There are quite a few differences between Char-Broil and Weber. On average, Weber has a greater selection, more types of grills, larger grills, better quality, and warranty. At the same time, Weber is the more expensive option as well.
A friend of mine who is new to grilling was looking for a mid-range grill brand that was tucked between Char-Broil and Weber. She asked me to help her make a decision and this is what spawned by comparison of the two brands!
In this post, I will compare Char-Broil vs. Weber across multiple categories and even put a few of their grills in a head to head battle!
Here are some of the general differences between the two brands. If you want a quick comparison, then you should check out this table:
Features | Char-Broil | Weber |
Types of Grills | The brand offers electric, gas, and charcoal grills. They also have griddles. | Has a slightly wider selection with wood pellet, electric, gas, and charcoal. Weber offers griddles too. |
Smokers | Has a greater selection of smokers including eletric, charcoal, and gas smokers. | - |
Selection and Models | Has several options for electric, gas, and charcoal grills but the lines are similar. | Has a wide selection of wood pellet, electric, gas, and charcoal grills. Contains numerous lines, series, and models. |
Size | The smallest grill that Char-Broil has is a kettle grill and the largest design is several inches smaller than the Weber. | The smallest Weber grill is a tabletop option and the largest grill is bigger than any grill in the Char-Broil lineup. |
Cooking Space | The Char-Broil has a total max. cooking surface area of 755 sq. inches. | The Weber has a max cooking surface area of 994 square inches. |
Burners | Has a greater number of burners per cooking surface with a max number of burners of 5. Max heat output is 32,500. | Has a fewer number of burners with the max being 4. Burner output is greater with a max heat of 48,000 BTU. |
Temperature Range | 200 - 700 F. | 200 - 600 F. |
Smart Grills | Doesn't have a smart grill option. | Has several smart grills across various price points. Grill syncs to the app to manage and alter settings. |
Materials and Quality | Cheaper options are made from steel but the burners are made from stainless steel and grates are porcelain coated. The quality is decent for the price point. | Most grills are made from stainless steel frames with stainless steel burners and porcelain coated grates. Premium grills come with stainless steel grates. Quality is good. |
Price | $50 - $700 | $45 - $3000+ |
Warranty | 1 to 3 years for most parts, 10 years for the burner. | 2 to 5 years for most parts. 10 to 12 years for the cooking chamber. |
Target Audience | Char-Broil girls are meant for those new to grilling who are on a budget. | Weber grills is suitable for a wider audience, including people who want to improve their grilling performance. |
The Char-Broil brand has a selection of charcoal grills, gas grills, and electric grills. In this instance, Weber Grills does have a one up on Char-Broil. In addition to the charcoal grills, gas grills, and electric grills, Weber also has a wood pellet grill selection.
Both brands offer griddles.
In terms of variety and types of grills, Weber takes the crown for this round.
Now, let’s take a closer look at each lineup for each brand and the models that they have in those lines.
When it comes to electric grills, there is no series. The Char-Broil’s grills here are the Edge and the Patio Bistro.
For Weber, the electric grill models include the Pulse 2000, the Lumin Compact, the Lumin electric grill, and the Q Series which has the Q1400 and the Q2400.
It should be noted that all of the Weber electric grills are portable, tabletop grills.
The Char-Broil models for gas grills include the Patio Bistro, Classic Series, and the Performance series – 4 burner, 5 burner, 6 burner, 375, 3B, Performance Amplifire 2 Burner, and Amplifire 4 burner.
There is also the Commercial Amplifire 2 burner and Amplifire 4 burner. Then, there is the Cruise 435S, the Signature Amplifire 3 burner, and the Signature TRU-Infrared.
For the Weber gas grills, you have the portable grills which include the Go Anywhere grill, Weber Traveler Portable, and the Weber Q Series – Q1000, Q1200, Q2000, Q2200, Q3200.
Then, you have the Spirit Series with the E-210, E-310, SX-315, E-330, S-315, EX-315, and EX-325s. Then there is the Spirit II Series. This gas grill realm includes the E-210 and E-310.
The Weber Genesis lineup includes Genesis E-325s, SPX-435, S-325s, EPX-335, S-435, E-435, EX-325s, S-335, EX 335.
Then there is the Summit lineup. This includes the S-460, S-470, S-660, E-670, S-670, and the Summit Grill Center.
All the Weber gas grill models have natural gas and propane gas versions.
For the Char-Broil charcoal grills, you have the Kettleman TRU-Infrared, Performance 580, and 625.
