Gas grills are somewhat unmatchable when it comes to outdoor cooking. They offer a comfortable cooking experience, easy portability, and cleanup at a time. Thus, they make the moments with family and friends more fun and memorable.
It is no wonder that Weber has been one of the most popular brands in the gas grill market. However, the Napoleon brand has gained considerable popularity and ruling the grill market with Weber simultaneously. Therefore, most people tend to run into a dilemma about which one to choose, which one will make of their money.
Both the brand has some similarities and differences. Today we will be comparing these two brands from various aspects. Eventually, the napoleon vs weber gas grill discussion will help you make a decision on which one to choose between these two brands.
Top recommended Products for Napoleon vs Weber Gas Grills
Napoleon and weber grill legacy overview
Before getting into a detailed discussion, it is better to know about the history, legacy, and overview of these most prominent brands. It will help you capture some ideas on the outset, then will move into a detailed discussion and conclude it with a well-thought verdict.
Napoleon
The journey of the Napoleon brand begins in an immigrant’s garage. A couple from Germany, Wolfgang, and had moved to Canada, and, in 1976, they founded their steel fabrication business named Wolf steel LTD.
The steel fabrication firm was promised to produce quality products. Later, their commitment to quality helped them to establish the Napoleon brand in 1981. Therefore, technically, still, the Wolf steel LTD is the parent company of Napoleon.
The Napoleon brand is a real Canadian gem. It became a prominent brand when the wood-burning stoves became a trend. Over the years, by providing high quality it has been more popular day by day.
Weber
On the other hand, Weber was established in 1893. Nevertheless, it was not your favorite grill manufacture at that time; it was a metal works company for a long time.
In early 1951, Weber decided to set afoot at the grill market and started producing quality grills from the very beginning. Maybe, that’s why it has gained so much popularity over the years very quickly. In fact, most probably Weber is the brand that draws more attraction all the time. Its product line comes with a bit higher price point as it offers the best quality possible.
Actually, Weber is a brand under the Weber-Stephen Products LLC. Weber also runs a grill academy and grilling restaurant.
Napoleon vs Weber Detailed Comparison
Both brands have many models in the market with different features and dimensions. Therefore, it is not an easy task to discuss all of them from a generalized view. For a better understanding, we will be comparing the top two grills from each brand with key differences.
Napoleon Prestige 500 VS Weber Genesis II E-410
Both of these brands possess almost the same qualifications. That is why we decided to compare these two. Let’ get forward.
Key differences between these Napoleon Prestige 500 VS Weber Genesis II E-410
| Area | The Napoleon Prestige 500 | The Weber Genesis II E-410 |
| Construction | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel |
| Cooking Surface | 760 square inches | 844 square inches |
| Number of Burners | 4 main | 4 main burners |
| Side and Rear Burner | One rear and one side infrared burner | No |
| Amount of Heat (Main Burner) | 48,000 BTU | 48,000 BTU |
| Startup System | Jet fire ignition system | Infinity ignition system |
| Portability | 4 locking casters | 2 large wheels + 2 swivel and locking casters |
| Side Tables | Yes | Yes |
| Coking Height | Multiple | Limited |
| Cleanup | Easy | Easy |
| Warranty | 15 years limited warranty | 10 years warranty + 100% guarantee |
Construction
Napoleon: The Napoleon Prestige 500 possesses durable stainless steel construction and extremely sturdy cooking grates.
Weber: Weber Genesis II E-410 is no different. It also comes with a stainless steel frame and reliable heavy-duty cooking grates.
Total Cooking Area
Fortunately, both the grillers can satisfy your need, if you want a spacious cooking surface. They are suitable for large BBQ parties, picnics, or anything.
Napoleon: Napoleon Prestige 500 comes with a total generous cooking area of 760 square inches, which is well enough to celebrate a big BBQ party at any time.
Weber: On the other hand, when it comes to the cooking surface, a few brands in the grill market can outdo the Weber brand; the Weber Genesis II E-410 is no different from that. It ensures all other quality with the biggest cooking surface possible. The Weber Genesis II E-410 comes with a cooking surface of 844 square inches
However, Weber has a bigger cooking area of 80 square inches compared to Napoleon. Therefore, it wins in this segment.
Burners:
More burners ensure better heating capacity, thus better cooking experience. See what these brands offer.
Napoleon: Napoleon Prestige 500 has 4 main burners. Additionally, it offers 2 infrared burners, one of which is a side infrared burner and the other is a rear infrared burner.
