Weber Original Kettle 22 vs Performer 22
Same 22 in bowl, same 363 sq in grate, $149 against $449. The Performer sets it in a 40.25 in wide cart with Char-Rails, a hinged grate and a lid dial, at 69 lb.
We pick the Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill 22
The Original Kettle. The Performer cooks on this exact bowl and grate, so $449.00 against $149.00 buys no extra fire. The $300 is not all furniture: it also brings Char-Rails, a hinged grate and a lid dial. But the cart is most of it, and the cart carries the shortest cover on the grill.
What actually differs
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The $300 buys a kit, not only a cart
Beyond the table and frame, the Performer adds the parts that make long cooks easier: rails that set two zones, a grate that flips up for fuel, a dome dial and a Tuck-Away lid holder. The Original's specification lists none of them, and it cooks perfectly well without.
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The dearest part gets two years
Both kettles carry ten years on bowl and lid, and five on the One-Touch system. The Performer's frame, painted steel table, shelf and wheels sit in the two-year remaining-parts term. That is the money you paid extra for.
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$19.99 does the rails' job
Char-Baskets drop into the Original's bowl and make two-zone banking trivial, at $19.99. Add a folding table and the cooking gap between these two grills nearly closes.
How they score, category by category
The Weber Original Kettle 22 scores higher in 3 categories, the Performer 22 in 3 categories.
Level overall: within a tenth of each other.
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Heat Performance
Counts for 25% of the scoreWeber Original Kettle 22 8.7Performer 22 8.9 Better by 0.2Why the Performer 22 scores 8.9The Original Kettle 22's bowl and 363 sq in, plus Char-Rails and a hinged grate that hold two zones and feed a long fire.
Why the Weber Original Kettle 22 scores 8.7
Lid and bowl dampers over 363 sq in run two zones well, but feeding a long cook means lifting the loaded, fixed grate.
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Long-term Reliability
Counts for 20% of the scoreWeber Original Kettle 22 8.6 Better by 0.7Performer 22 7.9Why the Weber Original Kettle 22 scores 8.6Ten years of rust-through cover sits on bowl and lid, where kettles die; One-Touch gets five, and the grate, dampers and wheels two.
Why the Performer 22 scores 7.9
Bowl and lid carry 10 years like every 22 in kettle, but the painted-steel cart, table and wheels sit in a 2-year bucket.
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Build Quality
Counts for 18% of the scoreWeber Original Kettle 22 8.3 Better by 0.1Performer 22 8.2Why the Weber Original Kettle 22 scores 8.3Porcelain enamel on both halves, aluminium dampers and nylon handles, over a plated-steel grate and no published steel gauge.
Why the Performer 22 scores 8.2
Hand-applied porcelain enamel on bowl and lid is excellent; the grate is plated steel and the side table is painted steel.
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Ease of Use
Counts for 15% of the scoreWeber Original Kettle 22 7.3Performer 22 9.1 Better by 1.8Why the Performer 22 scores 9.1Beats the Master-Touch's kit of hinged grate, Char-Rails, Tuck-Away holder and lid dial by adding a side table and a shelf.
Why the Weber Original Kettle 22 scores 7.3
The lid hook and tool hooks help, but no thermometer is listed and refuelling means lifting the whole grate off the coals.
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Value
Counts for 12% of the scoreWeber Original Kettle 22 9.3 Better by 2.4Performer 22 6.9Why the Weber Original Kettle 22 scores 9.3Leads Weber's 22 in kettles on price: $149.00 buys the same 363 sq in fire the dearer models sell with extras attached.
Why the Performer 22 scores 6.9
$449.00 buys the $149.00 Original Kettle 22 cooking hardware plus $300 of cart, which is steep for a table and a shelf.
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Maintenance
Counts for 10% of the scoreWeber Original Kettle 22 8.4Performer 22 8.9 Better by 0.5Why the Performer 22 scores 8.9The One-Touch sweep drops ash into an enclosed, wind-proof catcher, and Weber warrants that system separately for 5 years.
Why the Weber Original Kettle 22 scores 8.4
One-Touch sweeps ash into a catcher warranted five years, but Weber never calls it enclosed, as it does the dearer kettles' buckets.
See all six scores in one table
| Category | Weber Original Kettle 22 | Performer 22 |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Performance (25%) | 8.7 | 8.9 Better |
| Long-term Reliability (20%) | 8.6 Better | 7.9 |
| Build Quality (18%) | 8.3 Better | 8.2 |
| Ease of Use (15%) | 7.3 | 9.1 Better |
| Value (12%) | 9.3 Better | 6.9 |
| Maintenance (10%) | 8.4 | 8.9 Better |
| 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 want the 22 in kettle's fire and already have, or will buy, a table to stand beside it.
Check price →You cook on charcoal most weekends, have nowhere to set tongs and trays, and want kettle, fuel and prep space in one rolling unit.
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.