I’m looking closely at the new Napoleon phantom 500 with the cast ss grates. I’d like to go bigger, perhaps the 665 prestige or pro. Budget is about 3k. Worth the cash to go Napoleon or should I look at Blaze or Weber? Have a 2007 Weber 320? Now with the top controls and side burner. Rebuilt twice, second time having to drill thru the cast aluminum to secure burners. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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There is something to be said about the Weber & it’s fans and the Blaze & it’s fans. I have a Napoleon Rogue, love it. Ended up placing most of my trust in our own Max who gave it the best grades. There is some other outfit out of Minnesota, who did a one to one to one test & he went with the Napoleon. Customer service is as good as Weber, construction just a little better, plus functional style. Then there is the secret weapon, the side IR burner. -
Did you read the reviews on the free side? I think only two including one Weber get the Platinum rating, but in that price range there are lots of great grills.Comment
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Wow. I DO NOT envy your decision! Lol. I have a Weber Genesis gasser and have been very happy with it. Sadly, I have zero experience with comparable gassers. All of my lprevious grills were cheap-o, house brand, mass produced pits that Came from big box stores. I will be following very closely to see where you end up and how happy you are!!!! FWIW, I love my genesis. I will absolutely NEVER be without a gasser again!
GOOD LUCK!!!! 
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RickyBobby Sir. You need to come to our damn Texas Meat-Up. I want to meet you. I know you’re a long way away, but still. We gonna have fun.Last edited by Panhead John; May 2, 2021, 09:00 PM.
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Panhead John , brother, not long ago I was super close!!!! I only moved to Indy from the Houston metroplex last July. I haven’t completely ruled it out yet, but there are a whole lot of irons in the fire at work right now and I’m not certain I would be able to commit To the meat up right now. The good news is that I know this will not be the last meat up that I have an opportunity to meat everybody at!!!!!!!Comment
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I know. Sometimes when you’re retired you think everyone can just pack up n go. I truly appreciate your service to our country and you, in general. I’m a helicopter freak anyway. Love our Military!Last edited by Panhead John; May 3, 2021, 04:55 AM.
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I have a 2005 Weber Summit Platinum that is still going strong. Best gasser I’ve ever used. And I’ve used a bunch.
But... (There’s always a but. LOL)
They seemed to have changed several things since I got mine. Not the least of which is the grade of stainless used to build it. That may or may not be serious issue. But I’ve not seen a lesser grade look like mine 16 years later.
Given that...and some of the troubles they’ve had with recent products...I’d have to take a SERIOUS look at other brands. (Keep in mind, along with the 2005 Summit gasser, I also own a Summit Charcoal Grilling Center.)
Presently, I think that I would have to look at a Napoleon Prestige Pro if I needed to replace my gasser. Perhaps the Weber is still fantastic...but these days, there are enough questions that I would need to consider other brands.Comment
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I have a Weber Summit and while it is a fine grill, Napoleon is very impressive.Comment
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Thanks so much for all of the sage advice! I’m going to have to kick some tires and try and get a hands on look at the Napoleon models. I’ve been reading reviews from Max and checking out YouTube as well just to get a sense of these gassers together. There is a dealer out in Colorado called blazing embers that does some pretty amazing comparison vids for anyone interested. Again, thanks so much and I’ll repost when I’ve pulled the trigger!!!Comment
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I recently bought a Napoleon Prestige Pro 500 RSIB and I am very, very happy with it. I had a Weber Summit 450 that needed a lot of work (it got thrown around by a big storm), and I also really wanted an IR burner for searing. The Weber line has changed a lot, most notably the steel quality is no longer 304 SS. Weber also has a funky design for a sear station in the center of the grilling area formed by adding a smaller burner between 2 main burners - not infrared (IR).
So, I went really high end with a Hestan Aspire. Hated it (review thread posted in Gas Grills section). To replace that, I checked out Weber, Blaze, Summerset, Fire Magic and a few others before settling on the Napoleon. I found a local dealer that had all the ones I was interested in, including the Napoleon line. Went several times, checked out the quality, the features and the warranties for them all. Napoleon came out on top for me. In particular, the Pro had all the cooker functions I wanted (IR sear station, IR rear burner with included rotisserie, lighted interior - as well as a well designed cart that uses a slide-out tray for the propane tank (great for old folks like me!) and several shelves built-in. Be aware that those cart features are only in the Prestige pro line, not the Phantom or non-Pro models.
