New Gasser Recommendations

[Nagle Bagel]

About 7 years ago my wonderful wife bought me a gas grill for Christmas - we didn't have a lot of money at the time, so we went with one of the cheaper options. It's served me well grilling year round, but the poor thing has definitely taken it's lumps (Chicago winters can be a real pain), and replacing the parts over and over again just seems silly.

So now I'm on the hunt for something new. My last grill was 5 burners and I loved it - perfect for backyard parties and grilling all the things. If there's one out there that comes with a griddle that would be great, but not a requirement. I'm looking for something in the $400-600 range, but can spend a bit more if it's worth it. I really want something that's durable and will last me a long time.

Any and all recommendations are appreciated!

[jfmorris]

Well, I can't help you in the budget category, but I will throw a testimonial out there for Weber gas grills. I've got a Weber Genesis that was new in 2002, and is still going strong, which I re-homed to one of my daughter's houses a while back, and a large 4 burner Weber Genesis I bought in 2019, before prices started going up. Hoping to get a long life out of it too.

Weber has a 10 year warranty these days - that 2002 model actually still has some parts that are STILL under warranty, as back then, some parts carried a 25 year or lifetime warranty. It would be interesting to see if Weber could cough up the parts to honor the warranty on a 21 year old grill at this point!

In the 400-600 price range, your options are going to be either a smaller Weber Spirit 2 or 3 burner grill, or the lower to mid end offerings for larger grills in the big box stores. While you might get a North American made (Canada) Broil King, most of what will be in that price range is going to be stuff like Char-Broil and other brands that will probably not last any longer than the last one did. 7 years is pretty good if it was low end.

I don't know what your other grills are, if any, but if I was spending that amount on a gas cooking appliance, I find that I use my backyard GRIDDLE more than my backyard gas grill these days. I think with a griddle (Blackstone, Camp Chef, etc), and a good charcoal grill like a Weber kettle, I would be able to cook anything. You could get a nicer griddle in the 400-600 price point than you may an actual gas grill. I don't think you will find a traditional gas grill with an included griddle top unfortunately.

[WayneT]

+1 on Jim’s recommendation. I also have a Weber Genesis 330 SE I bought in 2015 and it is going strong. I recently replaced the igniter system - push button and igniters for all four burners - and it’s like new. I do keep it covered when not in use and I’m good at keeping it clean and tidy. A Weber will last for years and give you lots of meals of which to be proud.

[STEbbq]

I would start with reviewing the various Weber options and seeing what will work for your desires and budget. And, I’d second Jim’s suggestion for a nice griddle.

[Huskee]

Yeah might be tough to find a quality 5-burner (that's huge!) in the $400-600 range. Might not be impossible though, especially if you were to be flexible in the 5-burner requirement, or, if you just wanted to keep getting the budget ones and replacing them every 5-7 years. Check out our searchable database of reviews here: https://amazingribs.com/grill-and-smoker-search you can filter the results by fuel type, cooker type, budget, etc, to hopefully steer you toward your final decision

[jfmorris]

I'll throw out two recommendations for Weber grills.

First - if that $600 high end is part of the budget, I would look hard at the Weber Spirit 300 series. It's only 3 burners, and is what I would call a medium size grill with a 424 square inch main cooking grate, plus a 105 square inch warming rack. However, I will point out that I spend 18 years using a 2002 Weber Genesis Silver A *2 burner* gas grill, and I am what you probably would classify as an extreme griller. I flipped burgers and dogs for 30+ people with that thing - and it was a little smaller than the Spirit 300 series. I just had to learn to cook in batches.

If you can stretch the budget a bit, I would look at the Weber Genesis 300 series. Those are still 3 burners, but add things like sear burner options, and are a bit bigger with a 513 square inch main cooking grate, and a 274 square inch warming rack.

While I can't promise the newer Weber grills made overseas will last as long as my 21 year old USA made Weber, they still back them with a pretty much bumper to bumper 10 year warranty, AND you can still find parts easily for 20-30 year old Weber gas grills. Good luck finding parts like that for some of the cheaper grills. I've got a Weber Genesis II E-410 (4 burner), and imagine it is the last traditional gas grill I will ever buy.

