Weber One Touch Silver BBQ

Weber One-Touch Platinum Charcoal Barbeque

We needed a new Barbeque for a party in a couple of weeks time, so the last few days have been spent carrying out some research into what is available.

The first decision was gas or charcoal. I read several barbeque cookbooks and no one really had anything good to say about gas barbeques. Added to this is the hassle and availability of bottled gas in comparison to the ready availability of charcoal.

Some of the units are quite large to store when not in use, so you do need to think about how much space you have to store the unit when not in use. We checked the available storage space in the garage and garden shed and decided we could accommodate one of the larger units.

I wasn’t sure if I should go for a low end barbeque that would give us may be one or two years service or a quality product that would last 10 years or more.

From an ethical / environmental perspective I dislike the idea of products which only last one or two uses or which really can’t be repaired or modified. We went around Homebase, B&Q and our local garden centre. The big chains had a good selection of models but didn’t carry all the accessories. The local independent garden centre on the other hand was a little more expensive but actually had a really good selection and all of the accessories.

We went for the Weber One Touch Platinum after looking seriously at the Outback models. We really liked the kettledrum design and the integrated ash collection tray. There are lower priced models of the Weber but what is really good about the Platinum version is the integrated holder for the lid. On this model you can just push the lid to the side and it neatly wraps under one of the edges. The frame that holds the kettle also has a high quality tabletop, which is useful next to where you are cooking. The kettledrum is finished in a high quality black porcelain enable, which is guaranteed for 10 years. The charcoal grate and cooking platform are solid and heaver on their own than some of the lower end units!

The unit came in a very large and heavy box. It just fit into the back of an Audi A3 with the rear seats forwards. Don’t try and lift the box on your own, it’s certainly a two person job.

Getting the box home and opening it I was very impressed with how well it had been packaged. The instruction and assembly guides were on top. The instructions are in several languages and I found no problem following the English version.

To put this together you’ll need a screwdriver, spanner or pliers and a hammer. They seem to have given assembly some serious thought and made it a very user friendly. It took us about 20 minutes to put this together and the result is a very robust and steady barbeque.

The two large wheels make it easy to move around on grass and gravel and steady in use.

Getting this barbeque lit is simple enough. There is a good adjustable vent at the bottom and top of the unit, which allows you to get a good draft going to get it lit.

It was pleasing to see that Webber do a good range of accessories and spares such as replacement wheels and a useful rapid light chimney which they say will get the coals up to temperature in 20 to 30 minutes. This will probably be one of the first additions I buy and will report back when I know what it’s like in practice.

They also sell covers which are specific to the model but at about £45 they seem a bit expensive but may be worth it to keep the unit in good condition.

Overall I would certainly recommend this unit to anyone looking for a good quality barbeque that they want to get many years use out of.