Customer Reviews

Weber 386002 Q 100 Portable Propane Gas Grill

5 star:		(215)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've been using a Q100 / Baby Q for over 2 years now, and am still impressed by the quality of the product and what I'm able to do with it given it's small size. Here's the set up:

Q100 Grill
Weber Cart
Bulk tank adapter
5-lb. propane tank

The grill surface is large enough for a family of four. Six 1/3 lb. burgers fit well enough; more and they are hard to turn. I've also been able to do two average sized tri-tips at once. The lid isn't tall enough to allow a whole chicken. I was a bit wary of the 8K BTU rating at first, but the grill heats up just fine- it will do a wonderful sear on pretty much anything after 7-10 minutes of preheat. The heat is also very even, with the virtually whole grill surface usable. The best thing about the small burner is fuel efficiency; 5 lbs. of propane lasts all season (in SoCal!) at 1-2 uses per week. Please note that this is a single burner grill with a ring-shaped burner. Indirect cooking isn't really possible although on low heat, one can get close enough to do justice to a tri-tip.

I've only got a couple of small complaints... First, the support ring for the portable tank (at least with the Baby Q) only accepted 14 oz. propane bottles- the kind used with plumber's torches. They are more expensive than the 16 oz. bottles used for camping. I just made my own 16 oz. bottle ring out of a heavy coat hanger. Of course with the bulk tank, this is a non-issue. The 5 lb. tank (from Home Depot) is pretty small. Second, the grill is somewhat sensitive to wind. A good breeze blowing through the sides causes a definite loss of temperature above the grill surface, under the lid. Cooking is still possible but times go up about 30-40%. Last, the holes in the burner can get clogged up, especially when there's a lot of liquid pouring off the grill surface. I've had to 'unclog' parts of the burner with a push-pin a couple of times now.

Anyway, I love the product as it's about 75% of a full-size grill at 1/3 the size and 1/4 the price, within its limits (grill area). I think the only thing I'd do differently is get the version with the side tables (Q120).

For those of you wondering if this grill gets hot enough to cook steaks... well it definite does. I had looked into the more expensive unit like the Solaire Anywhere grill because of its infrared feature, but after reading about how it tends to burn and undercook everything, I opted for this Q-100. It surprisingly gets hot enough to seared 1.25" rib-eye steaks due to the heat conductive iron-cast grate. By the way, the bigger 16oz propane bottle now fits the grill without modification - it even said so in the owner's manual. Also, save yourself money by getting the Charbroil 4-foot adapter hose (model #4623) at Home Depot instead of the one from Weber. From a guy who's accustomed to grilling steaks on a Viking Ultra-Premium T-Series grill, I can say that this is a nice portable unit that doesn't sacrifice much on performance. See some sample images I uploaded.

Last year when I bought this grill, over 100 people had written 4 plus star reviews. So I took their advice and bought this grill, you can see those reviews if you look for Baby Q.
A year later I still love cooking on the Q. I cook for three plus leftovers. The heavy grate is fantastic, all the other grills had thin,flimsy grates. I love grilling with the Q, I can cook dinner in 15-20 minutes.
I hooked mine up to a 5 lb propane tank. The five lb tank is the smallest tank you can buy, I can cook for a month on it.
This grill starts out hot for 6 months, then to get it to grill hot with a propane tank... turn tank on slowly, over ten seconds, and then light grill at the end of two minutes.
Lots of people use tanks with this grill.Weber does not like it, but the support women will talk you through set up if you ask nice. The weber hot line is veryhelpful with cooking suggestions, I had a temp problem they helped me resolve, but buy the book.

Get a stop watch,a basting brush, tongs,grill brush and read the Webber grilling book. This makes a huge difference in the quality of your cooking, I mean it, follow a few directions to get sucess everytime. The weber book is worth is for the grilling time charts.
Leaving charcoal behind took me way too long... this is superior.
Support from Weber is wonderful....
So buy this grill and have fun cooking this summer.

