I bought one of these last year and adore it. I grill way more now that I get charcoal flavor and heat and don't have to deal with chimney starters.

I began using the weber firestarter cubes last year. They make the chimney starter even cleaner and easier.

how does the electric start work?

Lots of good advice already, but I'll double-click on a few points.

1. Buy a good grill. I went with a weber genesis.
2. If you wait til the end of the summer, even into the winter, those left over grills get seriously marked down.
3. Natural gas is really nice. Cheaper fuel. No stockpiling of LP tanks and getting them filled. Nobody asks to borrow the grill. They don't sell well, so there are always a few left in
October, just waiting for you to purchase at deep discount.

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice.

Due to the fact that I don't even have a grill now, I'm not in a position to wait until October for the discounts so i got to suck it up and pay top dollar unless a Father's Day Sale this weekend.

I'm convinced from everyone here and some other reviews online that I'm going to get what I pay for with a Charbroiler but the only unanswered question seems to be how they cook as opposed to how they last. Everyone says they have a short life but no one mentioned their cooking ability.

Any comments on the Charbroiler Grill cooking quality?

It uses the little 1-liter propane tanks. You put your charcoal in the baskets and light the propane igniter for about five minutes to jump start the coals, then turn the propane off. No dumping coals at all, no need to keep newspapers around, etc. and it uses very little propane; wife and I grill regularly and we're only on our second bottle.

I am on my 2nd treager. My original 12 year old one is still working fine. I haven't had the problems others have apparently. It gets plenty hot to sear steaks, although admittedly not over 400 in the winter. I have replaced a thermostat, but it was 6 years old when I did it. I love the food that it produces. They are expensive though.

look for a used Weber on Craigslist and refurb it with warranty parts and new grates. I bet there will be some pop up after Dad's get new grilles for Fathers Day.

Wow, I never thought of that. Cool...

After nearly a month and a half of analyzing and researching nearly every damn imaginable grill, I decided to buy the Broil King Baron in Black/Stainless Steel/Black Chrome 4-Burner (40,000-BTU) Liquid Propane Gas Grill with Side Burner.

At first I was going to do a budget conscious Char Broil but all the reviews said the grill falls apart so fast and sucks so I changed my mind. Then I looked at the Stok at Target and while real nice looking and tons of neat inserts, once again the quality was lacking so it was a no. Then I looked at the mack daddy of all grills the Weber. While there is no doubt Weber is one of the best out there with quality, features, and durability, it now appears that some of their lower entry grills are having a lot of parts made in China and cutting corners. I would only pay $500 so that cut out a lot of the Webers.

After reading thousands of reviews and stories, the Broil King fit my bill perfectly. Putting together this weekend.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_503210-65173...uctId=50078139

Why did I select the Broil King?

1. Made in the US
2. Cast Iron Grates
3. Tremendous Reviews
4. Cooks Great-so says everyone
5. Nice Look
6. Heavy Duty Parts
7. Good Price
8. Collapsable Side Panels
9. Side Burner

Thanks everyone for all the advice and I'll let you know how the first few grilling sessions go. :thumb:

http://images.lowes.com/product/conv...2703221649.jpg

I have a Weber Genesis 3000 that sits under cover on my screened in porch. It also has a nice grill cover, so it never gets wet or weathered. It's in terrific condition, and I've had it for about six years now. Last week I replaced the original porcelain grates and flavorizer bars with all stainless steel. I bought the replacements from a company outside St. Louis that makes after market parts for grills. The stainless was a heavier gage than the Weber OEM stuff, and half the price. Now all the insides of the grill are stainless, it heats up fast, and cooks great. After you use this grill for a few years, you'll probably get hooked on grilling, and will want a Weber. I'm going out to look at a Weber Smokey Mountain smoker later today, perhaps as a BD present to myself.

Absolutely love mine.

Does this company outside of St. Louis have a website where parts can be ordered from? I need to replace my grates and flavorizer bars. If I can save a little money and get heavier gauge material, that would be great.

Yep, website:
http://riversedge-products.com/Stain...B0034BC0MI.htm

I bought a used WSM today for $170. Guy wanted $200 for it, but it was dirty and had some rust and a few chips in the outer porcelain. He told me it was an original 1980 model, the first year Weber built the WSM. I took it home, put some Brillo Pads, WD-40 and elbow grease on it, and it cleaned up pretty nice. For the most part, as long as the seals are good, it should work fine. Weber's seem to be tooled well where the parts fit together perfectly. Last year I bought a starter smoker, a Red Stone, from Tractor Supply, paid about $80 for it. It leaks smoke like crazy, but works OK. Doesn't have a big capacity. This WSM is the 18.5" model (the middle size of three sizes.) A new one at Lowe's is $300, so getting this one at almost half price hopefully will be a good transaction. Pictures of the WSM and my Weber Gas Grill (which I absolutely LOVE) are attached:

Thanks. I owe you one.