Grill decisions

[JHZR2]

We have an Aussie Bondi II deluxe grill that we bought in 2006. We've been pretty happy with it, though it seems to be somewhat slow/difficult to get the heat perfect.

On the outside it looks great. A couple of the bright screws show surface rudy, but it is in good shape. The first few years we stored it inside, and it has been under a cover about 50% of the time since.

Starts first time I trigger it. Not bad. We use it a lot.

It is the right size for 2-4 people, easy to move and handle, etc.

It's starting to need help inside though. We have this:

The top grate that was chrome is rust. The bottom one that is porcelain has started to rust through. The grill has a diffuser in OK shape, but I took it out in the interest of more heat directly on what I'm cooking.

So the question is if I should spend roughly $50 for parts to refurbish, knowing that at some point I'll need a new burner, etc too, or just go for maybe a 2-300 new one.

Recommendations?

 

[mrichards]

A good cleaning and a few parts and it'll last you a couple more years. If you do decide to get a new gas grill take the Weber Genesis grills in to serious consideration. http://www.weber.com/explore/grills/genesis-series/genesis-e-330

I'm a charcoal guy, but if I were ever to change that would be the one.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I wouldn't invest in another junker like the one you have, just to have it last 4 or 5 years. After market parts are even worse for the off-brands. Good luck getting a couple seasons from a new burner.

We just purchased a new Weber Genesis for home; our 1995-ish Weber Red Top will be going to the lake house in a couple weeks. The old Weber was never stored inside, still looks great, still has the original burner, the ignitor still works, and has none of the issues your "value priced" grill has.

The one issue that I had with the grill (a broken knob) was fixed with an email to Weber. Even though it was far out of warranty they had a replacement knob and sent it-free.

The new Weber Genesis is built like a tank, and I have no doubt it will outlast 3 or 4 of the cheapies. It's well worth the investment if you don't want to replace it or throw parts at it every few years.

 

[JTK]

I think they're pretty much designed to have the diffuser between the flame and your food so heat is dispersed evenly.

I hear you on the 'is it worth it to throw parts at it' scenario.

I tossed our propane grill a few years ago due to the same thing. Replacement burner was shot. It was rusty and it needed a wheel and an axle.

I went with a Weber charcoal kettle, which makes for tasty grillin' provided you've got the time, but for burgers or dogs, it's not worth the effort for me.

I'd like another propane grill, I just don't want one of today's monstrosities with side burners and such. Just a small/medium sized simple grill.

Joel

 

[sciphi]

Maybe a Weber Q200 would be the right size. I have a Weber Q120, and really like it. The accessories needed to make it functional are a bit spendy, though. On the plus side, it cooks very well, is good on propane, and is built like a tank.

 

[Greggy_D]

Another vote for Weber.

 

[tom slick]

Buy a Weber and be done.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I just retired a similar grill in favor of a Weber Q120. It cooks great. Heat is even, all of the parts are high quality, and it's highly portable. I love using the small propane cans instead of the big cylinders. Plus, it's made in the USA. I also bought the portable stand and cover, so it's a great analog to a larger grill. I highly recommend one.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit


We just purchased a new Weber Genesis for home; our 1995-ish Weber Red Top will be going to the lake house in a couple weeks. The old Weber was never stored inside, still looks great, still has the original burner, the ignitor still works, and has none of the issues your "value priced" grill has.



What issues? My ignitor still works perfect, my burners are fine. Ive not been running with the diffuser, which may be a mistake, but it is only a 20k btu grill to begin with. Dont necessarily need a ton more heat, and a little reading online indicates that all grills have hot/colds spots and other things that need to be considered.

Something tells me that cast iron grill grates need replacement at some point too, no? That's the only thing that is wrong with my grill.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Maybe a Weber Q200 would be the right size. I have a Weber Q120, and really like it. The accessories needed to make it functional are a bit spendy, though. On the plus side, it cooks very well, is good on propane, and is built like a tank.


We were looking at the Q320. The mainstream grills are too bulky, IMO. I like one that the shelf can fold down on and be made compact.

 

[TooManyWheels]

We got the MasterForge Two Burner Gas Grill at Lowes and couldn't be happier. The reviews tell the story.

