Weber Q200
Coleman 9949-750 Road Trip Grill LXE
Ease of Assembly
All that is required from you after you buy is to attach the handle onto the lid, and push the drip tray into place. It's that easy.
Cooking Power
This is enough power for cooking meat or coffee, but is less suited for serious cooking. If you are looking for a grill that will cook both your meat and your pan dishes, you may need to buy a different one.
With 20,000 BTU, there's almost no end to what you can cook directly on the grate or in a pan. However, since the heat comes from two separate burners, positioning of a full pan to acquire all the heat it can get may be a little tricky.
Price
Portability
These dimensions are taken from the Weber's manufacturer manual. Some websites give different data, as there are various models of the Weber Q series of grills.
Weight is an important factor when buying a portable grill, as you need to move it around. The Weber's weight is a direct result of using quality materials for the body and grate.
If you're buying the grill with add-on accessories such as the rolling cart, you need to add the weight of these accessories to the overall weight you'll need to carry when travelling.
The portable grill's dimensions are 37 x 22 x 15 inches and its weight is 50.8 pounds. (94 x 55.9 x 38.1 cm and 23 kg).
When you consider buying this (or any other) grill, remember that you are likely to need some device or other similar to the collapsible legs, as it is much easier to cook when the grill is a little higher up. Any such accessory you buy with a different grill will add to that grill's overall weight.
Grate Quality
The Q200 grate is professional quality cast-iron which is very durable and provides for years of use if properly cared for. The grill is porcelain-coated which is a lifesaver for easy cleaning after a long day at the beach or in the woods.
Weber uses a unique U-shape burner. The burner, while not extremely powerful heat the grate evenly all over. The even heat disribution means that you get good cooking quality and no colder or hotter spots on the grate. Grills that do not distribute heat evenly require you to rotate your burgers or sausages between the hotter and colder spots, and many good pieces of meat were lost this way.
Besides heat distribution, the Weber Q200 also has an impressive heat-up time. Once you turn it on, the grill only takes 5 to 10 minutes with the lid closed to achieve sufficient cooking heat.
One of the downsides of the Q200 is cooking pan dishes. While you may cook food directly on the grate, the Weber is less suited for pan dishes cooking because of the lower BTU output. It will handle your coffee or sauce pans but anything bigger will challenge the grill.
285 square inches should see 15 burgers cook in parallel, possibly with a sausage or two wedged between them. The grate is large enough for a good quantity of meat, vegetables or seafood. It is versatile enough to enable you to grill food directly on the grate and also use it for large pan dishes.
The grill is porcelain-coated for easy cleaning, which is quite important especially after a long meal where all you want to do is lay down and relax.
User experience with the quality of heat and grate on the Coleman vary. Most users comment it is very good, and the percentages of repeat buyers is constantly high. However, some users complain that the grill does not work as expected, blaming mostly the regulator.
Accessories
The accessories you may purchase separately include a griddle, a rolling cart, a cover, and an adapter hose for 20 pound propane tanks.
The rolling cart is stable, although there were some complaints that the wheels themselves are of low quality. The protective vinyl cover, on the other hand, is good value for money.
The work surfaces (side shelves) on the side of the grill are very handy and sturdy. They are pretty useful as an extra place to put your dishes or utensils away from the sand.
The electronic starter is a different story. It is good enough for home or deck use, but is reported to be a bit under par in windy environments, requiring you to use a lighter or shield the grill as much as you can. Once lit, though, the burner is not likely to die.
Like every Q-series grill, the Q200 comes with a free recipe book and a subscription to Weber's Grill-Out newsletter.
Like on any other grill, the adapter hose is generally considered a must-have if you want to do some serious grilling. Without it, the Q 200 uses the small disposable canisters that you'll have to replace very often. The 20 pounds propane tanks last for a long while.
On top of the collapsible wheeled legs, the Road trip has a towing handle, detachable side tables and a grease tray. One more important feature is the Instastart electronic ignition.
The Coleman also has some good separately sold accessories such as a griddle, a stove grate, and an adapter hose for 20 pounds propane tanks.
The griddle is an excellent buy, as it is provides a non-stick surface good enough for cooking food directly on top of it with no cooking oil.
The stove grate is nice to have but is not a necessity as you can put your pans directly on the grill itself. Some versions of the Roadtrip come with both a grate and a griddle, each one half size of the bigger grate.
Like on any other grill, the adapter hose is generally considered a must-have if you want to do some serious grilling. Without it, the Coleman uses the small disposable canisters that you'll have to replace very often. The 20 pounds propane tanks last for a long while.
