Weber Master-Touch 22 vs Original Kettle Premium 22
Same 363 sq in bowl, same 10-year cover, $289 against $229. The Master-Touch adds Char-Rails, a GBS grate, a Tuck-Away lid holder and 42 in of height.
We pick the Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22
Buy the Premium unless you will put Gourmet BBQ System inserts in the middle of the grate. Both cook on 363 sq in in the same 22 in bowl. Both have a lid dial, a hinged plated-steel grate and an enclosed ash catcher, and both carry ten years on bowl and lid. At $289.00 against $229.00, the Master-Touch's extra $60 buys comfort and an accessory path. None of it makes the fire bigger or hotter.
What actually differs
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The grate is an accessory decision
Both grates flip up for fuel. Only the Master-Touch's is built for circular GBS grillware: a sear insert, a wok, a griddle, each sold separately. If none of those is on your list, this difference is worth nothing to you.
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Char-Rails hold the edge of the fire
On the Master-Touch, two rails pin the coal bank where you set it, so the cool side stays cool as briquettes collapse. On the Premium you bank the coals by eye under one hinged flap. Both work; one is easier to repeat.
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42 inches tall against 39.5
Lid shut, the Master-Touch stands taller on longer aluminium legs, and parks its lid on a Tuck-Away bracket rather than a hook. It also runs 29.5 in deep against 27, so it claims a slightly bigger corner.
How they score, category by category
The Weber Master-Touch 22 scores higher in 1 category, the Original Kettle Premium 22 in one. 4 are level.
Level overall: within a tenth of each other.
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Heat Performance
Counts for 25% of the scoreWeber Master-Touch 22 8.9Original Kettle Premium 22 8.8Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Weber Master-Touch 22 scores 8.9The Original's 22 in fire, no hotter, but Char-Rails pin a two-zone split and the hinged grate feeds it mid-cook.
Why the Original Kettle Premium 22 scores 8.8The plain kettle's 22 in bowl and dampers, so the same fire, but the hinged grate lets you feed it mid-cook.
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Long-term Reliability
Counts for 20% of the scoreWeber Master-Touch 22 8.4Original Kettle Premium 22 8.4Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Weber Master-Touch 22 scores 8.4Bowl and lid get ten years, One-Touch five; the hinged grate, rails and Tuck-Away holder, more parts than the Original, get two.
Why the Original Kettle Premium 22 scores 8.4Bowl and lid carry 10 years against rust-through, but the hinged grate, the dial and the wheels sit under the 2-year term.
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Build Quality
Counts for 18% of the scoreWeber Master-Touch 22 8.3Original Kettle Premium 22 8.3Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Weber Master-Touch 22 scores 8.3Porcelain enamel, aluminium legs and glass-reinforced nylon handles are sound, but a plated-steel grate is thin dressing on a $289.00 grill.
Why the Original Kettle Premium 22 scores 8.3Fused enamel, aluminium legs and dampers, and nylon handles are sound; Weber states no steel gauge and contradicts itself on area and damper count.
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Ease of Use
Counts for 15% of the scoreWeber Master-Touch 22 8.9 Better by 0.3Original Kettle Premium 22 8.6Why the Weber Master-Touch 22 scores 8.9Tuck-Away holder, lid dial, Char-Rails and a hinged grate, standing 2.5 in taller than the Premium; only the Performer adds a table.
Why the Original Kettle Premium 22 scores 8.6
A lid dial, a lid hook and flip-up grate sections remove the three chores that slow a plain kettle on a long cook.
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Value
Counts for 12% of the scoreWeber Master-Touch 22 6.7Original Kettle Premium 22 7.2 Better by 0.5Why the Original Kettle Premium 22 scores 7.2$229.00 at Weber buys the $149.00 Original's cooking plus three convenience parts; a burgers-only cook pays $80 for little.
Why the Weber Master-Touch 22 scores 6.7
$289.00 buys the same 363 sq in as $149.00, and $60 over the Premium pays for comfort and GBS access, not cooking.
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Maintenance
Counts for 10% of the scoreWeber Master-Touch 22 8.9Original Kettle Premium 22 8.9Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Weber Master-Touch 22 scores 8.9A swipe of the One-Touch lever empties the bowl into an enclosed, wind-proof catcher, warranted five years like the sweep itself.
Why the Original Kettle Premium 22 scores 8.9One-Touch blades push ash into an enclosed catcher, warranted five years, so emptying it is one lift and no grey drift on the patio.
See all six scores in one table
| Category | Weber Master-Touch 22 | Original Kettle Premium 22 |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Performance (25%) | 8.9 | 8.8 |
| Long-term Reliability (20%) | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| Build Quality (18%) | 8.3 | 8.3 |
| Ease of Use (15%) | 8.9 Better | 8.6 |
| Value (12%) | 6.7 | 7.2 Better |
| Maintenance (10%) | 8.9 | 8.9 |
| Avid Griller Score | 8.4 | 8.4 |
Both reviews are scored on the same six weighted categories, on the same 0 to 10 scale, and each reason is the one that review gave. A category is marked better only where the two differ by a tenth or more. How we score →
Where the spec sheets differ
Quoted from each maker's own specifications, as each review records them. Figures the two products publish identically are left out, so only the differences are listed.
Which one is for you
You cook long two-zone sessions on your feet, and a GBS sear insert or wok is already on your shopping list.
Check price →You want the dial, the hinged grate and the closed ash bucket, with no accessory system to buy into.
Check price →More head-to-heads
Every score and figure on this page comes from our own reviews of these two products, linked above. We have not tested them side by side in one place; the comparison is between two full reviews, each built from the maker's published specifications and documentation. Prices move, and the ones quoted are the ones each review checked on its own date.