Customer Reviews

Weber 396002 Q 200 Portable Gas Grill

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I am writing this long term review because as so many reviews are just initial impressions when the product is new. They are hard to find, but some people will write a review later in the product's life cycle, especially if they have had problems. This is not one of those "problem" reviews. The Weber Q is my all time favorite grill.

Background Info:

I bought my "Q" back in 2004 when they first came out; there were only two models at the time, the Q and the Baby Q. The overall design theory and execution of a portable gas grill was amazing in my eyes - like nothing I had ever seen before. I was in the market for a gas grill, and the portable nature yet still nice enough to grill on a daily basis design sold me instantly. I had used my dad's Weber gas grill since he bought it new in the mid 90's (comparable to today's Genesis models) and was impressed in every aspect, especially the longevity and quality of the components compared to "big box store" look-a-like grills. The price for a standalone Weber, like my dad's, was too high in my opinion, and I wanted more for my money. The Q's dual nature fit the bill perfectly. In addition to the Q, I bought about every accessory available at the time: rolling cart, Weber Q specific tools, cover, hose for external LP tank, etc. Every accessory followed right in line with the Q's portable design intent. The tools are my favorite as they snap into the side tables and easily fold up inside enhancing the go-anywhere part of the design. I recently (Summer 2008) upgraded my home setup to include the stationary cart for a more finshed look at home on the back patio.


Performance:

The grill holds a surprisingly large amount of food. I can grill for the whole family or more with no problems, (This totally depends on what you are grilling). I have grilled everything from the ubiquitous burgers, dogs, and brats to fajita meat and vegetables to corn on the cob and steaks. I can even fit 2-3 whole racks of ribs on the Q. Heating is surprisingly even with the rectangular shaped burner (which is stainless steel and after 4 seasons is showing zero signs of wear, corrosion, etc.). The heavy, thick cast iron grate should get most of the credit for the even heating. I really like the wide bars and tight spacing of the grate; I can grill sliced veggies and meats as if I were cooking on a skillet with no fear of them falling though. Temperature control is ultra easy with the single burner knob. I have taken the Q tailgating at sporting events, to picnics at the park, to friends' parties, etc. and it has performed flawlessly. It offers tons of cooking room for the size and minimal effort to bring along with the clever design of the grill and accessories. People are always amazed when they watch me unpack/pack the Q. Other than an occasional and end of season cleaning, this thing is maintenance free. Just brush off the grate, check the drip pan, and clean out the burned drippings in the bottom from time to time.

Final Thoughts:

Looking back at my Q experience, I wouldn't have it any other way. In fact, I can't imagine owning any other gas grill - except another Q. If the day comes when I have to replace my beloved Q, I would probably stick with the original size, the 200 series; it is the perfect balance. The 300 series looks nice with the bigger size and extra burner, but I don't necessarily need the size and I feel it loses some of the portable utility that makes the original Q so great.

I had owned a Weber Q100 for a couple of years and loved it. Recently someone decided that they were more worthy of owning it than I was and they "liberated" it from me. Oh well.

I thought about several other options for a replacement and settled on the Q200. There is a Q220 but it looks like the only feature that you get for the extra money is a thermometer built into the lid (the lid may be built a bit higher according to the description but I couldn't tell for sure). The Weber 300 is in a similar shape but it is more of a conventional grill with a cart and a 20lb. tank. I bought the Q200 for these reasons:

* I can use it on a cart or take it with me if I go somewhere and want a grill with me

* It has enough grill space for a meal for 4-6 people, plenty for my needs

* The fold-out shelves are really convenient

* I really loved my Q100 and I thought that I should stick with a winning, proven design

I bought the better cart for this and I use the big 20# gas cannister. However, if it runs out at a bad time I can use the smaller cannisters as back-up. Plus, when I travel with it I leave the big tank and cart behind.

One more thing, now I use a bike chain to lock it onto my porch rail. I not going to let this one go without making it a little harder for them this time.

