Help - Which BBQ Should I Purchase?

• 

  altomic on 20/01/2023 - 09:39

  +5

  At the moment, I have a weber q300 from 12 yrs ago and working great.

  why change?

  • 

    porsche26c on 20/01/2023 - 09:50

    We are updating our alfresco area. The q300 is free standing and is showing it's age now.

  • 

    Cobber870 on 20/01/2023 - 10:03

    Why not stick with Weber, their Service Dept is second to none. A Genesis if you are wanting gas? Their in-built range is limited to the Family Q, or Summit series which are likely out of the price range.

    • 

      porsche26c on 20/01/2023 - 11:47

      I will definitely have another look at the Summit, I can stretch to it (maybe if someone has 20% off sale). I will need to check sizing for the area. The genesis would be a perfect in built bbq if they made it.

• 

  AustriaBargain on 20/01/2023 - 09:43

  +1

  Get one big enough for a large turkey, just in case you marry an American.

  • 

    porsche26c on 20/01/2023 - 09:51

    I am married to an Italian, so no large turkey ever. Lasagna is the way to go.

• 

  Archi on 20/01/2023 - 09:54

  +1

  yeah… we bought a house that had an inbuilt BBQ, never used it. instead converted it with a WOK burner and have a charcoal BBQ instead.

  • 

    porsche26c on 20/01/2023 - 09:57

    Yes, we want to add one too. Which brand did you buy?

    • 

      Archi on 20/01/2023 - 10:09

      +1

      i bought a cast iron 3 ring burner which is hooked up to an air flow regulator and propane gas bottle.

      air flow regulator to get that jet engine spray of flames to maximise heat for asian cooking

• 

  bym on 20/01/2023 - 09:59

  Does it need to be built in? If so Weber Summit do built in's, but if your budget doesn't extend that far Weber Genesis 2022 (not built in but IMO a better quality BBQ than any you have listed).

  https://www.weber.com/AU/en/barbecues/gas-barbecues/summit/

  https://www.weber.com/AU/en/barbecues/gas-barbecues/genesis-…

  • 

    porsche26c on 20/01/2023 - 10:05

    I would prefer built-in based on the area. I did have a look at the Summit, but you have to buy the whole draw system and not just the bbq. I dont mind spending the extra. I might go to the store and check them out in person and we can get the joinery guy to remove the doors and just match them to the rest of the area.

    • 

      bym on 20/01/2023 - 10:08

      +1

      It will probably be the last BBQ you have to buy. They are well built.

    • 

      sumyungguy on 21/01/2023 - 13:00

      I'm interested to know why you've ruled out a Weber Q3600?

• 

  pharkurnell on 20/01/2023 - 10:38

  +1

  Looked at BBQ's recently myself and most of them are just real cheap crap…. Some look so cheap they almost appear to be single use things…. The metal was just so thin

  Every hard rubbish weekend is staked with BBQ's these days

  I'd go and look at them personally which I reckon will kull many.

  • 

    AustriaBargain on 20/01/2023 - 11:01

    I know someone who had an expensive one and the knobs were made of plastic and just looked metal, so when the food caught fire the knobs melted. He was rich though so he didn't care, why let a fire and ruined BBQ spoil a party was his attitude.

  • 

    afoveht on 20/01/2023 - 12:16

    +1

    reckon will kull many

    Not sure if kiwi or bad speller.

• 

  dogboy on 20/01/2023 - 10:50

  +1

  Imho, bbqs only really last if you look after them, regardless of the brand over a certain amount. I love my big 4 burner but only ever seem to use the Weber these days unless I have people over and need more cooking space.

• 

  greencomet on 20/01/2023 - 11:00

  I have a Napoleon Rogue RSE625 and can vouch that they make a nice high quality bbq. Having said that I've heard nothing but good things about Webers and their after sales service.

  • 

    porsche26c on 20/01/2023 - 11:09

    Thank you. I think ill double look at the weber again. Good to hear about the nepoleon, as I never really heard of them until I started looking.

    • 

      greencomet on 20/01/2023 - 11:48

      They're big in the North America, not so much here.

• 

  omega595 on 20/01/2023 - 11:33

  +2

  I’ve currently got a 6 burner Aldi bbq that I scored for free from Facebook marketplace. It does an okay job of snags, burger patties and seafood, but just can’t burn hot enough to get a nice char on steaks.

  I’m saving up for a Weber Spirit II E320 https://www.weber.com/AU/en/barbecues/gas-barbecues/spirit/s… RRP is around $1200, though there are occasional sales on them. From what I’ve read, they’re an upgrade in terms of heat production vs the Q range, and they were highly rated in Choice’s BBQ roundup.

  I wasn’t going to bother with the added cost of the wok burner which, (along with app-connected thermometer support - good for roasts) differentiates the E320 model from the cheaper E310, until someone in a review mentioned that it’s great for deep frying, coz you can keep all the airborne oil particles outdoors. Depending on what you like to cook, that may or may not be a factor in your choice.

• 

  yetanotherozbuser on 20/01/2023 - 11:54

  Have been going through similar lately, looking to replace a very old Jumbuck hand-me-down. Wondering same re: Stainless steel vs Cast iron., and general experience with decent bbqs. It is hard to find a genuine non-sponsored non-glowing review of a bbq online, and public reviews with any detail are often "bought a cheap bbq and it was crap, so amazed" or "bought an expensive bbq, didn't clean or look after it and it rusted/had a grease fire/fell apart, so amazed". And @pharkurnell is right, most are just cheap crap; even beefeater's low-mid cost range was an exercise in cheap products that tick feature boxes to do market segmentation, rather than quality.

