The Weber Q2000 and Q2200 are both beautiful, high performance table top grills under $300. While these grills look incredibly similar you should absolutely NOT buy the Q2000.
Keep reading and I will explain why one simple accessory on the Q 2200 makes it the grill you want to buy.
Weber Q2000 vs Weber Q2200
These two grills have the same “bones” but the Q2200 has a few upgrades that make it the better of the two options. Both of these grills are larger than the Q 1200 and smaller than the Q 3200. Check out Weber Q1200 vs Q2200 for more information.
Common Specifications Between The Two Grills
- Cooking Grate: Two piece grate made of porcelain enameled cast iron
- Grilling Area: 280 square inches
- Burner: Stainless steel, 12,000 BTU/hr
- Construction: Cast aluminum body and lid with a glass reinforced nylon frame
- Warranty: 2 years on the ignition assembly and 5 years on all other components.
Upgrades on the Weber Q 2200
The two upgrades on the Weber Q2200 are a built in lid thermometer and an electric ignition system instead of the standard push button pizeo system.
These upgrades increase the cost of the Q2200 by about $40.
Reviews of the Q2000 and Q2200
In general, people love these grills. At the time of this writing the reviews on Weber’s website were as follows:
Weber Q2000 Reviews: An average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. 92% of reviewers would recommend this grill.
Weber Q2200 Reviews: An average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. 90% of reviewers would recommend this grill.
What Do People Complain About?
The reviews on Amazon are similar to those on Weber’s site. Among the very few negative reviews the main complaint centers around the grills not getting hot enough. Low temperature issues are caused by one or all of the following items:
Faulty Gas Regulator: A known quality issue with the 2000/2200 series is that a small percentage are shipped with a gas regulator valve that does not let enough propane reach the burner tubes. This part is under warranty and if yours is faulty then Weber will replace it.
Clogged Burner Tubes: There are no Flavorizer bars or heat shields between the cooking grate and the burner. If you grill with lots of marinades, dripping cheese on your burgers, etc. then it is easy for the ports on the burner to get clogged with grill crud. It is easy to clean out the burner ports but it is annoying that it happens in the first place.
Small Burner Tube: These grills have a 12,000 BTU/hr burner that has to heat 280 square inches of grate. This works out to a heating power of 42 BTU/hr per square inch of grate. This is significantly under powered compared to the 70 BTU/hr per square inch that you get with a full sized grill like the Weber Spirit II.
While I can understand people being upset about faulty regulators and clogged burner tubes they should not be upset about the small burner. Burner size is one of the compromises you have to make if you want a small, portable gas grill.
Please do not let concerns about low temperatures scare you away from this grill. The issue is not very common and the fixes are very easy. Once you learn how to use the Q2200 you will love it.
Here is a snapshot of the reviews that Q2200 has gotten from customers at Lowes, Home Depot and Weber.
Why I Dislike the Weber Q2000
The Weber Q2000 doesn’t have a lid thermometer.
Lid thermometers are usually a joke that never display an accurate temperature but they are critically important on the Q2000 series. Here is why…
As mentioned previously, both of these grills have a small burner that does not generate the same heat that you get with a full sized grill. Weber’s solution was to install a HEAVY cast iron grate that you are supposed to pre-heat for 20-30 minutes. Once that heavy cast iron gets hot it stays hot and grilling with the small burner is much easier.
The problem is that these grills are designed to run off of one pound disposable propane cylinders. These cylinders only hold enough gas for 3-4 hours of grilling and that 30 minute pre-heat time consumes a lot of gas.
What happens is on your third or fourth use of the grill the small propane tank is going to go empty either while you are pre-heating or during your cook.
If you have the Weber Q2200 you will know that the tank is empty because you will see the temperature dropping dramatically on the lid thermometer.
If you have the Weber Q2000 you will not have a clue that you are out of gas until you have been “grilling” for an hour and the burgers are still raw.
I cannot explain how maddening it is to have a party planned out with steaks to be served at a certain time and have the entire timeline thrown off by an hour because you didn’t notice that the little propane bottle was empty.
- It is annoying when it happens while the grill is pre-heating.
- It is INFURIATING when it happens while you are cooking.
Why in the world would Weber EVER make a grill, especially a grill designed to operate off of small propane bottles, that didn’t have a lid thermometer????
Upgrades for the Q 2200 Series
You can buy an adapter that lets you run either of these grills off of a 20 pound propane cylinder instead of the disposable one pounders. The frequency with which you run out of gas will be reduced if you run off the larger tank but the inherent problem of not knowing when it happens on the Q2000 will remain.
The adapter is a good purchase to make.
You can also buy a cast iron griddle that can drop in and replace one of the grill grates. I HIGHLY recommend buying the griddle at some point. It is extremely fun to cook breakfast on a griddle…I think firing up the grill first thing in the morning might be the perfect way to start the day. You can also cook some mean smashburgers or put a crusty sear on a steak using the griddle.
The last accessory that you ought to look at is getting a cover. A cover is a small investment that will help your grill last longer and look nicer.
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