Customer Reviews

Weber 441001 18.5-Inch One Touch Silver Kettle Grill, Black

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I love this grill. This is one of my four weber kettle grills I own.

Assembly is a snap. The only tool you'll need is a hammer to tap the wheel lugs on. In 15 minutes you can be lighting your coal.

The beauty of this grill is the kettle design which maximizes heat retention and allows the grill to act like an oven with the top on. I've cooked whole chickens, cabbage, bread, and pizza using this method. The top also has a hook on it so you can hang it from the side of the grill while you add sauce or tend to what you're cooking.

My only complaint about this is its size. Its great for direct cooking steaks, chops, etc. But to do some more long term smoking of ribs, whole chickens, its a little small because the coals get too close to the sides of the food and some parts might get scorched. If you do a lot of slow, indirect cooked foods, go for the 22 1/2 inch weber kettle grill.

Unlike most reviewers here who had grill(s) for many years, this Weber 18.5" One Touch Silver is my first grill. Also, unlike most here, I'm a total newbie when it comes to grilling.

The first impression I have with this Weber grill is how forgiving it is even for a newbie. I think its the rounded design and perhaps choice of materials that makes it so.

I made the mistake of not realising I need to open the bottom vent but the grill still managed to allow me to finish some pretty good steak and pork chops for 2. I only realised it when I've done cooking and the coal died down. :-)

There are also some other newbie mistakes which I made and hope someone else reading this before buying his/her first grill will avoid:

1. Kingsford match lit charcoal. As a high-tech professional, I like innovations and the match lit charcoal sounded liked a great idea until I read its really only charcoal soaked with lighter fluid. It is convenient however but probably not the 1st choice if you're seroius of grilling.

2. Ash tray. It catches ash alright but any slight wind will blow the ashes all over the place. Try putting some water in the tray or use a deeper one with water. That'll both extingish the ash and keep them in place.

3. Left over coal. Being a total newbie, I threw some away, not realizing I can leave them in the grill for next time.


In summary:
- Great 1st grill, simple and forgiving
- Better documentation needed, newbies will probably miss the bottom vent like I did
- Ash tray not useful during grilling unless water added or no wind
- Excellent form factor for Town House use, should be useful for decks of apartments too

I started with the Weber Smokey Joe compact charcoal grill and liked it so much I bought the larger Weber One-Touch (with the 18.5" wide grilling space). It's easy to assemble, has a thoughtful and simple ash-removal lever, is durable and provides great tasting food every time! Our grill easily accomodates ample food for 4 people... if you regularly cook for more than 4 (or have really large appetites) then choose from the wide variety of larger sizes. When you buy a Weber grill you'll get a handy booklet with great recipes. Plus, if you visit Weber's excellent Web site (www.weber.com) you'll find additional recipes that are out of this world (the Grilled Pork Tenderloin wrapped in pancetta is mouth-watering delicious!). If you aren't resticted by condo regulations to gas-grills, then definitely go for the charcoal grill in order to get the superior flavors available only when you cook on charcoal. I liked Weber's simple directions on how to use the grill so that you'll maximize flavors, minimize charcoal use and make the most of this incredible grill. Weber grills RULE!

This grill is a solid purchase for those who like to do some basic grilling. It's nothing fancy (I suggest the Weber "Gold Line" for more hardcore grilling enthusiasts), but gets the job done.

I have only two complaints:

1)The handle on the grill top gets way too hot to touch without using an oven mit. Weber should consider redesigning this aspect of the grill as a handle that stays cool to the touch would seem much more useful and logical.

2)My grill arrived damaged. I did not notice the damage until I began grilling later that night. I then noticed the grill top had a small knick out of the enamel and the pulling handle had been slightly bent and clearly resoldered when examined from the inside of the lower portion of the grill. Since I had already used the grill and had discarded the box, I did not bother returning it. But I do caution others to carefully examine their grill when it arrives, INSIDE AND OUT!!!

The Weber grill has always been the Cadilac of BBQ grilling. It is a quality good - it won't rust and will last a decade even when left outdoors. Its other claim to fame is the ability it offers to "shut off the charcoal" as it is air tight. The "one touch" system just makes it even easier. Instead of having to close three bottom vents seperately (and fumbling with hot surfaces that cannot be easily seen), you just flip one lever. You make up your mind yourself about the silver vs. gold models as both are good. What size do you need? What do you want to cook? A turkey? - better get the 22 1/2 inch size. If you have a chicken or a roast in mind, the 18 1/2 inch will do and it will save you some fuel to boot.

My husband and I love our Weber. We have had numerous expensive grills and this one cooks better than all of them.

The Good: Simple and easy to put together. Works as perfect as you would expect. Cleaning is as easy as using a brass brush occasionally. This little grill is a powerhouse, cooking most items in less than 5 minutes. Webber has world class customer service.

The Bad: The grill works perfect right out of the box (put it together yourself) however, this is where the problem lies...the box. Whoever Webber got for their packaging really screwed up. They put the legs on the outside of the main grill container, as a result, the legs came smashed and the plastic that holds the small parts is stapled once allowing for most parts to slip through and out of the box. My grill came smashed, dented, and missing parts. I ordered a replacement directly from Webber which they sent me an entire grill at no charge without needing to send the smashed one back. It also came smashed. Instead of calling again, I used parts from both grills to make one that was not smashed up.

I use this grill for direct cooking, and everything that has come off the grill surface has looked and tasted fantastic, and I'm no grill-meister by any means. Very easy to use, assemble and clean. If you want to cook indirectly, go buy a smoker; anything else, this grill will perfect. It's just the right size; not too big, not too small, and easy on the wallet. I'm very pleased with the quality, and the results.

...Spend another $20 to get the 22 1/2-inch version. This grill is a notch too small for effective indirect cooking, although it works quite well to grill stuff for a family of four. For another $20, though, you get yourself a pretty darn effective charcoal grill with greater capacity as well as true offset smoker capabilities. If you're worried about wasting charcoal with the bigger grill, please note that Weber kettles are very efficient and don't use much charcoal at all!

Super-easy to assemble (anybody can do it -- really) and very well-made. Ash disposal tray is clumsy -- for a chunk of additional money, you can buy a Weber with a beter system -- but it's simple enough to just put a small pot on top of the tray and dump ashes into it when it's time to clean out the kettle.

This grill should last for years and fires up nice 'n' hot. Be sure to follow the directions about using the lid -- it really does help!

After looking for a good grill and surfing the web for a while, I read the reviews about this one and I thought lets try it.
Installation of this grill was really easy, you don't need any specific tool.
Let me say that I didn't have any experience with grilling but this grill is incredible, it holds the heat perfectly and you wouldn't end up having black and burned or even raw meat.
The meat is really juicy and delicious.
I think that I got a great deal, I even didn't pay for shipping!