Another year later I am still in love with my grill. The heavy cast iron grate is what makes ths grill superior to other, cheaper grills. My friends bought the cheaper ones, the food sticks, and burns on.
You must clean the grate when the grill is hot, after cooking, it takes about one minutes of scarping with the grill brush. My friends with the cheap grills never want to grill, their grills are dirty and a pain to clean. My grill is always ready to go.

I don't write many reviews, but was impressed with the Weber Baby Q.

It no longer has the retaining wire for the small gas cylinder, so accepts the larger 16oz. The cylinder doesn't flop around and seems stable without extra support. Of course, many will use with a larger tank but for those that don't, buy whichever size you want.

Some people have written they've had problems with the starter. I've only used it 4 times and 2 of those times the wind was really whipping through the porch. No trouble starting it, only took 1 click each time.

I line the inside with foil and will only change it when it gets coated. That saves some cleanup. Spraying or brushing the grill or your meat (I use olive oil) also helps and keeps things from sticking so much. GREAT grill marks on the steaks!

I thought we would miss the charcoal grill with the wood chip smoke, but I read another reviewer's hint on how to get the wood smoke. Make a tiny foil pan to fit that flat area over the spark starter. I made my little pan about 1" by 2" and maybe half inch high. Then soak your chips for the required 20-30 min (I used Mesquite chips). It worked great and we had our Mesquite smoke flavoring... and it doesn't take hardly any chips:-)

Last but not least, the steaks and burgers have tasted great!! And this is soooooo much easier than the charcoal grill, specially for doing something quick after work when you're tired.

I've had my Weber Q-100 for almost two years now and I love it! I moved into an apartment building a few years ago and I had to get rid of my large gas BBQ grill (also a Weber). However, I missed being able to grill at a moments notice. Then I saw the Weber Q-100 at a store that sells mostly to RV owners. They had several others on sale but the store manager said that the Weber was the only one to consider. I bought one and immediately fell in love with it. It works great with fish, steaks, chicken, veggies, you name it! The grill is sturdy and well made. I've never had any problem with the electric starter as some have mentioned. A couple of thoughts:

* Use aluminum foil on the inside, or else it is a bear to clean
* Use the foil tray in the drip pan for the same reason (I bought replacements at a hardware store that carries this grill)
* Keep the burner ring free from grease or it won't light all of the way around
* It does seem to go through gas quickly so either use an adapter for a large tank or have plenty of spare cannisters around in case you run out in the middle of a meal

I keep it on the front porch where it hardly takes up any space. I let the neighbors in my building use it as well. We all love our little Weber!

UPDATE 8/14/08: Well... apparently keeping it on the front porch was not the best idea in the long run. Although it was safe for two years someone recently decided that they deserved to own the grill more than I do and stole it late one night. Still, I liked my weber so much that I decided to replace it with it's bigger brother, the Weber Q200. You can see my review of it by using the link below.

Weber 396002 Q 200 Gas Grill
Weber 6508 Stationary Cart for Weber Q Grills
Weber 6552 Premium Grill Cover for Weber Q, Q 200, and Q 220 Grills

I really like the Weber Q-100. It's easy to put together, easy to operate, and uses the 16.4 oz disposable gas bottles. I also bought an adapter hose so I can cook with my big gas tank that my former full-size grill used. No problems at all there.

I like the Q-100 and I recommend it. However, there are two issues to be aware of, both of them minor in my view.

One, I find that the food gets done quickly. So quick, that if you aren't paying attention, your burgers, chops, etc., will be burned and dried out. So I just decrease the heat and cook only for about 3 or 4 minutes on each side. That seems to resolve the problem. The second issue is that the grate is a bit of a chore to clean -- and I do use cooking oil on it in the hope that food won't stick. Yet for me, it does. Cleanup is a bit more labor intensive than I'd like, but not enough where I wouldn't continue using the grill. I like it a lot, and its portability is a definite plus for times when you want to have an old-fashioned cookout in the park.

What a thrill, buying an item that really delivers and exceeds expectations.

I bought this item based on the previous good experiences with Weber. Unlike the outstanding Weber kettle grills, the Baby Q is made of cast iron. I have no doubt that this product will outlive me. I considered the 100, 200 and 300 series. Seeking simplicity, I narrowed it down to the 100 series, and later opted for the 100 without the fold out tables. I am delighted with my decision as the tables cannot be folded in until the Q is completely cool and then they are folded over the grill.