As for the Weber charcoal grills, you have the Original Kettle grill, 70th Kettle, Master-Touch, Performer, Ranch, Summit Kamado, and Smokey Mountain.
Then, in the wood pellet grill section, you can find SmokeFire, SmokeFire Sear+, and SmokeFire Stealth Edition.
All in all, it is clear that Weber takes this round as well. There are simply far more Weber grill options across the board, even without taking the wood pellet grills into consideration.
When it comes to the smallest possible grill, I would say that Weber takes the prize here. This is because this brand boasts several tabletop grills, while Char-Broil doesn’t.
However, Char-Broil does have more portable grills in the form of a kettle grill. This isn’t too distinctive, however, as Weber has several of these grills as well.
The largest grill in the Char-Broil grill roundup is the Performance Series 6 burner model. It has dimensions of 20.1 x 45.4 x 57.3 inches.
The largest option in the Weber grill lineup is the Genesis S-435. It has dimensions of 48.5 x 68.5 x 27 inches.
Weber grills win this category as well.
Both of these brands offer smokers.
Weber has just one type of smoker – the Smokey Mountain bullet smoker. It is a charcoal smoker and is available in three different sizes.
Not only does it have a digital and analog electric smoker, but it also offers a gas and charcoal smoker.
So, in terms of choice and selection, Char-Broil is my pick for this round.
Of course, the size of the grills is one thing, you also need to consider the primary cooking space as well as other areas. This is what will let you know how much of the grill is actually usable.
The largest cooking surface area that is available in the Char-Broil grill lineup is the Performance 6 burner. It has a main cooking area of 550 square inches and a warming rack of 205 square inches. To add to this, it also has a side burner.
As for the Weber, it is the Genesis S-435. The main cooking area is 646 square inches and the warming rack has 348 square inches, along with a side burner.
So, when it comes to cooking space, Weber is the winner.
When it comes to gas grills, one of the top things to compare between brands is the burners and burner output.
While the Char-Broil grill models are lagging behind, I do have to say that there is one element that I like about this brand. This is the fact that there are a greater number of burners for a given cooking surface area.
For instance, the largest grills in the lineup have 5 burners! This means that there is a greater amount of heat produced and that the heat is more evenly spread around.
Weber, on the other hand, has a maximum of 4 burners. This is surprising considering that the cooking surface area is greater as well.
Now, let’s take a look at the firepower of the brands. When it comes to Char-Broil, there is a maximum burner output of 32,500 BTU. For the side burner the max. output is 10,000 BTU.
As for the Weber, the highest burner output is 48,000 BTU, with a max side burner output of 12,000 BTU.
It is clear that in this subcategory Weber is taking home the crown.
Of course, when it comes to electric and charcoal grills, it is down to the temperature range.
The temperature range for Char-Broil is pretty impressive. You have a minimum temperature of 200 degrees F, which makes it ideal for using these grills as a smoker. At the same time, the max temperature for these grills is 700 F, allowing you to sear food without any issue at all.
The Weber has a similar range with 200 to 600 F so the grills are pretty even for the most part. However, if you do want truly searing temperatures, then Char-Broil is the way to go.
Smart grills are becoming increasingly common in the grilling industry. This is because people are looking for easier and more efficient ways to use their grills.
Char-Broil used to have a SmartChef gas grill several years ago but that grill has been discontinued and isn’t available anymore. To date, the brand doesn’t have any other smart grills.
Weber, on the other hand, has several smart grills at various price points. These grills are equipped with WeberConnect. This allows you to sync the grill to an app on your smartphone.
In doing so, you get updates on the rate and temperature at which your food is cooking. You can also set up reminders on when to flip your food. You can also set up the app so that you get real-time updates and notifications.
So, if you are looking for modern grills with modern features, then you should consider Weber.
When it comes to certain components, Weber Grills and Char-Broil do use the same materials and so, offer, the same level of quality. For instance, the burners are all of stainless steel and are guaranteed to function well and last a long time.
Now, all the Char-Broil grills have porcelain coated cast iron grates that are rust resistant. The only downside with these cast iron grill grates is that if they get scratched, they lose their non-stick properties. The budget to mid-range models from Weber have these same grates.
The more expensive models from Weber have stainless steel cooking grates. These are tougher and last for a longer period of time.
As for the frames, the Weber charcoal grills are made from porcelain enameled material. The Char-Broil ones are made from steel.
Now, the rest of the electric and gas grills are made from stainless steel. That being said, when it comes to build quality, I have to give it up to Weber.