There are some reports of users who had their drip tray catch fire when the grill was cooling down. In all cases it seems to be a fault in the regulator, but there may be different reasons for that. It is difficult to conclude based on a small number of incidents, but since the grease tray is made of plastic, it seems it may be susceptible to catching fire when the grill is used.
Other accessories you may consider buying include a plastic cover and a wheeled carry case which are both nice to have. They are useful and will make you enjoy your grill better, but are definitely not a must in the Coleman's case.
Weber Q200
Coleman 9949-750 Road Trip Grill LXE
Weber Q200
based on 164 customer reviews
Feel factor: 3
Weber 566002 Q 220 Gas Grill
(Score 2/5)
The Weber 566002 Q 220 Gas Grill works great with throw away gas bottles. Beware that the grill has nothing bout problems when you hook it up to a 20lb gas tank. I have had nothing but problems and frusration with this grill. Until Weber comes up with a fix for this incompatibility issues with its regulator I would strongly advise against purchasing one.
Posted on: 2010-04-11
By Jon Kerr
Helpful index: 100%
Don't buy this grill for use at home
(Score 1/5)
There is alot written about this grill's problem with regulator flow etc. I have been to Weber's site, read through the reviews of the problem, and can't get the grill above 200F because I use a regular size home propane tank. the woman on the phone from weber was nice, and walked me through the startup steps, but still a pathetic little flame was all we got. She suggested a new regulator, but since I've already replaced it once, I think I'll just junk this grill. I hear if you use the little disposables that this problem doesn't exist, but that isn't exactly sustainable, is it?
there has to be a better way to engineer this grill. in the meantime, find another one if you intend to use a full size home tank.
Posted on: 2010-03-20
By SF Guy
Helpful index: 100%
Poor
(Score 1/5)
Does not light. I have followed every precautionary step, every "turn knob slowly" instruction, yet grill will absolutely not light. I purchased 10 pounds of carne asada for the grand voyage of this grill, only to tell my friends "another day." How embarrassing for both myself and Weber.
Posted on: 2010-01-29
By S. Bowen
Helpful index: 33.3333333333%
The Weber Q 200 Rocks!
(Score 5/5)
I live in south Florida and I grill all the time. I've had this grill for 3 years now and it still kicks the butt of larger, more expensive grills. The heavy cast iron grate cooks magnificently! Thick cuts of meat to delicate fillets of fish all cook beautifully as well as veggies and fruit. Because it is portable, it even saved my 20 year high school reunion beach party! We arrived at the Sombrero Beach reunion about an hour after it started and nothing had been BBQ'd yet - the folks in charge couldn't get the charcoal grill going...so we pulled our Weber Q200 out of the trunk and had it up, preheated, and cooking chicken, burgers, and hot dogs in 10 minutes. When my classmates first saw it, they smirked and even commented that it was cute and small. Then after cooking dozens of burgers, chicken breast, and hot dogs for 40 people and their friends(my high school was in Marathon Key, FL - so there was only 40 in my class), all in less time than the group had spent trying to get the charcoal going, all the guys wanted to know about my awesome Weber Q200 portable grill! For anyone using this grill as a full time grill at home, like I do, definitely buy an adapter hose and a 20 lb propane tank. The disposable gas canisters are convenient when traveling, but they don't last much longer than 2 grill sessions. The larger tank last months with frequent (3 or more x a week) usage and is cheap to refill. One more thing...Weber customer service is fantastic! My regulator needed replacing after 2 1/2 years and Weber said it was still under warranty & sent a new one to me free of charge! Besides that, nothing has broken or corroded on this grill - even though it has sat outside without a cover for 3 years!
Posted on: 2009-12-24
By R. S. McClelland
I would give this product 5 stars if Weber di
(Score 3/5)
I've had this grill for over two years with occasional bad results due to low heat sometimes, it would even blow out in the wind. Turns out you have to turn the gas on at the tank for one minute before you turn the gas on the grill and ignite it. [...]
My LP gas grill won't get hotter than 250 to 300 F, even with all burners on high. Why?
Bypass
Since 1995 all regulators (the part that attaches to the gas tank to regulate the flow of gas) have included a safety device that restricts the flow of gas in the event of a gas leak. This safety device can be inadvertently activated in two ways, putting the grill into what is commonly called "bypass". The first way for the device to be activated is to leave one or more burner control knobs in the "ON" position when the LP cylinder valve is opened. The second is not to wait long enough to "start" the grill after opening the LP cylinder valve. The safety device in the regulator is activated each time that the LP cylinder valve is opened. The device resets itself when the gas pressure equalizes between the closed burner control valve and the regulator, through the hose. If a burner control knob is turned on before the gas pressure can equalize, the device will remain in "bypass". The length of time necessary to wait to "start" the grill after turning on the LP cylinder valve is dependent on the length of the hose and outside air temperature. It is always good practice to wait a few seconds after opening the LP cylinder valve before turning on the burner control knob to start the grill.
