Not So Hot

Author's Rating:

Pros: Well made and cooks okay

Cons: Kind of silly idea and just not that versatile.

The Bottom Line: 
My real rating is 2.5 stars, but I'll go 3 if you're convinced Elvis is alive and charcoal tastes better.

Author's Review
What is it?
I'm not sure I get the point. This is a charcoal grill with a propane starter system. So you avoid the starting issues, which really aren't that big a problem if you know how to start a grill.
Build time and set up is fairly quick, easily done by one person. Our larger Weber propane 3 burner model was harder to assemble. You screw in a small propane bottle. Add charcoal to the small containers and now the propane is used to get the coals going. It takes a whopping 20-30 minutes, which is pretty long if you ever have a spur of the moment urge to BBQ anything. This unit has ample grilling space and is built to Weber's typical high standard compared to the "impressive looking" Chinese made units and Home Depot and Lowes. Stay away from those.

Charcoal better?
Well, some folks claim the taste is better from a charcoal grill. I don't see/taste the difference at all. Actually, a skilled cook can do more with a propane multi burner grill since different temperature zones can be created. With this model you can manually move the tins of charcoal for direct or indirect heating and that's it. There isn't even a bun/bread warmer rack. This grill did also not get hot enough for some searing techniques possible with gas grills.

Problems?
Well, the handle on ours got pretty hot after a while, especially when in start-up mode. We needed a oven mit to move it. The lid is a big HOT hunk of metal and you need a place to set it down or hang it when working with the food. This is just not an acceptable design if you have little kids running around.

What I liked?
Well, it cooked just fine of course, as most webers do. It also has a very nice working area to the right of the grill that is larger than most gas units. This model even has a bin for charcoal and you'll find several other clever features, such as trap doors in the grill grate for adjusting/adding charcoal. It's cool looking...for a grill!

Summary
Buy a proper gas grill with at least 3 burners instead of this model. You can really do more with it and it's ready for cooking in 5 minutes. No one has ever told me with a straight face that they can taste the difference from gas or charcoal and we all had to admit we couldn't either. If you plan to slow cook with wood/chips (and most people never do), that will certainly make a difference, but even then I'd still want a standard gas Weber for regular cooking. My rating of this grill is based on actual usage, folks. It's not a bad grill at all and works as advertised. So did the Smokeless ashtray.

Cheers!

Capt. RB