Our old Outback fell to bits after 10 years. Reviews indicate new ones are flimsy. Don’t want to spend more than £200 really. Any suggestions? Has to be gas for convenience.

B&Q BBQ

This looked OK………for gas when I was in the other day, but a REAL bbq has to be coal!

Not sure what the prices are like new, but we’ve had a Beefeater (Australian make) gas BBQ for 10 years and it’s still going strong. It sits under a cover all year and in all weathers and just needs a clean every year to get it back into service. It’s very well built, and has been excellent.

It came secondhand in new condition from ebay, I bought it off an Australian guy who was going back to Aus with his family. They seem to know their BBQ’s.

FWIW we’ve been looking for a gas BBQ but there seem to be too many issues with Outbacks etc. Only the Webers come up trumps but they start at £350 (discounted) and without any extras. Am now considering the 57cm Weber One Touch charcoal jobby as it seems like an excellent bit of kit with loads of extras available, eg pizza oven 😉

This is the equivalent of mine. looks like they’ve changed the wooden frame for metal, now but the design is the same. Close on your budget too.

Edit: Sorry, mine is actually the Discovery series.

Gas BBQ’s are like electric chainsaws, they’re OK for townies and girls but not quite right.

I’m wondering if it’s time to replace my old gas BBQ. We really prefer charcoal but if it’s just the two of us grilling something for a weekday evening meal it’s so time consuming and frustrating to light a real one, and it’s fairly tasty on the gas.

what’s more I think I’m the worst BBQ lighter there is. No amount of poking and fanning will keep the wretched stuff alight.

I wonder if I got one of those chimney starters I might get gas speed and reliability with charcoal flavour?

Gas BBQ’s are like electric chainsaws, they’re OK for townies and girls but not quite right.

Depends. If you have one with a good defuser system or lava rocks, there’s not a lot of difference, you still get a good smoke and occasional flame, you just don’t get the charcoal taste, but this isn’t for everyone anyway.

I agree that charcoal is best for the authentic bbq experience, but gas is so convenient, cheap and easy….not to mention healthier.

Couldn’t fault our Weber Q as an “outdoor grill”. Alu so won’t rust.

Webber Q is brilliant, and just checked not a townie or a girl and I still use it.
If I want to smoke my food I use a smoker, if I want to cook it I use the webber. It saves time, effort hassle and I can still use it in most of the fire ban conditions.

Charcoal is for the experience though (standing round watching someone try and get it lit, waiting another hour till it’s hot, cooking something while everyone plays musical chairs round the smoke, taking the food inside to finish it off cause it’s either gone out or it’s now raining)

Thanks for the input. I ordered the Beefeater from here for £200, so my summer is sorted. Gas v charcoal could be to the chat forum what 26 v 29 is to the bike forum. Might start a new thread. I think 29 is better by the way.