We Tested 15 Weber Grills—Here Are Our 8 Favorites

Best Overall, Charcoal

Weber Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill

$549 at Amazon $549 at Wayfair $549 at Home Depot

Weber has improved its iconic kettle grill through the decades and its latest version is nearly perfect. The Weber Performance Deluxe 22-Inch comes with updated key features, which will make your grilling sessions exceedingly easy. To start, the grill is embedded within an easy-to-move cart that features an extra-large side table and enclosed charcoal storage.

As you might know, starting a charcoal grill usually begins with simply getting the coals warmed up in a chimney starter. But not so with this Weber! It comes with an auto-start gas ignition that consistently lit the coals for us. Keeping the temperature steady was also effortless. You can place the lid in different positions for the best top damper placement, with the bottom damper easy to adjust when your flame gets too hot. During our smoking test, we were able to keep the grill within a range of 10 degrees for several hours, making this a great option for cooking with indirect heat.

Another great component is the hinged grate's circular insert where you can quickly add charcoals while cooking. You do have to take the whole grate off to re-adjust your fuel though, one of the few downsides. When grilling time is over, this again has an advantage over older kettle grills. The ash is swept into the bottom catcher for easy disposal once it's cooled, while everything else only needs a quick wipe-down.

Dimensions: 48 x 30 x 43.5 inches | Cooking Area: 363 square inches | Type: Charcoal | Warranty: 5 years (cleaning system, plastic components), 10 years (bowl, lid); 2 years (all other parts)

Best Overall, Gas

Weber 3-Burner Gas Grill

$630 at Amazon View on Walmart Orig. $569 $519 at Home Depot

If you’re looking for a well-built gas grill to sizzle your steaks, the Weber Spirit II E-310 is our top pick for a gas grill. This offers three burners with an output of 30,000 BTUs per hour, and it features the brand's GS4 grilling system, which includes porcelain-enameled "Flavorizer" bars and an efficient grease management system. There's also an improved ignition that we thoroughly enjoyed.

The grill has 529 square inches of cooking space across its enameled cast-iron cooking grates, providing plenty of room for all your burgers, steaks, and veggies—we found it ample enough for a family of five. We experienced even heating and few flare-ups during our testing, but we still think it's worth its price.

Two aspects we didn't like are the smaller hood can translate to too-high heat when kept closed, and the built-in thermometer was consistently inaccurate. You'll want to make sure you have a second thermometer on-hand and be prepared for a small learning curve.

This grill's open cart design provides additional storage space for your favorite tools, and it has integrated hooks on the side tables, as well. The grill is available in several colors, and it has an easy-to-read fuel gauge next to the propane tank to let you know how much fuel you have remaining.

Dimensions: 45.5 x 52 x 24 inches | Cooking Area: 529 square inches | Type: Gas | Power: 30,000 BTUs/hour | Warranty: 10 years

Best Overall, Electric

Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill

$329 at Amazon $329 at Walmart $329 at Wayfair

For an electric grill that performs great wherever there is a power outlet, choose the Q 1400 from Weber. This compact but mighty electric grill delivers great flavor and doesn’t require propane or charcoal. Instead, plug the unit into an electrical outlet, adjust the temperature setting, and then get ready to grill.

The key to using the Q 1400 successfully is to wait a sufficient amount of time for the grill to come to temperature. Once you do, the 189 square inches of cooking space can handle the grilling needs of anywhere from one person to four or more—depending on what you’re cooking up. We were really impressed with the meal created using this grill, especially the quality sear marks it left on veggie shish kebabs, hanger steak, zucchini slices, and marinated chicken breast. Though we did miss the true smoky flavor that can only come from wood and charcoal.

With porcelain-enameled cast-iron grates, you’ll get excellent heat retention and easy cleanup, as we've seen during tests. The Weber Q 1400 is a great choice if you live in a condo or other small space where the use of gas and charcoal grills may be restricted or if you want an easy-to-use unit that only needs to be plugged in. This is the smaller of Weber’s two electric grill models. If you need a little more space, look to the larger Q 2400.