Weber 54601 Stationary Cart for Weber Q Grills 200 and 220
Weber Q 6553 Premium Cover Fits Weber Q 300 Grill

Don't let the portability of this grill fool you. It cooks big and for many people at one time.

It take either the green camping propane bottles or hook it up to a 20 lb tank with the adapter hose (Recommended). The cool thing is if your big tank runs out without warning you can cook 2 or 3 meals with the camping Coleman propane until you get it filled.

Temperature control is great. You can get it real hot for searing steaks or low to roast whole chickens.

I don't know why anyone would buy a cheap import grill when you can have a weber Q 200 that will cook the same amont of food and have complete portability. This is a great little grill.

OK, I should have written this earlier, but I have figured I have used this Q-200 over 750 times!!
I cook dinner most nights on my grill, a meat, and also vegetables, some on the grill, some in foil. I think the secret to this grill is the cast grate, no other grill cooks so evenly, I hared those with cheap wire grates. I think the most amazing thing is after so many uses, it NEVER failed. I should clean it more often too, other than the drip tray, it gets a good cleaning only ever 100 or so uses. Just a brass brushing before each use. I'm amazed after 3 years of my hard use (more Abuse with my cleaning schedule!) this inexpensive grill still works as good as new. It does look pretty used, a few flare-ups have scorched the right side of the lid, but every part is 100% working.
To anyone that says Webber is not number one in quality, I invite you over next year to see if this little guy will be cooking it's 1000th dinner!!!!!
Oh, and I don't work fow Weber or Amazon, I'm a retail manager who apreciates a quality product in an age of throw away products.

Good for grilling for a small family. It's not an el cheapo model. It's quality product that'll last atleast 10 yrs if you take care of it. Size is enough to feed one small family (2 adults and 2 kids) in one round of grilling.

Some people have reported problem that flame turns off due to wind. I experienced it too. The solution is to open the tank first, wait for few minutes and then ignite the flame. If you do both of them almost same time, regulator doesn't get a chance to stabilize for the tank's pressure and seems to turn off and on by itself.

We got our Q 200 in May 2005 and, as we live in sunny California, use it heavily (between 2 and 6 times a week from May through September). It sure shows the wear, but it grills like the day we got it.

Let's be clear: this is not a large, high-powered gas grill like those beautiful models that will cost you thousands of dollars (Viking, etc.). It can't reach the intense temperatures with the cover open (or even with it closed), and it certainly can't do what charcoal can do for meat, shrimp, etc. But we already have a wonderful Weber One-Touch Platinum charcoal grill, and as space is very limited in our tiny yard, we couldn't get a really nice high-end gas grill. The Q 200 takes up incredibly little space for a grill that performs so well and so efficiently, and its cooking surface is surprisingly large for the small overall size of the grill.

It does an amazing job on chicken, sausage, hot dogs, fish, and even hamburger and lamb chops. For those big steaks and foods that need intense heat or that charcoal flavor, better stick to the charcoal, but the Q is so convenient, I find myself using it 4 out of 5 times when I come home from work.

My wife has one complaint: she wants more cooking area for when we entertain. Solution? The Q 300. Takes up no more space on the rolling cart, and even has more power for those jobs that require it. We're going to order one. The Q series is a total winner for price, size, quality of construction, and performance.

Remember: this is not a charcoal grill, and it's not a commercial gas grill. But for the space that it takes up and its very reasonable price, there is nothing that compares.

UPDATE 9/1/2010:

We got a Q300 for the larger cooking surface and lent the Q200 to some friends. I miss the Q200! It did a much better job at low temperatures (the Q300 can never seem to cook as well on low), and was quite adequate at high (we use charcoal when we need really intense heat, anyway). When our friends eventually get a grill of their own, I'll get the Q200 back and auction off or gift away the Q300.

I bought this Q200 based upon the longstanding excellent reputation of Weber. I must be the minority among Q200 owner/reviewers. I have yet to use mine for cooking because of two critical malfunctions. First, the regulator had to be replaced by Weber because frequently when the fuel tank was removed, it also took a part of the regulator with it - this resulted in the propane fuel tank spraying propane all over until I could pull the regulator part out with pliers. Second, the electronic ignition only works about 1 in 10 times; while there is a spark and smell of propane, the electroninc igniter rarely lights the stove, yet a match does almost immediately.

