For you guys who are thinking of an alternative to a Weber Gas grill especially the expensive ones, this is the one to consider. It is a few hundred dollars cheaper than a comparable Weber model and being a company owned by Weber now, you won’t be disappointed with the quality. Although its construct is of thinner steel and a few minor short-cuts to bring the price point down, it is still far superior to a Char-Broil or Brinkman gas grill. It is also quite heavy though easy enough to assemble.
ducane 4100 gas grill
The large cooking area may put this off a family sized BBQ option a bit but it is worth considering for large grilling sessions. Heat is also even and the porcelain-coated grates makes this gas grill a great product to consider.
Features To Expect
In fact, the Ducane 4100 gas grill is pretty similar to the Ducane Affinity 3100 in terms of features. The only major thing that you will notice that is different is the 12,000 BTU stainless steel burners. There are about 4 of them in this gas grill which probably explains why this model is called 4100
You can compare the features here.
What I Really Like About The Ducane Affinity 4100
Large Cooking Area
I’m a big fan of large gas grills but I DO love small portable ones too. If you have catch a glimpse of this grill in real life, it is larger, in fact pretty big. The total area is about 526 square inches and it has a total cooking area of almost 700 square inches! That’s HUGE if you ask me. I have never come across any gas grill with that amount of cooking area at this price with a decent quality build. So yeah, a definite plus point for me. Seriously, there is PLENTY of room to cook on it!
Heats Quickly and Pretty Powerful
Four stainless steel burners heat up the whole cooking area. Nope, there are no infrared burners here but the stainless steel burners do a good job heating things up and I can get really nicely cooked rare steaks here. Seared marks are excellent and all the juices are trapped. The Ducane Affinity can do that because it heats up really quick. I say it only takes 10 minutes tops and you can have quick grilled meals for your visitors in no time. Very even heating too. Of course, there is some flexibility to control the amount of burners lit. Each burners can be lit up separately. Love the porcelain coated stainless steel cooking grates.
Easy Setup
One of my greatest fear whenever I invest in a grill of this size is if it can fit easily or if I actually need to study the manual for a day before assembling. Thankfully, it took me just about more than an hour to put the Ducane Affinity 4100 together. I hate having to spend more time putting the grill together than cooking on it :S
What I Don’t Like About It
Thin Metal Parts
I wouldn’t say it is a big issue here but some parts of this grill is made of thin metal parts. The door panels and the hood is a little thin for the size of it. I wouldn’t say it is so cheap that a small amount of pressure on it would cause it to dent but I guess this is what you pay for a grill made from China. You can’t expect the entire grill to be made of good quality materials.
Efficiency
While Weber has contributed to its design, I would still say that the Ducane Affinity 4100 still falls a little short in the heat efficiency department. Sure it heats up real quick and hot but I find that I use more gas in this grill.
My Verdict
Overall, I would say that the Ducane Affinity 4100 is an excellent grill for its price, features and package. You won’t get too many extras here but it grills well. If you are considering an alternative to the expensive Weber grills then this is one for you to consider otherwise, you could also look into Broil King’s gas grills.
So check out what other customers are thinking!
