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103 of 105 found the following review helpful:
 Genesis S-320 ; a gem ... May 14, 2007
By C. Lipton
The reason I bought this bbq was 1) it was rated the best bbq between $500 and $1000 by most all rating bureau's, 2) it uses high quality 302 s/s, 3) has s/s cooking racks which to me are easier to clean, 4) its a very pretty bbq, and 5) it's a Weber, made in the US. The E-320, with colored panels, in my opinon, isn't as nice looking as the s/s unit.
I bought this bbq from Amazon about 10 days ago. It was shipped for free via Eagle Transportation. I think Amazon realized large items shipped UPS were arriving damaged. At least the few large items I previously ordered and shipped UPS arrived that way. The shipping estimate was 10-14 days with the free option. Four days after I saw that the item was shipped I received a call from Eagle's Los Angeles depot asking me when I wanted it delivered. I couldn't believe that ! I told them the next day. They gave me a time frame, 10-1, asking if that was agreeable. At 11 Eagle arrived, off loaded my bbq in one huge box and asked where I wanted it. The box was completely intact and undamaged. I've never encountered that kind of service from any carrier. Cudos to Amazon on choosing this shipper.
Now, the bbq. Weber's Genesis S-320 LP. I'm a very handy guy with a garage full of tools. I unpacked all the parts and had them spread out on a blanket so I wouldn't scratch them on the cement floor. Everyone's greatest dread is the assembly instructions usually done in a foreign country and poorly translated in to English. But, since Weber is made in the USA, I found the step by step numbered instructions very easy to follow. All the little screws, washers, and bolts were nicely packaged and oh my goodness... they were all there. There were no shortages of any parts. One or two extras in a package would have been nice since I usually drop one of something and lose it somewhere under a bench in the garage. Anyway, the bbq went together effortlessly. I had my propane tank filled and used the weight hanger inside the stand which showed the tank was full. Another nice touch.
Now for the good part; using it. I did that tonight for the first time on Mother's Day. I thought that was appropriate. Anyway, I made cheesburgers - one of my most favorite bbq foods. I read the instructions on how Weber thought hamburgers should be cooked; medium heat with the lid down. They recommend always keeping hte lid down to cook and only opening it to turn the food or check to see if it's done. I also used the side burner just because... it's there. I've never had a bbq with a side burner and found it handy but a space hog. The bbq did what it is intended to do very well. It cooked my burgers in record time with the lid down. We also cooked corn on the cob wrapped in tin foil in the grill at the same time. Everything turned out great.
Now, my trivial gripes. The right side table has all the controls. That only leaves a very small amount of space between the control knobs and the bbq as a useable work area. One should be careful placing items in that area because being so close to the bbq it does tend to get a bit warm. I don't know why Weber couldn't put the controls on the front of the bbq leaving two nice sized working platforms. I found that a bit irritating especially when I used the left side burner. I had no place to set down plates, platters, etc. I had to pull up another small table. I don't know how often I'll actually use the side burner. If I don't use it ofen which I probably won't then it's really not an issue.
Did I say gripes? Well that's all I can think of. Overall, I'm very happy with the Weber Genesis S-320. I like it, alot. Would I buy it again if I only wanted to spend around $750?? You bet ! I can see why it's rated highly in all the reviews. And, you get Webers great guarantee and customer service. Go for it...you won't be disappointed.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at: chuxter31@roadrunner.com
24 of 24 found the following review helpful:
stop wondering --- just buy it. May 15, 2008
By Me
I did a ton of research before buying this. Outstanding grill. DEFINITELY worth the price. You can get cheaper grills at the local box store, but they will not come close to this one.
- Solid construction
- well engineered and manufactured
- even heating / easy to control heat / gets very hot
- propane scale/guage is a nice plus (give you an idea how much LP you have left).
- will last forever
If you're comparing this to the E320, there's more to the difference than just the stainless outside. The internal parts are also different (7mm solid stainless grate, stainless flavorizer bars...). The difference is worth the price. It is possible to get the good internal stuff with the enamel exterior (black, green, blue, copper) if you buy the EP-320, which I believe is only sold by Ace Hardare and similar stores. The E-320, which is sold at all the box stores is inferior to both the EP-320 and S-320.
Bottom line -- you can't go wrong with a Weber Genesis. I recommend the EP-320 or S-320 if it fits your budget. Otherwise, you're still getting a good grill with the E-320.
About Weber: these guys are professionals. I called with a questions and A PERSON answered the phone. She was very patient and helpful. The packaging, instructions, and assemply exceeded all expectations. It was actually a pleasure to unpack and put together compared to anything else I've ever purchased. I also recommend Weber accessories -- much better than any other brand I've purchased.
I bought it from Amazon and it arrived quickly. the shipping company called me to arrange delivery, and I recieved it a couple days later. They placed the big, heavy box where I asked (in a detached garage behind my house). A little damage to the box during shipping, but the grill was fine.