Dimensions: 14.5 x 27 x 16.5 inches | Cooking Area: 189 square inches | Type: Electric | Warranty: 5 years (cookbox, lid assembly, burner tubes, cooking grates, and plastic components); 2 years (everything else)

Best Budget

Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill

Orig. $233 $219 at Amazon $219 at Home Depot $219 at Ace Hardware

The Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill is a classic option for anyone who loves grilling with charcoal, and you can't beat the reasonable price for such a well-made product.

The 22-inch diameter gives 363 square inches of cooking space within the porcelain-enameled lid and base. Both times we've tested it, the assembly has been short-and-sweet, and moving it into place was a breeze. From there, it turned out pork, burgers, steaks, chicken, veggies, and even grilled pineapple with fabulous results.

Beginners will quickly be able to learn the correct damper positions in order to achieve a consistent temperature, as we did. One thing to note is the inaccurate temperature on the built-in dial. We observed off readings and ended up relying on a secondary thermometer.

When cooking, the grate has a hinged design to add more charcoal. For the more fearless among us, they'll use this as is, but if you want to be a little more careful, it's easier to take the whole grate off. Another feature that makes the Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill great is its one-touch cleaning system, which sweeps ash into a removable high-capacity container for easy disposal. It's intuitive to use, and any ash it misses can quickly be brushed away.

Ultimately, we are clearly fans of the Weber brand—one main reason being because of the simplicity. "It’s a step up from cooking over a campfire, with the flame safely contained in the kettle," says one of our expert grill testers and cookbook author Donna Currie. "While it’s certainly a basic grill without any frills, it’s also very easy to use, and just as simple to clean when cooking is done. While I’ve since moved up to other heavier, more complex grills, I’d heartily recommend a Weber kettle for anyone looking for a basic charcoal grill. It does everything it needs to do."

Dimensions: 39.5 x 22.5 x 27 inches | Total Cooking Area: 363 square inches | Type: Charcoal | Warranty: 10 years (bowl and lid); 5 years (cleaning system and plastic components); 2 years (everything else)

Best Pellet Grill

Weber Smokefire EX4 Pellet Grill

$864 at Amazon $1,099 at Walmart View on Weber.com

Weber finally released its very first pellet grill—the SmokeFire EX4—and while the first generation of the wood pellet grill had a few problems that needed to be addressed, the second iteration of the product is a worthwhile splurge. This grill boasts 672 square inches of grilling space across two levels of grates, and it offers an impressive temperature range of 200 to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing it to be used for both grilling and smoking.

The SmokeFire EX4 has a 20-pound pellet hopper, as well as a DC-powered engine designed to prevent auger jams. The grill is also equipped with a number of smart features like two meat probes that let you keep an eye on the doneness of your food and allows you to control and monitor the grill from your smartphone via Wi-Fi. It can even walk you through the grilling process, letting you know when it's time to flip food—a handy option for novice grillers.

Both times we tested it, we found the grill was really easy to use, as it's easy to light, has immaculate temperature regulation, and practically operates itself. It was the fastest pellet grill to reach 500 degrees, achieving it in under 10 minutes. We successfully cooked a smoky half chicken using the bone-in chicken program as well as perfectly melty cheeseburgers using the cheeseburger program (just note that this only allows you to cook them well-done, so if you like yours less cooked, you can grill them without selecting the program). It was also one of the better pellet grills when it came to searing steaks.

After testing this grill, we set it aside for a while, but when we got back to using it, we really appreciated the ease of use and the great smoky flavor without a lot of fuss, particularly for making ribs. The fact that it self-feeds ensures that it can continue cooking for six hours with little attention from us unless we need to work with the meat itself. We're less likely to fire it up for shorter cooks, but we do like having it on hand when it’s the right tool for the job.

Dimensions: 47 x 43 x 33 inches | Cooking Area: 672 square inches | Type: Wood pellet | Warranty: 3 years (cooking grates, pellet slide, burn pot, heat baffle, pellet grate, controller bezel, electrical components); 5 years (all other parts)

Best for Camping

Weber Go-Anywhere Gas Grill

$89 at Amazon $89 at Home Depot View on Weber.com

Weber is quite possibly the biggest name in gas grills, but its high-end models cost a pretty penny. The 13-pound Go-Anywhere is the brand’s least expensive model, but it still offers solid performance and clever design. The 6,500-BTU burner was able to get the stainless-steel grate up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit for good searing on a strip steak, but it doesn’t hold heat as well as cast iron and we found some drastic temperature fluctuations when opening the lid and adding food. (Nonetheless, our test fish filet was tender and flaky, and the steak got to perfect medium-rare.)

