We had a black Genesis for 11-12 years. The grates needed replacement maybe every 5-6 years -- and that was not using a cover or taking exceptional care of them in humid Gulf Coast weather. Not a big deal, and the box itself was solid as ever. They make a good grill. It is tempting when you see larger grills for half the price, but lift the lid and look at the build and weight -- you'll get less than half the life out of it. About a month ago, we discovered the burners were in need of replacement. We could have replaced them -- I am starting to think you can keep a Weber working for a lifetime if you are willing to replace parts occasionally. But we had already decided that it was time to get a new grill and would not do more repairs. We bought a new one - -in part to get a larger one now that the boys are teens and have teen boy friends (we need to cook more burgers than before ;-) ). Our new one cooks front to back, which is good for when we are only doing something smaller like burgers for the 4 of us, but we never had an issue with the side to side. Both can work well. Hope that helps.

Glad to hear you are happy. The Webers get good ratings from Consumer Reports, as well. However, it's not quite the same type of grille as the Members Mark or the Virco, which have a more "professional" or restaurant quality appearance. I admit that looks were a large part of my decision to purchase the Virco. That it works well is of course very nice. I see no problems with the rotisserie other than the left hand warming shelf support interfering with the thumbscrew. Apparently this is a problem on one run of the Vircos. I fixed in in about 10 minutes with a dremel tool. For me, no biggie. The spit on the Virco is very strong and thick and looks like it could easily hold a 20 lb turkey. However, the Virco is not easily transported. It has high quality wheels, but the whole thing weighs about 200 lbs so I'm not planning on loading it into the truck and taking it to picnics. That's just not what it's designed for. Another good grill in the sub-$500 price range is the Great Outdoors grill series. These have 25 year burner warranties, and sound like they are excellent as well. Again, not a restaurant quality look, but like your Weber a well built functioning unit. In terms of temperatures... I frankly don't understand the preoccupation with temps over 500F. I don't think these extremely high temps are necessary or desirable for good cooking results. Searing can be done at 450F, indirect, or on the grill for direct heat. Roasting or smoke-roasting (which is what happens when you lower the lid) is best done at temps at or below 325. The rotisserie gives great results - the chamber only heats to about 150F - but who cares about that as long as the food is cooked properly?

I also have a natural gas grill that we push around the patio on a 12ft hose. I have been previously told by someone who knows that we couldn't extend the hose. After reading your post I decided to get a more definitive answer. My father-in-law, who was in the gas business for many years, says that adding more hose will reduce the gas flow a small amount. The grill will still work, there are no safety issues, but the BTU output will be reduced somewhat. Perhaps an imperceptible amount depending on the length of the hose. Unlike the pipe that brings the gas to your patio, the NG hose has small corrugations, or ridges, on the inside that slightly restrict the air flow. This results in less gas to the burner. How much less? Dunno.

Add me to the list of people who cook steak inside on screaming hot cast iron. I raise grass fed beef, so I probably eat more beef than many others, and I do not grill. Ever. I just hate the entire process. I like the result, but not enough to make me consider doing it. tishtosh has a good idea with the smoked salt, that also works for me, although I've also been known to use a bit of smoked paprika. I also like it seasoned with butter, Worchestershire and Montreal Steak Seasoning. Yeah, weird combo, I know. And I want it so rare my girls used to tell me it was just warm/raw. My old Griswold is deep, and so contains some of the spatters, and because I like it so rare, I don't put it in the oven afterward, although I've done that for guests. Annie