Napoleon vs Weber – Which One is Right for You?

Gas grills are always our number choice when it comes to outdoor cooking equipment. They’re easy to use, versatile, and easy to clean. With the right gas grill, you can cook meat perfectly without having to sacrifice convenience.

However, with the many choices in the market, choosing the right gas grill can be challenging. But if we’re going to consider two of the best manufacturers, you can never go wrong with Napoleon and Weber gas grills.

But, which is better, Napoleon or Weber?

That’s what we’re going to tackle in this article. We’ll also look into:

• The history of Napoleon and Weber Grills
• Compare their two best models

So, if you’re one of the many people torn between these two brands, read on…

History of Nepoleon

The history of the Napoleon brand goes way back to 1976 with the company Wold Steel Ltd., founded by Wolfgang Schroeter. In the beginning, the company was only a small steel fabrication business, but as soon as they decided to diversify and created their first wood stove in the 1980s, things started to change.

By 1981, the Napoleon brand was born. Everything started with a wood stove, and soon, the company was producing luxurious gourmet gas grills with innovative technology like infrared grills.

Since then, Napoleon remained one of the top choices for everyone looking for innovative, convenient, and great quality grills. Combine that with excellent customer service and warranties, and it seemed to make Napoleon the best choice.

History of Weber

On the other hand, Weber started around the 1950s, way before the Napoleon brand was founded.

It all began with a man named George Stephen, Sr. He works as a salesman in his father’s company Weber Brothers Metal Works that manufacture metal products.

Around this time, people love gathering outdoors to share a meal. However, the best outdoor cooking equipment that people use around this time is an open charcoal brazier. This posed a lot of disadvantages to pitmasters as it’s very vulnerable to outdoor elements.

Since George is very innovative and loves spending time with his family outdoors, he decided to change this. So, he created a grill out of two half spheres of a buoy. With his neighbors’ help, he added some legs and some air vents, and from that, the first-ever kettle grill was born.

By 1958, he bought his father’s company and changed the name to Weber Stephen. And since then, they’ve created more and more grills that people loved for their quality, convenience, versatility, and affordability.

Weber also became known with its two famous series: the Weber Genesis and Weber Spirit Grill Series.

Weber Genesis and Weber Spirit Grill Series

The first three Weber genesis Gas Grills were launched in 1985. It’s an open cart grill design that features porcelain-coated enameled grates, push-button start, flavorizer bars, side burner, and other outstanding features.

Weber continues to upgrade this series by adding more features like glass doors and other innovative designs. However, since the Genesis grills are made of high-grade stainless steel, they are quite expensive.

So, the Spirit Grill Series was introduced, which featured more compact grills that are more affordable but still of high quality.

In other words, if you don’t have enough space and tight on budget, the Weber Spirit Grill series would be a great choice. But if you enjoy having extra features, you have the budget, and you have a bigger space, the Weber Genesis Grill Series might be for you.

Comparison of the Two best models

Both Napoleon and Weber Grills have already established their names as top manufacturers of gas grills. Through the years, they were able to make sure that they’d stay consistent.

So, to determine which might be the better choice for you, let’s take a look at the best models of these brands in the same class: the Napoleon Rogue XT 425 Gas Grill and the Weber Genesis II E-310 Gas Grill.

Napoleon Rogue XT 425

The Napoleon Rogue XT 425 Gas Grill is a high-quality grill that is built to last for years. It features overall stainless steel construction and a cast-aluminum firebox, making the grill rust-resistant and highly durable.

This is a 3-burner grill that delivers up to 36,000 BTUs of power and one sear burner that delivers up to 9,000 BTUs of power. It’s generally low, but thanks to its stainless steel cooking grids and sear plates, heat is delivered evenly, and meat is cooked perfectly.

This grill can be happily stored in compact spaces, thanks to its foldable side shelves. You can also happily rely on the grill’s easy start-up, with its push-button ignition and cross-lighting burner features. On top of that, you have ultimate control of your grill’s temperature, thanks to the ergonomic control knobs.

The grill also comes with an enclosed cart design, which allows it to stay protected from any weather conditions. Napoleon also didn’t forget the importance of the lid and made sure that the Rogue Xt 425 lid is easy to lift and can retain heat.

Other features you’ll enjoy are the integrated tool hooks that give you extra space for your tools, the built-in propane tank ring, so your propane tank doesn’t move a lot, and the temperature gauge will help you monitor the grill’s temperature.

With the Napoleon Rogue XT 425, you also no longer have to choose between gas or charcoal options. You can choose to have a cast-iron charcoal tray if you miss the smoky taste of meat cooked in charcoal.

This grill is perfect for those looking for a convenient, versatile, and high-quality grill worth the investment.

Weber Genesis II E-310

The Weber Genesis II E-310 Gas Grill is a classy grill that, although it looks very simple, definitely has a lot to say.