The folks at Weber's Customer Service Center have been great to deal with, but after having the grill for over a month, I have yet been able to use it. I have had Weber's for 40 years, including another portable Weber for 16 years that I gave to my daughter - it still works just fine. So you can imagine my disappointment to a pay the higher price for a Weber and then to have these problems. I am in no way saying that all Weber's are poorly made, and I hope that mine is the exception to the rule.

I love the ease and size of this cooker! I've figured it cooks about 4 times on one cylinder. When you buy them, get several at a time.

We bought the Weber Q200 propane grill a few weeks ago. We bought the nice stand that goes with it, as well as a large propane tank, the nice large cover that covers the entire unit (except for the wheels) when used with the stand, and a grill brush for cleaning. We also bought a connector hose that connects the large propane tank to the grill, but then returned it as our Q came with the connector hose so we ended up not needing the one we bought.

We really love this grill. We have been using it every day since we bought it! It's super easy to start up, super easy to use, and easy to clean. Ours came with a few disposable aluminum grease drip pans, we've just been washing the same one and reusing it each day.

With our old charcoal grill, we usually only grilled on the weekends, as we are a busy family and don't have a lot of time during the week to mess around with the coals and the cleanup afterwards. We are finding that with propane - which is a brand new experience for us - not only is it super quick to get started, but cleanup afterwards is also much easier and quicker. We also have found we like the cleaner taste that our foods now have. We also feel that using propane is better for the environment, so that's a benefit, too.

We really love the porcelain enameled cast iron cooking grates. They are much nicer than the steel grates in our old charcoal grill - much easier to clean and we like the thicker charred lines it's leaving on the foods. We were told by the salesperson where we bought our grill that the more you use the grates, the more seasoned they become and that we should notice our food tasting better as they become more seasoned. Our food is tasting delicious already! :)

The grill came with lots of information booklets, one which included recipes. We've tried several of the recipes already and they were great!

Today we just bought a Weber griddle that goes with the Q200. I haven't used it yet (I'll post a review for it once we have :)) and we are looking forward to cooking bacon on our grill! I don't mind my house smelling like pancakes and coffee, but somehow I don't like how that greasy bacon smell lingers long after breakfast - so now we can cook our bacon outside. We're excited about this.

There's also a cool rolling duffel you can buy for the Q grills. I am thinking of buying this for my husband for Father's Day. We plan on taking this grill with us on road trips and to the beach and whatnot, and the duffel would make it so easy not only to roll to where ever you want it, but also keep it protected - and you're car protected - during travel. The grill is a bit heavy, so if you're elderly or not very strong, and the portability of this grill is what you're truly after, you might want to go with the smaller Q100 or a different grill. Or perhaps taking out the grates would make it lighter for you during transport, as they are really what seems to make this grill heavier than most.

I was surprised, too, with the amount of space we have with this grill. Yesterday we grilled 5 pounds of tri-tip - all at once! We still had some space left that we could have put some sausages or skewers on if we had wanted to. We are a family of four - two boys and two adults - and this grill has more than enough room for us. We haven't used it for entertaining yet, or for a large crowd, but my feeling is that this grill would be suitable even for at least a small gathering of perhaps 8 - 10 people.

We found this grill at a locally owned store for the prices that were comparable to the prices we've found online at Walmart.com and here on Amazon. I feel it's worth every penny. We plan to take good care of this grill and use it for many many years to come.

What a great little grill! A snap to put together - took about 10 minutes from opening the box to turning on the gas. It cooks really well/evenly & puts out considerable heat. And then, it folds up & you can store it away! Not too heavy but more than those cheap rectangle-shaped grills you see everywhere. This is my second Weber grill this summer. Bought a big one for leaving on the deck at home & this one goes to the cabin for those times we don't want to set up the Weber charcoal grill or want to have a picnic in a park.