  So I've found myself now comparing Weber, Napolean, Everdure, and Crossray. Hadn't seen tucker or beefeater premium range so will check those out too.

  Crossray are quite a different design; Does anyone have any experience with these? https://crossray.com.au/product/crossray-4-burner-gas-bbq-in…

  • 

    porsche26c on 20/01/2023 - 12:00

    Sounds like me. Let me know what you decide. I think based on the comments, try just get a Weber.

  • 

    greencomet on 20/01/2023 - 12:10

    +1

    I looked into Crossray BBQ's when shopping, they seemed good and most people liked them once adjusting to cooking with infrared only. The thing that threw me on the Crossray was the 2 year warranty, compared to the other BBQs I was looking at it seemed pretty average. I ended up going the Napoleon with infrared side burner and admittedly I find the infrared burner great and use it quite a bit. The 15 years warranty on everything was a huge seller for me, that 700 series inbuilt OP is looking at has a lifetime warranty.

    https://www.napoleon.com/en/au/barbecues/lifetime-bumper-bum…

• 

  Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 20/01/2023 - 11:57

  +4

  Complete waste of money for $3k. None of those BBQs will be better than a Weber. Stick with them.

  You could get a new gas weber, charcoal weber and a smoker for half the price of those and never need to cook inside ever again.

• 

  Hackney on 20/01/2023 - 12:56

  -1

  Weber Q! Fantastic things!

• 

  Loot N Plunder on 20/01/2023 - 14:30

  +1

  my 2cents
  Not a fan of the grill part of a BBQ.
  An all flat BBQ all the way no flare ups easy cleaning
  If i want to grill i will use the webber
  How many people really rotisserie on their BBQ
  Most BBQ/grille combos are a pain in the @ss to keep spotless, crap gets everywhere
  Ill say it again
  An all flat BBQ all the way

• 

  cookie2 on 20/01/2023 - 15:50

  +1

  A few questions before I give my opinion, what's the warranty on each?
  Have you used a rotisserie before or infrared and how often do you think this feature would be used? Compare the total heat output and per burner too.
  Ss can look great but is more work to keep it that way (same for glass). Will it be covered and in a protected area? Do you live near the beach? Consider an enamel hooded bbq if you want low maintenance or to leave it uncovered.
  If you get a rollback hooded bbq make sure there's enough clearance to ensure smoke and heat go upwards more than in your face.
  Importantly for a built in try and get a model that has a more generic builtin frame size and parts like burners, plates, grills, knobs (internal piece) etc, so it's less of an issue when you need to replace something.
  Lastly have you cooked on ss, do you use ss in the kitchen? Again more work to keep looking good etc.
  I mean I'm a weber fan and if you could get a genesis I'd tell you to. In saying that I can see that the weber quality has changed overtime and while it's still great I wouldn't tell you to blindly get it.

  • 

    porsche26c on 20/01/2023 - 16:05

    Hi Cookie, Thank you for the questions .
    a. Warranty - tucker no idea - not clear on website, beefeater 2 yrs, napolean lifetime or min 15 yrs
    b. Never used rotisserie - would like to try it
    c. All similar output
    d. I agree re the look of SS over the long term with enamel plated black would be better, it will be under cover
    e. SS pans in the kitchen are a pain to clean lol, never tried on bbq.

    • 

      cookie2 on 20/01/2023 - 16:53

      Thanks, honestly I don't like any of them but each have some good features on their own. I'd say the summit when onsale. Or possibly the tucker and swap out the grills and plates for cast iron. Does it have to be built in? The way I see it you could build the bench/outdoor kitchen area and allow space for a freestanding ng bbq.

      a. if you're spending $2k plus on a bbq, then an unclear warranty period, a supplier without reviews showing good after sales experience and parts, would be a no go from me. Just doesn't instill faith enough to build everything around the device and all the extra $ and time on top of the bbq cost. 2 years on a ss bbq is really poor, maybe it's single walled only but I wouldn't trust it, they should have more faith in a 304 grade ss bq, plus the burner covers look like an absolute bastard to clean and thin too. Warranty is important in your circumstances i think.
      B) if you've never used it and would like to try it, I'd try to pretend it doesn't exist in your purchase decision. Most BBQs you can purchase a rotisserie as an accessory and imo infrared isn't all it's cracked up to be. Most I know end up just doing their bbq roast like normal after a few uses anyway.
      D) the great thing about bbqs and why i think they're still popular, even with all the new ways we cook now, is that it's convenient, cooks for a group, easy to cleanup and designed to be low maintenance. Consider those things, honestly get enamel, stay away from windows and ss hoods and put the extra money into fancy lighting in the covered area or a ss benchtop etc instead.

      e. Honestly imo ss grills on a bbq are just pointless. Imagine that yellowing you get on ss pans, but it's in the joins of the grill and the grills themselves. From my experience using them, to keep them looking nice, you have to use pretty heavy duty cleaners to save you from having to scrub so much. Go for cast iron and put the time into curing it properly when you get it and just generally giving it a quick clean and recure with a little oil after you finish using it.
      Just remember you'll have to replace things at some stage, maybe an ignition or a burner, definitely a grill, plate or knob. Make sure you can get the parts now AND in future.

      • 

        porsche26c on 20/01/2023 - 20:38

        +1

        Thank you for the very detailed response. Appreciate the time you spent on the response. I think i will hold out and get the weber and switch to cast iron (which im use to on my weber 300 from 12 yrs ago). Ill need to review for sizing in my desired area, i think it will just fit.

        • 

          cookie2 on 21/01/2023 - 13:09

          @porsche26c: You're welcome. I'm pretty passionate about bbqs and cooking styles and have used a good variety of. I think it's a good decision to wait and get the weber as a built in.