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Weber 31742101 Ducane Affinity 4100 NG Gas Grill
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, Solid Grill with One Issue,
This review is from: Ducane 31742101 Affinity 4100 48,000-BTU Natural-Gas Grill (Lawn & Patio)
I was so tempted to buy a similarly priced grill from [store] that had a whole bunch more features, but after spending some time in the grilling forums, I decided what I really needed was a basic grill that will last. After thinking about it, the 3 year old grill I was replacing basically deteriorated to the point of no return. I'd have to replace all of the components to keep it going. The old grill also did not provide even heat. After much research, I decided on the Ducane because it had good, long lasting parts and was made and backed by Weber. It is a basic grill and I'm glad I chose it. It heats up quickly and evenly and provides a nice, big surface to grill on. The side tables are also good sized. Assembly was simpler and easier, with fewer parts, than previous grills I have owned. And, even though it is made in China, the level of quality is noticebly high. There are no stainless steel surfaces, by the way, which may not be apparent in photos. The surface is a speckled gray paint, which, I believe is easier to keep clean. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because of an apparent design issue that makes it sometimes difficult to light all the burners. You light each one individually with an electronic starter. When starting from a cold grill, I usually have no problem lighten one after another, but if you wait too long, or try to restart a hot grill, it is almost impossible to light using the electronic starter. Ducane/Weber apparently acknowledges this issue because inside the door is a tool used to hold matches to reach to a burner (the instructions cover this, too). Seems like they could have come up with a more reliable method, but I'll just have to live with it. By the way, I called Weber about this issue. I got through pretty quick and talked with a US based rep who had knowledge to share on the subject and immediately offered to send me a complete, new ignition system. Which I got but haven't installed. Nice of them, but then again, maybe just trying to avoid complaints. Overall, this is a solid, no frills grilling tool made with beefier parts and high quality materials that can handle a large load, has good heat adjustments and cooks pretty evenly across the entire surface. I am expecting it to last many years.
Follow up, 8/4/10: After using this numerous times I want to comment on how well it distributes heat evenly across the entire grilling area. This is a definite improvement over my previous grills and improves cooking capacity (being able to place food in the furthest corners) and time. I am also impressed with its ability to control the heat just right. Follow up, 6/16/22: I recommend investing in a good grill cover. Even though I live in Southern California, and the winters are not bad, using one definitely helped preserve my investment. One thing I did was remove the upper rack. It tended to get in the way, however, you can usually achieve the same goal with this grill by simply turning down or off one or two of the 4 burners and use that section to keep things warm or cook them slower. One of the advantages of having a big cooking surface.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
(Almost) The Grill of My Dreams,
By Pacific NW (Vancouver, WA USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Ducane 31742101 Affinity 4100 48,000-BTU Natural-Gas Grill (Lawn & Patio)
Natural gas cooking rules. We NG users laugh at you pathetic propane users lugging your heavy cans to the store and back. While you propaners tremble at the prospect of running out of fuel just as the steaks go on, we NG users have no worries other than whether our drink is freshly topped off. But I apologize if I come off as a monocle-wearing gassist.