Weber: The Weber Genesis II E-410 comes with 4 main burners.
Here, Napoleon Prestige 500 takes lead. Because of its two infrared burners, it will allow you to cook in different heights. It ensures relatively better versatility.
Heating Capacity:
Napoleon: Napoleon Prestige 500 offers four main burners and each of them produces 12,000 BTU per hour. That makes it a total of 48000 BTU per hour. Besides, the side burners can add up to 18,000 BTU per hour, which is a big plus point.
Weber: The Weber Genesis II E-410 offers 48000 BTU per hour from its main 4 burners.
Therefore, we can say Napoleon takes lead in the heating capacity as well. It produces more heat, thus it is also perfect for a rotisserie. Remember that the bigger cooking surface will also compromise the actual heating capacity of The Weber Genesis II E-410.
Startup System:
Napoleon: When it comes to the startup system, the Napoleon brand always tries to provide the consumers with an easy startup system using a high-tech ignition system. The Napoleon Prestige 500 comes with a Jetfire ignition system, which ensures faster startup, as it shoots flame to light up the burners quickly.
Weber: The Weber Genesis II E-410 comes with the infinity ignition system, which convenient enough if you need a fast startup. However, actually, it is not as efficient and innovative as the Jetfire. Therefore, here Napoleon takes lead.
Cart Design:
The cart design of two gems is very significant. It marks quite a noticeable difference as one has an open cart design and the other has a closed cart design. Give priority to your preferences.
Napoleon: Napoleon Prestige 500 has a closed cart design, which means you can keep the tank locked and arrange your grilling stuff. It cart also has handy hooks and durable stainless steel.
Weber: The Weber Genesis II E-410 offers an open cart design, which gives the user easy access to the grilling stuff. It is also a bit more spacious indeed. Nevertheless, the drawback is the tank will remain open at all times.
Portability:
Napoleon: Napoleon has four locking casters that make it to transport the grill anywhere when needed. Besides, you can keep the casters locked for safety. However, these wheels do not perform well in rough terrains.
Weber: The Weber Genesis II E-410 offers 2 large wheels + 2 swivel and locking casters. So you can take your grill in whatever direction you want. Besides, you can take the grill in.
Therefore, when it comes to easy transportation, the Weber Genesis II E-410 is the winner.
Nepoleon Lex 485 vs Weber Genesis II LX 340
The Napoleon Lex 485 and the Weber Genesis II LX 340 are also the two most popular and top class models of these brands. Moreover, both of these models are of the same class if you consider the price.
Key differences
| Area | The Nepoleon Lex 485 | The Weber Genesis II LX 340 |
| Construction | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steeel |
| Cooking Surface | 815 square inches | 513 square inches |
| Number of Burners | 4 main burners | 3 main burners |
| Side and Rear Burner | One rear and one side infrared burner | No |
| Amount of Heat (Main Burner) | 74,000BTU | 43,500 BTU |
| Startup System | Jet fire ignition system | Infinity ignition system |
| Cart Design | Closed cabinet | Open |
| Portability | 4 locking casters | 2 large wheels + 2 swivel and locking casters |
| Coking Height | Multiple | Limited |
| Side Tables | Yes | Yes |
| Cleanup | Easy | Easy |
| Grease Pan | Yes, removable | Yes, removable |
| Warranty | 15 years limited warranty | 10 years warranty + 100% guarantee |
Napoleon: The Napoleon Lex 485 comes with durable stainless steel construction and super sturdy cooking grates.
Weber: The Weber Genesis II LX 340 is nothing less. It also comes with a stainless steel frame and reliable heavy-duty cooking grates.
When it comes to the construction, we can say both the models are reliable as to construction.
Total Cooking Area:
It is an easy understating how much bearing the size of the cooking surface has in an efficient cooking or the larger BBQ parties. When we compare the cooking surface of these models, we find The Nepoleon Lex 485 takes lead in a huge margin.
Napoleon: Napoleon Lex 485 comes with a huge cooking area of 815 square inches, which is well enough for a big family. It is qualified enough to celebrate a big BBQ party at anywhere and anytime.
Weber: On the other hand, the cooking surface of The Weber Genesis II LX 340 marks a big drawback on its part. It ensures quite a big cooking surface of 513 square inches for a family or parties, picnics, yet its cooking surface is 302 square inches smaller than the cooking surface of the Napoleon Lex 485.
