I noticed that there aren't many reviews on the high end Kenmore's, they have not reviewed any on this website. The price point is great on these grills, and they sport some good numbers compared to weber and broil king. Does anyone out there have long term experience with these grills that can speak to the quality/performance?
I cook on a 600 series that is around 20 years old. I acquired it about 5 years ago from a guy that wanted to get rid of it. After a few hours of scraping burnt grease and crud, and under $100 in replacement parts, it is still one of the best grills I have ever cooked on.
Costco is selling a 6 burner stainless steel gas grill for under $1,000 with warming drawers but I didn't see too many reviews on it. So I went with the Webber Genesis instead. Let me know how you like the kenmore if you end up getting it.
Most Kenmore owners seem pleased. I haven't tested them, but I am skeptical having inspected numerous models up close. Yes they have a lot of extras for a low price, but the weak warranty says a lot: 10 years on stainless steel burners and 1 year on everything else. Also, who knows what lies ahead for this Sears exclusive brand.
All the box brands save Weber seem to only be producing junk these days. I grilled off of a friends restored CharBroil 220A earlier this year, it was great. That quality would run 700-1000 these days. USA made 1950 - 1970s charcoal grills were built like tanks, like US made cars.
The biggest complaint I see on the 600s now is the fancy doodads they add on. The LED knob lights (I still dont know why in the hell you need those.. its a friggin grill) are not waterproof and not covered by the warranty
Weeeee! Look at the bright lights and low price! That's the idea behind this cheap gassers - make 'em big and load 'em up with extras. Unfortunately for those who fall for this sort of thing, cheap electronics, like LEDs and ignition systems are very susceptible to failure.
My main concern was the quality of the steel used. I expect anything electronic to fail after a couple of years. But if the body of the grill is solid that is the main concern. The resilience of the body would by secondary only to performance during cooking. If it is constantly flaring up or has hot/cold spots all over, it is not very useful. I am leaning towards the Broil King Baron at this point. I am not seeing any reason to favor Kenmore in my research.
I have a Kenmore Elite 550 and it seems to be built pretty well. If you go and look at one next too a genesis they will look very similar. From what I was told the Kenmore Elite line was made by weber for Kenmore. The rest of the Kenmore grills are made by various companies that make the grills they sell at big box stores.
I guess only time will tell how well the insides stay working
I had a Kenmore(dont recall the model name but the model number began with 148) that was given to me by a family friend. It was 3 years old when I got it and it had seen better days by that point. I kept it for a year before the bottom of the fire box, the burners and the burner mounts had rusted away to dust. Sears wanted over $400 to replace everything so I gave it to the scrap man. Bought a Napoleon and absolutely love it, quality is great and way above any Kenmore. The price was a bit cheaper then the equivalent Weber as well. Going on 3 years with the Napoleon and not a single issue.
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