In search of: A Gas Grill that won''t break my bank!

[Tybee]

Hello all!
My husband''s birthday is rapidly approaching. This will be his first birthday as my husband.
We recently bought a new house, and I thought that buying him a gas grill would be a great gift,
and one that would truly be special as we prepare our house for fall parties.

Well, I have no idea where to begin. I was recently searching through the Home Depot website, and through
the Sears website. I was amazed at the price differences... and thought UGH! I need help here!

Ideally, I''d like to not spend more than 300.00. More honestly, 250.00 would be the most
realistic price I could afford. It''s been a year of spending, so things are tight. Is there a nice
grill out there that''s worth purchasing in my price range? I don''t want to get him a cruddy one, and maybe
should consider a different present if my goals are not realistic.

Any nice "starter" grills out there that you all can recommend? Neither of us has ever had a gas grill.

Thanks in advance!
Tybee

 

[monarch64]

Tybee, we have the Kenmore gas grill from Sears. My husband purchased it a couple of years ago when we bought our house, I think it was either $200 or $250...might have been the $250 on sale for $200, now that I think about it. Anyway, our friends have the same one, and we''ve both been very happy with it. It''s not the "cruddy" one, I promise! Sears really does have good appliances--Kenmore is their private label brand, I believe. I''ve even used this grill (I''m not much of a griller, hee hee), and found it to be very user-friendly.

 

[Tybee]

Oh Sweet!
That''s awesome news Monarch!
Thanks. I was looking at the Kenmore grills, and hoping that they''d be good.
We certainly don''t need anything super fancy.

 

[Dee*Jay]

A lot of grills are on clearance now since it''s the end of summer. We saw the Webber Genesis A (or maybe it was the B?) for a little less than $300 at Home Depot. We''ve had this same grill for about 7 years now and love it.

 

[Tybee]

Thanks DeeJay,
Do you mind telling me what you love about your grill?
I''m still trying to figure out why some grills are just so DANG expensive compared to others.
Unfortunately, my husband is very often of the mindset that.... if it''s more expensive, it MUST
be better. I must say... I hate that mindset, lol!

 

[Mara]

we have i think a weber that we got at kmart like 4 years ago....i wanted to spend $200ish and i wanted about 40000 btu's and a double rack (one for grilling, one for warming or toasting buns) and i wanted side arms on each side, but not a side burner. we never cooked anything where we'd need a side burner, if we did do something like that then i'd just be making it inside as greg would typically mann the grill.

the one thing i did want but could not find with everything else in a reputable brand was a front 'condiments' rack so you could put like the seasonings and the A1 etc when you bring it outside. so we got one without it and it has not been a huge deal.

anyway i looked online mostly for research for a while, at target and sears and i ended up at kmart because target was out of the one i wanted and kmart had it. it was something like $210. and it's been awesome for 4 years now....it moved with us to this place 3 years ago and we use it all summer long. i don't think you need to spend a lot or get fancy...most of the grilling yummies come from your own cooking and seasoning techniques, the grill is just like a basic outside stove for me. someday it'd be awesome to have a built in grill with an outside dining room but i have had amazing meals cooked on simple grills as well as the fancy stuff too.

about 6 years ago i went in with a friend and we got a pair of our friends who were getting married a kenmore grill from sears, pretty similar to the one i bought 3 years later for myself, and it was about $230 i think ...they loved it and still use it years later. i think honestly you can't go too wrong with a known brand and ~$200.

 

[Tybee]

Hey,
Thanks Monarch, DeeJay and Mara!
I''m so glad to know that I''m not so way off base with my budget.
So, here''s another "rookie" question.
Mara, why did you all decided on 40000 btus?

