Standing the test of time
Written: Sep 01 '04
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Pros: Even cooking, solidly made, stands up well to abuse and the elements.
Cons: Expensive, some of the burner components flake/peel
The Bottom Line: Made very well, cleans easily, stands up well to abuse and the elements, and cooks evenly but it's a bit expensive. No regrets, we would do it again.
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| gsx1300r's Full Review: Weber-Stephen Products Genesis Silver A (LP) Propa... |
We bought our Weber Genesis Silver last year, so it has received two summers of "heavy" use and pretty regular use during the rest of the year and a half we've had it. Primarily, we've cleaned the cooking surface and not much else. Overall it's safe to say we haven't taken such good care of it and I am sure that a lesser-quality grill would have rusted through and/or fallen apart by now.
I bought this grill because I could not afford my first choice, Dukane. Even though I budgeted what some people would say is a lot for a grill (up to $400), the only Dukane I could afford was too small. As it turns out, we have been very happy with the Weber and have no complaints.
The outer finish. We stopped covering our grill after the first few weeks of ownership. It stays outside, halfway covered by an overhang and more-or-less in direct sunlight & direct rain. After a year and a half, the finish has not started to rust or chip in any way. In fact, from the outside, each time we dust it off and wipe it down, it looks almost as good as new again.
Inside Finish. The inside does not look so new, but has held up wonderfully so far. The inside walls are not chipping or flaking, but definitely have aged. The non-stick cooking surface is in good shape and we've scraped and scoured it frequently with a metal bristle brush. We've rotated the panels around so that they have each been abused evenly but they have held up and still look great.
Burners and under the cooking surface. The Enamel painted A-shaped panels that cover the burners have all started chipping and flaking and look terrible, but there's really no reason to be looking at them anyway. Occasionally, we take them out and scrub them down, and each time they end up flaking more paint away. But, you don't see these parts when the cooking surface is on top. They serve only to help distribute the heat.
Garbage (soot) basket. Under the burners is a large hole. Under the hole snaps-in an aluminum basket that catches any run-off grease, burned pieces of whatever, etc.. Also, when you clean the unit, you can brush everything into the basket. It's very easy to snap it out, replace it (or clean it) and put it back.
Distribution of heat. There are 3 rows of burners, each independently controlled. Heat is definitely evenly distributed, as evidenced by rows of hotdogs or hamburgers being cooked nearly identically. You don't have to shuffle things up or down to even out the cooking. If you have all 3 burners on the same setting, any place on the grill is basically as hot as any other. If you set a row differently that the others, the items cooking on that row will be pretty evenly cooked.
Hanging shelf. There's a hanging shelf in the back that is attached to the hood. When you open the hood, that shelf, which hangs like a hammock, rises. We put things up there that need to be kept warm like Potatoes or Corn that's already been cooked. I've also put things up there that I want to cook slower, like veggie dogs or veggie burgers, which only really need to be defrosted and not cooked, for the most part.
Starter. The push start has worked the first time EVERY time, whether it's wet or dry. We often grill in the rain or snow and have never had trouble getting the grill to ignite.
Fold-down shelf. There's a shelf that folds down when you don't need it and is very useful for holding things like buns, condiments, etc. while you're cooking. I wish you were able to switch the shelf to the other side, but that's not a flaw, just my preference.
Handle. The handle to the hold does not get hot. Other grills I have seen do get hot. It's firmly attached and has not come loose in any way - and has been opened and closed literally thousands of times.
Wheels. The wheels are flimsy. If you're like me, your grill will not move much, so the wheels are not a concern. But, if you intend to roll this baby in and out regularly, I suspect the wheels might not hold up as well as the rest of the unit.
Connections. The gas line connection is solid feeling and connects firmly. I cannot imagine anything going wrong with it.
Initial setup. The setup was easy, and their directions were quite simple, but I was surprised at how much I had to do myself. the box it came in was so big, I thought the entire grill would have been assembled.. but again, it was very easy to put together by myself. I am not mechanically challenged, but don't imagine the average person who can read would have any trouble assembling it either.
If you have any questions or if I failed to cover a topic that you wanted to know about, please email me and let me know. I hope you'll find this review very helpful.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400
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Epinions.com ID:
gsx1300r
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: pete weinman
Location: Staten Island, NY
Reviews written: 61
Trusted by: 9 members
About Me:
Husband, Daddy, NYC Marathon Runner, and motorcycle rider. You can trust me, I'm a lawyer.
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