Gas Grills: Expert and User Reviews

Our AssessmentDerrick Riches is a grilling enthusiast and industry consultant who has been covering gas grills for About.com for more than 10 years. He provides links to all of his reviews of gas grills. There's even a list of discontinued grills, along with his original review of each in case you see it for sale on Craigslist or eBay. Reviews of some major brands, like Weber, are grouped together under one link. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

Our AssessmentThis two-part article focuses on four gas grills that cost less than $500, and three that are "worth splurging on." All have been tested by the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, and each model gets a short review that includes comments about how easy it is to use the grill and navigate its manual. Among gas grills under $500, the Char-Broil Commercial Series Grill with Infrared is deemed best overall; the Brinkmann (810-2410-SB) is the budget pick. The Ducane Affinity 3100 is highlighted as a "no-frills performer"; a Weber grill is selected as the ultimate "super splurge" model. We aren't sure whether or not other gas grills were compared to these and didn't make the cut.

Our AssessmentThese portable grills were obviously tested at some point; the unidentified author makes a few comments about how each performed, including negative comments where appropriate. However, no real details are provided about how the grills were tested. Each grill receives a rating, but otherwise there's no direct comparison between models.

Our AssessmentWeber grills are popular with Home Depot customers, receiving the most reviews and the highest ratings. The Weber Q-320, for example, earns an average score of 4.8 out of 5 stars from more than 130 users; Weber Spirit E-310 and E-210 grills get the same rating from more than 120 and 160 reviewers, respectively. The Weber Q 200 Portable Gas Grill gets a 4.6-star average ranking from about 20 reviewers, making it by far the best-reviewed portable gas grill on HomeDepot.com. Although other brands, including Char-Broil Red and Brinkmann, have received good ratings from Home Depot reviewers in the past, they aren't even on the radar this year.

Our AssessmentOnly a few grills -- all portable, lower-priced models, save one -- have more than a handful of user reviews posted on Epinions.com. Two Coleman RoadTrip models get good reviews, the 9949-750 and the 9941-768, as does the Weber Q 220. [LM4]

Our AssessmentVicky Sanderson recommends various types of grill: portable, eco-friendly, mid-priced, premium and "alternative." Although she provides a brief description of key features, there's no indication that the grills have been tested or compared to other products. Some of the grills, such as the Napoleon Travel Q and the Weber Genesis series, are available in the United States.

Our AssessmentWeber grills sweep the top ratings from this online retailer. The biggest standout is the Weber Genesis E-310, with a 4.8-star average rating after more than 70 reviews. The Weber Q 100 and Weber Q 220 are the most popular portable gas grills; the Weber Q 100 only gets a little more than a dozen reviews, but receives a near-perfect rating.

Our AssessmentViewpoints.com asks consumers to submit survey-like reviews of how their gas grills perform. These reviews aren't tied to any particular retailer, but once again, Weber grills occupy many of the top slots. The Weber Spirit E-310 is a clear standout, with a score of 91 (out of 100 possible) from nearly 70 users. Two other Weber models also made the cut thanks to higher scores, although they receive fewer reviews.