Keep in mind that the safety device reacts to a gas leak. If a grill is in bypass the gas connections and hose should be tested for leaks with a soap and water solution.
If the grill is in bypass, after checking for gas leaks do the following to get the grill out of bypass:
Weber Q 100 and 200 series with an adapter hose and the Q 300 series.
* Close the LP tank valve
* Turn all burner control knobs to the OFF position
* Open the grill lid
* Turn the tank valve until it is completely open
* Wait at least 1 minute
* Turn the burner control knob to Hi/Start
* Press the igniter to light the burner
* Turn any remaining burner control knobs to High
* The grill should preheat to 500-550 degrees in 10-15 minutes.
END QUOTED TEXT FROM THE WEBER SITE.
Weber should have done more to tell you about this, it's not mentioned on the quick start directions located on the grill. Per the owners manual, I've taken the grill apart, cleaned it in case a spider made a nest in the gas tube. I've returned half empty propane tanks thinking they were spent. Turns out it was this regulator. Otherwise, this grill is awesome.
Posted on: 2009-08-24
By Musability
Helpful index: 100%
Coleman 9949-750 Road Trip Grill LXE
based on 137 customer reviews
Feel factor: 1
Good but not so Good
(Score 4/5)
I love the ease of using and carrying around. Clean up is awful. I hate it. So I just put aluminum foil down to cook on to minimize the mess. Well worth the $$
Posted on: 2010-09-23
By Daniel S. Miller
The little grill that COULD!
(Score 5/5)
I've owned this grill for almost three years now. I preheat and cook with the TOP DOWN all the time. We're talking about 20+ hours so far of TOP DOWN cooking and nothing has ever melted/burnt. I use it camping sometimes cooking for 20+ people. How anyone could be complaining about not being able to cook with the top down is very strange, and I must say that I'm tending to agree with another commenter that it might just be a malicious comment trying to discredit this grill. Oy... the world we live in.
With attachements you can do pancakes on one side and burgers on the other at the same time. Or you can boil water on one side and grill on the other... it's pretty versatile.
I know people who use this as their primary home grill who have never had a problem. As for flaws, I guess the only flaw is that it's kind of a pain to clean up after grilling, as you can soak the grill-plate attachments, but you must clean all the interior surfaces by hand. Not fun, but a small price to pay for the conveinence this grill offers.
My opinion? Worth every minute of clean up to have a grill like this that I"m able to use 100% of the grill surface. Sure there are some "hot spots" and "cool spots" as with any grill, and you need to learn where they are how to cook with it. That lesson is learned after the first time you use it!
Overall this grill does an excellent job, and if/when I kill it, I'll be looking for another just like it.
Posted on: 2010-09-15
By Richard Evans
JUST RIGHT
(Score 5/5)
Was looking for a compact grill to mount on my living quarters horse trailer. This grill worked perfectly, and really cooks nicely. Not the lightest of portable grills, but the cast grates are really nice.
Posted on: 2010-09-13
By WILLIAM CONRAD
Amazon's Shipping Policy
(Score 4/5)
I ordered a Coleman Road Trip Grill on September 1st 2010. I chose Super Saver Shipping. Along with the grill I ordered a Road Trip Grill Cover, Iron Griddle, Wheeled Carry Case, and a high-pressure propane hose and adapter. My confirmation e-mail said my items are in stock and shipping date will be September 7th and delivery estimate will be sometime around the 14th of September. My problem with this statement was "Why does it take so long (from the 1st to the 7th) to get the "in stock" items into the hands of the shipping company"? I called Amazon and only receive a quote of what the "company policy" is and no real answer as to why it takes so long to get it out of the stock room and into the hands of the shipping company.
GOOD NEWS though ... I received the Grill on the 4th and the rest of the order on the 7th. Very fast shipping and hats off to Amazons shipping department and lumps of coal to the customer service department that gave me the impression that they didn't care what I thought.
Note: Products arrived in perfect condition. I have yet to try the grill and use the other items but they are in good physical condition.
Posted on: 2010-09-08
By bksnoopy
This is a great convertable grill
(Score 5/5)
I bought this grill one month ago and used it twice since. I have never seen a similar product in market, which is self-standing and can also fit in my compact car trunk.
Posted on: 2010-09-06
By Kevin
