Best Weber Gas Grills: A Weber Genesis Comparison

Welcome to WeberGenesisReviews.Net, your one stop source for everything that is Weber Genesis. Here you will find in depth reviews and comparisons of all 8 Weber Genesis models, namely, the E-310, EP-310, E-320, EP-320, E-330, EP-330, S-310, S-320 and S-330.

The Weber Genesis is by far the most popular range of all the Weber gas grills, this despite the Genesis not being Weber’s Premier offering, which honor goes to the Summit range. However this clearly has to do with price, of which the Summit range is about double that of the Genesis. Indeed, when one considers the quality of a Weber Genesis grill and as a result the value which they add to an outdoor cooking experience, the Weber Genesis is undoubtedly one of the least expensive grills available, and by ‘least expensive’ I am not referring to the cheapest, but rather value for money.

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The reason that I have chosen to review the Weber Genesis models is that I personally believe them to be unrivalled by any other range (Weber or otherwise), based on quality, durability and price. I believe that if you are going to spend the kind of money that is asked for an outdoor gas grill these days, you really ought to invest in one that is going to last you a lifetime. I also believe that the Weber Genesis is that grill. Other brands, that need not be named, that have manufactured competitors to the Weber Genesis have not been successful and the internet is rife with stories of these grills not lasting longer than the better part of two years. The specific reasons for this vary, but invariably the dissatisfaction derives from faulty or bad quality parts.

When you buy a Weber Genesis grill, you are investing in reliability and convenience. Although I will be the first to admit that nothing ever cooks quite as well as a good old fashioned wood or charcoal fire, these mediums of cooking are labour intensive and time consuming, whereas your Weber needs a switch flicked and you can have delicious meat cooked within minutes, courtesy of Weber’s patented flavourized cooking bars, partly the reason they are so much more successful than their competitors. So without further ado let’s take a look at what’s on offer in the Genesis range and briefly compare each model.

There are currently 8 models to choose from in the Genesis range: The E-310, EP-310, E-320, E-330. Prices of these models range from between $ 550,00 to $ 1 400,00. Let’s briefly discuss each model.

Weber Genesis E-310

The Weber Genesis E-310 is the entry level model and is available in colours black, copper and green and in both natural and propane gas. The propane model can be purchased new on Amazon.com for between $649,00 and $719,00. The E-310 has 3 primary burners and a total cooking surface area of 637-square-inches (507-square-inches for the main cooking area and a 130-square-inch warming area).

The Weber Genesis E-310 is a quality and durable unit which, if well looked after, will last at least a couple of decades, if not longer! The Weber Genesis E-310 boasts an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on approximately 160 user reviews (including both natural and propane gas models). FULL REVIEW

Weber Genesis EP-310

The Weber Genesis EP-310 is referred to by Weber as the Premium Edition grill and is essentially the same grill as the Weber Genesis E-310, but for one major difference. Whereas the E-310 uses porcelain enameled cast-iron cooking grates and enameled steel flavorizer bars, the EP-310 uses stainless steel rod cooking grates and stainless steel flavorizer bars. This is was gives the EP-310 the honor of being called the Premium Edition and it is for this reason it is about $50,00 more expensive than the E-310, depending on where you shop.

The issue of which type of cooking grate is best has been quite a bone of contention in the barbeque industry as they both have their advantages and disadvantages, however in a recent poll at bbqsource-forums.com 11 out of 13 members voted in favor of the stainless steel rod cooking grates with the remaining 2 voting in favor of the porcelain enameled cooking rods. I will be discussing this issue in more detail in a future post. FULL REVIEW

Weber Genesis E-320

As with the E-310, the Weber Genesis E-320 comes in both natural and propane gas. The propane gas model is on offer at Amazon.com for $748,66 and the natural gas model, $869,99. The E-320 (which happens to be my personal favourite) is very similar to the E-310. As with the E-310 it has 3 main burners with a total cooking surface area of 637-square-inches, split between a main cooking area of 607-square-inches and a warming area of 130-square-inches.

However in addition to the 3 main burners – and this is what makes the E-320 my favorite as well as explain the slight price difference – the E-320 has 12,000 BTU side burner, which allows for greater control and more cooking space.  The Weber Genesis E-320 boasts an average of 5 out of 5 stars based on approximately 140 user reviews! FULL REVIEW

Weber Genesis EP-320

There isn’t much to note here without sounding redundant. However for the benefit of those people who have not read above and therefore not learned the difference between the E-series and the EP-Series, the EP-320 Premium Edition is basically exactly the same as its counterpart (the E-320 Standard Edition), except that the EP-320 will cost you around $50,00 more as it uses stainless steel rod cooking grates and stainless steel flavorizer bars, whereas the E-320 uses porcelain enameled cast-iron cooking grates and enameled steel flavorizer bars. I promise to go into more detail about the advantages and disadvantages of these two types of materials in a future post.

Weber Genesis E-330

Just as the Weber Genesis E-320 is the E-310 on steroids, you could say the same for the Weber Genesis E-330 as compared to the E-320. The E-330 is about $50,00 more than the E-320 and is essentially the same grill as the E-320, however in addition to the extra 12000 BTU side burner the E-330 has another 10,000 BTU internal standard type sear burner located in between the centre and left burners. Many users have raved about this feature and its ability to raise the temperature of the left side of the grill to searing temperature, allowing one to sear steaks before moving it the right hand side of the grill to finish cooking.

Weber Genesis EP-330

Again, the Weber Genesis EP-330 is just the Premium Edition of its Standard Edition counterpart, the Weber Genesis E-320. They are essentially the same grill, so on the EP-330 you will find the 12,000 BTU side burner as well as the 10,000 BTU sear burner, however whereas the E-330 uses porcelain enameled cast-iron cooking grates and enameled steel flavorizer bars, the EP-330 uses stainless steel rod cooking grates and stainless steel flavorizer bars. The EP-330 is priced at around $890,00.

Weber Genesis S-310

The Weber Genesis S-310 is the Weber Genesis E-310 but with a stainless steel makeover. Whereas the E-310 is made of enameled steel body parts, cooking grates and flavorizer bars, the S-310 is has a shiny stainless steel shell and stainless steel rod cooking grates and flavorizer bars.

Depending on the season (see my post on Weber grills on sale) you can get the S-310 on sale for around $850,00, so you are paying around $200,00 more for the S-310 than you would for the E-310, which as noted is basically the same grill but for material used for the parts. Personally if I was going to spend this much I’d rather go for the E-320 or E-330 and get the advantage of the extra burners.

Weber Genesis S-320

No secrets here, the Weber Genesis S-320 is the same as the E-320, but has a stainless steel shell and stainless steel rod cooking grates and flavorizer bars as opposed to the enameled steel body parts, cooking grates and flavorizer bars used on the E-320. You’ll find the S-320 for around $950,00 on Amazon.com, however depending on the season you can get it on sale for about $150,00 less. The bottom line is that this unit asks a hefty premium for the stainless steel. If you like to sear your steaks, rather go for the E-330 or the EP-330, which is about $100,00 cheaper, but has the extra 10,000 BTU sear burner.

Weber Genesis S-330

If you’re a big fan of stainless steel and want all the features a Weber Genesis has to offer, the Weber Genesis S-330 is the one for you. But for everything being made of stainless steel, (as opposed to enameled steel as with the E-Series) the S-330 is the same machine as the E-330, so you’ll get the add-on 15,000  BTU side burner as well as the 10,000 BTU sear burner. The S-330 is usually $1010,00 brand new but you can find it on sale for around $960,00.