Clearly, the difference is huge; Napoleon Lex 485 is the absolute winner in this section. There, if you are looking for a big cooking surface, now you know what to do.
Burners:
As we talked before, more burners ensure better heating capacity, thus better cooking experience. In this segment, Napoleon Lex 485 takes lead with it additional and side burners.
Napoleon: Napoleon Lex 485 has 4 main burners. Additionally, it also has 2 infrared burners. Alike the Napoleon Prestige 500, one of the additional burners is a side infrared burner and the other is the rear infrared burner.
Weber: On the other hand, the Weber Genesis II LX 340 has only 3 main burners and no additional burners.
Here, we can see that The Napoleon Lex 485 has a considerable edge over the Weber Genesis II LX 340. To be mentioned, the additional burners of Napoleon will allow you different cooking heights, which is literally not possible in the Weber Genesis II LX 340. Therefore, Napoleon is clearly more versatile than the Weber.
Heating Capacity:
It is obvious that more burners ensure more heat and convenient cooking. As we already know Napoleon has more burners, it takes lead in this segment as well.
Napoleon: When it comes to heating capacity, Napoleon Lex 485 is unmatchable. With its six (2= + 4) burners, it produces a massive amount of heat 0at 74,000 BTU. Such a high heating capacity is very rare in the grill market at this price point.
Weber: The Weber Genesis II LX 340 produces 43,500 BTU, which is almost half the capacity of Napoleon!
Therefore, Napoleon Lex 485 is super perfect for a rotisserie, but the Weber is not.
Startup System:
Napoleon: When it comes to the startup system, The Napoleon Lex 485 is elegant. Alike the Napoleon Prestige 500 it also possesses the Jetfire ignition system, which shoots flame to light up the burners quickly. It is promised to give superior comfort while setting the fire on.
Weber: The Weber Genesis II LX 340, alike the Weber Genesis II E-410 comes with the infinity ignition system, which also ensures easy startup. Yet Napoleon takes lead, as we mentioned before.
Portability:
In this segment, the Weber Genesis II LX 340 is the clear winner. It ensures easy portability than Napoleon.
Napoleon: Alike the Napoleon Prestige 500, Napoleon Lex 485The Napoleon has four locking casters that make it to transport the grill anywhere when needed and you can keep them locked.
Weber: On the other hand, the 2 large wheels + 2 swivel and locking casters of the Weber make it superior offering multi-directional movement and easy take in.
Cleanup:
Both the grillers are made of stainless steel and both have removable grease pan. Therefore, it is quite easy to clean them up. To put simply, they offer hassle-free cleanup.
Napoleon vs weber: Pros and cons
We have compared the top products from each brand. However, it is also necessary to describe these brands from a general point of view. That is why we have decided to come up with the pros and cons of these brands irrespective of any particular product. Here goes the pros and cons:
Napoleon Grill
Pros:
- Comes with a wide cooking area
- Relatively more affordable compared to others
- Durable and versatile
- Offers infrared cooking system
- The amazing and rare pattern of the cooking grid
- Electronic ignition and backlit knobs
- Fabulous heat retention system
- Pretty useful shelves
Cons:
- Comparative small wheels are a big drawback for rough terrains
- Not fully stainless steel made
- Not the same warranty system on every part
Weber Grills
Pros:
- Trusted for its reliable services
- High-tech and wide range of advanced feature
- Durable cast-iron construction which is also enameled
- Spacious cooking surface
- Comes with infrared side burners
- It has an extended distribution network, so easy to get one
- Some models come with more advanced features
Cons:
- The warming rack is a bit smaller
- You cannot convert it to natural gas
- A few models cost more
Final Verdict
Be a seasoned griller or professional, it is often a hard task to go for one between these two very good and world-class brands. However, you have to choose one, if you really want to buy one.
We already have been into a comprehensive discussion concerning these brands. We have picked the top 2 models, discussed their features from all the aspects. Therefore, it is quite to reach a verdict now.
Choose Napoleon, when:
- You want greater BTU
- A comparatively big cooking surface
- You want square footage
- Your priority is an infrared burner and a rotisserie
- You want the more affordable but top-class brand
- If you want to throw BBQ parties very frequently
- Overall an aesthetic grill
Choose Weber, when:
- You want handy side burners
- Your priority is less costly grills
- You want a grill that is comparatively even between the burners
- You need less repair rate (Only 1%)
- You prefer more robust
- Bigger cooking surface
- Additional flair
- Amazing advanced features
- An outdoor grill beast
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