on deciding between Weber and SnS.Comment
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This is my second 3 legged Weber Kettle. It is a little wobbly BUT I don't move it. If you need to move the Kettle around then I would get the upgraded SnS Kettle that Panhead John has.
BTW, if I currently needed to move my kettle around on a regular basis, rather than get a whole new system, I would get the Spider Grills cart for the Weber Kettle as several Pit members here have already purchased.Last edited by Purc; September 2, 2026, 01:55 PM.Comment
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Draznnl we are also a party of two. The 22” serves us well. I did spring for the SnS insert. Love it. What other cookers do you have?Comment
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22” Weber Performer Deluxe. You’d never regret it. Having the table and gas starter is the bomb.Comment
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They don't make it anymore! Just the Premium, with no propane ignition, AND no charcoal storage. And it is up to $649.
They revamped the entire Performer line to do "smart" grills and screwed the cart design totally up in my opinion. I don't need little storage shelves. I need the charcoal bin and one nice big shelf for my SNS and Vortex to live on when not in use. My 2007 Performer Deluxe is practically perfect.
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SnS has a 20% off Labor Day deal through this weekend, if’n you decide to go that route.Comment
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I subscribe to their emails which is how I found out Panhead John -
I'm awaiting delivery of my SNS black kettle (sans sidetable) this afternoon.
I bought a weber premium kettle, then discovered that sns existed, bought the slow and sear, bought the spin grate, bought more of their accessories, did a subpar job voiding the warranty on my kettle to get the probe ports and smoke hole working with my fireboard. And I never got a solid install of my side table working
I should have bought a kettle from SNS in the first place.
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I have had a weber kettle for over 30 years. I am on my 4th one, I think. My mom had a kettle, as did all of my uncles. It has been around forever and has lots of add ons. I also have the SNS and a vortex, and i plan on adding a rotisserie soon. That being said, if I bought a new one it would probably be the SNS kettle for a lot of the reasons Panhead John listed. You can't go wrong with either choice IMO.Comment
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