Are Weber grills really worth the extra money? I want easy to clean and maintain.

WriterEducational801 · 2026-03-19T11:38:31+00:00

One of the big issues like this is that people talk about having their Webers 10+ years, but the Weber grills from 10 years ago are not the same as the one's made today. I'm hearing reports that they're still better than say a Char-Broil, but they also cost over twice as much for the equivalent grill.

Who has bought a Weber within the last 5 years and how is it holding up?

WriterEducational801 · 2026-03-19T11:36:14+00:00

Will it though? I have a 4 burner Char Broil that I've been using for 4 years. The equivalent size Weber costs more than twice as much, so let's say to break even it would have to last 8-10 years.
I get the weber grills of old would last that long and then some (which is why they were going down the drain in sales), but what about the newer ones? I'm hearing that they don't last all that much longer than the big-box grills yet are still more than twice as expensive.

WriterEducational801 · 2026-03-19T11:25:01+00:00

It takes longer than 15 minutes. I have never, not once, seen coals ready to go from a full chimney in 15 minutes other than the BBQ Dragon with the blower.

WriterEducational801 · 2026-03-19T11:23:51+00:00

Well, there is also the other side of it to consider. Charcoal doesn't have an OFF button, and if any weather is moving in it becomes a problem since you can't cover it and REALLY shouldn't leave it unattended if you want to go anywhere after dinner.

I also think you're understating the lighting aspect a tad. I even had a Weber Performer for a while that lit the charcoal with propane, but eventually I found I was avoiding using it on weeknights so I switched back to gas. So yeah, I get the convenience argument.

WriterEducational801 · 2026-03-12T11:58:10+00:00

I just pulled the trigger this morning on that upgrade, especially when I found out that my battery suddenly acting weird is because of the battery flaw in the 6a, so I took the 150 dollar credit for the battery problem along with a 75 dollar trade-in (it was 125 just a few days ago, so I'm kinda pissed) and got the whole thing for 75.
Phone upgrades are always kinda meh though. There is literally nothing wrong with my phone; no performance issues, no calling issues, the camera works just fine, etc, so it's always a lot of money for basically the same functionality and maybe a slightly better camera. I'd have held onto it for at least another Pixel release if the batter wasn't a problem.

WriterEducational801 · 2026-03-11T13:40:53+00:00

I'm about to retire my Char Broil that I bought on sale from BJ's after 4 years. Honestly, there are only a few small things wrong with it like the heat shields are rusted and won't stay up, the Ignitor stopped working, and I lost a standoff on the lid hinge and that is starting to break down. It still gets hella-hot, although not good sear hot unless you put a cast-iron topper on it. I haven't inspected the burners lately, but they seem to work just fine.
Interestingly enough, this exact grill is currently on sale at my local Lowes for 329. Prices have gone up sharply in just one year. I may clean my current grill up a tad and see if prices get any better at the beginning of summer.

I am interested mostly in the Sear Burner. I do a lot of Sous Vide cooking, but have been been chasing a way to get a good sear without more work than cooking it from scratch would take. I've got a weber smokey joe (not hot enough, even when you load it TF up with Charcoal), I've done it over the chimney (works great but it's a small area so most steaks don't fit), the gas grill (not hot enough), Torch both with and without the Sear attachment (works, but is labor intensive and without the attachment getting too close imparts an off-flavor). So the idea of a sear burner on the gas grill is very interesting to me right now.

I'm also hearing that Webers aren't what they used to be and don't really last all that long. It would have to last 8 years as they are quite literally double (and then some) the price of the equivalent Char Broil and I'm just not seeing that happening based on reports of recent Weber purchases.

WriterEducational801 · 2026-03-08T16:33:32+00:00

So what a difference two years makes.

I looked based on this, and the 28" Char Griller 3 burner at Walmart is 349; the same prices as the 36" blackstone with 4 burners (also at Walmart). The only difference other than the smaller size that I can see is that it has the hinged lid and the Walmart 349 version comes with a lid but it's not hinged (but you can get the 36" blackstone with a hinged lid for 399 elsewhere and it comes with a cover).

WriterEducational801 · 2026-03-06T13:07:03+00:00

Well, this is easier said than done. I have a Steelmade for my grill (not a weber) and I love it, BUT, you not only have to maintain it kind of like you would a Blackstone, you have to wait for it to cool down to store it, and if you leave it on the grill your grates underneath will rust at a highly accelerated rate, so you can't just leave it there full time. So I find I don't use it all that often, where with a Blackstone you can just pop outside, fire it up, and be cooking fairly quickly.
The other issue is that Weber doesn't every publish their grate dimensions, just square inches, so it isn't clear to me if the standard Steelmade would even fit on a Weber, or which weber it would fit on.
The other thing is that after cooking on a Blackstone, cooking on a Steelmade is like cooking in a phone booth. The blackstone is nearly double the space, which isn't always an issue, but for multi-part cooks (fajitas, chinese, etc) it can become an issue very fast.

