Weber 741001 22 1/2-Inch One-Touch Silver Kettle Grill, Black

Well, I guess it's time I do a review of this grill. I've owned it now for 6 years, and I've had nothing but excellent results. I've made one repair over the years, and I have to note of what I feel might be a flaw, but actually more of a result of lesser manufacturing than I would do if I were building a grill -- read on. All in all, this grill is the absolute best and I whole heartedly recommend it for those not wanting to traverse over to the 'dark side' of gas.

Yeah, dark side. You know -- selling out, buying the gas grill for convenience sake. Sure, maybe it's "smart", oh and it looks good on the patio, stainless or whatever -- ok, well I don't know, but I like the charcoal, I like simplicity, and I told my wife if I ever try to go gas to have her hit me over the head with a frying pan to set me straight. Ok, now that's out of the way, let's talk about the grill.

From the point of view of using it for 6 years, year-round, and thinking of how I would build my own grill, I only have one main complaint: spot welds. The industry uses these like they're going out of style. They deliver strong welds to exceed the manufacturer warranty. But, they're flawed for anyone who understands physics, and can reason that over time heat and movement of the grill will weaken a spot weld. In my case, the handle on the lid came off after about two years. Easy fix, drill holes and put bolts in...tighten. Fixed. I anticipate I'll need to do the same to the spot weld on the legs at some point. So this really is my only complaint. The design is really perfect. Circular heat flow with the dome, decent ash catcher, the charcoal, the smoke, it all works in favor of good grilling.

I'm in no position to recommend how to grill, since I am still learning and experimenting, but I will say that when dealing with real wood charcoal or briquettes, get a chimney to start your coals.

This grill was given to me and my wife as a housewarming gift after we bought our house. It's the best, and we've had some of the most delicious grilled meals off this baby. I will NEVER go to the dark side. Tried it, been there, NEVER will go back.

If you're looking for a great bbq grill you've found it. This baby is one that will out last all others like it. It is very well made from the inside out. Weber has more products for their barbecues than most, so you can go to the stores in your city and pickup almost anything you need. I have another one from another company, but my family asks to use my Weber kettle grill. I'm now thinking they will make a great Christmas gift.

I am very pleased with our purchase. We have always used the Weber Products and this grill is everything we were looking for and the price was right.

Good bare-bones grill. Always has been - now even a little better. My previous one lasted 20 years!

Nothing beats the taste of charcoal grilling, but it used to so much of a hassle compared to gas grills. Not anymore! The form fitting cover is great (sold separately, but worth it), and really makes the grill look "professional" when sitting outside on our patio. I'm not sure if others do this, but I store the charcoal chimney (also sold separately) inside the grill when not in use, and the cover keeps everything nice and dry. I was a little worried that the wind would knock the cover off, but that hasn't happened yet. There is a little bit of elastic on the bottom that helps with this.

The charcoal chimney works, gives you hot even coals everytime. It used to be a nightmare to use lighter fluid, only to be disappointed with the results. I also use an electronic meat thermometer, so meats come out perfectly everytime. I'm very impressed with the simplicity of the Weber design and how it works. The ash catcher on the bottom is easy to empty, so I personally don't think the extra cash for the Gold model is worth it. I used the savings on a cover, thermometer, and charcoal chimney. Sorry this sounds like a Weber promotion, but I really think you'd be doing yourself wrong if you didn't pair this with at least the charcoal chimney. Together, it's a perfect combo for summer OR winter cooking!