My parents probably owned three gas grills before they bought their Weber and they were pretty much junk. They finally bit the bullet and spent the money on a basic three burner weber. 10 years later that thing is still going strong. The only thing they've done to it is replace the bars that cover the burners (they finally rusted out a year ago. they still served the purpose but they looked like they were going to crumble at any moment) and I think this year they might have to replace the grill grates. The grates could probably last another year or two if I had to guess but they are starting to rust on the bottom and they are definetly losing some material. The only preventative maintenance they do is, uhhh, I guess they might hose it off once a year. Oh, and they sometime put a cover over it. That's mainly in the winter though. Granted when I grill during the winter the cover is a pain to get back on as it gets stiff. So normally it sits uncovered during the winter. They do pull it up under the covered portion of the deck though.
That thing still kicks on the first try (unless it's cold (i.e a couple of weeks ago when I grilling in 15 degree weather) and then it might take two pushes on the starter (original starter). Cooks well, puts out tons of heat (It can get the middle burner cover to glow red with all three burners on high), cooks relatively evenly. One side of the grill is hotter than the other, but it doesn't have distinct hot spots, more of a gradual transition.
Oh as far as the gas vs. charcoal debate, while charcoal may "taste" better, you can't beat a gas grill for speed, convinence, and ease of use. I have a hard time believing anybody here can get a charcoal grill fired up to cooking temperature faster than you can get a decent gas grill. Charcoal is nice if you've got the time or are cooking at your typical backyard BBQ party but it's hard to beat a gas grill, especially if you are only cooking a small amount, trying to do things at different temperatures, or need to sear something then let it cook slowly after that.
If you can afford it, spend the money on the weber.
That's a good point also. If you can find a decent magnet (not a thin refrigerator magnet but one with a little bit of thickness), take it with you. If I remember correctly a magnet will not stick to "good" stainless steel. A lower grade stainless has more carbon in it, which is more magnetic, whic in turns rusts. That's what the guys at work said when they were talking about buying grills. If a MatE or someone along those lines can confirm or deny that it would be great. As a CE, we don't really get into metallurgy.
That thing still kicks on the first try (unless it's cold (i.e a couple of weeks ago when I grilling in 15 degree weather) and then it might take two pushes on the starter (original starter). Cooks well, puts out tons of heat (It can get the middle burner cover to glow red with all three burners on high), cooks relatively evenly. One side of the grill is hotter than the other, but it doesn't have distinct hot spots, more of a gradual transition.
Oh as far as the gas vs. charcoal debate, while charcoal may "taste" better, you can't beat a gas grill for speed, convinence, and ease of use. I have a hard time believing anybody here can get a charcoal grill fired up to cooking temperature faster than you can get a decent gas grill. Charcoal is nice if you've got the time or are cooking at your typical backyard BBQ party but it's hard to beat a gas grill, especially if you are only cooking a small amount, trying to do things at different temperatures, or need to sear something then let it cook slowly after that.
If you can afford it, spend the money on the weber.
That's a good point also. If you can find a decent magnet (not a thin refrigerator magnet but one with a little bit of thickness), take it with you. If I remember correctly a magnet will not stick to "good" stainless steel. A lower grade stainless has more carbon in it, which is more magnetic, whic in turns rusts. That's what the guys at work said when they were talking about buying grills. If a MatE or someone along those lines can confirm or deny that it would be great. As a CE, we don't really get into metallurgy.
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