 

[Mara]

i remember reading that 35 was too weak for a double racked grill for that size, and i really wanted one that was more like 45 but they were more expensive, so i figured 40 was okay and it was.

i found this as well...the bigger the grill's sq inches inside the more btu's you'd probably want for max heat:

http://bbq.about.com/od/grills/f/aa062904d.htm

aka for a triple racked grill you'd probably want more btu's.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Tybee - we like the two burners so you can keep things warm while the rest of the meal is still cooking and that the maintenance is pretty easy. If you have the option get the teflon coated racks. My Happy Hubby just ordred those last week because our old ones, after all these years, were getting pretty caked on. (Not that he doesn''t clean them, but the teflon should make it a lot easier.) There is also a little shelf on the side that you can rest things on so, for instance, you can put a plate there and take things off the grill and put them onto the plate without having to balance everything in your hands. Also, replacement parts are cheap and easy to get. We had to order a new igniter and it was about $20 and HH was able to put it in in just a few minutes.

 

[monarch64]

Tybee, I forgot to add that our Kenmore grill is the one with the night light on the handle for grilling at night...DH was just over the moon about that feature. It really is helpful as we grill outside even in the winter when the days are short. Even with an outside spotlight on our deck, the nightlight is useful.

Also, for his birthday this year one of the gifts I gave DH was a Chicago Bears grill cover...he absolutely loved it and is the envy of the neighborhood, lol! You are such a sweet wife to be giving your guy a grill...he will love "accessorizing" it with utensils, etc. We even have a huge aerosol can of grill cleaner, I''m sure you can find it in the cleaning aisle of whatever store. DH is actually in the aerosol industry and one of his customers sent it to us...I don''t think our grill has the teflon coating DeeJay mentioned above so it is very useful. Oh, just thought of another "gift" in the grill category--an apron, LOL! There are all kinds of websites that sell really cute ones for guys. Also, if you have an Omaha Steak store nearby you could always get him gift certificates from there in the future...I did that for DH last year, I think, and got him a really nice Zippo long lighter specifically for lighting the gas on the grill. The possibilities are endless! Have fun!

 

[monarch64]

This is the grill cover I got DH this summer for his b-day...it was ~$35, so I was a bit worried about the quality when I purchased it online, but it turned out to be very thick and durable.

 

[monarch64]

And this is the Zippo lighter I gave him, I actually found it at the Omaha Steak store...
ETA: you can find them online as well, of course.

 

[monarch64]

Here''s an apron sample, just for kicks...you can find them online, or usually in little specialty/gift stores. OK, obviously I''m getting way too into this thread. Tybee, let us know how your quest for the perfect grill for your man goes!

 

[Tybee]

I''ve said it before, and I''ll say it again! What would I do without PS?
Who knew that I would turn to my diamond obsession forum for grill information?

I''m going to check out Sears this week, Lowes and Home Depot this week. We are going up to a lake house for his birthday the weekend after
next. I''m hoping to buy the grill and hide it in the garage for when we return. On his birthday I''ll wrap up some cool grill tools.
I really love the lighter and apron and cover idea! You are right DeeJay! The options are endless.
Thanks all. This is going to be really fun!

Tybee

 

[hoorray]

i just have to put another good word in for the Webers. DH has a big, expensive built in grill at our main home, and one of the smaller Webers (I think it is the Genesis A, and I think it was around $250) at our mountan home. He prefers the Weber by far, and keeps threatening to replace the big one with a big Weber. To him, it''s about the consistency of the heat, do the holes with the gas get clogged easily, can he control the heat so that things cook just perfectly, etc. The Webers come in different levels of size and fancyness, but they all good great -- even the lower end of the scale, and you might be able to find some deals this time of year either online or at your local hardware store.

 

[Mara]

lol monarch, you go with your accessories girl!!!

greg is the griller in our family (though i am pretty good so i can take over when he needs a break or during parties etc)...so i like to get him fun grill stuff too. williams sonoma typically has some awesome grill accessories...i got him a hamburger press last year and also i got him a brand with his initials and he has been branding our steaks...hahaha. too funny. just some fun stuff....boys do like it. we also have a fancy silver zippo lighter someone gave to us for our wedding and random other things as well. the fish basket is a must if you do lots of fish or you can also put small veggies in there too.