( 2 reviews )
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Posted: Jan 25 2009
My last Weber Genesis lasted 10 years and other than replacing flavorizer bars and grates a couple times, it worked perfectly. The new E-310 is great, it looks nice and performs well. Assembly was not technically difficult but was not a pleasant experience either. I'm good with tools and directions but this took me several painful hours to put together. Take a truck to pick it up and 2 guys. The box barely fit in my Honda Pilot with the seats folded flat there was only an inch to spare. I have one complaint: The ignition system uses a AAA battery. I grill year-round but live in a cold climate (Colorado) and the battery needs to be replaced often. The switch which holds the battery eventually broke. No big deal expcept Weber's parts site has been down since December and customer support is nonexistent. I have to light my $700 grill manually and since the E-310 is so new none of the usual on-line parts places have the part. Recommend buying from a grill specialty store that can work these kinds of issues. My old Weber's manual igniter never failed to light with more than 2 attempts in 10 years grilling on average 2 days a week. Not sure why they would put in a such a cheap, unreliable system on such a nice grill. If not for this issue it would be 5 stars.
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( 637 of 637 found this review helpful ) Posted: Feb 2 2008
When it came time for me to buy a grill, I looked immediately to the Weber Genesis series, mainly because my family has always owned Webers and we've never been disappointed by them. My dad's prior Genesis grill lasted about 10 years before needing to be replaced, and likely would have lasted longer if it weren't for the harsh South Florida climate (the humid air down there is really rough on anything metal that's left outside). I opted for the E-310 as I didn't need a side burner and didn't quite feel like paying up for the stainless steel model (which is nice, but hard to keep clean!). This is a GREAT all around grill. IMO, there's nothing worse than a cheap gas grill - they don't maintain even heat, they don't get hot enough, and they often have the heat source too close to the food. I have a feeling a lot of the charcoal snobs out there (and I admit I used to be one myself) believe so ardently in charcoal's superiority partly because they've compared it only to a cheapo gas grill - guess what, it isn't the "rich smokey flavor" that makes charcoal grills great, it's the heat (they get hotter than most of the cheaper gas grills available) and the evenness of the heat. When buying a gas grill, you DO get what you pay for - and the Weber Genesis series is worth it. My Weber will heat to 600+ degrees, maintains even heat, and the heat source is far enough from the food to limit flare ups. I've had this for about 2 weeks now and even I'm surprised how much I use it - almost every night (and THAT IMO is the main advantage of gas vs. charcoal, this thing is so convenient that I use it probably 5 times a week even though I live alone so I'm usually cooking for one). Thus far I've cooked steaks, pork chops, chicken breasts, and chicken wings on it (as well as sides like corn on the cob, asparagus, and new potatoes, all done on the grill of course), and it's ALL come out great. I'm very happy with it and I'm sure it'll only get better as the grill gets broken in and as I get more experienced using it. If I've helped convince you to spring for the E-310, there's one thing you should consider (aside from whether to go stainless steel and whether to go with a side burner - those are both personal preferences) that you may not know about: there's a choice between cast iron and stainless still grill grates. I'm pretty sure the one offered on Amazon has the cast iron. Now, in most cases I think cast iron is great for cooking (it really holds the heat in better and gives a superior sear vs. other metals), HOWEVER cast iron does not hold up very well when left outside, especially if you live in a humid climate. Also, it's harder to clean. For this reason, if you live in a humid climate I'd recommend going for the version of the E-310 that has a stainless steel grill, you can find them if you look around. You can still get that cast iron sear when you want it by simply buying a Lodge cast iron skillet or griddle (available here on Amazon for Overall, 5 stars for the Weber Genesis for a great cooking experience AND great Weber quality that should last you 10 years or more, if properly taken care of.