I have one quibble as the assembly instructions are only in illustrations, no text. At the same time, the assembly was a snap and this item went together in minutes.

This Q, paired with the equally good Weber cover is a solid choice for great BBQ. I can recommend this item without qualification.

Weber makes a great grill. I live in a condo community that doesn't allow large grills because of fire regulations. (Yeah, it was hard giving up my stainless steel super monster grill when I moved here). After searching and comparing portable grills online and with neighbors that own them, I decided on this one and I'm glad I did. In fact, if I had a house, I would still take this portable grill over it's big stainless steel brother. Food cooks fast and it cooks evenly, which is often a problem with the large grills. It heats up quickly and the small propane cylinder lasts a long, long time. The grilling surface cleans real easy with a steel brush and there is a neat little aluminum (disposable) pan underneath that catches grease runoff. I purchased the Weber 6507 Rolling Cart also, and highly recommend you take a look at it too. It makes it easy to cook, move around and store in the garage, and doesn't take up much space. This grill is built very well, is strong and maintains Weber's reputation for outstanding grilling products. We have a 3-person household, and the Q-100 is a perfect fit for our needs. You'll love it!

First I would like to get to the 16.4 ounce propane issue. The Weber site and the manual clearly state that 16.4 ounce cansisters are fine. This seems to be contrary to people posting on the web reviews from years past. My guess is that if it was ever an issue it has now been addressed, which is good news since 16.4 ounce canisters are much easier to find. Mine arrived last week and it is no problem at all using 16.4 ounces. No modifications necessary it fits right in, right off the bat.

As for the performance of this grill. Outstanding. The big difference I can see from other grills I have had in the past is a very heavy cast iron cooking grate, and the good construction of the lid. The grate conducts heat well and evenly. You end up getting a good sear, fairly fast cooking, and an even cooking surface. I have had excellent results. Assembly was easy, it took a couple minutes to put the handle on, attach the cover to the unit, and put the heat knob on.

The grate does, however, lead to the unit being pretty heavy. It may or may not be an issue for you as a potential buyer, but I did want to point that out. Also, of course, there is not a huge cooking surface. However rectangular cooking surfaces you get more out of than a circular surface. For a family of 2 to 4 it should be fine. And it cooks fast enough that you can cook in waves and the first wave should still be hot.

Lastly Weber gives you lots of verstility with this model. You can add the side trays later if you want. You can add a rolling cart. You can add a converter to use 20 lb propane tanks. Is it worth more than other grills? It does have a 5 year warranty which was impressive and it does produce excellent results. For me, after having it, the answer is a clear yes, it was worth the money. Recommended.

Update 6/21/10. Having now used this for around 2 months I recommend it even more. I really like the taste of charcoal however this the results from the Q are extremely close taste-wise, sometimes better. Right now my family is just me and my wife. If I am not having people over, charcoal is a lot of work if I am just grilling for me and my wife. I get consistently great results from the Q 100 with much less overall effort and time. It is super easy to light and I am cooking in a few minutes.

I am also saving money compared to charcoal. One 16.4 ounce canister has given me around 5 to 6 full cookings each time I have used. 2 of those per canister included bone in chicken which took quite awhile. I can get them for around $2.20 or so a canister. And so far with the grate, I personally do find it hard to clean. However, even with that this has been one great purchase.

I have had a larger model of this before and, it was a good performer. But even in balmy Southern California chilly Spring nights effect its little sisters performance: so you must adjust for the conditions outside. Since the cast dome is made out of Aluminum, it acts as a heat sink and rapidly loses heat. But with my most recent purchase I found something unacceptable. The tray where the aluminum foil grease-catcher fits shipped as it came from the press (it's been drawn and trimmed) without any deburring at all. So the edges of the pan are extremely sharp. An inexperienced person trying to pull it from the groove in the bottom could slash a few fingers at a time. I am sure Weber will correct this when they realize quality assurance is off.

Other than that it's as it has been touted to be.