Weber Q 1200 vs Q 1400
The same 189 sq in cast iron grate, fed by an 8,500 BTU burner or a 1,560 watt element worth about 5,323 BTU/hr. Gas or electric, and what the cord costs.
We pick the Weber Q 1200 Gas Grill
The gas Q 1200, wherever a flame is allowed. Both grills cook on 189 sq in of enamelled cast iron. The Q 1200 feeds it 8,500 BTU; the Q 1400's 1,560 watts restate as about 5,323 BTU an hour. Gas also costs less: $279 list, against $349. Buy the Q 1400 only when a lease or building rule bans propane.
What actually differs
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Under two thirds of the heat on the same iron
Our Q 1400 review converts its watts with the federal energy factor and lands short of the burner's rating. Cast iron and a lined lid narrow that gap. They do not close it on a thick steak.
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Two years on the part that makes heat
The Q 1200's stainless burner tube sits in the five-year tier with the cookbox. The Q 1400's heating element gets two. Weber trusts its flame longer than its element.
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A battery against a cord
The Q 1200 lights on one AAA and runs on a cylinder you must carry. The Q 1400 has no igniter and no tank, but goes no further than six feet from an outlet.
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Tables and a gauge, or neither
The gas grill has two folding side tables and a lid thermometer. The Q 1400's review lists neither, only a nylon frame and one unmarked dial, so plates and a probe come from you.
How they score, category by category
The Weber Q 1200 scores higher in 4 categories, the Q 1400 in one. One is level.
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Heat Performance
Counts for 25% of the scoreWeber Q 1200 9.0 Better by 1.7Q 1400 7.3Why the Weber Q 1200 scores 9.08,500 BTU across 189 square inches works out hotter per inch than the Q 2000, and cast iron holds it.
Why the Q 1400 scores 7.3
1,560 watts over 189 sq in beats the Q 2400 on density, yet trails the gas Q 1200, and Weber publishes no ceiling.
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Long-term Reliability
Counts for 20% of the scoreWeber Q 1200 8.5 Better by 1.2Q 1400 7.3Why the Weber Q 1200 scores 8.5Five years on cookbox, lid, burner tube and grates, matching the bigger grill, though the igniter now has a battery in it.
Why the Q 1400 scores 7.3
Cookbox, lid, grates and plastics carry five years, but the heating element, the one part that makes heat, gets only two.
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Build Quality
Counts for 18% of the scoreWeber Q 1200 9.0 Better by 0.6Q 1400 8.4Why the Weber Q 1200 scores 9.0Porcelain-enamelled cast iron grates on a 31 pound grill, where most of this weight class folds thin steel.
Why the Q 1400 scores 8.4
Cast aluminum lid and body, aluminum liners and enameled cast iron grates, carried on a glass-reinforced nylon frame rather than stamped steel.
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Ease of Use
Counts for 15% of the scoreWeber Q 1200 7.5Q 1400 8.7 Better by 1.2Why the Q 1400 scores 8.7One infinite dial, no cylinder and no igniter, held back only by a six-foot cord that decides where the grill can stand.
Why the Weber Q 1200 scores 7.5
Electronic ignition is easy until the AAA dies, and a flat battery is the one failure a matchbox cannot outrank.
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Value
Counts for 12% of the scoreWeber Q 1200 8.0 Better by 0.8Q 1400 7.2Why the Weber Q 1200 scores 8.0Captured near $209 against Weber's $279 list, with no cart and no cylinder included at either figure.
Why the Q 1400 scores 7.2
At $349.00 it undercuts the $399.00 Lumin Compact on the same wattage, but without the Lumin's published 600°F figure.
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Maintenance
Counts for 10% of the scoreWeber Q 1200 9.0Q 1400 8.9Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Weber Q 1200 scores 9.0Enamel needs no seasoning, the catch pan lifts straight out, and there is very little else to clean.
Why the Q 1400 scores 8.9No ash, no burner ports and enamel that needs no seasoning; grease drops into a catch pan that slides out from underneath.
See all six scores in one table
| Category | Weber Q 1200 | Q 1400 |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Performance (25%) | 9.0 Better | 7.3 |
| Long-term Reliability (20%) | 8.5 Better | 7.3 |
| Build Quality (18%) | 9.0 Better | 8.4 |
| Ease of Use (15%) | 7.5 | 8.7 Better |
| Value (12%) | 8.0 Better | 7.2 |
| Maintenance (10%) | 9.0 | 8.9 |
| Avid Griller Score | 8.6 | 7.9 |
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 →
Which one is for you
You can burn propane where you cook, want the hotter grate for less money, and will carry a spare AAA.
Your lease or building bans open flame, there is an outdoor outlet near the table, and dinner is thin food.
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.