Weber Spirit II E 210 Review: A Best Buy For a Small Grill!

The Spirit II E 210 was newly renovated for 2018 with great new features to make it a more competitive product than in years past.  The Spirit is Weber’s entry-level series, mainly due to its smaller size and lack of extremely high tech features.

But make no mistake, even though this is an entry level grill it is a solidly built powerhouse that will make you a happy griller for years on end.  An entry level Weber is still ten times better than the cheap Char Broils and Dyna Glos that you will find at the Big Box Stores.

The E-210 is perfect for a small family or a beginner to the grilling game. Its small footprint means it will fit well on the balcony at your apartment complex, and just as well in the backyard of a home.

Spirit II E 210 Specifications and Dimensions

To get a better idea of this grill’s identity, let’s take a look at some numbers.

• Grilling Area: 360 inches of primary cooking area with an additional 90 inches available in the form of a warming rack
• Grates: Porcelain-enameled, cast iron cook cooking grates
• Burners: Two stainless steel burners
• Heating Power: (26,500 BTU/hour) / (360 square inches) = 73 BTU per hour per square inch
• Dimensions (with lid ajar): 57”H x 48”W x 26”D—44.5”H with lid closed
• Color Availability: Black, Ivory, Red, Sapphire
• Warranty: 10 Years excluding normal wear and tear (subject to additional terms and conditions)

Customer Reviews of the Spirit II E 210

On Weber’s website, this grill has over 1500 reviews with 94% being 5 or 4 stars and only .3% being 1 or 2 stars.

Most of the reviews on Weber’s site and Amazon sites are great, talking about the new and improved features of the grill. The negatives seem to be mainly regarding shipping and handling or assembly on both websites.

The new Spirit series is still a relatively new product since it just came out in 2018, so we won’t honestly have a feel for the quality of these products for a few years. Weber is known for its longevity, and that cannot be tested until owners have been cooking on the grills for at least two to three years.

However, given that these grills are backed by an industry leading 10 year warranty I suspect they are going to last a long time 🙂

What Makes the 210 Great

The defining characteristic of the Spirit grills is high performance grilling.  When you grill on a Spirit you are going to have very even heating across the grates and will have very few flare-ups.  If you are used to grilling on cheap gas grills then grilling on a Spirit will be a game changer for you.
The 210 is compact enough to keep on the smallest patio but has most of the same features as the more expensive Genesis series. Weber did a great job of updating the features of this grill to improve the design from earlier models.

The new Spirit E 210 liquid propane grill comes in several colors to go with any outdoor décor, while the old model was a standard black. The less popular natural gas design still comes only in black, though. Other upgrades to the 210 include the porcelain-enamel cast iron cooking grates, and the move to place the controls on the front panel. In addition, the shelves on the new model fold, where the old model had fixed side shelves.

The new Spirit models come with open cart designs, where the previous models had a closed cart with a door. This feature helps to keep the grills cleaner and allows for easier access to tools and the LP tank.

The biggest upgrade is that the Spirit now has the exact same 10 year warranty on all components that comes with the more expensive Genesis series.

What I Don’t Like

The downside for me is in the simplicity of this grill. There are no extras with the Spirit series in like a Sear Station, side burner or built in grill lights.   If you are looking for something with more bling then look to the larger Genesis or Summit models.

The only other bummer with this grill is the small cooking area. If you are grilling for a large number of people, you will at least want to upgrade to the Spirit E 310 model to increase your cooking area for a decent value.

The new model of the Spirit E 210 also comes with only two wheels and no casters, meaning you will need to lift it and push it like a wheelbarrow to move the grill. If you move your grill every time you want to cook, you may want to consider the Genesis models instead.

Versus the Spirit E 310

Other than the 310 having more burners and overall cooking space than the 210, the models have a lot in common. Both are made from the same materials, have the same upgrades from their older versions, and come with the same 10-year warranty.

The 310 does come with a price tag that is about $100 more than the 210, so if you are shopping on a budget and size is not an issue, the 210 is your best bet. However, if you need more cooking space, you could easily upgrade to the 310.

These grills now check all of the boxes a basic grill master needs to get the job done well. They far exceed the pricier Genesis series for the two and three-burner size range.

Versus the Q3200

A common suggestion for Weber grill beginners is to opt for the Q3200 over the Spirit series because of its portability. However, the Q3200 is heavy and clunky to travel with at best, therefore leaving a bit to be desired.

The Q3200 has less overall heating power. It features more square inches of cooking space than the Spirit, but with fewer BTU. The Spirit can sear food for that perfect BBQ look and feel, where the Q3200 will have a harder time achieving these results.

The construction of the two grills also varies with the Q3200 having a less stable cast aluminum body versus the 210s porcelain-enameled lid and panel frame.

Both grills feature foldable side tables and open cart designs. However, the Q3200 wins here, since its side tables are removable as well and the open cart features a bottom shelf for additional storage.

The final nail in the coffin of the Q3200s fight to be better than the Spirit is its lack of flavorizer bars and lack of compatibility with iGrill3. Although these are not necessary features, they do add a higher quality to your grilling.

Since the two grills are exactly the same MSRP, the Spirit definitely wins out as far as flavor and features.