With a single exception, you cannot go wrong when you buy a Weber gas grill. You are gong to get a grill that cooks evenly, is easy to use and will last for years. The biggest challenge when you are looking for the right option is striking the balance between size, features and price that is right for you.
This guide will take you through the important concepts and features of the different grill lines. I will point out the best values as well as spots where Weber is asking a bit too much.
The Different Weber Gas Grill Product Lines
Weber has five different product lines in their gas grill lineup. There is a lot of overlap between the products and that is where the sweet spots in value can be found.
Go AnyWhere
This is, without a doubt, the worst gas grill made by Weber and it should not be purchased under any circumstances. You will have more fun smashing your thumb with a hammer than you will using this awful grill.
The downfall of the GoAnywhere is a shame as, until 2014, it was a fun and functional product. However, in 2014 this simple grill was redesigned and things went to hell.
The 2014 redesign removed the Flavorizer bar that protected the single burner and introduced a stamped steel grate that is designed to direct grease away from the burner. The grate design does not work and on top of that, the complicated pattern makes it tough to clean.
30% of the Amazon reviews for this piece of crap are 1 star.
Q Series
The Weber Q grills are sleek, compact and powerful. Q grills are the most affordable gas grills offered by Weber and are perfect for people short on space or who simply don’t need a full sized powerhouse backyard grill.
For me, the best phrase that describes the Q Series is “Functional and Playful”. There are five different models in this product line. Out of the five versions the Q1200 and Q3200 are my top recommendations.
The Q grills are backed by a five year warranty for the grate and burners.
Spirit II Series
There was a time when the Spirit series was the red headed step child of Weber grills. It was an ugly grill that was cheaply made in China. The purpose of the Spirit series was to create a grill for people who wanted to buy the Weber brand but couldn’t afford the cost of a Genesis or Summit.
In the past five years Weber drastically improved the quality of the Spirit series. In 2018 Weber performed an overhaul of the grill that was so extensive that the re-branded the grills as the Spirit II series.
The new Spirit II grills are simply amazing. Whatever stigma used to exist about the Spirit line being cheap and unreliable should be permanently banished.
If you are looking for the best value in a high performance grill then the Spirit II E 210 and Spirit II E 310 are clear winners that you need to look at.
The Spirit II grills are backed by a ten year warranty on all major components.
Genesis II Series
The magic of Weber gas grills began with the introduction of the Genesis grills in the 1980s. The introduction of the Genesis punched all other grill manufacturers in the face and dared them to compete. The Genesis grills were built like tanks and included 13 Flavorizer bars that virtually eliminated the two biggest problems with gas grills: uneven cooking and flare ups.
These grills were so well built that it is common to still find an original 30 year old Genesis still in use or for sale on Craigslist.
The Genesis series has evolved over the years and was completely overhauled in 2017 with the introduction of the Genesis II Series.
There are currently eight different Genesis grills available. While all of the grills in the Genesis line are amazing the one that I strongly recommend is the Genesis II E 410.
The Genesis II grills are backed by a ten year warranty on all major components.
Summit Series
The Weber Summit grills are a beautiful but confusing collection that are in need of an overhaul.
Summit grills are meant to be the absolute best gas grills that Weber made and for many years that was true. Two of the Summit grills, the 470 and 670, are still rightfully considered as the best that Weber makes. The other two Summit grills, the 420 and 620, are relics that have been surpassed in beauty and function by the latest Genesis II models.
The Summit grills are backed by a ten year warranty on all major components.
If you want a Summit then go for the best and get the Summit S 670.