Ease of Assembly
Almost every portable grill requires some assembly. Some require more than others. How much work will you have to do between unpacking the box and grilling your first burger?
The Weber Q200 grill is delivered to your door almost fully assembled right out of the box.
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
Cooking power for grills is measured in BTU (a modification of the original British Thermal Unit). The higher the BTU value of the grill's burners - the more cooking power it provides.
With 12,000 BTU on a single burner, the Weber Q200 has ample cooking power for a portable grill.
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.
Price
Portable grills are not cheap and proces vary. How much will it cost you to purchase the portable grill?
The Weber Q200 is considered quite a good value for money compared to other grills on the market.
Portability
How portable is the portable grill? Will you be able to carry it comfortably from your house to your car, and then to the beach, the concert or the camping site? This is down to weight and size.
The Weber Q200 is portable and does not weigh too much.
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.
Grate Quality
The quality of grilling is really about the quality of the grate itself. A good quality grate provides enjoyable grilling and durability for your grill. The larger the grate - the more food you can cook at one go.
The Weber Q200 has a 280 square inches grate. This is a lot of room for food, which should suffice for 12-14 regular sized burgers.
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.
Accessories
The right accessories can make all the difference between a enjoying a succulent steak or breaking your back stooping over the grate. Portable Grills are usually sold with a few accessories out of the box, and have others you can purchase separately.
Out of the box, the Q200 is equipped with highly efficient side trays and a drip tray for grease collection. It also has an electric ignition but does not come with collapsible legs - you'll have to buy the separately sold cart if you require this functionality.
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.
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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 did more to tell you about the safety regulator that can
(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%