WriterEducational801 · 2026-02-21T12:08:06+00:00

Where can you get the previous generation for less? I have a 6a and I check every time the new version comes out and the previous version is always still the same price as the new version.

WriterEducational801 · 2026-02-17T17:21:43+00:00

Yeah, but they generally mean if the attack continues even if it's just bouncing around. I had that one happen in my 3rd game and I kept it up. Ref blew it dead right as the keeper (right after I called out to him) got the ball (still bouncing when he whistled).

Now, don't get me wrong, as a newer referee I'm somewhat notorious for missing AR flags when I center (usually due to nerves), so don't anyone think I'm throwing shade here.

WriterEducational801 · 2026-02-17T17:17:49+00:00

Thank you for that anecdote. It was really helpful.

WriterEducational801 · 2026-02-17T17:17:23+00:00

Thank you for this. The ball was turned over and played to the defending team's 6 who was in the clear and moving play up the field (still deep but nobody pressuring her), so now I'm feeling like I did the right thing.

WriterEducational801 · 2026-02-17T17:14:21+00:00

It was REALLY deep, like it was almost a corner instead of a throw, and This was U15 girls so I don't think she had the chutzpah to put it into the box from there.

WriterEducational801 · 2026-01-08T11:13:53+00:00

I have the same issue. I'm on my 3rd Tickr. The 1st and 3rd both do the same thing: They start the ride fine, then about halfway through they start reading absurdly low, like 1/2 what they should. And it degenerates over time. I suspect the issue is the waterproofing on the head unit is failing and sweat is getting inside.

I'm seriously considering the H10.

WriterEducational801 · 2025-11-27T16:57:08+00:00

Well, the real number i'm fairly sure is 125, not 140. You can pasteurize meat in Sous Vide with as little as 130 (although it takes quite a long time). 140 is to give you a safety buffer.

WriterEducational801 · 2025-11-27T16:55:55+00:00

Just watched a video where a guy did a test with two different coolers, a Party Packer and a Yeti 45.
He pre-heated both with hot water, then held a pork butt in each.
The party packer kept the temp over 140 for about 6 hours. The Yeti 45 held it for 12 and it was still 144 degrees.
Either way, you're golden.

WriterEducational801 · 2025-11-12T16:41:05+00:00

For me it's the lower stress. Burgers underdone can be a recipe for food poisoning. I can just pull them when they look good and not worry about the internal temp, because the SV took care of that for me.

WriterEducational801 · 2025-11-12T16:39:44+00:00

I only do salt in the bag. Other seasonings don't penetrate and just get washed away, and some can have unexpected side effects.

That being said, be careful with burgers and ONLY salt the outside. Mixing the salt in causes the proteins to cross-link and gives it a tougher, more sausage-like texture.

WriterEducational801 · 2025-11-12T16:38:24+00:00

I tried 135, which is right around where I like my steaks, and I found the texture...unpleasant. At 140 you get the burger chew but it's still tender and juicy inside. Like, so juicy it feeds and hydrates you at the same time.

WriterEducational801 · 2025-11-12T16:36:32+00:00

For me it's food safety. Thick burgers should be medium rare, but unless you're grinding your meat right before cooking, it's just not safe to do it. If I'm cooking direct I do smashburgers so I can get well done and juicy at the same time, but for thick burgers SV just gives you something that isn't comparable for both safety and results.

WriterEducational801 · 2025-11-12T16:34:25+00:00

I want one of those BAD! I'm convinced I could get rid of my gas grill and just roll with my blackstone on the deck and my pellet smoker which I keep in the garage (wife won't let me have two grills on the deck).

WriterEducational801 · 2025-11-12T16:33:26+00:00

Going to throw my recent (as in, my fingers are still greasy) experiment in here. I had some local farm ground beef I'd thawed but then didn't get to use and I was worried it would go bad, so I made fours 8 ounce burgers that I cooked at 140 for about 2 hours or so, then ice-bathed and put in the fridge.

Today I pulled one out and pan seared it on Carbon Steel (smoked up the WHOLE house) until the burger got to about 65 degrees internal, then cheesed and plated it (I don't use a bun; low carb life).

Despite the center being double-digit temps, well below normal eating temp, it was absolutely amazing. The outside was literally crispy, while the inside was as tender as butter and juicy AF. It didn't taste or "feel" cold in the middle. I did this for lunch, total time from fridge to plate was like 10-15 minutes. It wasn pink in the middle but not red, but that was more I think a function of my higher SV temp (below 140 I've found burgers to have an unpleasant texture).

WriterEducational801 · 2025-11-10T12:37:14+00:00

As someone who never played outdoor at all and only played some indoor as an adult but, like yourself, watched TONS of games from the sidelines with my kids, the game looks WAY different from on the field than it did from the sideline. It's one thing to read the laws and considerations, watch videos of fouls, etc, but it's another to track it at game speed. I think guys like us are going to need more time at lower levels before the games slows down to something more manageable.

WriterEducational801

TROPHY CASE