We love the fact that this grill’s legs fold up to lock the lid in place—it’s a small feature but just makes a lot of sense and adds to its easy portability. However, the way the propane cylinder attaches is kind of annoying: It hangs off the side of the grill at an angle, and you need to set the unit on the edge of a table or other flat surface as the tank hangs down below the legs.

If you’re more of a charcoal fan, Weber also makes a charcoal-powered Go-Anywhere that’s even a little cheaper than the gas version. As long as you know how to manage a charcoal fire, it offers pretty much the same setup and performance as the gas version. We cooked corn, burgers, and brats over charcoal in testing and got good results with everything except the sausages: They charred on the outside before cooking through and need a lower temperature than other foods.

Dimensions: 14.5 x 21 x 12.2 inches | Cooking Area: 160 square inches | Fuel: Propane, charcoal | Power: 6,500 BTU/hour | Warranty:

Best Portable

Weber Q 2200 Gas Grill

$406 at Amazon $329 at Wayfair

The Weber Q 2200 Propane Gas Grill is one of our top picks for portable grills by any brand. Though a bit of an investment, the gas grill pays off with its convenience. It's easy to start, easy to use, and heats up quickly and powerfully, delivering 12,000 BTUs of heat per hour. The 280-square-inch cooking area consists of porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates, which should be enough to serve three to four people (pretty good for a portable model).

The grill was able to achieve high temperatures as well as larger models, and was even able to sear meat. When brought on the road for lunchtime cookout, it was incredibly easy to transport in the back of a truck.
There are two side tables so you can prep on the go, and they fold up easily when it's time to pack up. Lastly, we found it easy to assemble and attach a 1-pound gas canister. Our tester called it "pricey, but worth it" for anyone who regularly grills on the go. If you do want something a bit cheaper or smaller, we've also tested and recommend the Q 1200.

We do want to note that Weber has updated the Q 2200 to the Weber Q 2800N+, which has a "plus burner" that can be used for an extra burst of heating when combined with the regular burners, or it can be used on its own for low-and-slow cooking at temperatures down to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. While the design is similar to the 2200 and it still has the two side trays, it looks a bit more upscale and is available with or without a stand.
Another option in the Q line is the Weber Q 3200, available in both propane and natural gas models.

Dimensions: 15.5 x 51.4 x 19.5 inches | Cooking Area: 280 square inches | Type: Gas | Power: 12,000 BTUs/hour | Warranty: 5 years (cookbox, lid assembly, burner tubes, cooking grates, and plastic components); 2 years (everything else)

Best for Parties

Weber Genesis EX-325S Smart Gas Grill

$1,486 at Amazon $1,049 at Wayfair $1,049 at Home Depot

Weber's Genesis line offers high-quality grills without super-premium prices, and its EX-325S is designed for easy grilling so you can enjoy each and every party. We tested the smart and more basic model, and while both gave us an impressive performance, the addition of the app gave us a more modern experience.

That impressive performance begins the moment this arrives at your door. After a straightforward setup, all you need to do is push the ignition button and connect it to the Weber Connect app on your phone. There you'll see the ambient temperature, as observed by its very accurate built-in thermometer, and monitor the temperature of your food via the two included probe thermometers. The app doesn't allow you to alter the flame, one of the few drawbacks to the EX-325S.

As we tested this over the course of two weeks, it rarely had any faults. The 513 square inches of cooking space was consistently even in heat, with some slightly hotter temperatures observed directly over the burners. The sear zone produced delicious steak, though you might want an additional burner like we did. It's even great for beginners since the app includes everything you need to know for grilling and maintaining a gas grill. It's truly one of the best gas grills available.

Dimensions: 61.5 x 27 x 48.5 inches | Cooking Area: 787 square inches | Fuel: Gas | Power: 39,000 BTUs/hour | Warranty: 3 years (Weber Connect); 10 years (cooking grates, burner tubes, Flavorizer bars); 12 years (lid, cookbox); 5 years (all other parts)