I've been grill shopping too. I narrowed my choices down to Lynx, Fire Magic, Twine Eagles and Alfresco. I saw all of these grills at local dealers. I did not consider Kalamazoo because of the high price, but I did research it on the Internet. All these brands have the reputation of being very fine grills (which should be the case in this price range) so it comes down more to a matter of personal preference rather than quality, build or performance issues, IMHO. Here are my impressions of each brand: Lynx -- I was very impressed when I saw this grill in person; its design is streamlined and elegant and certainly would win first prize for sheer beauty. It also has a nice set of features -- lots of BTUs/sq in of grilling surface, a multiposition, 3-speed rotis, an interior halogen light for night grilling, a spring-actuated lid assist, a smoker box (no smoker burner though) and the cast-brass main burners you mentioned. The pricing is right in line for this class of gas grills. It wound up being my second choice. Twin Eagles -- the Lynx dealer also carried Twin Eagles so I saw them side by side. Very similar features as Lynx, but not quite as pretty, not quite as many BTUs, and not quite as expensive. Like the Lynx, it's American-made of 304 SS, and the fit and finish appeared excellant. That's true of all the four brands I saw, and, I'm sure, also of the Kalamazoo, except that it's in a category by itself in terms of build and materials, as you would expect for the price. Fire Magic -- this is a very old company with an excellant reputation for selling very high quality grills. However, for the price, I think you could do better. IMHO, Fire Magic is lacking innovation in both the appearance of the grill, which I would rank at the bottom of this group and especially that tall, tear-drop shaped lid, and also in the ommission of such a desirable feature as an interior light. They sell a clip-on, but who wants that? All that, combined with distinctly higher pricing than the others (except for Kalamazoo) means you really have to want the special features they do offer--such as the ability to do charcoal grilling in the main burner compartments--to choose this grill. Alfresco (even though you didn't ask) -- this wound up being my first choice. I ordered an 30" LX2 cart model (the LX2 is the higher-end of their two grill lines) with one infrared sear burner, which was shipped today. I saw the Alfresco at the same store as the Fire Magic and there was no question in my mind. Alfresco was the winner. Why? The pricing is similar to my second-choice Lynx, but Alfresco has one feature that really iced it for me. The rotis motor is built into the grill and you can leave the rotis rod right in place while you're grilling other things. In all the other grills I saw, you have to store the motor and rod when not in use. With these others, the motor, when in use, hangs outside the grill and the rod penetrates through openings in the lid. With Alfresco, the integrity of the lid is not compromised in this manner, and you don't have to trouble yourself with storage or with installing the components when you start rotissing. It also makes for a much sleeker appearance. The warming rack has four positions, one of which swings it completely out of the way when you're rotissing so that you also don't have to worry about removing the rack. Also, unlike the Lynx (and like the Fire Magic), the Alfresco has a dedicated smoke burner right below its smoke box, another feature that's important to me. Plus, the Alresco is almost as nice looking as the Lynx. Still, if money were no object, I'd be mighty tempted by a Kalamazoo. Judging by the pix on the Net, they're built like a tank and those "dragon burners" sound like they'd survive more than a season or two in Hell itself. Not that you'd be using it there.

rorosz, I have two Weber gassers in my herd. I have a Weber Genesis 3000 which is 15 years old and a Summit that is 7 years old. Each has burners going different ways Genesis has them going east/west, and the Summit has them going north/south. Each layout has its + and -'s in my opinion. Other than the fact one has 3 burners and one has 6 burnrs they cook the same. Webers hold pretty predictable temps depending on the number of burners lit which is a huge plus compared to most grills. The 15 year old Genesis has only required replacement of the flavorizer bars during ownership and looks almost as good as the day it was put together. If you are concerned about hood height and the Weber on doing Rotis 20 lb Turkeys don't worry. I do them all the time and never had a glitch yet. IMO Weber has one of the better Rotis motors out there. Geared just right. I for one think infrared is a viable cooking method however I don't think you will be happy with IR on a lower end grill $400-$500 dollar range. No I'm not a grill snob but I am realistic. A charbroil red isn't and American Outdoor Grill or its more expensive cousin Fire Magic. Now if you want something that can really cook low and slow with temps down around the 210° range or sizzling hot with temps in 1000° range take a look at a ceramic cooker. BGE, Primo, Grill Dome, Kamado, and to a lesser extent Imperial Kamado. Course you will be cooking on lump charcoal but the flavor is awesome. Concerning your original post I feel a Weber grill would be the perfect fit for you and will answer the bell for you for many many years. If you decide on a Weber compare the grills at HD, Lowes and a True Value. Each store seems to have Webers with different specs concerning cooking grates (material) and flavorizer bars (material). Also you can get most Webers in propane or Natural Gas variants if you desire. Very Respectfully, Jeff

Hi Infohound - I'm in the same boat - have a Weber charcoal for about 14 years...after researching I have decided on the Napoleon Ultra Chef 405 - I think the pedestal cart model as it hold the tank out of sight and I don't want to pay extra for the cabinet bottom. I don't think I would use the rotisserie and have no info on the infrared. I also like the fact that the shelves fold and make the grill more compact so that I can store it in the garage. I plan on going to a local shop to see this in person before I buy. I'll let you know how I do!

True, the "Made in China" thing people immediately glom onto even though like you say and is also true most things are NOT made in USA anymore. If you had a house where everything in it was actually solely made in the USA then it would sure be easy to clean because it would be virtually empty. and in fact the NXR is merely "Assembled" in China anyway because 98% of all the parts are from every where but China. In a way that is probably about the best compromise possible because I am thinking that the Chinese worker is probably some of the best in the world at Assembly. But mainly I have people constantly ragging on me personally for merely suggesting NXR as a choice. I do so when someone ask for something under $3000, or if they don't give a price range but want what the NXR has which is sealed burners, infrared broiler and nice size stove. In this case price was a consideration along with an infrared broiler so I suggested it as a lower priced compromise. I also mention it because frankly it is the only newer stove that I know much of anything about because I own it. My last stove was a complete POS that was here when we bought the house and would not recommend it to an enemy. My favorite stove prior to the NXR was my 1950s Okeffe and Merritt but those are sorta hard to find and if you do you pay a premium for it so rarely do I suggest someone buy one of those although if I could find one in great condition for under $1800 that would have been my first choice. I also agree on the Sealed Vs Open burner, I don't want an open burner and the 15K btu from the NXR burners which are the EXACT same burners that Wolf uses are WAY more then enough for what I need. If other burners put out more heat then I have no need for it, I have already lost half the hair on my arms as it is. I am not competing on Iron Chef or what ever so if a 23K burner boils a pot of water in 5 mins instead of 6 I could not careless. Hell I rarely even use the 15K burners on full except to boil water as it is. About the only thing I use full blast on is my WOK and they are more than adequate. Also the ability to have ALL 4 burners exactly the same, all are 15K and all are ultra low simmer and sealed. exactly what I wanted and I didn't have to pay $5000 for it.