Weber Performer 22 vs Smokey Mountain 18
$449 for 363 sq in on one grate against $419 for 481 on two. The Performer adds a cart and Char-Rails to a 22-inch kettle; the Smokey Mountain 18 adds a water pan.
We pick the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker 18
Buy the Smokey Mountain 18, unless it would be your only cooker. At Weber's August price of $419 it costs $30 less than the $449 Performer. It puts 481 sq in over the fire against 363, and its cover is in the box. The Performer's own review prices its cooking hardware at the $149 Original Kettle 22. Everything else is cart.
What actually differs
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$300 of cart, or most of a smoker
Strip the Performer's table, shelf and wheels and its fire is the $149 kettle's. Spend $119 more than the Performer and you own that bare kettle and the 18 together.
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Rails make the kettle smoke; the 18 smokes by shape
The Performer's Char-Rails hold a bank of coals, and its hinged grate lets you feed them mid-cook. The 18 puts a water pan between fire and meat and leaves nothing to arrange.
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Neither tells you what the grate is doing
Each carries one dial in the lid. The 18 fits a silicone grommet for a probe lead Weber does not supply. Budget for a probe thermometer whichever you buy.
How they score, category by category
The Weber Performer 22 scores higher in 3 categories, the Smokey Mountain 18 in 2 categories. One is level.
Level overall: within a tenth of each other.
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Heat Performance
Counts for 25% of the scoreWeber Performer 22 8.9Smokey Mountain 18 9.0Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Weber 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 Smokey Mountain 18 scores 9.0A wider barrel carries a bigger charcoal bed, and a bigger bed resists change better than the 14 inch model.
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Long-term Reliability
Counts for 20% of the scoreWeber Performer 22 7.9Smokey Mountain 18 9.5 Better by 1.6Why the Smokey Mountain 18 scores 9.5Ten years against rust through on bowl, lid and center ring, so the cover is longest exactly where rust starts.
Why the Weber 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 Performer 22 8.2 Better by 0.2Smokey Mountain 18 8.0Why the Weber Performer 22 scores 8.2Hand-applied porcelain enamel on bowl and lid is excellent; the grate is plated steel and the side table is painted steel.
Why the Smokey Mountain 18 scores 8.0
Plated steel grates sit inside porcelain enamel, the one place Weber economised on this cooker.
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Ease of Use
Counts for 15% of the scoreWeber Performer 22 9.1 Better by 2.1Smokey Mountain 18 7.0Why the Weber 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 Smokey Mountain 18 scores 7.0
One built-in reading, taken at the lid, on a cooker whose fire you otherwise cannot see at all.
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Value
Counts for 12% of the scoreWeber Performer 22 6.9Smokey Mountain 18 8.0 Better by 1.1Why the Smokey Mountain 18 scores 8.0Weber's page showed $419.00 in August, and a cover and a decade of rust protection are included.
Why the Weber 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 Performer 22 8.9 Better by 0.9Smokey Mountain 18 8.0Why the Weber 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 Smokey Mountain 18 scores 8.0
A water pan comes out dirty after every cook, which is the price of the steadiness it buys.
See all six scores in one table
| Category | Weber Performer 22 | Smokey Mountain 18 |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Performance (25%) | 8.9 | 9.0 |
| Long-term Reliability (20%) | 7.9 | 9.5 Better |
| Build Quality (18%) | 8.2 Better | 8.0 |
| Ease of Use (15%) | 9.1 Better | 7.0 |
| Value (12%) | 6.9 | 8.0 Better |
| Maintenance (10%) | 8.9 Better | 8.0 |
| 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
This is your only charcoal cooker, and you want to sear, roast and smoke a little from one bowl with a table beside it.
Check price →You already grill on a kettle and would rather spend Performer money on a cooker built for brisket.
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.