Your opinions about Weber Performer

[ricklea1953]

Would like to hear from those of you who are using the Performer. Is it worth the extra money? I like the ash catch system but the same things is available in the gold, for about $150 less. How about the gas assist lighting system? Is it effective? I see the performer also has a hinged lid but I think that might be a option on the gold.

Thanks

[JackStack]

The only 2 advantages I see are the gas start(but with a chimney and parafin I never have trouble lighting lump so I dont know if I would us it), and the work table. But for the money you could buy a nice table to sit next to your grill. I looked at buying a performer but couldnt justify the extra cash for options I dont need. Go with the Gold, Im sure you will be happy

[ricklea1953]

Thanks for the response. The main thing I was concerned about was the gas assist. I too use lump so I guess I will stick with the starter cubes. The table is a nice feature but probably not work the added expense.

[TomKattt]

The good news is the Performer is cheaper than it used to be, making it a decent value. The bad news is Weber discontinued the old Platinum, which was a Performer without the gas lighter.

The Performer has a nice little built in thermometer which you can't get on the other kettles. (Weber dressed up the Performer with all the doo-dads to help justify the extra cost.)

The work table is a nice feature; wish I had one. And the people who use the gas lighter like it. But I use a $13 electric starter or a Weber chimney, and those work so well, I wouldn't see any need for the gas lighter. If you use the propane, you have to take the propane tanks to the gas station and refill them periodically. I don't see that as an advantage over plugging in the electric starter for 10 minutes.

So to me, the gas lighter is not something I would want. The table would be nice, as would the thermometer, but you can get a One-Touch Gold and do a work-around for a lot less than the $300 performer.

[JackStack]

As far as Thermometers go just do what I did, buy a nice Tel-Tru thermometer and drill a hole in the top of your grill opposite the vent, attach it with the bracket that comes with it and your good to go. I like this better than dangling one through the vent hole.

[TomKattt]

I would prefer not to drill through the kettle. I plan to get a thermometer this weekend for my kettle, and have been looking at thermometers. Some have a 1/2" threaded fitting. I think the vent holes on a weber are 7/8". I'm going to see if I can find a 7/8" fitting with an interior 1/2 hole, so I can thread the fitting into the vent hole, and thread the thermometer into the fitting. It sounds good in theory if I can find the right parts.

I'm thinking this (http://www.teltru.com/cart/detail.asp?subcat=16&product_id=31100265A2LA6AA) thermometer should work well.

[JackStack]

I have the BQ300 and I too was hesitant to drill my kettle, but since I adjust both the top and Bottom vents at times, I didnt want to have to jack with the thermometer all the time. The only problem I had when drilling was getting the hole started, didnt even mess up the coating

[TomKattt]

Someone on TVWB showed this thermometer (http://secure.thebbqguru.com/ProductCart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=36&idproduct=138) with a silicon plug that fits a vent hole, but it's not permanently mounted. The only problem with this one is it's made for a smoker and only goes to 500º, but perhaps they can put that same mount on a grill thermometer which goes to 750, assuming the silicon can handle the higher temp.

When I use either of my charcoal Webers, I leave the top vents all the way open and control the temps with the bottom vents only.

[1queman]

Anymore updates on the performer, how do you like it is it worth the money, I am considering one.
Thanks,
Queman

[grillboy823]

I've had the Weber Performer for a while, and the 3 main benefits are definitely the gas starter, the thermometer and the work table. I'm a casual griller, so even though I do cook on it a lot I don't usually want to spend a lot of time messing with the coals or manually checking the temp. The biggest drawback is definitely the price... it's expensive, but as long as you're gonna keep it for a few years I think it's well worth it. I read up on it on some Weber Charcoal Grills Review (http://www.bobbysbest.com/Weber-Grills-Review.html) websites before I bought it and I thought it was the best one out of the bunch. I hope this helps. good luck with your new grill!

[Randeyeman]

When summer's winding down, you can usually score big discounts at the big box home improvement centers. You ever notice how the barbeque equipment section of places like Home Depot and Lowe's start shrinking about September and eventually turn into the Christmas section by mid October? They usually try to sell off all their display barbeques, since most manufacturers will have new models by next summer. I bought a new (display model) Weber Performer for $200! That was just about $30 more than they were selling the 22 1/2 Gold Weber in July! It was a little dusty and there weren't any manuals with it, but I was able to download a PDF of the assembly manual from Weber. Really didn't need the manual since it was already put together for me...
The big benefits of the Performer are the work table and the gas ignition. It also had the wire rack for holding the lid open and the built-in thermometer in the lid handle. Another benefit I discovered was that it's more stable and easier to move about than the stand-alone 22 1/2" Weber.
I just ordered a Smokenator 1000 for it yesterday for doing the Thanksgiving turkey this year. So far I've really enjoyed my Performer...;);)