On paper, it has a lot going for it, but we were disappointed in its performance. It also struggled to hold a steady heat on the barbecue-chicken test. Napoleon’s signature is its wavy grates, and they do look cool—but they’re harder to clean than straight grates. They also leave odd, distorted sear marks if you try to make the classic crosshatch pattern. Assembly was straightforward, and the instruction manual was well-thought-out.
Or you may want to save money and go for a cheaper brand – just don’t expect it to last as well. The propane scale is a nice touch which shows you how much gas you have left so you can relax knowing you’re not going to run out suddenly and get a nasty surprise. From cooking steak and chicken to fish and veggies, this can handle it all in a consistent way that will leave you confident. The parts used are made from high quality materials and, as such, you get a ten year warranty with the grill. So should anything go wrong, or if rust sets in early, then you should be good to go back to Weber to get it fixed. Grease and carbon build-up over time might make it look like paint is peeling from inside the lid, but there’s no paint here.
Primary cooking grates made of stainless-steel are generally sturdier than those made of coated steel and resist rust even without a porcelain coating. Evenness performanceEvenness of heating over the grill’s surface at the highest and lowest setting using all main burners plus the evenness after a 10 minute preheat, using thermocouples. With a generous grilling space and features consistent and superior temperature control and is designed to be roomy and self-sufficient at the same time.
The main difference is that the former has an enclosed-cart design while the latter features a bare bone, open-cart design. Apart from that, it has no noticeable difference between the two grills. The propane tank, in this model, goes to the side Blackstone Adventure of the grill. It measures the weight of the propane tank and lets you know before your tank is empty. With an individual burner heat output of 13,250 BTUs, the grill produces a searing temperature of over 500F and an ambient temperature of 400F.
It lit right up for us with no hassle and got extremely hot extremely quickly. We’re talking just a few minutes to get up to 500 degrees. And it heats very evenly across the board, too (high performance burners, indeed!). The cooking grates are also porcelain-enameled and cast-iron for good heat diffusion and durability. You get a total of 513 square inches of primary cooking area with 274 extra via the top grate. There’s an open-cart design on display that gives you even more storage space, and two side tables are attached to the main model.