20 responses so far ↓

• 1 Leon K // May 2, 2008 at 7:44 pm

  What is your budget? I recommend visiting bbqs.com (the store front is located not that far from Canada’s Wonderland). Lots of great units there. The most important thing to consider is parts availability. In 5 years time, will you be able to find a replacement burner if it goes on you? With Weber, probably. With the sears unit… it depends. Sears also doesn’t make their own BBQ’s. They outsource to other companies. Good luck and have fun!!

• 2 Kirk // May 2, 2008 at 7:50 pm

  Excellent comment Leon, thanks. My budget is between $1,000 and $1,500. I like to buy good quality things once versus buying mediocre quality over and over. While I don’t want to pay $1,500+ for the Weber if it is the right decision then I’ll do it.

  I’m told that Weber, Broil King and Kenmore Elite are built by the same company. Hard to substantiate but that’s the word out there.

• 3 Leon K // May 2, 2008 at 8:17 pm

  That’s not right. Weber and Broil King are 2 different companies. Broil King is the parent company of Broil-mate (home depot BBQ’s). Broil king is the higher quality brand that’s made in Canada, Broil-Mate is made in China. Low end Weber’s are also made in China. I ended buying a mid-range Broil King from Ontario BBQ (~500$) and love it. I’ve done a lot of research, and it seems that with Weber, you pay for the name. While Broil King, gives you the best bang for the buck. (Do you want a BMW, or a Accura?) What ever you decide on, you can’t really got wrong with either. I’m not sure who makes Kenmore Elite (need to look at the code on the BBQ and compare it against a list of Kenmore manf. source list).

• 4 Kirk // May 2, 2008 at 9:51 pm

  Really helpful - thanks Leon. Now I’ll add Broil King to the list!

• 5 Paul // May 4, 2008 at 2:33 pm

  I share the same philosophy about paying more over the long run. But I’m quite happy to pay less than $500 for something that’s going to last five years anyway.

  I don’t need a side burner. And does a bbq really need seven dials like that Kenmore?

  In my experience the only thing that’s gonna go is the burner. So paying more for that, and for more BTUs would be my only criteria.

• 6 Kirk // May 4, 2008 at 10:39 pm

  Thanks for your comment Paul. It’s interesting…some people say they never use the side-burner while others say they use it all the time. To be honest I’m not sure where I’ll fit on that list. I might use it for corn or for rice for instance but that’s probably it.

  Yes, 7 dials seems very much like overkill.

  Happy BBQ’ing…

• 7 terry // May 8, 2008 at 8:27 pm

  I would say to satay away from stainless steel if the only reason you are considering it is because of rusting . Stainless is quite hard to keep clean Most other BBQ’s are made of cast aluminium and so don’t rust. I also would go for a side burner. You may that a large pot full of ingredients is too heavy for the BBQ frame and most burners aren’t large enough to heat things up quickly Look at how the burners run. There is a great advantage to cooking with indirect heat and you will want to be able to shut one side of the BBQ off to do that A large cooking surface is the first consideration in my opinion . BTU’s don’t jsut tell you how hot it gets but the higher the BTU’s the more gas it will consume quickly

  Have a care to how easy it is to have your BBQ parts replaced. Over time it will be annoying if certain parts are not available. I BBQ almost every weekend of the year. and have learned that good quality out performs the competition. My sunbeam BBQ I have had 25 years and my Kenmore 5 both work just the way I expect them too A BBQ is just another appliance for the kitchen and the same care should be taken when buying it. Have fun!

• 8 terry // May 8, 2008 at 8:39 pm

  I just re-read my comments and see some mistakes. I recommend to STAY AWAY from stainless, not satay away from stainless

  Also the side burner is NOT a major positive feature because the burners are usually too small and will not support a large pot of water for boiling.

  A large surface area will allow you too move items about to cooler spots on the BBQ and offer more control in how you grill your meats Sorry about the mistakes

• 9 stef // May 9, 2008 at 8:22 pm

  I also recommend no side burner, also ensure you get a 3 burner BBQ so you can cook indirect.

  I did some research when I bought 3 years ago and Opted for the Weber Genesis. I love it. Get the solid stainless steel grills and you never have to wory about wear and tear.

  I also highly recommend the BBQ guys, they do a BBQ detail service and will grind all the dirt off, once a year is enough and they will make your BBQ look brand new (at a price, but well worth it)

• 10 anke // May 10, 2008 at 12:48 pm

  Thanks Stef and Terry for your informative comments. I opted for the Weber and it arrives this week. I can’t wait to get grilling!

• 11 Phil // May 19, 2008 at 12:05 pm

  In my opinion I would take Leon K advice from May 2, 2008 8:17pm and go to Home Depot to get a Broil King. Quality sells itself. As well, get a George Foreman grill for those days when the weather just doesn’t want to cooperate.

• 12 Kirk // May 20, 2008 at 1:55 pm

  Thanks for your comment Phil. I opted for the Weber s-420. I have a good friend who has one and loves it. I got a good deal from Sears and thought the extra price was worth it. Likely the Broil King is just as good but I went with the Weber because it felt right for me. Happy q’ing everyone.

• 13 oliver // Jun 6, 2008 at 4:36 pm

  I am intrested in buying a good SS propane BBQ with rotisary, can you please advise me which one should I go. My budget is approx $800/-

• 14 Kirk // Jun 8, 2008 at 1:32 pm

  I think you could get a nice Broil King with rotisserie at that price range. Good luck with your search.

• 15 andy // Apr 8, 2009 at 6:32 pm

  Don’t buy Kenmore elite I find it Garbage

• 16 anke // Apr 8, 2009 at 6:49 pm

  Thanks for letting us know Andy. We ended up going with quality and bought the Weber.

• 17 kevin // Jul 28, 2009 at 3:53 pm

  buy weber or napolean

  if you get a weber the summit line is made in the usa and will last a long time i bought the s-670 and it is a terrific bbq

  the big differences in better quality bbqs is construction quality (type & thickness of material)

  burners (type and quality and position)

  valves (sensitivity and type)

  for weber and lots of other into

  http://www.bbqguys.com/video_list_108.html?item=2071860

• 18 Dianne // Nov 2, 2009 at 9:10 pm

  Just so you know Broil King, Broil Mate, Weber, and Sterling are all distributed in Canada by Onward Manufacturing.

  Bought a Weber Natural Gas S320 , wasn’t keen on the knobs being on the side, but came highly recommended by Consumers Report mag. Bought it in August of 2008 at Home Depot. First thing we noticed when we took it out of the box was how thin the cast aluminum firebox was compared to our 15 yr old propane Broil King and how huge the drip pan was. We where relatively happy with the BBQ until recently. . . while warming it up, the firebox liquefied, then dripped down onto things below in the storage compartment, warped the firebox, destroying the whole BBQ and some parts of my deck. Used it for just over a year. All Weber would do was replace parts, which would be every part!

  Weber sent out a rep that had no engineering knowledge of BBQ construction, then later wanted to come and pick up the BBQ without giving us a replacement. “They only replace parts, not whole BBQ’S.”

  Sent photos of the burned out BBQ to Canadian Standards Association to see what they say.

• 19 BBQ // Apr 2, 2010 at 8:56 am

  As for me, convenience counts. So I put on the gas grill http://www.grillebroilking.com.pl/?p=317 My broil king performs excellently. It’s fun to sit by the grill and enjoy the convenience of.

• 20 Nay // May 25, 2011 at 9:46 pm

  Thanks for all the info!!! Wow, so much for Kenmore and Webor…but love the Baby Webor! The best for small spaces and camping!!! Guess it’s time to go Home Depot…..

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