Weber Sprit vs Genesis: Which is the better grill? Which one will be right for you? Read on to find out.
Weber is a very well-known and trusted brand in the world of grilling, and they have a number of different series of grills to choose from.
If you’ve ever looked around for a grill of your own before, we wouldn’t be surprised if either the Weber Spirit or Genesis names popped up.
These are two of Weber’s most popular series of grills, each of which have been enjoyed by thousands of people for many years, with the Genesis series being released in 1985.
Don’t worry, though, as each series has undergone changes and improvements over the years.
Both of these series have proven so popular over the years that Weber has even released the Spirit II and Genesis II series. Due to this, we’ll be looking at the second generation of both the series to ensure you’re getting the most up to date information. The original series are both still available to buy from, but we fear that they might be a little outdated by now.
As both Spirit and Genesis are series from Weber, we’ll be looking at a few of the most popular grills from the two series and seeing how they hold up against each other. We’ll discuss both the similarities and differences between them, ending with a comparison.
If you’ve been wanting to get yourself a Weber grill but find the large selection a little overpowering and daunting, never fear. We’ve created this article to hopefully help you with your decision and make it a lot easier for you.
What is Weber?
Weber is a very popular brand that specializes in barbecue grills, accessories, and even barbecue courses. It offers a number of series of grills for you to choose from, including gas, charcoal, and electric models.
Weber was founded in 1952 and has only kept growing throughout the years, in both size and popularity. One of its main goals is to keep innovating and exploring new possibilities in the grill market. This can be seen by the fact of how they invented the kettle barbecue out of a simple marine buoy.
Today, Weber is truly one of the market leaders in the world of barbecues and it leads the way for a number of smaller companies. Its experience is what has kept Weber so current and popular over the years, and it is now situated in over 40 countries around the world.
The Spirit and Genesis series remain to be the most highly rated products from Weber, which is why we’ve chosen to compare them together. If you’re wanting to try out a Weber barbecue for yourself, you cannot go wrong with choosing from either of these groups.
Best Weber Spirit Grill
There are three barbecues in the original Spirit series, and five more in the Spirit II series. This series is full of gas grills with two to three burners and side tables attached. You can use these high powered grills for anything, from searing to barbecuing.
Weber 44010001 Spirit II E-210 2-Burner Liquid Propane Grill
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Our favorite Weber Spirit grill has to be the E-210, and many customers would agree with us. It uses liquid propane as fuel and features two burners, but you can also get the same grill that’s fuelled by natural gas. This compact grill is ideal for small gatherings and family meals. Don’t worry though, this grill is small but mighty when it comes to its features.
There is an open cart that allows you to easily reach your tools without having to open any doors, and two side tables for extra preparation space. One of these folds down for better space-saving, and they both have hooks for all of your grilling tools.
The ignition is easy and very safe, the fuel is distributed evenly to ensure that all your food is cooked at simultaneously, and the flavorizer bars will make you never want to try another barbecue brand again! Finally, the grease management system is very beneficial to prevent you from having to suffer through a grueling cleanup.
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Best Genesis Grill
The original Genesis series has actually been revamped and added to, to create the Genesis II series. That is why there are 15 barbecue grills in this series altogether, as some are older than others.
Grills in the Genesis series are slightly larger than in the Spirit series, and so they can accommodate more food for bigger families and parties. Now we’ll look at the most highly regarded grill that can be found in the Genesis II series.
Weber 62016001 Genesis II E-435 4-Burner Liquid Propane Grill
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We’ve found that the Genesis II E-435 is the most favored grill out of this series, with four main burners, one side burner, and a separate sear station. As you can see, you’ll be able to cook up a whole feast with this grill, so it’s great for parties and larger gatherings. This model is powered by liquid propane, but you can also choose to receive the same grill that works with natural gas.
This grill comes with cabinets where you can store your tools when you’re not using them, and a warming rack above the cooking plate where you can keep already cooked foods warmer for longer. Having said that, with the lid down, this grill is excellent at retaining heat by itself.
The instructions that come with the grill are interactive and 3D, so the setup could not be easier. You can sear, saute, or simmer foods with the E-435, so be prepared for a long cooking session. Once you get on this grill, you won’t want to turn it off!
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Weber Spirit vs Genesis – Comparison Table
| Image | Product | Our Rating | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
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Weber 44010001 Spirit II E-210 2-Burner Liquid Propane Grill | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | |
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Weber 62016001 Genesis II E-435 4-Burner Liquid Propane Grill | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON |
Similarities
Weber has taken the phrase – if it’s not broken, why fix it? – with these two series, meaning that there are quite a few similarities between the Spirit and Genesis series. Rightly so, as all of these similarities are the great factors that make Weber grills so impressive and special.
The Ignition
Weber has described their ignition mechanism as an infinite ignition. This is because the easy to use ignition works almost 100 percent of the time, and it can light the grill in any situation, no matter what the weather is.
You can find this useful ignition on all of the grills in both the Genesis and Spirit series, simply because it’s such a useful mechanism to have on your barbecue.
Flavorizer Bars
The flavorizer bars are both the same on all of the grills in both of these series by Weber. They are triangularly shaped and are positioned between the cooking area and the fire. Flavorizer bars keep the flames from licking up and causing an accidental fire, as well as preventing grease from falling into the fire.
Fallen grease in the flames could cause them to get out of control quickly, so these bars are a very useful safety device.
Now you may be wondering why they’re called flavorizer bars if they’re used for this purpose, but they have another job as well. The second reason that they’re used is to keep the flavor in the food. When the grease falls onto the hot bars, it burns and the smoke rises back up into the food that you’re cooking.
