Customer Ratings: 
List Price: $2,049.00
Sale Price: $1,899.00
Today's Bonus: 7% Off
I started off looking at the TEC Infrared grills at around the $4k price range, after a while, I found I could get a similar grill from Fire Magic, for less money, so was about to go that route. I sent an e-mail to the people at Shopper's Choice, and asked some questions about Infrared grills in general. What I found out was very interesting, and kept me from buying the wrong grill.
It turns out, almost all infrared grills are only good for one thing, cooking steaks, and usually rare to medium rare in taste. I do not like my meat still mooing, so that was out of the question. About the only infrared grill that would allow you to cook other foods, and use other doneness levels, would be the TEC. This is because the TEC version can get down to around 300 degrees, where most other infrared grills have a low temp of only about 500-600 degrees. So, if you only like cooking steaks, then an infrared grill is for you. Otherwise, one of the Fire Magic grills would be a good choice, as you can get both infrared and conventional gas burners, but there is still one drawback to that, over this Weber model. That is, that if you need conventional burners for whatever you are cooking, the grill space over the infrared burner is wasted, and cannot be used for anything else.
After much looking around, and reading reviews of Weber grills (including the one already here on this grill), I decided I wanted one of the Summit grills. I decided on the 470 model, because 4 main burners was more than enough for what I wanted to do, and our family isn't huge, so the added space probably wouldn't get used. The reason I picked the higher end 4 burner model, was because I wanted the sear station, to get the effect of the infrared burner, without having to devote an entire burner to it. In my opinion, the lighted knobs are kind of a waste, however, I haven't needed to use them. The grill out light is kind of cool, and I've actually used it a few times now with good results.
I ordered this grill online (not through Amazon), and it arrived on a pallet, within a heavy cardboard box. Almost all of the main unit was already assembled, leaving the wings, and a few other things to install. I think it took me less than an hour to assemble the entire unit, once I got it off the pallet. This grill is heavy, around 300-350lbs, so it is a lot easier if you have a couple people to get it out of the packaging.
I was really impressed with the quality of the parts. All of the burners, flame tamers, and grates are made out of stainless steel, so they should last the life of the grill (which I expect to be 20 years or more). One of the more cool features of this grill, is the smoker box. This is something that did not even come with the higher-end grills, until you stepped up to the $6k or more grills. The smoker box is all stainless steel, and has its own burner on the very right side of the grill. It takes up little grilling space, which is nice. I've used it several times, and it seems to work pretty well. Controlling the amount of smoke is as easy as turning a knob.
On to the cooking. This grill is fantastic at cooking. You get those perfect sear marks on everything you cook, and the flavor is outstanding. One thing I would point out here, is if you think you really know how to grill, get the cook book by Jamie Purviance, called Weber's Real Grilling (bought here on Amazon for less than $17, 75 reviews at 5 stars), and you will really learn how to grill. It is amazing some of the things I used to do to try and make things taste better, only to learn it was the wrong thing to do. A lot of people I have seen grilling, do it the WRONG way, so I'd highly recommend this book, not only does it teach you the proper technique, it has some fantastic recipes in it (not just meat, either--my wife and I are fans of the Barbecue Chicken Pizzas--yes, on the grill pizza, and the Apple Cake).
The grill is fantastic at everything so far. I have not tried the rotisserie yet, but everything else works really well. The burner lighting system is great, basically like using a flame thrower to light the burner, so you don't have to sit there and keep sparking the igniter all the time (oh, and the igniter is nice, it's built-in to the knob, you don't push another button or anything, just turn the knob to light, and hold it for a second or two, and you're good to go. This grill is capable of getting very HOT. The first time I used it to make a couple steaks, with the sear burner on, I burned all the hair off of my right hand, just opening the grill cover! I did the same thing a few weeks later, until I learned my lesson--get longer grilling tools! The knobs regulate well, and the burners seem to cook evenly.
Overall, I'm really impressed with this grill. I would buy it again, without a second thought. It sure beats the Patio Caddy I had, up until I got this one. This grill does seem to go through the gas a little faster, but then again, it has more than one burner... I ordered the Weber grill cover that goes with this grill last week, because I noticed that even under a covered porch, the grill does get pretty dirty.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Update: 5 years after purchasing this, I have no regrets at all. I just got thru cleaning it and discovered that the reason it was getting less hot in the back was simply because some of the gas holes had become blocked. Cleaned these out as well and it is working like new. I seldom use the smoker and I have yet to use the rotisserie, but having that extra burner in the middle makes all the difference in the world in getting it hot enough to give burgers and steaks a good sear on the outside without overcooking the inside. I still love it. Not one part has yet broken or worn out so far. It is a well made machine.
