While I love my Genesis S-320, I decided I wanted to get in to charcoal grilling when time allows. Without question, I was going to buy a Weber, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go with the One-Touch Gold, One-Touch Platinum (knowing I'd still buy accessories for both) or the Performer.
What really sold me was the propane ignition and the cart. Having this much workspace outside is invaluable, and I just don't trust larger items like turkey to the tables on the One-Touch Platinum or the Weber 7413 Work Table that I would have got for the Gold. And when you compare the price of the Platinum to the Performer the only reason not to get the Performer is if you're completely uninterested in the propane ignition.
Ordering from Amazon was the usual experience. With Prime, my Performer was on my porch two days after I ordered it via UPS. Despite being nearly 100 pounds, this doesn't need to go through one of the local logistics companies that are usually used with big items, so that was a huge plus in my book.
After inspecting the box for damage, the first thing I looked for was where the Performer was made. As I thought (and in spite of what some have said on different grilling forums) it clearly says "Designed and engineered in the USA" right above "Made in the USA". So, yes, the Performer is (as of April 2010, when Amazon shows this model number as "new") made in the United States.
This being my third Weber grill, I didn't expect the pieces to be pristine, and wasn't shocked to see that there were a few minor paint scrapes, despite the box showing absolutely zero evidence of being mishandled. This is the same experience as when I bought my first Genesis at a local store, and my next Genesis, and... Basically, if you're expecting every piece of a Weber grill to be scratch-free out of the box, you're going to be disappointed, so be prepared.
Assembly was pretty straightforward. As they often are, the Weber manual was easy to follow and well illustrated. All you need to put this together is a hammer (for the wheels), a Phillips screwdriver, and a 3/8" wrench. I put it together by myself in about 30 minutes with no problems at all. I was mildly amused (and at the same time, a bit annoyed) that the bottom of the kettle has post holes for legs. The only thing that's different on the kettle between the Performer and One-Touch Gold is two metal flaps that let you mount it to the cart.
The Performer can use the "fat green" propane canisters that you usually see on camping equipment, as well as the type of canisters you'd usually use with a torch kit. I was quite disappointed to discover that the redesigned Performer still uses the old red-button "spark-plug" ignition, instead of the electric battery-based ignition used on all of their other grills.
That brings me to the loss of a star. There are a few other design problems with the Performer that are disappointing. The first, which I haven't seen depicted in any picture of this item here or on Weber's site, is that the propane tank hangs down below the control panel. It looks kind of chintzy, and frankly, at this price, it shouldn't. The other design annoyance is with the holder for the top of the kettle. It's almost all metal, and it's quite rough. The first time you use it, you're going to put some nice silver scratches on your black lid. I'm experimenting with high-temp silicone on the rough edges, to see if that solves the problem.
Another warning: At the time of this review, Weber's site has a mix of pictures for the current Performer. Some depict the lid with a small, removable thermometer on the handle. Some (correctly) depict the more Genesis-like thermometer mounted between the handle and edge of the lid. Additionally, Amazon's picture depicts the Thermoset surface as black, it's really more of a grey color.
All things being equal, it's a very nice grill. You get the sturdy cart, One-Touch cleaning system with ash catcher, hinged cooking grate, Char-Basket holders, gas ignition, and a place to keep your charcoal.
Is it a crazy-good value? Well... that's hard to say. If you start off with a One-Touch Silver or Gold and start adding accessories, the price isn't unreasonable. If anything, it's like buying most of your accessories in one box. But if you don't care a lot about the ignition or big cart, you're probably much better off getting a One-Touch.
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Weber 1421001 Performer Charcoal Grill, BlackProduct Description: The Weber Performer Charcoal Grill features a Touch-N-Go gas ignition system that ignites charcoal briquets with the push of a button. Organizational features enable you to keep your focus on the food, including an attached work table, a weather-protected charcoal storage container, a wire bottom shelf and three tool hooks. This grill is built to last, as demonstrated by the heavy-duty steel cart frame, heavy-duty plated-steel hinged cooking grate, no rust aluminum vent, a glass-reinforced nylon handle, two crackproof all-weather wheels, and two locking casters. Its One-Touch cleaning system with a removable black aluminum ash catcher allows for easy clean-up. Comes in black, green, and dark blue.
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The grill as a whole has good size for camping.
Gave this grill as a Christmas present and the top melted upon first use. Very disappointing and a waste of money.
As it comes out of the box, you will have a hard time keeping the temperature up into the cooking range (200 F) on this smoker, unless you add hot coals every 30 to 45 minutes.The problem is that the fire doesnot get enough oxygen with the fire pan provided. To increase air flow, Idrilled about 30 half-inch diameter holes in the bottom of my fire pan. Then, I bought a charcoal grate from Home Depot. I set on top of a 3 inchtall collar made of aluminum flashing that sits in the drilled out firepan.Many of the barbecue sites on the web have other detailedinstructions for modification of water smokers. 
Just what I was looking for to use for outdoors grill.Heavy with a sturdy grip and just the right length.
I bought this at a grocery store while on vacation. I thought it would be better than the other small, cheap grills they had. Wrong... 
At least when it comes to grilling!After months of anxious waiting, I received my "new" 26 inch Weber grill from Amazon a few weeks ago.I say "new" because this is not Weber's first 26 inch grill.They previously had manufactured a 26 inch model that has long since been discontinued.