This gives you a smokey taste and makes your barbecue even more flavorful than it would’ve been prior. This is one feature that has proven very popular among Weber customers.
Grilling System and Technology
The G45 Grilling System is one that has been developed over the years by Weber. The brand has repeatedly changed its grilling system to make it the best that it can be for the users, and loyal customers have come to be simultaneously excited and nervous about any change to the grilling system.
This is because they do not want anything to ruin the amazing current system, but they’re also intrigued by the new changes. Luckily, the grilling system that both the Genesis and Spirit series comes equipped with a great grilling system that proves difficult to find flaws in.
What’s more is that all of these grills offer you the ability to use iGrill 3 technology. This means that you can monitor different features of your grill from your smartphone or tablet, as there is a little tracker embedded in the grill that sends all the information to an app.
This technology is so smart that it recognizes the internal temperatures of the food that you’re cooking, and the actual temperature of the grill plate. Gone are the days of having to cut into the meat to see if it was cooked, or using that old questionable thermometer that’s been in your family for generations.
Grease Management
If the flavorizer bars let some grease slip past them, the grease collection tray is ready to step up to the job. This management system allows all the grease to collect in one place so that you don’t need to clean the whole barbecue after every use.
The tray is super easy to clean and makes your clean up time much easier and quicker after your grilling session. All of the barbecues in the two series come with this grease management system, so you don’t have to worry about cleaning tough grease off of any of them.
High-Quality Burners
All of the burners featured in both of the Spirit and Genesis series have been upgraded and therefore make for a better overall cooking experience. The burners allow for a better, more consistent cooking process with even temperatures across the board.
After one use of these high-quality burners, you’ll wonder how you ever grilled without them. Trust us, this is one factor that you did not want to be different between the grills in the two series.
Warranty
Weber offers a 10-year warranty for all of their grills, including the ones in the Spirit and Genesis series. The process is also very simple, all you have to do is fill out a form and attach some evidence of the problem.
Brands that offer generous warranties, such as Weber, are often a good indication of a manufacturer who believes in their product. This gives the customer the confidence to invest in an expensive product as they know that their money is somewhat protected.
Personally, we’d definitely recommend buying a grill with a decent warranty. Weber also offers great customer service to help you with any problems that you may encounter with your Spirit or Genesis barbecue.
Color Options
The two main color options that you can choose from are black and stainless steel, however, some grills also offer different color options. The majority of the grills in the Genesis series only come in the two main swatches that we mentioned above, however, some also come in a Smoke color, which is grey.
The Spirit II does feature some color options, however, on the Weber website, there are four black grills and one stainless steel option. The original Spirit series only features three grills, all of which are black. Amazon offers a few more colors to choose from.
Differences
Having looked at all of the similarities between the Spirit and Genesis series, now let’s discuss the differences. Of course, there are a reasonable amount of differences to make sure that Weber caters to all types of grillers.
The differences that we’re going to be looking at below may determine which grill will be better for you, so this might prove helpful in determining which series you should buy your new barbecue from.
Size and Power
You’ll find more burners on a Genesis grill compared to a Spirit grill, meaning that you can make more food for a larger number of people in less time. Moreover, the BTU output will also be increased on a Genesis barbecue.
Looking into the different series, the Spirit offers grills that come equipped with either two or more burners. On the other hand, the grills in the Genesis series offer more burners. The smallest barbecue in this series offers the user three burners to use.
Larger doesn’t always equate to better, so you don’t need to choose a grill from the Genesis series just because you want a bigger model. You’ll be spending more money on your gas consumption with a bigger grill, so if you’re not going to use it to its maximum effectiveness, you may find that you’re actually wasting money.
The Genesis series is best for bigger gatherings or families, whereas the Spirit series is more than suitable for smaller families or intimate get-togethers.
Additional Features
The grills in the Genesis II series generally offer more additional features than those in the Spirit series. Genesis grills often come equipped with additional burners, stations designated for searing meats, food carts, and other helpful features.
Don’t let this deter you from the Spirit series, however, as they also come with some additional features such as lift up trays to store plates. That being said, the Genesis series comes with more features that are often more helpful, impressive, and desirable.
Which series you choose may depend on how many additional features you want and think that you’re actually going to use. There is no use paying for all of these features that you’re going to forget that they’re there, right?
Price
Looking at the two main differences that we mentioned above, it should come as no surprise that the Spirit grills are less expensive than the Genesis alternatives. Having said that, even if you compare two similarly sized grills from both of these series, you’ll still find that the Spirit option is cheaper.
Another difference is the gas consumption, in which Genesis grills would take the cake. This means that you’ll be spending more money on gas for a Genesis grill thanks to its size, so that might be something worth thinking about before making your decision.
Customer Reviews
From our research, we’ve seen that there are many more customer ratings and reviews when it comes to the Spirit series from Weber. While the Genesis line does hold a respectable amount of reviews from happy customers, it is clear to see that Spirit grills have been around longer and well-received by many more people.
While this may not mean that they’re superior to Genesis grills, we think it’s an interesting factor to consider. More people have used the Spirit barbecues and thought of them highly enough to rate them a high score. This might mean that there is a larger community of people for you to compare notes with.
If you’re someone who likes to trust other buyers and often chooses the highest rated product, you may want to consider this as a large difference. Bear in mind that this might be more to do with the lower price than the actual performance of the grill.
Final Verdict
The main difference between the two lines of grills is how many features you receive and the size of the grill itself. Both of these series are respectable and impressive in their own right, and are covered by Weber’s 10-year warranty.
We’d suggest determining whether you really need a big grill, or if a smaller model would suffice. There are benefits and drawbacks to both Spirit and Genesis series, but you don’t want to be paying more money if you don’t need a more powerful barbecue.
