To a degree, all grills suffer from this problem, because the burners don’t extend all the way to the front of the firebox. But the Spirit II E-310 offered the most consistent heating across the entire grate surface. On the Napoleon grill, meanwhile, some of the front burgers were nearly raw in the center, while the rear burgers were well-done.
To answer the question quite clearly, I believe the Spirit II would be the better grill to buy. The warranty speaks for itself and the look is slightly more modern. They both contain the GS4 grilling system which is a game changer for Weber. The only areas where you might prefer the Spirit over the Spirit II is the cabinet door for storage and the larger Spirit E-330 which includes a side burner.
And just like the Genesis models, both Spirit models have the same bones—burners, side tables, and overall dimensions. The Spirit Smart Grill connects to Wi-Fi, and it lets you monitor the meat probe through the app. But unlike the Genesis Smart Grill, the Spirit Smart Grill doesn’t monitor the fuel level. That said, the Weber Spirit II E-210 excels at its primary function—straight-up grilling.
If it spills over, you’ll be cleaning grease out of the inside of your grill for an hour. After years of testing grills, we can’t think of a better deal for a great grill than the Original Weber Kettle, which Blackstone Adventure has been our favorite charcoal grill for almost 10 years. Cooking with charcoal is not as convenient as turning a dial and walking away, but we love a Weber kettle for its simplicity and durability.
We cooked a full grate of burgers on high heat and chicken pieces at a low temperature. We also roasted whole chickens indirectly on both low and high heat to see whether the grills could create browned skin and perfectly cooked meat without charring. In 2018 we repeated these tests, with the then-new weber spirit 2 Weber Spirit II E-310 and our upgrade pick at the time, the Weber Genesis II E-310 (predecessor to our current upgrade pick). Aside from its superior cooking power, this grill has some wonderful features, which include a Bluetooth-enabled thermometer that will send alerts directly to your smartphone.
But it is expensive to run a website with more than 2,000 pages and we don’t have a big corporate partner to subsidize us. The easy-to-read fuel gauge located next to the gas tank lets you see how much fuel is left in the tank. The Spirit II grills have the same GS4 system and 10 year warranty of the more expensive Weber Genesis grills. It only takes two minutes to watch and gives you a close up look at all of the features. I find it much easier to roll the Spirit II grills around, especially over a surface like a back deck where there are lots of uneven surfaces from the spaces between boards. The original Spirit grills are mounted on four small caster wheels, two of which are locking.
Some average-size grills have up to four burners with corresponding controls large grills often have six. Additional burner controls generally allow the cook more flexibility. Size category for the grill, based on CR’s measurement of the main cooking weber spirit 2 grid area. Portable grills are grouped together regardless of cooking area, though typically these are small grills. Factors include grate material, wheels or casters for moving the grill, and useful features such as electronic ignitor.
One of the most distinct differences between the Spirit and Spirit II is in its cart design. While the Spirit comes in a cabinet design, the Spirit II is of an open-cart style. For many, aesthetics is as important an element as functionality in a grill. An aesthetically pleasing grill comes with an elegant design, manages space well, and blends in well with its surroundings.