Customer Reviews

Weber 7553 Genesis Series Cover

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

When I purchased my new Weber Genesis grill I wanted to get a nice cover to protect it. Amazon had it listed as backordered so I went to my local HD to buy this Weber grill cover. When I open the box I immediately noticed the nice material quality. Put the cover on my new grill and it was a perfect fit. The velcro straps hold the cover on tight so it will never blow off in a wind storm. Then I noticed two large mesh vents, one above each side table. It didn't make sense to me, but hey I'm sure Weber knows what they are doing. Then a few days later it rained on my new cover. The next day I went out to pull off the cover and both side tables had large water puddles on them. That's when I found out that when water collects on the side tables, it will drain into the cabinet below the grill. Frustrated, I went to Amazon again and read the reviews on the cover. Several people mentioned a rear vent but none mentioned any side vents. So I purchased the cover from Amazon and waited several weeks for it. I was excited to see on the box pictures that it didn't have side vents. As I pulled the cover out my excitement turned to disappointment that it had side vents and no rear vent. This cover is useless with the side vents. I will be returning it. If this is Weber's new design, I will be purchasing a generic grill cover. 5 stars for the cover durability and velcro straps, 0 stars for the side vent design.

Update 11/09/07: By trial and error I was able to find a Weber grill cover with a rear vent at a different HD. This is a much better design than the side vent version. Unfortunately, you cannot tell which version you are getting by only looking at the box. The boxes are identical down to the date code markings.

Do NOT buy this grill cover...

If you own a Genesis series grill, I strongly advise you NOT to buy this grill. Indeed, the quality of the material is great; the size is perfect. However, there are TWO SIDE VENTS that are crafted in the cover, just above the two side shelves.

These "side vents" are mesh screens that will allow any and all rainwater to flow DIRECTLY onto my/your very nice, very expensive Weber grill. I thoroughly researched this cover before I purchased it, and I had read a few reports of the side vents. But I had also read reports of a "rear vent" that worked well.

I'm not sure how one can differentiate between the two different models (and whether or not the respective model has side or rear vents). However, I do know that, if you have a Genesis-series grill, DO NOT ORDER THIS ONE... The two side vents are located ABOVE the side shelves. I will be returning this item as soon as I take the time to fold it back into the box.

If anyone has any ideas where I can purchase the correct cover, please comment.

I read the reviews about the vents issue, so I went to Lowe's today and purchased a new cover (same model #7553) which comes WITHOUT vents (item #180176, priced at $49.99). The cover looks exactly the same, but again, comes without vents so that you don't have to worry about rain getting inside. I took the cover out of the box, just to confirm.

Yes I know it's offered bundled with the Weber E/S series grills. Look up Grady's Ace and order the 9985 which does not have the side vents. Weber covers are extremely well made with high quality materials and the 7553 is no exception. If there's a chance it will get wet then so will your stainless side tables. I took this one back and ordered the 9985.

Even though I'm very pleased with my e320 grill, the cover is an absolute failure! There are two large square meshed vents on top. It rained and let all the water in and I had to uncover the grill to let it dry off!?! This means that every time it rains I get to uncover it!!!

Buyer beware you have been warned!

The side vent is quite bothersome to me and many others. There are good reasons behind the madness. The side vent allows moisture to exit. If there were no vents, condensation would build up every night, grill would get moist/wet therefore increase the chance of rusting and shorten the life span of your grill parts. If parts break during the warranty period when it's not suppose to break, Weber needs to replace your part for free. That warranty period at least for my stainless steel Genesis ranges from 2 - 25 years depending on the part.

But wouldn't the vents allow rain and snow to get on the grill? Yes it would but your grill is built to withstand the elements of rain, snow, sleet, etc without the need of a cover in the first place very much similar to your car. Water getting on it and drying off is far less dangerous than staying wet all day and night and not having a chance to dry.

Why remove the rear vents and place side vents? My take on this is that rear vents doesn't provide adequate ventilation. If they placed a rear vent on my cover, it would be mostly blocked by the back of my grill. By putting it on the sides, there's better air flow for ventilation.

This really makes me wonder why buy a cover then if it's got holes? When you boil down to it, the cover pretty much is only good for helping keep the grill look new. It's thick, resists fading and it's actually pretty high quality. It fits your Weber grill like a glove. There's velcro straps on the sides to hold onto your grill to prevent strong wind from blowing it off. If something were to hit it by accident, for example a shovel standing next to the grill falls on it, the cover would do a good job of protecting your shiny grill from scratches. It would block off bird poo or tree sap to help protect the finish. The cover also makes your yard look a lot neater than a bare open grill.

So I gave this three stars because this cover is quite pricey pretty much like any Weber product and the fact that there are vents. The reason I bought this and the same reason many people bought this is to protect it from the rain thinking that it would help, but the reality is that the grill just doesn't really need anything to protect it from the rain, snow, sleet, etc. It's suppose to last a long time without the cover. All this cover does is protect your grill's finish and keep it looking as new as possible. This is a little misleading from Weber's part because they intentionally leave out any information about vents.

I usually read the reviews before I buy but, this time I did not and what a surprise.
After I finished covering my new grill with my brand new cover I noticed the openings on the side, I was confused, It did not make any sense why would Weber put openings on the side when you want to protect your investment from the elements especially the rain. Anyway, confused, I went and checked the cover picture on the box, it didn't have openings on the side. So I thought I got the wrong product and did a search in the internet and that's when I realized my mistake about getting this cover. If you want to protect your grill from water DO NOT GET this cover.

I read about the side vents but they were not too clear whether it will affect the S320 as well. When I looked at the product photo, it seemed the vents were below the left and right tables. I was wrong. Those were the velcro straps you can use to snugly fit the cover on the grill so it will not get blown away. The vents were on the left and right side of the cover, on the fabric ABOVE the tables. It rained a day after I received the cover. When I checked it after the rain, there were puddles of water on both side tables. I took a couple of photos and will post them here. The quality of the material and the fit is great. I really do not understand why they placed the vents there. That ruined what could have been a perfect Genesis grill cover.

After forking out a lot of money for a quality grill, I decide to buy the Weber cover to take good care of it.

This is the most retarded product I've ever bought! As other's mention, there are two large mesh windows on the the side tops over the stainless steel work areas. When it rains, everything gets soaked!

One response said Weber told him it was for dust and leaves. Huh? Is it only for Arizona?

I'm am extremely upset about this cover, and the responses here make show a bizarre and out-of-touch manufacturer.

Some people mentioned finding an older version, with a mesh on the back. I'll return this to Home Depot and look for a version like that or opt for a generic cover.

Like so many others, I instinctively bought the 7553 cover thinking it was exactly what I needed to protect my new Genesis S-310. After seeing the envelope-sized vents above the side trays (and the gas controls), I was skeptical. I don't want to criticize Weber yet about this design without having some long-term evidence, but I'm not willing to take any chances with water standing on my grill. So I took this back and fortunately found the 9985 cover at my local True Value for $60. The 9985 has an the elongated vent along the backside of the grill box. This seems to be a better design. Hopefully I made the right choice.