Upgrade Your BBQ With the Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill

We purchased the Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill so our reviewer could put it to the test. Keep reading for our full product review.

For those that live in apartments or condos where charcoal or gas grilling isn’t allowed, electric grills may be the only option for outdoor cooking. Electric grills have come a long way, even rivaling their gas and charcoal counterparts for ease and cleanup. To see how an electric grill performed in our urban setting, we cooked up a warm-weather feast on the Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill, which is praised as being perfect for small spaces. We were interested in the design, heating capacity, ease of cleaning—and of course how great our food tasted. Read on to see what we thought!

Performance: Cast iron cooking grates provide a great sear

Since this is an outdoor-only electric grill that creates a fair amount of smoke, it’s unsafe to use inside the home. We placed it on our patio in Brooklyn, New York, and put it to work preparing veggie shish kebabs, hanger steak, and marinated chicken breast for a BBQ party.

Overall, we were really pleased with the outcome of our meal. One major positive is the cast iron cooking grates, which gave us drool-worthy sear marks on everything we grilled. The food tasted great, but we did miss the true smoky flavor that can only come from a charcoal grill.

We also loved that Weber included a grilling guide detailing the total time and heat level recommended for different types of food. This was a really helpful reference to make sure we weren’t over- or undercooking any of our meats. One thing we did learn in our tests is not to open the lid too much during grilling, as heat escaped and affected our grilling process.

Check out our guide to the best grilling accessories.

Design: Space-saving and portable, but some room for improvement

The Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill has a modern, sleek design featuring two sturdy handles for easy carrying. The domed hood was also a plus, giving us more space to experiment with cooking different foods. A 6-foot grounded cord reaches outlets with ease.

Below the cookbox is a disposable drip pan that catches grease when grilling. It was super easy to pull in and out when preparing our meals.

While we were mostly pleased with the design, we did have a few complaints: One is that the grill doesn’t come with a stand, so you will need to place it on a table when cooking. Not a huge deal if you’re looking for easy storage, but if you do need a stand, Weber sells a portable cart separately for about $70.

Additionally, the light for the temperature controller was very dim, making it difficult to see when the grill was fully preheated. Sure, it works fine at night, but it wasn’t ideal for our afternoon BBQ.

Finally, there is no temperature gauge, so there’s no way to know how hot the grill is or if the temperature has dropped at all while opening and closing the lid. This could affect grilling certain foods such as steak and pizza, for which certain temperatures are preferred.

Setup Process: A few easy steps, and you’re ready to grill

For an outdoor grill, we were very pleased with the little amount of assembly required. All we needed to do was attach the handle, insert the temperature gauge, place the cast iron grates over the heating element, and slide in the catch pan. We were done with assembly in about 20 minutes.

Material: A solid grill that will last you many seasons to come

This grill is superior when it comes to material. Included are a cast aluminum lid and body, aluminum heat retention liners (which keep the heat from escaping and help provide even cooking temperatures), and porcelain-enameled, cast iron cooking grates. This is a solid grill that will definitely last for multiple seasons. Two thumbs up!

Heating Capacity: A long preheat time, but it gets the job done

The Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill features a 1,560-watt electric heating element for its 189 square-inch total cooking area (which we found will fit about six burgers at one time). The temperature controller allowed us to adjust the heat from low to high depending on what we were grilling.

One flaw is that it takes about 20 minutes to preheat the grill before using—a fairly long time given the size of the grilling space.

Cleaning: Simple cleanup for everyday grilling

One major plus with an electric grill is the cleanup process. There are just a few parts, which are super easy to remove and clean. We were able to remove stuck-on foods from the cast iron cooking grates with a grill brush; soapy warm water worked for the rest.

To clean the disposable drip pan, we first removed grease with a spatula and then washed with soap and water. The grill only comes with one drip pan; at first, we considered simply lining the pan with aluminum foil to eliminate the need for ever buying more. However Weber warns against that. When they get too dirty and worn, you can buy a set of 10 pans separately for around $6.

Price: Worth the price despite a few flaws

At around $270, the Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill is one of the more expensive electric grills on the market (others range from about $100-$300). However, it’s worth the price in our opinion. Not only is this grill sturdy and portable, but it also passed our expectations when it came to how the food tasted on an electric grill versus a gas one. Plus, since we won’t need to purchase charcoal or propane, we’ll be saving money in the long run.

Weber Q1400 Electric Grill vs. Easy Street Deluxe Electric Grill

When looking at other electric grills in the same price range, the Easy Street Deluxe Electric Grill (priced at around $230) is a good option, depending on your space and what you need in a grill. The Easy Street grill is designed with three heating positions and comes with a glass viewing window so you can see inside without opening the lid. It also includes a stand and side tables, which is great if you have the space, but not super portable if that is your priority. The Weber grill, however, has a better cooking surface with the cast iron cooking grates.

Need some more help finding what you're looking for? Check out our guide to the best electric grills.