Kenmore vs. Jenn Air vs. Weber

[jeffro5435]

First let me start by saying I am new. I have a budget of $900-$1200 can anyone give me a recommendation? I was looking at the Kenmore SS 6 burner and the Jenn Air at Lowes (5 Burner one I think). I have not seen many 5-6 burner weber grills. I was wondering what you guys thought. I currently have a Coleman from Target that is like 3 years old and the bottom looks like it is gonna fall out of it.
Thanks in advance.
-Jeff

[big_guy1208]

My recommendation would be the Weber Summit Gold C4. It's a Weber, has a side burner and dedicated smoker burner. It's right at your 1200 dollar limit, but this is a great grill. I have one and it is awesome. The smoker really is worth the extra money in my opinion - compared with the A4/B4 models.

If you have not owned a Weber before, don't be alarmed at the BTU rating, as they are extremely efficient. The Summit is a performer! In addition, you know Weber backs their products.

Jenn-Air does and Lowes do not support the grills from Lowes. They refer you to NexGrill, and their customer service is questionable.

Jim

[snapshotmd]

I was shopping for a new grill back in April and ended up with the Weber Summit Gold B4. I think I saw the Kenmore and there were several things I didn't like about it.

1. It's made of the cheap 430 SS that WILL rust. I did the magnet test to confirm.
2. The shelves were attached directly to the firebox. If you put any weight on the shelf, the firebox flexed.
3. Riveted construction.
4. Made in China. Spare parts are probably gonna be hard to come by 5 years down the line.

I steered away from Jenn-air because it is a NexGrill product, and I heard the customer service is non-existent.

If you decide on the Weber Summits, I would highly recommend spending the extra $200 on the Platnum series. The difference between the Gold and Platinums are SS frame and Solid SS rod grates. The grate size for the Summit B4 is an odd size and I don't think Weber normally supplies these grates as a separate accessory. I've tried to get them already and I'm still getting the run around. Even though I have the standard SS grates, I love my Summit.

I'm not so sure if the smoker attachment is worth anything. IMHO, gas grills are best not to smoke; they just don't do well in this category. I tried a side-by-side comparison with the Summit and a Kettle. The ribs done with the Kettle was so much more tender and flavorful. The gas ribs were kinda unappetizing.

If you intend to smoke alot, I would recommend getting a charcoal smoker, like the Weber Smokey Mountain.

Good Luck!
snaps

[big_guy1208]

Jeff,

I agree with snaps on the platinum. I have the platinum and the heavy duty SS grates are excellent. However, if you don't have a preference, stick witht the gold.

I want to mention that the smoker Summit has a dedicated smoker burner - that makes a huge difference over some others that I've seen. Also, the Summit smoker box is big enough to put chunks of wood, rather than chips - so you can get alot of smoke going. I think it is worth it, but I agree that a gas grill is not the best thing if you are planning on doing a lot of 12 hour briskets. But for beer can chicken, ribs, cedar plank salmon, scallops, etc.... the Summit's smoker box is excellent.

Weber has a lot of satisfied customers. If you get one, you won't be sorry you did.....

Jim

[Rollo T]

Snapshot,

Your post is very misleading. I cook regularly on a 6 Burner Kenmore Elite. In fact, I have two of them. I recently got a built-in Summit Gold D for my father-in-law and cook on it as well. The smoker box on the Summit is amazing. Overall, cooking on the Elite is superior. The box itself keeps a steady temperature and the handle does not heat up. When I cook on the Webers (including the Genesis series), the handle heats up a good bit. As far as getting parts for the Kenmores, I have carried a maintenance agreement all the way back on my 2001 model and they have stood behind their product and replaced any parts I have needed and have gotten every part shipped free of charge. The new Elites have stainless burners and a lifetime guarantee. I prefer the cast iron as they hold heat better and seem more consistent temperature wise. I also prefer the aesthetics of the 2005 models vs. the newer model. Once I set the temp (windy or not), it stays there. I see more inconsistency with the Weber.

My cousin has the Jenn-Air 5 burner and seems to love it. I have not cooked on it yet but did help him pick it out. It seems like a very nice grill as well and he has not had any problem with support.

I like Webers myself, but since I cook almost every night on the grill, for the money, I would buy the Kenmore. You can check out some other posts I have from about 6 months to a year ago in this same forum topic.

Hope this helps.
Rollo T. :cool:

[jeffro5435]

thanks for the feedback guys and Rollo T, sorry about being misleading?? thanks again to everyone that sent feedback. See ya around the grill.
-Jeff

[snapshotmd]

Jeff - Rollo was referring to me.

snaps

[TomKattt]

Jeffro, in your price range, I would check out Barbeques Galore Turbo models. I would not get that faux Jenn-Air that is made by Nexgrill. The Kenmore is probably OK, but I think you'd find something like the BBQGalore Turbo Elite would make a nice grill in your price range. Of course, a Weber Summit is also hard to beat.

[big_guy1208]

I responded earlier, and after looking at this thread again, I think Jeff is saying that he hasn't "seen" any 5-6 burner Webers. I'm guessing that maybe he has been looking at the big box stores - Sears, Lowes, Home Depot, etc... Most of them don't have the Summit's on display, but will allow you to order them.

If you want to see a Summit in person, you'll probably have to go to a specialty store. The good news is that you won't pay any more for the grill at a specialty store than at the big box store, and the specialty stores will normally have more grill expertise.

I just want to add that to an untrained eye, Webers don't appear to be the most grill for your money. But try telling that to thousands of people who own them - including myself and TomKatt. Appearances can be decieving, and just because a grill is shiny, heavy, and has all the bells and whistles, doesn't mean that the bottom won't fall out of it in three years. The proof is in the pudding, and the Webers cook great, last forever, and are backed with great customer support.

Jim

[Rollo T]

As I stated before, I am a Weber FAN.....my point, however, was the fact I have owned a Kenmore Elite for 5 years and Sears service has been fantastic, the grill IS made of 304 grade stainless (Snapshot has stated otherwise), my grill has NO signs of rust and cooks very consistently. When I compare to my experiences on Webers, my money goes for the Elite when up against the Summits. The Genesis Series for the money would be my choice in that price range. Hope this clears it up.

Rollo T. :cool:

[snapshotmd]

Just to clarify things...

Jeffro didn't mention the Sears model being an Elite. I figured he was looking at the SS model I was looking at when I was looking for a grill. The price point on that grill was about $700 to $800, if I remember correctly.

Indeed, that grill, not the Elite, is the pretty looking one with the magnetic SS.

Re-reading the original post, it did sound like he was looking at a different grill from what I saw, more than likely the Elite. So, it's my bad for jumping to conclusions.

I will state that you can buy the Sears service plan. This plan was a serious consideration to owning a Kenmore or a Weber. However, I opted for the Weber.