The Weber Genesis Costs Twice as Much as My Spirit Grill—and It’s Worth It

4 min readGrilling has gotten me outside more than any other activity in the past two years, and—not to brag—I run a lot. Between hosting friends on any given three-day weekend, holiday parties, and weeknight dinners, I use my grill as much as possible. Weber’s Spirit grill was the gateway to this newfound personality trait. It evangelized me to propane grilling and outdoor cooking in general (my Recteq smoker deserves equal praise).Growing up, my dad refused to cook on a gas grill, but I found charcoal time-consuming and messy as hell. My Spirit lights up fast, is easy to maintain, and was the perfect start to entrench me in the grilling lifestyle. However, nothing gold can stay, and I needed (ok, wanted) an upgrade.Weber’s Genesis grills were the heir apparent. The range offers more storage, more power from each burner, and better overall build quality. On paper, it’s a clear upgrade from the brand’s Spirit line, but how does that translate in person? I found out it’s a well-worth-it upgrade that elevates my grilling experience.Tom PriceHow to Shop Weber Genesis Grills I love Weber, but I admit the names can be a bit complicated. At least the naming system is consistent across the brand, as I ran into the same thing when shopping Spirit grills. The letters and numbers describe the materials used, the number of burners, and each grill's features. Here’s a quick and easy breakdown:E: Porcelain-enameled finish and cast-iron grates.S: Stainless steel hood, cabinet, and cooking grates (heat up faster than cast-iron grates).X: Smart grill with features that connect with the Weber Connect app.My Spirit grill was an E-210, and my Genesis is an E-330. The obvious difference is the extra burner on the Genesis, but both are base models in their respective lineups, making them easier to compare.Weber Genesis E-330 Gas Grill Review The Crown Jewel of My Outdoor KitchenExcellent Build Quality and DesignImproved build quality is a tricky thing to discern from a product listing. It’s subjective, since people define quality differently, but in my opinion, the Genesis is indeed improved. It feels much more substantial than the Spirit in hand, with sturdy metal hardware, and I immediately noticed the difference when I separated the parts and hardware for the Genesis. There’s a lot less plastic, and everything feels secure.The Genesis also has a cleaner design, which makes storage more efficient. An extra side cabinet stores grates and accessories, and the propane cabinet has room for even more. Four locking caster wheels prop the grill and propane tank up off the ground. On the Spirit, the propane tank sits on the ground, making it hard to move.Two side tables provide plenty of prep space and don’t fold down as they do on the Spirit. They can be swapped out for Weber Works accessories, letting me reconfigure the grill to my cooking needs.Grills are aesthetically pleasing to me as is, but even more so when it comes to Weber’s Stealth Edition grills. They feature an all-black design with a matte black lid, black trim, side tables, handles, knobs, wheels, and a separate sear burner controlled by a metallic red knob. The Stealth Edition costs about $200 extra, so it's up to you whether it’s worth it.Extra Cooking Space and FirepowerGoing from two burners to three burners inevitably adds cooking space, but I didn’t expect to love it this much. I went from 450 square inches of primary cooking space (not including the top rack) on the Spirit to 513 square inches on the Genesis. Only 73 inches more, but it feels so much bigger in action, and I no longer need to cook in batches for large groups.Tom PriceThe extra burner also means it heats up much faster than my old grill. When searing Force of Nature and Snake River Farms NY strip and ribeyes, I got the grill up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit in about two and a half minutes. All that extra firepower also makes the warming rack a bona fide cooking space on its own. I grilled burgers on the primary space while fully cooking hot dogs on the warming rack over Labor Day weekend.The Genesis grates can also be flipped and reconfigured with Weber Crafted accessories. This lets you expand cooking methods and upgrade grates and cookware later, so you don’t get bored with your setup.Final ThoughtsI’ll always have a place in my heart for my Spirit grill. It’s small, efficient, and saw me through many block parties and gatherings, but it was time for a change. The Weber Genesis E-330 is the perfect mid-range upgrade I was looking for—more space, more firepower, and more storage. All of these features have improved my grilling experience and made it markedly more enjoyable. I realize the price difference is nothing to scoff at; $500 isn’t chump change, but it’s worth the splurge if you know you want to grill oftenShop the Weber Genesis E-330 Gas GrillMore Grills We Recommend Danny Perez is a Reviews Editor for Popular Mechanics with a focus on men's style, gear, and home goods. Recently, he was coordinator of partnership content at another product journalism outlet. Prior to that, he was a buyer for an independent men's shop in Houston, Texas, where he learned all about what makes great products great. He enjoys thrifting for 90s Broadway tees and vintage pajama sets. His spare time is occupied by watching movies and running to impress strangers on Strava.