Not only does the brand use higher quality materials, but I have found that their quality control is a lot better.
When it comes to the frame, the cheaper Char-Broil grills do tend to be a bit wobbly and you often have to figure out how to make them hold up better by yourself. There are no such issues with the Weber grills.
Considering the variations in quality, it shouldn’t be too surprising to learn that Weber is the more expensive option.
Now, this isn’t across the board, though. Some of the cheaper charcoal grills actually cost less than $50. So, if you are looking for a bargain, then Weber still has much to offer you. At the same time, the most expensive charcoal grill is priced at almost $1900.
In general, though, Weber is the far more expensive option. The most expensive grill in the Char-Broil lineup is less than $700. Conversely, the most expensive Weber grill is over $3000! As you can see, there is quite a bit of disparity here.
Of course, you also have the consider the value of what you are getting. Are Weber grills worth the price that you are paying for them?
When it comes to the middle of the line grills, I would say that these grills are definitely worth the price tag. This is because you get durability, grilling performance, and features like additional burners and storage.
The more expensive models are pretty great, but at that price point, there are better brands and options out there for you.
I think the middle of the range grills for Char-Broil are also quite good. They offer a decent grilling performance and they hold up quite well in terms of durability.
However, I do not feel like the pricier options are as good. This is because for this price point, you can get a budget or even mid-quality grill from Weber or another brand for far better quality.
The Char-Broil warranty isn’t great – even with the more expensive models, the most coverage that you can get for the most expensive burner is 10 years. The warranty for the cooking chamber is typically between 3 and 5 years. For other components, you can get between 1 to 3 years.
As I have already covered, Weber does use better quality materials. There is also the fact that the company tends to offer more expensive models as well. Due to this, they are obligated to offer a better warranty too.
For the cheaper models, most of the grills get coverage for 2 to 5 years. Most of the cooking chambers are covered for up to 10 years as long as there is no rust.
As for the more expensive options, the cooking chamber can be guaranteed for up to 12 years at a time! Due to this, it can feel like you are getting more bang for your buck here.
To really put things into perspective with these two brands, you also have to consider the target audience – who were these grills built for?
Char-Broil is made for people who are just starting out on their grilling journey. Char-Broil offers affordable options with a decent grilling performance. These are definitely grills that will help you become a better outdoor cook.
However, when it comes to performance and capabilities, there are limitations to these grills. While they are good, they are certainly not great. Due to this, as you continue on your outdoor cooking journey, you will likely need to level up with brands and probably switch to a Weber.
As the Weber has affordable and simplistic options, I would argue that it does work well for beginners. However, if you want cool features like storage space but for a lower price, then you will be better off with Char-Broil.
However, when it comes to performance, Weber is one of the most trusted brands, and with good reason. The grilling performance isn’t just impressive, it is also reliable. As a result, you can expect the same results, time and time again.
To get a clearer idea of what each brand has to offer you, I have decided to compare Weber vs. Char-Broil based on the different categories and price points:
If you would like a quick comparison of these grills, check out this table:
As a tabletop electric grill, this Weber grill does have a limited amount of cooking space. At the most, you can expect to cook for one or two people. However, the grill is designed in a way to maximize grilling surface area so that you are able to make the most of the space that you do have.
I was pleasantly surprised by the cooking performance of this grill. It heated up well and I found that temperature control was a breeze. The temperature was also accurate, making it easy to keep track of the rate of cooking.
The only downside is that due to its size and wattage, the grill can only function for a limited amount of time. Due to this, I would only suggest it for small cuts of meat like burgers and chicken breasts.
One of the top features of this grill is how portable it is. It can easily be placed on any elevated surface, making it ideal for cookouts or in apartments where larger grills aren’t possible.
The Patio Bistro wins when it comes to grilling space. This grill can easily cook for three to four people at once. You also have the option of grilling larger cuts of meat and don’t have to stick to just hamburgers and hot dogs.
I was able to grill some really nice steaks on this grill. It was able to get nice and hot and you get a gorgeous sear. Also, unlike with the Weber, I was able to grill for as long as I wanted to.
The only downside here is that this grill does take a long time to heat up. So, you have to get it powered up about 20 minutes before you want to start cooking.
This Char-Broil grill is larger and heavier. However, it is still compact enough to have on the balcony of your apartment. As an added bonus, it does come with wheels, making it easier for you to transport it from one place to another.
