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.

If it has a roaring kind of noise, it's probably flashback. Normally gas is injected in a jet of gas through an orifice into the burner, and the jet of gas sucks air in with the gas through an air shutter. The gas goes through the burner and burns on the surface of the burner. If the gas and air are improperly adjusted, the gas/air combination burns too slowly to get to the top of the burner, and the flame flashes back to burn inside the burner, typically causing a roaring noise. You should have it inspected by a competent repairman who can identify and correct the problem.

After cooking on Charcoal for over 50 years (since I was 12), we decided to go gas in our new outdoor kitchen on the new covered patio. I have narrowed it down to Hestan, Fire Magic, Lynx and Alfresco. There is a great review of the Hestan by Meathead Goldwyn on the Amazino Ribs website, but I can’t find much else. Anyone have any hands-on experience with Hestan gas grills (outdoor)?

Let's straighten out the terminology. There are charcoal BBQs, propane grills, electric grills (which tend to be quite small because they're limited to 110V - 15 amp, not enough to power much more than a small coil). Just like broilers, gas models have an open flame that's usually partially shielded and electric models have heating coils that turn red. Electric broilers in ovens and ranges are usually connected to beefed up 220V circuits and can have larger and hotter coils than small portable electric grills. I have gas and electric broilers and gas and charcoal BBQs and my experience is - cooked food that browns (the Maillard reaction) develops more pleasing and interesting flavors. Any cooking device will do that when hot enough. Electric and gas broilers are about the same, gas ones produce less odor when vented by a cooking exhaust system (as mine is). Propane grills are quick and convenient to use. My experience also is that the price paid for having the convenience is that the cooking results are inferior to using a charcoal BBQ, in terms of flavor and heat placement alternatives. I can do things on my Weber charcoal BBQ that I still struggle to do on my gas grill. Maybe it's because of having more charcoal experience. Flavor outcome, no contest. Using a gas grill is like using a broiler. Nothing wrong with that and I use our broilers often, but propane grills just don't produce the BBQ flavor people expect from outdoor cooking. The downside of a charcoal BBQ is that they're a bit messy and take time to get going but I find it worth it when I can plan to use it. Using the charcoal model can't be a spur of the moment decision when hungry, while using a broiler or a propane grill can be.