 

[DragRace]

I bought myself a Coleman Roadtrip Grill last summer. It takes less then a minute to set up and within 5 minutes your cooking food. Not heavy,easy to transport and can cook steaks,chicken,brats,hamburgers,haven't found anything it cant cook. Tons of extra attachments you can purchase so you can cook soup,and or pancakes in the morning. I've had zero issues or regrets with this grill and get compliments on it every where I've taken it. Check out this youtube review.

 

[Chevys_n_Hawgs]

Originally Posted By: mrichards
A good cleaning and a few parts and it'll last you a couple more years. If you do decide to get a new gas grill take the Weber Genesis grills in to serious consideration. http://www.weber.com/explore/grills/genesis-series/genesis-e-330

I'm a charcoal guy, but if I were ever to change that would be the one.


+1 on the Weber. We have a Weber Spirit 310, and love it. Cooks even, and is just the right size. Have had it for about 5 years, and there is no end in sight.

 

[JHZR2]

my issue with the spirit line is that they are assembled in china.

 

[Shannow]

Where's the "Aussie Bondi" made ?

I've never seen an Oz made BBQ like that sold in any BBQ shop down here...

Oh
http://www.aussiegrills.com/index.html

Nice use of the Kangaroo...

Never seen anything like their "range" down here either. Seems funny that they don't have an electric "smoker/grill" (also not seen down here) that functions on more than 110V.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/...-102760274.html

So a "family" company manufacturing in China and Mexico throws a kangaroo on their website.

I'm....annoyed.

 

[JHZR2]

Puhleez...

 

[Hokiefyd]

Just getcha a Weber Q-series grill of your choice and be done with it. You'll appreciate the quality construction of it. The cooking grid is porcelain-coated cast iron. It will sear the meat perfectly every time. And it's only a 12,000 BTU grill (as I recall), so it doesn't use much fuel. I'm becoming somewhat of a "less is more" kind of person. The Q grills aren't cheap for the size of the grill, but the quality and performance is ace.

Pack it up, take it to the campground or the lake with you. My neighbor has one, and I borrowed it once and fell in love with it. Turns out my parents and brother both also have them. So I finally bought one, about 2 weeks ago. I've grilled with it about 6 times already.

Did I mention that it was assembled in the United States?

 

[JHZR2]

Yeah, the q 300 is bigger and looks like it could be a great option. While the grill gets used a good bit, because of the health issues associated with burned fat and other things, IMO less is more, and we don't necessarily need an $800 item to get the job done.

Q is made in USA, the bum thing is that weber warrants it for far less time than their other grills...

 

[Hokiefyd]

Years ago, I had a large 3-burner Char Broil. Looked nice, but was cheaply made. It only cost me $180 at Big Lots. After about three years, the burners and transfer tubes burned out. Looks like it was going to cost more to replace that stuff than I could buy a new Chinese grill for, so that didn't make much sense to me. So I sold it as-is for $50. I also didn't like that I had to keep the three burners going to maintain an even heat level...it ran through propane like a Suburban runs through gasoline.

I resurrected an old grill I got from my grandfather, very much like your Aussie brand grill. Rectangular aluminum fire box, simple oval burner at the bottom, etc. Problem is, I can't find cooking grids that fit it (and I don't like the universal ones). I also replaced the burner, but all you can find in this size are either cheap or universal burners, and they're all Chinese junk. I have a new burner in it, but it's already started to rust apart, and it's only about 3 months old.

So I bought the Q. What I like about the Q is its size, its propane efficiency, and its popularity. You should be able to get parts for these little Q grills forever. They sell so well, they seemingly never go on sale. There are relatively few parts to a Q. There are no separate heat diffuser plates, for example; that functionality is built into the cooking grid. And there's only one burner, in the shape of a rounded-off rectangle, to loosely match the shape of the fire box. I think you'd be impressed with it.

I plan to re-purpose my grandfather's Turco grill into a flower planter in one of the beds in the back yard next to the patio. I'll use the aluminum fire box as a small elevated planter with a lid, as a decorative piece.

 

[greenaccord02]

The Weber Qs are widely reported to be great. For the house, I bought an old U.S. made Genesis Silver A (c.2002) off craigslist for $50. Lightly used and completely serviceable. It only needed the cast-iron grates reseasoned. Now it sees regular use. Even heat in a well-designed grill for less than you'd pay for chinese garbage. I don't think I could buy it's equal for less than several hundred dollars new.

I don't know if that's an option for you or not, but if you're not scared of used there will probably be a lot of these units showing up on craigslist over the next couple months as people get new grills for the season.