Weber Performer

Love it – We've had ours for 8 almost trouble free years now and the one issue we did have in 2016 was resolved by Weber Australia who shipped out a replacement gas hose and regulator and because we are outside their service zone, I fitted it myself which was easy enough. (Having said that I had to get the US mob to remind them they did have spares). … Read more

Somebody said in another review that the small gas cylinders are no longer available but Bunnings carry the Benzomatic range (the 465g is $9) and any Propane cylinder of 465g or less with a CGA600 fitting will do.

As a BBQ it's simply great. It takes awhile to get used to venting top and bottom to get the temperature right but it's capable of reaching temps over 500F. Using hickory wood chips in the burner imparts a great smoky flavour to anything you cook in and slow cooks over several hours only require occasional top ups of the charcoal.

I've found it best to leave the gas burner running for slightly longer than the 5 minutes recommended but even so, the bottles last a fair while.

It's a shame that some Australian states decided to not allow it to be sold and that Weber Australia dropped it but it's still a continuing model in other markets and the convenience of the gas assisted charcoal ignition makes this a breeze to use.

After use cleaning is a matter of minutes but at the end of each summer season it gets a complete clean of everything and I did notice this year that the charcoal baskets are getting a bit worn and will need to be replaced but Bunnings do a generic pair for $17 and genuine Weber ones are $40 a pair.

My only gripe is that the handle on the kettle gets very hot and I've burnt myself a couple of times. They apparently redesigned it in 2015 and it is now shielded and the later handles are available as a spare part.

Works well and runs off a normal gas bottle too – Love this and the gas light of the brickettes in a chimney is so much easier. Not sure why people are worried about the disposable bottle, I bought a converter hose and have the best of both worlds! Getting use to the vents and air control takes some practice but once known the results can be spectacularl. It can get nice and hat for fastcooking… Read more ·  1

or laying out the brickettes in a snake has created low & slow cooked (read 20hrs) smoked pulled pork and spare ribs that still get mentioned years later!

Put in the time and you will get the results!

Perfect charcoal BBQ – We bought one ten years ago. The gas ignition stopped working long ago and the small gas bottle is impossible to buy anymore, but it's actually not difficult to get a charcoal BBQ going with firefighters anyhow. I'm amazed after ten years how the enamel is still fine and the whole shebang just works. I almost want it to fall apart so I can buy a new one, but no sign of that yet.  Show details ·  1

Great and ideal design, only when it works! – It is a great BBQ, same old Kettle now with Gas ignition which is a great feature any BBQ junkie like me would like. No question, Weber kettle is unbeatable, the taste of food comes out of it is great. I paid top dollar for gas ignition however after only TWO uses, the gas opening "knob" stopped working which is a big disappointment and i had to… Read more

go back to same old BBQing techniques. I will be calling Weber and i am sure they will rectify it but i was expecting this type of quality only form cheepies from Bunnies! Great Taste Gas troubles, bad quality gas ignitor design

Good – It's a great BBQ, there is no doubt about that, but anyone who is considering purchasing a Weber already knows that, real BBQ is cooked over charcoal, not gas! when you are purchasing a Weber, you're doing it for the taste, not for ease of use or convenience. However - the performer really does make using a charcoal BBQ much easier. Simply tip in… Read more ·  1

the charcoal, turn the knob & press the ignite button, leave for 10-15 minutes and then turn off the gas. The gas does a much better job of starting the charcoal than firelighters ever could, with the benefit of not having the noxious fumes. The charcoal ashes over MUCH quicker with the gas than with firelighters. HOWEVER! I can't for the life of me understand WHY Weber have gone to a disposable gas bottle system on this model. Apart from the fact that our society should have moved beyond Disposable anything by now, The disposable cylinders are expensive and there is no way to shut the gas off at the bottle, and to prevent the gas from leaking out when not in use, the bottle really should be removed each time, which is a pain to re-attach each time you want to use it. I have seen adapter hoses are available (in the USA), to connect it to a regular gas bottle, but why design so it requires a specialised item? the older performer models contained a standard fitting & bottle. I'm really confused as to why Weber decided to go disposable on this model. As a result, demand for the older performer models with the stainless top & standard fitting has increased, with the general consensus around the forums that the older model is the one to hang on to or try and get second hand. A word on the price, considering that this unit costs around $300 in the USA and Canada, I find it hard to believe why it costs $800 here. To sum up - this is a great BBQ. If you buy one you won't be disappointed. But it has a few issues that sadly detract from what is a fantastic unit. If it came with a gas hose to connect it to a standard bottle, (or designed to accept a standard bottle) this unit would have scored 5/5 If you have one of these BBQ,s a little tip is that there is a product made by Gasmate which is an adapter for their hiking stove to accept the Aerosol 'bayonet' type fitting. This adapter will screw directly to the BBQ and allow you to use the cheaper canisters commonly used in portable stoves. This is available from camping stores (see link below) [url censored] * Easy to use, the gas lighting system is very convenient.

* A breeze to assemble, fit and finish of parts is excellent.

* Easy to move around

* Side table is extremely handy

* Lots of included features that are options on other models. (thermometer, hinged cooking grill, slide away lid holder.)

* Well made, good warranty (5 years on some components)

* Well known quality brand

* Lots of online presence, including recipes, tips & tricks & aftermarket accessories. * Disposable gas cylinders required.

* Disposable gas cylinders required! (saying it once wasn't enough!)

* Disposable cylinders are expensive (see tip at the end of review)

* Pricing in Australia compared to USA. - expensive

* Storage bin operation, perhaps should open towards you instead of to the side. (people in units with balconies will understand this one)

I love this BBQ – I love this barbeque - the work bench makes all the difference. The only thing I don't like is the fact that you have to use disposable propane canisters for the ignition... would be much better if you could hook up to an LPG tank work bench / prep area and one touch system with ash catcher below only disposable canisters for ignition Show reply

Good – very good unit very handy and easy to use, but the gas can thing was a really bad choice on webers behalf. built in stand and side table & coal storage, + of course the smoke favoured cooking easy light and walk away coal start system, easy clean up system too this really let's the weber performer down is the really bad idea of running the type of… Read more ·  2

disposeable gas cans it takes, there expensive and hard to find. they really should have used other gas cans or even better LPG bottles, really the worst cans they could have picked to use, check for avalibility and cost of gas cans befor buying this model, WEBER REALLY NEED to make an adaptor for the gas cans to use other can types !!!

Excellent – a beautifully crafted product.Top quality materials and well engineered. Dam’n fine piece of machinery. Excellent design and impeccable support. The fact that you dont have to use those nasty bricks with the kerosene is just wonderful.