You may want to start frequenting your local Home Depot and Lowe's, as this is the time of year they start discounting floor models, to make room for Christmas inventory. I actually got my Weber Genesis II E-410 4 burner, originally $899, for a marked down price of $399 at Home Depot, in January 2019. I had seen it go from $899, to $699, to $599 during the Fall, and when it hit $399 and only 2 were left did I bite on the deal. These kind of specials are not advertised or online though, and are kind of a local manager's discretion type thing. In Spring 2019, the price of the same basic model went up to $1099 I think, so I got it at a really good time!

[Nagle Bagel]

Thanks for the recos! It sounds like Weber is gonna be my go to. And I'm not beholden to the number of burners - especially if it's gonna be a better quality grill. Good call on the price points too - again, I have some wiggle room on that, but if I can get a nice Weber for a fraction of the cost, I'm sold!

[PNWBrandon]

I’d keep an eye on Craigslist, FB marketplace, and apps like offer up. I have got some KILLER deals this past year. If you are consistent in checking and have a little flexibility with models and brands you may find a gem in the rough!

[Grillin Dad]

Personally, I'm of the mindset that one should never pay full price for a grill/smoker (unless you get something crazy nice, like a LSG). There's just too many good deals to be made in the 'off-season.' I always recommend watching the clearance section of HD/Lowes. When Weber released their updated Genesis grills a couple years ago, I was able to score the previous year's 3 burner for $180. It was the floor model, so a few dings and scratches, but no real issue. Also FB Marketplace and Craigslist is a great way to score a grill deal. We're getting into the winter season, so you have time to be patient.

Just a quick comment about burners. I find that Weber tends to have fewer burners than less expensive brands of similar sizes. For instance, my 3 burner Genesis is at least the size of a 4 (or even 5) burner Nexgrill. Just FYI.

[UncleSpike]

Hop over the border and find a Canadian Tire. They make a decent line up of grills under the name Master Chef. They also have a bit of a better lineup of Coleman grills. And the best of it all - you are paying for it in Canadian Pesos. The exchange rate means that if you spend about $600 US you will come home with a $1000 CDN grill...

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/search-results.html?q=bbq

[WayneT]

Just keep an eye on this forum and maybe our illustrious leader, Meathead , will be giving one away soon. He seems to be in a fall cleaning mode. 😉🤣

[Nagle Bagel]

Haha - I saw his post before about the smoker - I just don't have a need for another smoker unfortunately.

[Meathead]

Nah. I have only one gasser and I'm keeping it.

[captainlee]

I have had my Weber Summit for 12 years now,use it all the time. I haven't serviced anything on it. I know it's above what you want to spend, but a heads up vote for a Weber product.

[Oak Smoke]

I would check out Craigslist and FB market place. You just never know when someone is moving, going their separate ways, or trying to generate some cash. I’ve seen several real steals over the years there on stuff that’s not junk. Besides you can do some bargaining and get the price down even further in some cases.

[Oak Smoke]

I just checked eBay also. It’s worth a look.

[RichieB]

Weber all the way. I had a Genesis 3 burner which no longer exists. Another story that some here might remember. I replaced it with a Spirit 3 burner with a sear station. I added their full size griddle. That was $200. Honestly, I don't know the last time I used it as a grill. The Kettle gets full-time use for grilling and BBQ'in. Add in the PBJ and all bases are covered. The Spirt was about $750. Good luck in your search.

[jfmorris]

Good point. I forgot that while its not included, Weber makes some nice full size griddles for their Spirit and Genesis lines.

[Bad Hat BBQ]

Nice things cost money.....Weber Spirit is over your budget but IMO worth the stretch!

Good time for sale base on the change of seasons....

[jfmorris]

Spirit 3 burner should be just at the top end of his budget... 2 burner within it.

[PNWsmoke]

I have 3 burner Spirit with grill grates . 👍

[Murdy]

I'm on my second Broil King Signet 3 burner gasser, I picked one up last year at Menard's on sale for about $500. Keep an eye out for such sales, Broil King grills are good quality and tend to run a little cheaper than Weber. Some models, including mine, have a cast aluminum box, which holds heat well. I can get mine over 700 degrees for searing. For a 4+ burner, they're probably a little above your listed price range, but worth it compared to some of the lower quality stuff you see in the box stores.

[Old Glory]

Weber is the best bank for the buck and generally has good customer service.

I have been looking at the Grilla Primate because of the griddle option, but outside your stated range.