I can't say enough to endorse this grill. You will not regret the purchase.
32 of 34 found the following review helpful:
 Best Grill I've Ever Had May 26, 2007
By I. Bilynsky
"Info Center"
If there's one thing I like just as much as pizza, it's a BBQ. I love to grill, and I finally decided to go and get a nice grill. The Weber S320 definitely qualifies as "nice grill". Compared to the cheapo Char-Broil grill I had before, the difference is night and day.
The S320 is very sturdy, with a welded box frame and liberal usage of screws. The assembly instructions make it easy to put together - you only need a couple basic hand tools. The grills themselves are nice and thick, so they retain heat which assists in searing. A lot of grills nowadays seem to opt for grills made from thin gauge metal. You don't want thin grills, you want THICK metal grills that get hot and stay hot while you are cooking.
Cooking performance is excellent. Yeah, the BTU output rating is lower than some other grills in the $800 price range, but guess what, the grill heats evenly across the entire grilling surface whereas most grills have hot spots and cool spots. Heat it up to about 400 degrees before you start cooking, takes about 3-5 minutes, and you'll be good to go.
The one thing I was skeptical about was the lack of lava rocks. Lava rocks hands down make the most smoke, and smoke is what gives your food that distinct BBQ taste. The S320 has metal bars above the burners that burn off drippings to make smoke. They work well if you let them get red-hot first, which happens if you preheat the grill like you are supposed to before cooking.
The only problem I had with this grill is shipping. It was delivered by "Eagle", and the grill itself was damaged on arrival. Now you have a 200 pound package sitting in your driveway or wherever they "dropped" it (dropped literally, in my case), returning it is something you don't wanna do unless absolutely necessary. The damage to my grill was in the frame being bent, along with quite a bit of scratching on the side of the hood. I was able to fix the bent frame with a little brute force, but my hood is scarred for life.
None of that affected the performance of the grill, so I can't complain too much...but I hope that Amazon takes a closer look at who they choose as their shipping partners. I'm knocking off 1 star because of that - not for the grill, but Amazon's questionable choice in shipping providers. I am disappointed that my brand new grill that I paid full price for is essentially a "scratch and dent". We'll see if Amazon makes it up to me or not.
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
Great grill but could be slightly better... Feb 15, 2009
By Jamey
What a nice piece of equipment. I wanted to start cooking more at home instead of eating out. My last grill was a Chargrill Commercial series with a stainless finish. I had considered a Weber then, but didn't want to spend the extra money. It's 7-8 years old with a couple of issues, so I wanted to add a nice new grill to my cooking arsonal. After reading all the reviews I could find I wanted to see what I had missed on my last grill purchase. I chose this grill and a good choice it was! I just picked the grill up last night, and I put it together today.
UNPACKING:
It's a big box and heavy! Count on needing a couple guys to move it around. Packaging is decent, but not very protective of a few parts. Luckily, the major area that would suffer any marks is the inside of the grill itself. I special ordered from a local hardware shop to avoid shipping and hope to get one in as near perfect condition as possible. The box was damaged, and Weber failed to put a pin (or it fell out) in both sides on the top, so the top was able to move around a bit in shipping. This created a 4" or so thin mark inside my grill and rubbed some paint away from where that pin should have been. It's not the worst thing that could have happened, but I was looking for better protection of such expensive parts.
Assembly:
I read scores of feedback giving estimates from as little as 1 hour for an average Joe up to 4 1/2 hours for 3-4 handymen trying to get it together. I would consider my skills average or slightly above. It took me just shy of 2 hours from the time I opened the box. I've read all the complaints of the included instructions. I agree that more written comments would have helped a great deal, but I'm a man and wouldn't have read them anyway:)
Let me give some advice, though. Look at one assembled in a hardware store. Then, unpack every item, and spread them all out. You should be able to group things that will be put together fairly easily. The instructions/pictures are very informative as to what you need on each step. The bolts and washers are either stainless or black, and hte pictures show this making it easy to tell which bolt or washer you need. Take a couple minutes to understand the orientation of parts so you don't have to do things twice. Others have had this happen, and I'm sure it was due to haste. Use your own 7/16" or 12mm socket to make things faster. I could put a second one of these together in less than an hour, so it's not that difficult if you take the time to understand what's going where.
APPEARANCE:
It's VERY attractive assembled. I know some complain it's not all stainless, but the darker painted accents (box and side caps) are very nice looking. I'm thinking they are made of aluminum, but I'm not sure. The bottom support frame is made of painted steel, and is definately less than desirable. I would have loved to see this stainless, but that would have driven the cost up I'm sure. Over all, I think it's very well constructed.
