Flower Pot oh hahah i am known at the zoo for using anything I can find as a planter even old bikes that had baskets attached and I have several old boats ive made into planters, Tom thanks Ive had several accidents adding up to 23 stitches on my left arm, wrist and palm no garden work getting done here anyway looked at it today its a Charmglow no cast iron and it is probably 3 years old so what do you think? it does has a cabinet underneath so hopefully unlike Doug I won't burn myself but the inside is pretty rusted I really would like to reuse this like I said cant afford to buy new I can afford a chimmney starter they are awesome with charcoal. Katie

I agree with GrillMeister. I bought my first Genesis 3000 when Weber first started making them in the 80s. I had a traditional Charbroil, and the aluminum castings corroded to where the whole thing turned white. Also, the "H" shaped pressed-steel burner corroded to where I had very little heat control. And the chrome wire grills lasted maybe a year. The engineer in me really liked the Genesis design with the pipes for burners, the flavorizer bars and the porcelain coated parts. I did the math, and if the Genesis only lasted up to its warranty, it was cheaper to own the Genesis than to buy Charbroils like the one I had. That Genesis lasted over 10 years. I'm now on my second Genesis; a 1000, which is about 8 years old or so. (I found I didn't use the external burner) I've replaced the bars and grates with stainless parts. And this past weekend, I replaced the rails that the bottom tray slides on. Weber sent those to me at no charge. If I were buying a new grill now, it would be a Silver C. I wouldn't spring for the Gold, cause the SS lid is not that big of a deal to me. I can replace the bars and grates in stainless if I need to down the line. I wouldn't spring for the Summit series, 'cause it's a lot more money for something that is not much more functional. It does look cool, though... The Silver Weber is a great cooking machine.

I don't know about the CharBroil, but I converted my Members Mark to NG a year ago by drilling the orifaces for the main burners to 5/64's and the back burner to 1/16th -- this may at least get you started in the correct direction. When you convert to NG you do not need a regulator. One less thing to go out. ;->

This is going to boil down to personal choice. Every cotton pickin appliance person I spoke to tried to talk me out of a grill on my 36" stove. And they all lost the sale for not listening. I grew up with a Jennaire grill that had a downdraft vent and we used it all the time. It was brilliant! So for me it was a must and I have absolutely no regrets. YMMV. I've had a 36" BS w/charbroiler for 3yrs. now. You do need a more powerful fan with the charbroiler, I believe mine is a 42" wide 27" deep 900CFM ventahood which captures all the smoke quite well. (how the Jennaire downdraft did it I do not know). Yes, I miss the continuous grates - its a great feature, but I love the grill more! And I seldom feel the need for more than four burners anyway so no great loss. We have a gas grill outside, but I find myself using the BS grill quite often, due to its size and location. Its just so much more convenient to flip the cover off, turn the knob and toss a couple of pieces of fish, chicken, veggies or burgers on while I'm cooking than to run back and forth from outside. Granted, if I am cooking more than 3-4 pieces I use the outdoor grill because the BS is just not big enough. Like the others I do NOT try to keep it pristine. The top grates are easy enough to keep clean, I just use a wide grill brush to scrape them, flip the grates over (using the handy hook on the bottom of the brush) and scrape the bottom. They clean up nicely. The interior on the other hand is a bit trickier. It would be fairly easy to clean too if it weren't for the sharp edges. I usually use a smaller brush and scrape the areas I can reach, but have to be careful not to cut myself on anything. I line the bottom tray with foil so that is simple to clean. Wish you luck with your decision!