Recommend On: Purchasing a Gas Grill

Whacktose

I need to purchase a gas grill for common use in my 25 unit condo. I'm looking for something in the sub-$500 range. What should I be looking for? What should I avoid? Any good or bad experiences with particular brands/models? Thanks in advance for your help!

Note: Please do not let this devolve into a gas vs. charcoal discussion. Charcoal is not an option given the needs of the building/HOA. Thanks for understanding.

dlinfiniti

infrared grills are the wave of the future, a little pricier but more efficient/hotter

Pantshandshake

Most of them are a touch above your price range, but I really enjoy everything about Weber's Genesis line. I've got an... E330, I think, and it's held up to almost 6 years of my beating the hell out of it every spring, summer, and fall.

schuss

Yes, Weber's are the bomb and worth the price. There are other good grills out there, but they're harder to find and often trend towards higher prices.

Good simple upgrade - get cast iron grates, as they'll hold the heat a lot better and even it out.

Djeet

I'm really happy with my Master Forge grill. I cannot find it on Lowe's website though. I use the rotisserie burner a fair amount, but not sure if the removable motorized spit would be a good idea in a shared environment. You probably want at least 3 burners in the main cooking area, get the heaviest grates you can afford, and make sure to install it on a level and unyielding surface. If 25 households are going to be sharing you may want to upgrade the grease trap.

mts

i would spring for a weber. i have a charbroil which is less than 4 years old and the thing is rusted out, really cheap metal was used for it.

but agree about the grates. though some of the nicer grills come with them already

a5ehren

I have a Weber Spirit E-310, and it's been pretty solid so far. For a common-living situation, make sure people keep it clean or even a good grill won't last long.

Darkewolfe

I have a great Master Forge which I also enjoy. I think they do better small grills, though.

With a 25 household, shared grill, you are absolutely, 100% going to need to spend over $500 to get something that will hold up and have some of the features that will help when it's inevitably not cleaned enough. Strongly recommend you either up your budget or wait a year and spend twice as much next year.

mts

well it is for use for 25 units, not necessarily all at 1 time.

dlinfiniti

is this something that will be mobile or are you gonna put it in one place and basically have it never move
also are you having it converted to natural gas or are you gonna stick with LP and keep buying tanks

Djeet

Given the shared usage, and diffusion of responsibility likely resulting in the thing not being taken good care of (and possibly having parts stolen or lost), I'd think if you want it to last more than a season or two you're going to have to contract or build a built-in grilling station.

schuss

Yeah, totally missed that. You really can't trust a 25 unit complex to take care of it unless you lock it and make people sign it out.

Madpoet

I have a fairly low opinion of people, so I'm going to say - check craigslist for a used Weber. A $500 grill is way too tempting to just leave in a shared area unless you're cementing it in place.
That said - I'll second both the "no Charbroil" and "yes Weber" options. My Charbroil was barely usable after 2 winters. The Weber is a tank so far.

Whacktose

Thanks for all the info, folks. I am going to take your suggestions and spring for a Weber next year, probably a 310. We are going to do some temporary repair work to our current grill to hold it out for a bit longer. Thanks again!