USE:
OH MY!!! I'm impressed for my first time cooking on it. My wife likes her steak well done but not dry, and I like my steak medium with a good sear. I preheated to 500 like is recommended. I dropped her steak on it and after five minutes or so when I made the first turn, I started mine. I was able to get a good criss-cross grill mark on both sides of both steaks. When I flipped my steak over, I added a couple 5 oz. lobster tails to the grill with the meat side down. Two minutes later, I turned the tails over onto the shell side, added a bit of butter and gave everything another 5 minutes or so. BAMM, everything was awesome! Nothing burnt, everything done to near perfection, and even with fatty ribeyes and butter and olive oil dripping from the lobster flameups were limited to only a whisp as they immediately burned themselves out. Almost the entire surface of the grill gets nice and evenly hot without creating flareup issues.
Form met function in most every way. Even the Weber 3 piece tool set works perfectly hanging on the side "hooks". I had no problems getting burned or touching hot spots on the grill itself. I hope I don't have a greasefire due to the large drip pan like one reviewer, but I REALLY like how easy it is to remove and also how easy it is to change out the collection tin. I can't wait to use the Rotisserie tomorrow!
COMPARISON:
I only have my older Charbroil and the cheap POS's I have used in the past. I wouldn't touch another cheap gas grill again. The Commercial series Charbroil was a pretty good grill, but the materials used were cheaper, assembly was more time consuming/difficult, and made noises when the gas was turned up to max on all three burners. The Weber S-320 is obviously much nicer looking, better materials, better fitting parts, a more thought-out design, and more accurate control of heat. It has nearly silent operation except for the sizzle of the meat of course. And, the flavor bars get VERY hot to create smoke and immediately burn off any grease that touches them instead of allowing for a major flare up like some other grills would.
POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS:
I gave it four stars. It wasn't so much as the grilled is flawed, but that there is room for improvement. I agree the controls for the burners might be better placed in front of the grill. I am used to putting a plate down on my right to transfer the grilled meat to and from. It wasn't a big deal putting it on the left side of the grill. Of course, you can't use the side burner and use the left tray to place a plate. AND, I do actually like them where they are instead of on the front of the grill. I would however, sacrifice that slight advantage (as I see it), to gain the use of the right shelf for a plate. It's not enough of an issue to have worried me though.
As I mentioned earlier, I would have liked to have seen the frame made out of stainless, and organized storage inside the frame (perhaps drawers). Most things I would put under the grill might scratch the bottom tray, and could cause premature rusting.
CONCLUSION:
It is truely the best grill I've ever used or seen being used, but there still is room for improvement. However, this shouldn't keep anyone from buying the grill. If you are in the market, and you have the cash to drop on a grill, this grill should be on your short list. If you are like me, and just want to stop researching and start cooking, you won't be dissapointed.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Simply the best! Mar 24, 2009
By Salvatz
This is my first Weber grill and it has met every one of my expectations. I purchased my grill from homeverything.com, which I also highly recommend. No tax and free shipping also help
The grill was drop shipped and arrived in perfect condition. The driver waited patiently until I unpacked everything and inspected each piece.
I am a pretty handy guy and the grill took me about 1 hour to put together but the instructions are very easy to follow. There are quite a few parts, so take the time to lay them out carefully and be careful not to scrape any of the stainless steel pieces.
The packing is incredible. Everything is ensconced in cardboard and every stainless surface has a layer of plastic covering on it.
After assembling everything, light the grill and let it heat up for at least 1 hour. Let is get to at least 600 degrees. There is a lot of grease and other oils that you should burn off before you start cooking. A pretty nasty smell will also result as part of this process. Don't let the grill get to hot because you don't want to discolor the stainless on the outside. Periodically open the hood and let a little heat and smoke out from time to time.
Once you are ready to go, let the grill heat up to about 400 degrees. Read the Weber guide about direct and indirect grilling. The grill works absolutely unbelievable. The grill heats evenly and quickly and there are NO hot spots or cold spots on the grill. The grease drains beautifully into a small disposable catch basin. I heard a few knocks on the grease catch but I found it to be very easy to change the pan and that the process works great.
As far as the different models out there, be very careful. There are a few flavors out there that don't offer a stainless grates. Most of theses are found at the big warehouse stores. If you are purchasing a model that starts with an S, you are ok. If you are purchasing a model that begins with an E, watch out. Most of the guts are porcelain and cast iron and not stainless steel. The EP series (P=Premium) adds the following
* Stainless steel rod cooking grates
* Stainless steel Flavorizer bars
* Premium colors include copper along with black, dark blue and green
As for maintenance, buy a good cover. Weber makes the 7553 cover for the 320 series. It is a great cover but the vents in the cover does let some water in. that can collect on the stainless side trays. If I had more time, I might have looked for another cover. People have the misconception that stainless means it cannot be damaged. That is not true. Stainless steel scratches very easy, so use a cleaner made for stainless steel. Certain types of Stainless steel will also develop rust. So cover the grill and take care of your investment.
The bottom line here is that this grill is superb. Take care of it and it will last you 15-20 years. That is if you live that long with all the barbeque food you will want to eat.
See all 53 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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