This grill features three burners that provide a maximum power output of 37,500 BTUs. Thanks to the porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates, you can rely on even heat distribution and even cooking of your meat.

The grill’s lid features a porcelain-enamel material that helps protect your grill from outside elements. The grease management system is also very reliable and helps with easy cleaning.

One notable feature unique to Weber grills is their flavorizer bars. This allows grease from your food to evaporate back to the meat, adding more flavor to it.

It’s also nice that the grills come with extra space thanks to its open cart design and side shelf with integrated tool hooks. The grill is also iGrill 3 ready, an app that allows you to monitor the grill’s temperature through your phone.

This is a grill that you can rely on when it comes to ignition, heat distribution, and flavorful meat. The grill’s construction is also of high quality, which makes it a grill worth your investment.

In-depth Comparison of Both Models

Now that we’ve taken a look at the grill’s features in detail, let us compare the two models based on their:

• Grilling Area
• Temperature
• Design and Construction
• Price
• Warranty

Grilling Area

Both the Napoleon and Weber gas grills are designed to have a large cooking area.

The Napoleon Rogue XT 425 comes with a total cooking area of 535 square inches. It comes with a primary grilling space at 425 square inches and a 110 square inches space for the warming rack.

The Weber Genesis II E-310, on the other hand, comes with a total cooking area of 669 square inches. It comes with a primary grilling space at 513 square inches and a 156 square inches space for the warming rack.

The Weber brand is larger than the Napoleon one, but both are still able to provide sufficient space to accommodate your cooking for a large number of people. Both grills offer two cooking levels, giving you great versatility as to what you can cook, from meats to vegetables.

Temperature

The Napoleon and Weber Gas Grills offer a wide temperature range and reliable temperature control.

Thanks to the overall stainless steel construction that the grill features, you can expect fast heat up, even heat distribution, and heat retention. In other words, cooking your meat perfectly with these two gas grills is no problem at all.

However, what gives Napoleon more of an advantage is that it comes with a sear burner and infrared technology. So, it generally gives off more heat and can perfectly sear your meat.

The Napoleon comes with an ergonomic control knob that makes temperature control easy and smooth. It also comes with a temperature gauge for easy monitoring.

The Weber Grill, on the other hand, is iGrill 3 compatible. This allows you to connect the grill to an app on your phone so that you can monitor the grill’s temperature anywhere you are. So, you won’t even need to stay beside the grill the entire cooking process.

Design & Construction

Both the Napoleon and Weber Grill models come with overall stainless steel construction, which guarantees durability that can last for years.

Each material used is well thought out to prevent the grill from rusting and provide even heat retention.

Both grills come with four wheels to provide easy maneuverability. However, we noticed that Weber is easier to maneuver because it comes with two big-sized wheels and two smaller wheels.

Both grills also feature two side shelves for extra space. However, what we love about Napoleon is that the side shelves are foldable. This means that you can store it better in compact or small spaces.

The grills also differ in the cart design, with the Napoleon grills having a closed-cart design and the Weber with an open-cart design.

The closed cart design protects the grills from outside elements, and it allows you to keep the propane tank out of people’s eyes. The open-cart design, on the other hand, provides you with more space.

Both do have their advantages, but it’s generally more on your preferences.

Price

Napoleon and Weber Grills are both in the same price range, with Napoleon slightly more affordable than the Weber model.

However, in terms of quality, we can say that both grills are worth the money you invest. Both grills are made of high-quality materials, come with excellent features, provide convenience, and help you cook perfect meat.

Warranty

If you’re looking for a quality grill, one thing you should always look at is its warranty. The longer the warranty, the better. This also speaks a lot to the manufacturer’s confidence with their product.

Between Napoleon and Weber, Napoleon offers a longer warranty of 15 years compared to Weber that only offers a 10-year warranty.

The Napoleon 15-year warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship on all major parts. This includes the grill’s hood, lid, aluminum parts, infrared side burner, and stainless steel grids, burners, and sear plates.

The Weber 10-year warranty, on the other hand, covers the stainless steel burners. All other parts, however, are only covered with a two-year warranty.

Our Verdict

So, which is better? Napoleon or Weber?

From our testing we are leaning towards the Weber Genesis II being the better pick, but we recommend you take your circumstances into consideration.

Both grills offer excellent quality, versatility, and convenience. The prices of both grills are also very similar. There are a few disadvantages to both grills, but either or is worth the investment.

We can say that if you’re looking for a larger cooking space and easy temperature and fuel monitoring, then the Weber Genesis II E-310 might be the best choice for you. However, if you’re looking for something more compact, with impressive searing technology, and reliable start-up features, the Napoleon Rogue XT would be a good choice.

Lastly these brands are considered top of the line, so whatever you choose, you can’t really go wrong.