Original 2008 Review:
I recently purchased this grill and had a huge cookout last weekend (18 people in all). I loved that it maintained the heat well enough for me to plan ahead and properly slow-cook and smoke the ribs at 225 and chicken at 350 and sirloin at 375 and sear the ribs when done. I would have never even considered trying that with my old $200 CharBroil grill (everything had a tendency to be burnt on the outside as the open flames in one big U were very hard to control).
With the Weber, as long as you properly pre-heat to get the flavorizer bars hot enough before grilling so that the drippings vaporize on contact (adding flavor to your meat) and the thick grill hot enough to singe the meat, it becomes a simple matter to cook your food to perfection. Everyone raved at how moist and tender the ribs and chicken where.
I was tempted to get the $999 Kirkland grill at Costco, however the searer took up too much precious grilling space and I had trouble seeing how the infrared gizmo was going to stay clean. Weber just adds a high-heat burner in the middle and thus it consumes no grill space. I have already made burgers dozens of times without once over-cooking them.
There are two covers available and both leak thru the vents. I chose the 9988 and put black duct tape over the vent in the back. Putting duct tape over the 7554's side vents would have looked tacky. The picture on the box for the 7554 does NOT show the vents.
Cleaning was much easier than my last grill... Just removed the 2 grates and the 10 flavorizer bars and the slide out drip tray and scrubbed them down in our concrete basement sink with a stainless steel scrubber and the grates are like new again (the flavorizer bars are a bit discolored, but that is fine).
I wish the burners were removable so I can more easily clean the area below the burners that direct the drippings into the removable drip pan.
It was a lot more expensive than I would have liked, but I could not find an alternative that I felt comfortable buying. I was so tired of making due with a cheap grill that I figure that on a per-use basis (since I will likely use it a lot more) weighted for properly cooked meat, that this grill, over the long term, will be cheaper than several cheaper grills being replaced every 5 years.
Best Deals for Weber 2740001 Summit S-470 Grill, Propane, Stainless Steel
Over the years I have owned four gas grills, each of which cost 1/4 the cost of this Weber Summit S-470.. We live close to Minneapolis, MN and grill several times a week throughout the winter.
I could have saved money had I purchased the Weber first. Pocelain and cast iron grids burn out quickly. Weber has Stainless steel. The Weber ignitor system is superior to others. All parts that will eventually burn out are readily available, ie SS burners, SS angle iron, SS grid. The entire construction quality is superior. This grill will last a long time.
Of what value is superior constuction if the engineering for function is not also of superior quality? Weber does not disappoint. I have never had a gas grill be so functional. The center searing function is outstanding. The two burners furthest from the center are a necessity for the indirect heat needed for rotisserie grilling of chickens and roasts. It is amazing to put a roast on a grill, check it only 2 or 3 times in an hour and a half and have a perfectly cooked roast. Some products are engineered to produce a product as cheaply as possible; Weber engineered this grill to be as good as possible.
I have not yet found a compelling reason to use the infrared heating unit. I doubt I will use the smoking box either. Since I enjoy smoked food SO much, I purchased a seperate log burning smoker by David Klose from TX.
The initial set up of this grill is much easier than all others. The directions were well written by by knowledgable people. I called the Weber site because my magnetic doors would not stay close. The temperary plastic, on the botton of the frame to prevent damage during shipping, looked so good I thought it was meant to be permanent.
If you cannot afford it, buy a charcoal grill instead. I made a mistake by not buying this 30 years ago.
The delivery down our narrow 1000' driveway was smooth. Enjoy.
Honest reviews on Weber 2740001 Summit S-470 Grill, Propane, Stainless Steel
Awesome grill.......may not be as HOT as my old TEC grill, but does a great job otherwise and has the ability to do any kind of grilling I want, excluding charcoal of course.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Weber 2740001 Summit S-470 Grill, Propane, Stainless Steel
It really turned to Winter here in Vermont just as we received this grill, but we've broken it in and so far it is great. The unit is VERY heavy and well built... heed the instructions to have a couple of friends to help unpack it... it arrives mostly assembled in a heavy plastic pallet, and must be lifted straight up about six inches to remove the pallet, which really takes 3 people to do.
The searing station is a very nice feature, and we have changed the way we cook steaks compared to our old Weber Genesis grill. The flavor and texture of steaks are even better with this grill, which is impressive.
Overall, the grill is beautiful to look at and works as well as we had expected. Haven't gotten the weather to cooperate yet so we have not tried the rotisserie or side burner.
