This is my first Webber and so far I’m very impressed. I also bought the full size griddle for the genesis 300 series, and I love it. The grill gets extremely hot over 700 degrees, yet it cooks evenly without constant flare ups.
Well-made grill. I love the option to install the frame to hold the pizza stone and the griddle surface. Construction and design are well thought through. We had a stainless steel Ducane for many years (who Weber bought out many years ago), and this improves on the side-burner and the heat plates. The gas burner rods are quite intense, so it's a bit hard to keep a low temperature on a hot day for low, slow cooking. Obviously not a problem for high-temps or searing! The aftermarket Weber brand handle light is great, especially if you live in the northern half of the U.S. or Canada, and like to barbecue year long and don't have nearby lighting to see the surface in darker hours. The shelf surfaces are very sturdy for working on, or grabbing to roll the grill to a different location. Stainless steel version is worth it to me for a few extra bucks, so I'm glad we stuck with stainless. Overall, I am quite happy to have a new grill after 20 years with the Ducane. My only minor wish-list item would be a simple spot for smoking wood chips given the price and design of the Genesis S models (I believe it is already on the Summit models), but this is a minor niggle. I bought a gas grill....
I wish the book that came with the grill had a brief overview on how to best use the burners and the searing area. Aside from that, I like the grill very much. It heats up quickly and is easy to keep clean.
Our last Genesis was 14 years old and it still worked but we were ready for an upgrade. Our new Genesis is great and we love the griddle we purchased to go with it. This grill is only an improvement of our old one. Tons of grilling space and love the storage that the griddle fits in.