Hope this helps!Comment
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Thanks so much GolfGeezer! Truly appreciate the advise. Sounds like you have seen your share of grills! I'm thinking that the Napoleon Pro will win in my book. The phantom is cool with the cast ss grates, but really not needed with the IR Sear Station. I'll update once I make the purchase!Comment
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I love my Napoleon. Well built, fantastic quality. The burners are tough as hell to kill. Still got the original ones that came with it.Comment
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I bought my Blaze from the Warehouse Deals section at BBQGuys.com and saved a significant amount on my grill. It's had a few minor aesthetic issues such as a dent. It had obviously not really been used more than once or twice. The inside was pristine. Best of all it came with the full lifetime warranty. Maybe you should monitor their Warehouse Deals and go big for less?
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I have the 500 prestige pro RSIB. It is by FAR the most awesome gasser I have used or seen in use. But really Blaze and Weber Summit easily compare. All three are top notch good stuff. I can say the side IR burner is a monster. It gets super hot. How hot? Lets just say be careful using an aluminum pan over it - you might melt it. Really. Also be careful using cast iron, you can fire damage it.Comment
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Wow! While I cannot comment on the high end stuff, I will say that I still have a 2002 Weber Genesis, and if you had to drill holes to secure replacement burners.... you must have been buying the wrong burners or something...
My 2002 Genesis, which I rebuilt and added Grillgrates to around 2017 sits at my daughter's house now, and I have a Genesis II E-410 which serves my needs for the times I need a gas grill. Which to be honest, is not much. I tend to do most of my cooking these days on my Camp Chef flat top (FTG900), my SNSGrills Deluxe Kamado, or my Weber Performer. I have an offset that is even more neglected than the Genesis II, as I find it much more efficient to smoke on the kettle or kamado - no need to babysit the fire constantly, and those cookers use about 1/4 or less of the fuel the offset needs for a cook.
I will say this about the newer Genesis II and Spirit II grills from Weber. That old adage "they don't make 'em like they used to' stands true for Weber unfortunately. That 2002 grill is built like a tank compared to the newer grills. The newer grills just seem to have much thinner metal in the construction. And back in 2002, Weber advertised 10 minute assembly or something like that, and it was true. You just assembled the legs and dropped the grill and tables onto it, and were literally done in 10-15 minutes. The newer Weber Spirit II and Genesis II are a million little pieces of flimsy sheet metal and screws for the cart and frame, unlike the tubular steel in the old carts.Last edited by jfmorris; May 5, 2021, 08:42 AM.Comment
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Morning. Curious if you made a choice on which way to go? I'm working through a similar dilemma but my mind keeps going back, adding the mhp whrp (or as my girl calls it, alphabet soup) into the mix. one of my main concerns is durability. It will sit out on my Vermont deck in -20 temps with 4' of snow for a good part of the year. Will a Napoleon or Weber, Blaze, or MHP hold up to that? For how long? Can I get 10 years from an mhp but only 5 from one of them others? Have two old roommates and close grilling buddies who both recently went with a Weber Genesis. They rave about it. I don't like how it looks. The Napoleon Phantom has some good looks and features but words of wisdom from my Grandfather ring through my head, "more gadgets, more there is to break." Blaze is an intriguing option especially with bbq guys free side IR burner at moment, not sure how I feel about the full stainless look. I do really like the look of the MHP. I think I haven't yet pulled the trigger because of the seaming lack of availability and recent marketing. Only MHP videos I can find seem to be from the 90's. Can't help but wonder if im distracted by the shiny object of the matte black phantom, or the blaze. Ckearly you need to figure out which way you are going to help me find my way.
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If you r main concern is durability, look at the warranties for each. I know Napoleon's warranty will cover the timeframes you mention, and more. I am pretty sure Weber's warranty is similar. Blaze has a lifetime warranty. Pay attention to the warranty for the body and hood versus the warranty for burners, grates, ignitors. They are usually different, and with your concern about weather, knowing what they will cover is important. -
I agree...
Check the warranty that’s offered.
I believe the Summit now has a 10-year warranty. OTOH, my 2005 Summit has a "Limited Lifetime" warranty. The only thing I’ve replaced is 1 caster that refused to lock.
Beyond that, it’s performed as new since 2005.
But...the SS is certainly different on the new ones, and the, eh...pretty much everything has changed. And I’m not sure for the better. (Better for their bottom line perhaps, but perhaps not the end user.)Last edited by surfdog; May 31, 2021, 10:45 AM.
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