Great grill when space is an issue!

After doing a great deal of research, I decided on the Weber Q grill. It does not take up much room on the balcony and will be easy to transport when camping.

I bought it tonight and within 10 minutes of opening the box, it was heating up for dinner. I purchased the folding stand with the grill ($39.99). The stand is sturdy and a great addition to the grill.

There are a few drawbacks though. First, the grill uses a 3" diameter tank instead of the more common tanks used by most other portable grill out there. Although the tanks are readily available at Home Depot, during a camping trip, it may be a bit harder to find them. Bring extras.

The second drawback is that there is no temperature gauge on the hood. Maybe I am used to the conventional grills but it is something that I think I will miss.

Other than that, the grill is great. The cooking surface is reasonable large (for a portable grill). I threw on 6 chicken breasts and there was plenty of room for more.

One of the other grills I was considering was the Patio Caddie by CharBroil. After seeing the two units in the store, there was no comparison. The Patio Caddie was much smaller (100 square inches less cooking surface) and it's footprint was not that much smaller than the Weber Q. Add in the portability of the Q and you have a great little grill perfect for a small patio.

UPDATE 4/11/05: After using the grill for a few days now I had a couple more comments. I first used the standard 3" portable tanks. The first tank ran out during the preheating on the third use. I wound up buying a regular size propane tank ($40.00) and the adapter hose ($22.00) so that I would not go through so many portable tanks. Using the full size tank is the only practical way to operate the grill if you are using it a lot and at home.

The stand for the Q is a bit flimsy when cleaning the grill grate with a wire brush so you just have to be a bit more gentle in the cleaning.

There was one use where I did have a little trouble getting it to start. It was a little windy at the time but as soon as I blocked the wind a bit, it fired right up.

Again, I am glad I purchased this grill...it's perfect for the small space I am using it in.