"El Penguini" > wrote in message
news:dd5zc.47019$Sw.9554@attbi_s51...
> Hmmm.... IMHO I believe that the Weber is the hands down choice. Find
> someone with a 5 year old weber and ask them if they'd buy it again. Now
> ask someone with a 5 year old Vermont Castings. YOu can't cause they
didn't
> exist. And they won't exist in another five years. A weber will let you
> buy replacement parts forever. AN important feature in a $500 grill.
>
> Regarding the Cast Iron - not for me personnaly. i bought stainless and
> love it.

"Forgive him Lord, for he knows not what he says."

Agreed on the Weber, and I own a Silver B myself I bought in 1999.

But as for the stainless steel cooking grates ... you only love them because
you don't know any better. All of us who upgraded to the PCI grates agree
it's a night and day difference. It's not so much that the SS grates are
bad, but rather that the PCI grates are sp much better. It's a thermal amss
thing: the SS grates weigh a couple pounds each while the PCI grates weigh
about 10 pounds for the pair. The problem with the thin SS grates is they
don't hold much heat and cool rapidly when you toss a steak on them.

The SS grates will last longer but the economy isn't a strong arghument. In
10 years you'll go through 2 sets of PCI while the SS grates will last 10
years. So you save $50 in 10 years which works out to $5 a year. Actually it
might even be lower or none at all since with the PCI you don't need as hot
of a fire for some cooks.

That said I did replace my Flavorizer bars with SS when the old ones rusted
through.

It's kind of a shame the Webers last so long since it's going to be a harder
argument to the wife to buy a $2500 TEC when our Weber is still going
strong.