Gas grill choice for son?

[treesmacker]

I'm thinking of getting a gas grill for my son for his B'day early March. He lives in South Lake Tahoe and doesn't have a garage, but could store in carport or shed over winter; I'm guessing carport because he likes to cook year round. I really don't want to spend more than $350. I think a side burner would be nice, and option to add rotisserie as well. Here are a couple of models that might fit the bill:

Char Broil 3 burner Tru Infrared
https://www.amazon.com/Char-Broil-46...s%2C324&sr=8-3

Cuisinart Deluxe Four-Burner Propane Gas Grill with Side Burner
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cuisinart...RoCaI0QAvD_BwE

Do any of you have experience with either of these; would you recommend; are there other similar type gas grills I should consider in this quality/price category?

Thanks in advance for your help with this!

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I've been pretty impressed with the hands on feel, and thoughtful designs of the Cuisinart stuff in the big box stores lately. Char Broils have always been a good value in the price range you're trying to stay in too. I would guess either would be just right as long as he takes care of it properly, otherwise I suspect they will rust away within 5 years.

[barelfly]

The first grill I ever had was a Char Broil. I used it for about 4-5 years until my wife got me a Weber gasser. I then took the CB to the lake house and we just go rid of it a year ago, which would have made it 20 years old. I live in the high desert, so it’s dry, but it was left uncovered all these years and still worked. I probably could have replaced the burners and cleaned it up a bit to get it working better, but my dad brought his 30-something year old Weber to the lake house as well. So, with two Weber’s, the CB was done.

[Jfrosty27]

My son has the Char Broil three burner you mention. I had a two burner for a while. He loves his. I loved mine. The Tru Infrared really does work. Built well for the price point too.

[Panhead John]

I had a Char Broil gas grill as well with the infrared. I had it for several years and was a pretty decent quality. I loved that infrared burner! I did a couple of rotisserie chickens on it and fed some family members. We all thought it was the best chicken I ever did. I can definitely recommend it! If it’s in the budget, I’d recommend getting the rotisserie for it also. I was very happy with that grill over all, in addition to the infrared feature.

[TripleB]

My 2 cents. Buy a Weber. Bit more money, but good quality, great product support and easy to rebuild. I had a Char-Broiler when I first got married...it was an inferior product. Will never buy one again. Also, would not bother with a side burner. Most of the time they are hardly used. Avoid the extra bells & whistles.

Weber Spirit II, two burner would work fine as the first gasser for a young man. I still have my Silver A from 20 years ago and it is going strong. Let my son use it when he got an apartment when he got out of college.

Amazon.com: Weber 44010001 Spirit II E-210 2-Burner Liquid Propane Grill, Black: Garden & Outdoor

[Timbo54]

I have a Weber Genesis Gold (2005) 3 burner. I use it as an oven with a 1/4 steel plate to bake fish, hot dogs, smash burgers etc... I 'm happy as to not heat up/ smell up the house . The rotisserie works great for chicken. It doubles as a flat top too. Parts are readily available. I think this would be a great starter if you were to find an older model and refurbish it for your son. Good luck with you decision.

[TripleB]

Timbo54 - my Silver A, like jfmorris is somewhere else going strong and right now I'm using a 2005 Weber Genesis Platinum that I got from my neighbor who discarded it after buying a new Weber Genesis. Totally rebuilt it and it works like a champ. Love Weber gassers.

[treesmacker]

TripleB I was able to get a Weber Spirit II E310 for LESS money... see my post below...

Thanks!

[bbqLuv]

Pellet Grill, Traeger.

[Rocinante]

I was looking this past fall at the char- broil and Spirit. To me, the Spirit just didn't have that Weber feel to it. I stumbled upon a Napoleon Triumph and got that one instead. No regrets, it's a nice grill.

[treesmacker]

Hi all,
Thanks for all of your help with this. Here is how this is happening:

Today, we went to Walmart to look at the Cuisinart version I mentioned above. They had some, but all were in boxes, so didn't get to see an assembled one. I'm sure it would be a good value if it is built anything like my Cuisinart 360 griddle.

Next, we had to go to Home Depot for something and I decided to just see if they happened to have the Char Broil model I mentioned above. They didn't, but there were these Weber Spirit II gassers on the BBQ clearance isle; an assembled 2-burner and 3-burner models on display and also in boxes. The 2-burner was LP model while the 3-burners were NG. The 2-burner was priced $266 and the 3-burner $240. I did a quick search online and found NG to LP conversion kits for $55. So... I purchased the Weber Spirit II E-310 NG for $240 ($479 on Weber site) - brand new in original box. I'll order the conversion kit and have this nice gasser for my son at just $295, assuming the conversion works.

So, has anyone here done a conversion like this? Seems simple to me - just change the orifices and screw the LP regulator hose in place of the natural gas hose. I'd like to know before opening the box if anyone thinks this is a bad (or good) idea.

https://bbqfuelconversions.com/shop/...front-controls

PS... I know this would void the warranty per what Weber says. I don't think that is a big deal as the Webers are repairable and parts are readily available.

[treesmacker]

Mark V Glad you didn't hurt yourself. I was lucky not to kill myself. Hit the tree and broke my knee and pelvis. Also, was lucky to fully recover, albeit with some hardware in my knee; it took me a good year for the recovery. BTW, I never could do those moguls either. It is fascinating to watch those Olympic skiers fly through them.

[jerrybell]

I wanted to say, buy a Weber, you or your son won't be disappointed but you seemed to have a couple other brands in mind and were getting some good feedback from other owners of those. Good to see this is where you ended up. I have the Weber Genesis and it sits out through all seasons and weather types and just keeps on going.

[treesmacker]

Update... my son took the Weber Spirit II E-310 home and did the conversion from NG to LP. It worked out fine and he cooked up three ribeye steaks for his Birthday. He's HAPPY!