I am going to go broke if I don’t stop going to Costco! While it is wonderful that they have so many great deals, the problem is that the best deals are usually on some pretty expensive items!
Case in point, the Weber Genesis II S 345 at Costco is a great deal on a spectacular grill but you still need to shell out a big wad of cash to bring it home with you.
Let’s take a closer look at this grill so you can see why the model at Costco is a real bargain.
Key Features of the Weber Genesis II S 345
The Genesis II S 345 is the top of the line in the Genesis line of three burner gas grills. The key features of this grill include:
- Three Primary Burners
- Sear Station Burner
- Side Table Burner
- GS4 High Performance Grilling System
- iGrill3 Temperature Monitoring Module
- Backlit Burner Knobs
- Stainless Steel Construction
- Cooking Grate Made from 7mm Stainless Steel Rods
- Cover Included
- 10 Year Warranty on ALL Components
- Available for use with liquid propane only.
The features that I think are the most important are:
- The stainless steel cooking grate which is EASY to clean and makes great grill marks.
- The Sear Station Burner that lets you put extraordinarily great sear on steaks.
- The large cooking area that is more than enough to feed a crowd.
- Solid build construction that is going to last.
The iGrill3 module comes with four temperature probes and allows you to remotely monitor the internal temperature of the meats you are grilling. The iGrill3 is okay but I don’t get too excited about it.
Grill Performance
The Genesis line of grills is defined by two main features.
- High Performance Grilling
- Solid Construction that Lasts
High Performance Grilling
If you have never grilled on a Weber gas grill before then you are in for a treat with the Genesis series. The Genesis grills have amazingly even heat distribution and you rarely will have a problem with flareups.
While Genesis grills have always been amazing they got even better in 2017 with the upgrade to the GS$ High Performance grilling system. The GS4 system upgraded the ignition system, burner tubes, Flavorizer bars and grease management system.
The short video (1.25 minutes) below does a great job of explaining the GS4 upgrades.
Simply put, grilling on a Genesis is a joy.
Solid Construction that Lasts
Weber backs this grill up with a ten year warranty on all components because, with one exception, they expect them to last at least that long.
The one exception is the stainless steel Flavorizer bars which have an expected lifetime of five years. What is great is that even though Weber knows the Flavorizer bars will only last for five years they go ahead and cover them for ten. Sweet!
These grills last so long that there is a very good chance that this will be the last grill you ever buy.
Why This Grill is a Bargain
The Genesis II S 345 is exclusive to Costco and is not listed on Weber’s website. The grill that is closest to the S 345 that Weber will sell you directly is the Weber Genesis II S 335.
The Genesis II S 335 has less features than the S 345. The extra upgrades you get on the S 345 that are not included with the S 335 include:
- Backlit Burner Knobs
- iGrill 3 Module
- Grill Cover with 3 Year Warranty
The S 335, which does not have these features has a list price of $1,079. To get the iGrill3 and cover for the S 335 would cost you about an extra $200 raising the total price to $1,279.
You can buy the upgraded S 345 in the Costco warehouse for $999.99. (Slightly higher through the Costco website with delivery)
This grill is going to last you at least 10 years. If you take the $1,000 purchase price and spread it across ten years of ownership it turns out that it will only cost you about $100 per year to own one of the best grills ever made.
That is a pretty sweet bargain.
Customer Reviews of the Genesis II S 345
Here is a summary of the Customer Reviews people have left for the Genesis II S 345 on Costco’s website. The data is current as of June, 2021 and includes feedback from over 1,000 customer reviews.
- 5 Star = 80%
- 4 Star = 9%
- 3 Star = 3%
- 2 Star = 2%
- 1 Star = 5%
The primary complaints in the 1 and 2 Star reviews had to do with problems with delivery and having contractors assemble the grill. There were other complaints about the grill arriving with bent/broken parts and the wait time for replacements being excessive.
Expect to spend at least three hours on the assembly of this beast.
Looking for Alternatives?
If the Genesis II S 345 is out of you price range but you still want a great grill then let me suggest you check out another Costco Special, the black Weber Q2200.
The Q2200 is an exceptional grill that costs a fraction of the Genesis.