All is not garlic toast and roses for our exclusive club. We natural-gas grillers only have so many choices among grilling hardware. Weber/Ducane, or a few lower-quality brands that offer a natural-gas conversion kit as an option. Having just given up my Weber 1100 purchased fourteen years ago, my first impulse was to look at new Weber models. However, I wanted to step up to a bigger grill. Something with four burners instead of three, and a lot of grill space. To obtain a 4-burner Weber, one must graduate to the Weber Summit series of grills. They're huge, with just a teensy bit more grill space than the Ducane herein, and appear to be indestructible, like my old 1100. They have a bunch of features like a side burner. But they start at $1330 on Amazon. And so, the Ducane Affinity 4100 Natural-Gas Grill, $500. This big, simple grill was a great choice for me. I don't need no steenken' side burner, so that is not missed. What it does have is two big ol' work surfaces, four huge burner knobs and a lot of grill space. The size of this thing is impressive. After 14 years of the three-burner Weber, this thing seems almost comically huge. I don't know what sort of powder coating they use on the work surfaces and control panel, but nothing sticks to it. Cleanup is as simple as a dishrag. Between that, the stainless steel grill, and the simple design of the burner box, this grill is amazingly low-maintenance. Now for the negative part of the review, such as it is. As you may see in other reviews of this grill, figuring out how to light the burners takes a while. No gas lighting system is perfect, and four burners means one more potential problem than with three. This grill uses an electronic lighter powered by a AA battery. It's better than the mechanical system on my old Weber, which called for pushing a funky mechanical button 15 or 20 times to get the proper spark. But it's not perfect. After a month with the grill, here's what I've learned. When lighting, the less wind the better. The most important thing is to make sure that all four burners are lit. So I light them one at a time. I start with the outside burners because they are the hardest to start in windy conditions. I put the left outside burner on high, then hit the starter and listen for the "whoosh." Then the right outside burner, then the inside ones, one at a time, using the electric starter. There is no cross-ignition system. The bars in the bottom of this grill have nice big elongated holes for viewing the burners if you get down close, which can help. Here are the minor problems that keep me from giving it 5 stars: Assembly took less than two hours, but the nuts, bolts and washers provided don't completely match up with what's in the assembly instructions. I was able to complete assembly with the given hardware, but it took some improvisation. The lighting difficulties, which seem to be fairly easily overcome by experience. The unknown durability. I don't expect it to last 14 years like my old Weber, nor as long as a new Weber Summit, but it seems very solid. The brakes on the two steerable wheels are hard to access because of the metal skirt hiding them. So, four stars. Here are the numbers and observations I've seen while cooking in different scenarios with this grill: With all 4 burners on high and an ambient temperature of 60 degrees, it will reach 540 degrees just 10 minutes after lighting. Great news for us NG users who know that propane burns hotter than NG. I've had it as high as 585 degrees. That'll bake your potato in a hurry. If you like indirect cookery, here's what I've found. Turning the two middle burners off, you can use the two outside burners to adjust the temperature from about 250 to 340 degrees. This is significant because 250 degrees is a nice temperature for slow cooking. Putting the two middle burners on "low" gives you a range of about 350 to 450 degrees using the outside burners. So the grill is able to hold a nice big range of temperatures for indirect cooking, and can quickly crank up the heat for direct grilling. I don't notice any significant hot/cold spots during indirect cooking. The warming rack is welcome but unremarkable, though a good place to bake a potato. To summarize, this is a big, simple, well-built, low-maintenance grill. Among natural gas grills, it's an outstanding value for those who entertain or have a big family. I love it so far.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad but should have gone Weber,
This review is from: Ducane 31742101 Affinity 4100 48,000-BTU Natural-Gas Grill (Lawn & Patio)
Mine is Propane but the review applies...
Overall, it's not a bad grill. It gets crazy Hot so searing meat is NO Problem! Cleans up easy as the warm up all burners on High turns any residual grease to ash prior to each meal. Pretty even heat, but mine does have a Hot Spot over the middle right burner. Ample grilling real estate and 4 burner versatility, makes for nice sized cookouts without having to cook in cycles, most of the time anyway. Now for the let downs... Hands down BIGGEST problem is the inside of the lid is constantly shedding paint! Layers of it! Did this since the first month that I owned it. I'm not an idiot, I KNOW the difference between Paint and cooked on grease! This my friends is PAINT, and a lot of it! I HATE it because whenever I scrape it off the flakes are so light they fly everywhere... The thought of it landing on food makes me crazy, so I have to scrape it, blow it, vacuum it, and pick it off me until I Know it's safe... only to have to repeat it in a week or two. Another thing is the this ceramic coating quickly deteriorates on the Flavor Bars and they begin to rot. What appears to be stainless steel in online pictures is really very cheap looking gray painted textured steel with little black specks in it. Other than that, it's a good performing grill, that runs pretty Hot (example: Medium/Low is more like Med -> Med/high about 375-400deg F.). Would I buy it over again? No, I would go with a real Weber, even if it is smaller... it's indestructible!
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