Here are how the charcoal grills compare. If you would like a quick comparison, check out this table:
One of the coolest things about the design is that it has a hinged cooking grate, allowing you to refill the grill with charcoal in between a cook, with minimal fuss. Another great feature involves the One Touch ash removal system. This makes for simple and easy cleanup.
The temperature control on this grill is pretty great. You simply use the dampers at the top of the grill to lower or increase the grill. It takes a bit of getting used to but you can control the temperature with incredible precision this way.
The grill is a bit difficult to set up. Some of the parts haven’t been machined properly and the instructions aren’t the greatest. So, assembly can take some time and effort.
One of the best things about the design of this charcoal grill is that it comes with a hinged lid. This way, you don’t have to put the lid on the ground when opening it. Instead, it can be propped open.
One of the biggest perks of this grill is how hot it can get and how great it is for searing. At the same time, the temperature control on this grill can be a little tricky as the dampers can’t be shut completely. And, so, you have to keep an eye on more delicate cuts of meat to ensure that they will not burn.
This grill was surprisingly easy to assemble and I was able to get the grill up and running in no time at all. Also, once set up, the grill was also really stable, allowing me to grill easily.
There are quite a few options for gas grills for both Weber and Char-Broil. Due to this, I will be comparing the grills across price points.
If you want a quick comparison of the gas grill models, check out this table:
The heat distribution is pretty great on this grill. The cooking space and the number of burners really line up, ensuring that the entire grill is heated evenly. Each of the burners also live up to the claims, ensuring that your food will be cooking at the same rate throughout.
I have to say that the temperature control on this grill is quite good. The controls allow for more specific controls and the burners respond accordingly. In addition to this, the temperature stays at the set level too.
The only issue with this grill is the build quality. It can feel flimsy at times, which makes sense given the cost. However, this does raise the question of how long this grill can last, especially with frequent and continuous use. The grill did take some time to assemble.
This does offer an excellent grilling performance. The burners burn really hot, allowing you to cook food quickly and sear meat without any issues. The heat distribution is great as well and food cooks evenly across the grill.
The temperature control is excellent on this grill. The controls are easy to figure out and it is a breeze to set your desired temperature. Also, when I ran a test, I found that the temperature barely budged from its set point.
The quality is pretty good for this grill, even at this price point. The only issue is the assembly. It is very difficult to manage by yourself and is a time consuming project.
The cooking area on this grill is pretty great. It is easy enough to cook for three to four people. You can also cook different kinds of food at the same time. In addition to the main cooking area, you also have a warming rack.
However, what really puts this grill ahead is that it has an additional sear burner that you can use to make sauces or another addition to the meal.
The grilling performance on this grill is also pretty impressive. The grill burns hot and has great temperature range. In addition to this, the temperature control is top-notch as well.
There is also a great balance between the grilling surface area and the number of burners. This results in better heat distribution.
The only additional feature with this grill is a single side table. Apart from this, it is a run-of-the-mill grill.
The cooking space on this grill is pretty great and it is easily enough to feed a mid-sized family. There is also a warming rack here that can be used to cook more delicate foods.
The grilling performance on this grill is top-notch – everything from temperature to temperature control is beyond fault. My only complaint would be that a grill of this size could stand to have another burner to help with heat distribution.
There are a few different additional features for this grill. The first is that there is a storage space, allowing you to store the gas canister as well as a few tools. You also have hooks to help you hang your utensils while you cook. And, there are side shelves too.
The winner is quite clear in this race – Weber trumps the Char-Broil at almost every turn – selection, quality, smart models, additional features, and more.
In general, Weber is the brand to offer you more modern and innovative features for your grill.
This isn’t too surprising considering that Weber is an industry leader.
However, this doesn’t mean that Char-Broil is completely out of the running. This brand is excellent for those on a budget but want a grill that has a few additional features such as a side burner and storage for a lower cost.
What I also like about Char-Broil is that they tend to have a greater number of burners, improving temperature range and heat distribution.
Char-Broil is also a good brand for you if you want to minimize any of the fuss involved in grilling. The traditional style of grills make them easy to use. As a result, there is less of a learning curve involved.
The Weber company got its start in 1957 when George Stephen invented the kettle grill, a buoy shaped grill that was revolutionary at the time. Although Stephen first got his start in making kettle grills, the company eventually expanded, becoming one of the most recognizable names in the industry.
One of the distinctions of Weber is that it is one of the few brands that are still American made.
Char-Broil also has a long history with grilling. Way back in 1948, the company manufactured one of the first charcoal grills in the US. Since then, they have been altering, perfecting, and expanding with their grills.
