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Earlier this summer my Kenmore gas barbecue was sent to the barbecue graveyard after it sputtered its final breath on Memorial Day Weekend. Its vaporizer bar was nearly disintegrated; the non-stick surface on the grate was completely shot; and the final straw: the igniter no longer ignited. While it was possible to replace all, what I really wanted was a new grill. Specifically, a Weber grill.

However, after doing a little comparison shopping, I was having a hard time justifying spending $400-500 on a grill that I mainly used for hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken.

Fortunately, a smart salesperson at Orchard Supply (owned by Sears) saw my dilemma and steered me toward the Weber Q, Weber’s hybrid gas grill, priced at $179, which gave me the Weber quality I wanted without breaking my budget.

And lucky for me, I got it during a 10% off sale weekend!

What do you mean by Hybrid Gas Grill?

With 280 square inches of cook space, the Weber Q is large enough to serve as a backyard grill while at the same time having the ability to serve as a portable grill, great for the beach or camping.

Usually I just cook for my family of four but I find Weber Q to provide more than enough space. For example, I can easily grill 4 full size burgers, buns, and the corn as well. Or if my boys are having friends over, it easily accommodates several packages of hot dogs.

With folding side trays, this clamshell shaped grill easily converts to a portable grill, good to go for a road trip. Since it is a little bit on the heavy side (about 35 lbs.) it is not something you might throw into your car for an everyday picnic at the park, but for a camping trip where you back into your space, it’s perfect. We’re planning on taking it this weekend on a camping trip and I’m quite excited to have a genuine gas barbecue and not some rinky dink camp stove to cook my dinner on.

Complete product specs



BTUs 12,000

Tubular stainless steel burner

Porcelain-enameled cast-iron

Push-button igniter

Cast aluminum lid (Titanium color) and body

2 work (side) tables with built-in tool holder

Depth: 23 inches

Height: 25 inches

Width: 31.5 inches

7 inch tall capacity lid (can cover whole chicken)

Some other details

The one weird detail about the Weber Q is the type of propane tanks it takes. It uses 3 inch diameter welders tanks which last 2-3 hours.($2.99 at Orchard Supply) Fortunately my salesman pointed this out to me before buying. While these tanks were readily available at Orchard Supply it may be more difficult if you were on a road trip away from home. Why they didn’t chose the more commonly available 4 inch diameter tanks used for camp stoves and lanterns is a mystery to me.

For home use you may choose to purchase a tank adapter hose for $29.99 that fits to a standard 20 lb. liquid propane tank.

The Weber Q comes with two aluminum disposable drip pan. Refills are available in stores.

Other Accessories

I purchased the Weber Q rolling cart as well. This cart, while a little on the flimsy side, at least gave me a convenient place to put my Weber Q. All I did was unfold the cart and snap the grill in.

Regular price is $39.99 (more money!!) but here again I got lucky and was able to get one on sale at 10% off.

You will probably want to get a cover as well. I purchased a Weber Q Vinyl Cover for around $10. A fancier rolling duffel bag is also available for about $49.00.

Assembly

The Weber Q comes virtually assembled. All I needed to do was use a Phillips screw driver to attach the handle to the lid and slide in the hinge and cotter pins to connect the lid to the barbecue.

Last step was slip in grease catch pan with one of the disposable drip pans and I was ready to go.

So how easy is it to use?

Very easy! I love the Weber heavy duty porcelain coated grate. It’s just like the grates on the larger Webers, in terms of performance. No longer do I have grill envy with my neighbor. In fact, he was quite impressed with my little Weber compared to its big brother that he spent hundreds more on and is really over kill for his needs.

I have grilled burgers, chicken, hot dogs, kabobs, shrimp, pork chops, and corn on my Weber Q and all have turned out wonderfully. Even once when my chicken got a little burned (I had run inside to uncork some wine) the Weber performed great. It just got a little crispy but didn’t stick to the grill like I expected.

My only teensy weensy complaint is the igniter doesn’t work as well as my old Kenmore. I have learned that after I have turned the burner control knob to start, I need to let it sit for a good 30 second before pressing the igniter button. Even then it sometimes takes several clicks to get it started.

Other than that, the Weber Q performs wonderfully and gets very hot, considering it uses a single tubular burner. However, I find that I don’t have problems with hot spots like I did on my Kenmore and that’s great. I can throw my food on anywhere and know that the Weber Q is delivering consistent heat across the entire cooking surface.

Cleaning

Here again, very easy! I cleaned it this afternoon and it took very little time–just about 20 minutes. Just using a solution of soap and water I cleaned the cooking grate. I scraped out the interior of the barbecue with my Weber barbecue brush and wiped clean with solution of soap and water.

For regular cleaning (every time you grill) just do a burn off: turn grill to high and wait until smoke stops; brush off residue with brass wire brush. Simple as that.

Complete annual maintenance tips are included in owner’s

guide.

Warranty

Weber Q comes with a 5-year limited warranty.

Final Thoughts

I am extremely happy with my purchase, if you haven’t figured out by now! While I do have a few complaints (propane tanks, inconsistent igniter) I am overall very pleased with my Weber Q. This grill is perfect for small families or people in apartments, or as a second barbecue for those who are looking for something to take with them on the road.

My one final suggestion to Weber would be to include a “package” so I wouldn’t have to buy everything separately. While it starts out as an inexpensive grill, all the little accessories can easily take the price up to $250.

Consumer information: www.weber.com

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Tags: AMI, ECS, Gas, Kenmore, Propane, Stoves, Weber