Upon unpacking the legs did not fit due to the collars being smashed during shipment. This was not a big deal and was easy fixed. Then I started assembling the grill and noticed that the handle was not level with the grill. Once assembled it was about a half inch out of level. The front meat shelve on the outside of the grill hung down about two inches out of level and would not hold a tray of food without it sliding off. Last but not least the top grill in the burner box would not sit level. The last three items could not be fixed without the use of some cutting tools and a welder. I thought for a second that I should fix it and move on. I later decided to just send it back.
I was a little unsure if this type of grill would work with charcoal, but it does.The spacing between the grill and the charcoal is a little close for my liking.You have to keep a close eye on the food so that it will not burn.The food taste great because of that charcoal flavor that a propane grill just would not give.Now the problem, it makes a mess.Cleaning the bottom of the grill is a pain.You can not clean it a 100%.It leaves a little bit of the burn charcoal at the bottom.Also, the handles are a little "weak" for the weight of the grill in my opinion.Don't get me wrong I do enjoy the grill, but I wish it didn't have the problems that it has for the price that it cost.
Sadly I returned this grill the moment I opened it.The construction, thin metal gauge and welding is very poor.In concept, it's a great idea but the execution of the product is bad.My biggest concern was that the whole BBQ could tip over because of the unstable legs.The claimed 14GA steel is not accurate, it's more like 18GA or even 20GA.I think this BBQ would burn out or rust out in a season or two.The grate is cheaply made as is the lifting mechanism.I really wanted this to work for me but it just wasn't made very well.I bought the Weber kettle grill instead and am very happy with the decision.If you buy the Weber kettle, get the Gold version and not the silver.The Gold version has an ash catcher that actually works.
We purchased this grill cover with our grill last summer.It is attactive and fits our Charbroil smoker grill with smoker box very well.However, it faded considerably more than expected with the summer sun and it has not held up well in the cold weather.The material is very brittle and cracked and split when we took the cover off to grill on a 40 degree day.I'm now searching for another cover to fit our grill and will not purchase this one again.
One of the few drawbacks, if you can call it that, of the Weber Kettle Grill is the lack of a shelf on which to place your food, cutting board or platters.I own the earlier wooden shelf that sits atop a frame fastened to one of the grill legs.It works well enough, but you can't easily remove the frame if you want to store the grill and you can't use a cover if the frame is attached.
Unless you want a several hundred pound heavy duty smoker/griller, or a fixed unit, this is the one. I have seen and used dozens of grills and smokers, and at this price, this unit, (with what I consider the mandatory side fire box) beats them all hands down. Where to start? Approaching the unit, the top half lifts up, revealing the entire cooking grid. There's also the slow cook, warming grid that folds back into the top lid when lifted up. It is also easily removable when cooking larger items, say beer can chicken? Then there's my favorite, the original non-stick surface, a cast iron cooking grid-no cheap steel grate. This rocks! I can even put fish on this thing and the fish comes right up, NO STICKING! (Hey! Don't move your food) Cleaning is wicked easy- consists of burning off anything left when you're done, then brushing with a brass brush and wiping down with a crisco covered paper towel-it's SO easy. Already fair offset cooking because it's so big, the side fire box turns this into an honest-to-goodness smoker that will have your neighbours drooling with envy when you throw those four racks of ribs on it for 3-4 hours and have smoke infusing them and the rest of the neighbourhood. The side and front racks give you a ready place to put plates and tools, the inlet and outlet airflows are adjustable, and the temperature probe in the lid shows actual temperature, not just low/med/high. I cannot say enough good things about this grill. 
This product was of very poor quality.I returned it.The grills did not stay in position.The parts did not fit together very well.
I bought this grill because it looked like it had it all, and I must say it really lived up to the expectations. Living in Sweden we have a fairly short summer that really makes you want to be out as often as you can. For me happiness lives in the ability to barbecue. Disposable grills is something that is big here, unfortunately its not very environmentally friendly or very good. So far the Son of Hibachi has been able to replace them with style.
Really cheap product metal so thin I thought I would put my fingers through it before I had it assembled China Junk same old story.
My father and I ordered this grill on May 16th 2010 only to get a cancellation notice on June 2, 2010.We called the manufacture and they indicated that a shipment was on it's way for Amazon orders. We were hoping to have it in time for Father's Day.Please Amazon, don't post up products if you can't deliver.We have set up to alert when this product becomes available again and I expect you honor the original details of the offer (i.e free shipping) for our time and trouble. Thank you. I can't rate the item cause I do not have it yet! so I gave it 5 stars.
I have used a Weber One Touch Gold for many years, but the truth of the matter is that in Northern Michigan winter, it is frequently more than I care to attempt to try to get the fire going. Nomatter whether I use the chimney or parrafin starters, that cold wind does not get me enthused to charcoal grill in January.
Ok, so this is for the grill, NOT the price. Amazon's price on this item is WAY too high but that isn't what the review is for... I got mine at a sporting goods store for under $250 so shop around.
You're probalby thinking that there's no reason to update the 10-year-old Weber you've got in your back yard.Well, turns out Weber has made some smart improvements over the years-- the new "gold" model is worth the upgrade.