All categories/Outdoors/Grills & smokers/Weber/Weber Original Kettle 22
Weber Original Kettle 22

Weber Original Kettle 22

Scored on 37 verified owner verdicts, from 577 comments read across 5 communities
TL;DR
A durable, versatile charcoal grill that lasts decades and excels at burgers, steaks and high-heat grilling. It can do low-and-slow with a snake or Slow N Sear setup, but a dedicated smoker handles that better.

84% of 37 verified owners recommend the Weber Original Kettle 22, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

What 37 owners say
577 comments reviewed · scored on the 37 clearest verdicts
84%
Recommend
31 owners
13%
Neutral
5 owners
3%
Don't recommend
1 owners
Source
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
86%
7
Smoking Meat Forums
83%
29
Independent blogsino affiliate links
100%
1
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
YouTubeiowner comments
70%
122
Affiliate blogsipaid commission
100%
5
No clear verdictiSetup, tips & quirks
2

Affiliate blogs here say 100% recommend, while the owner-based score is 84%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.

The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube and Affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.

What owners like
  • Incredibly versatile, you can cook anything · 9 · 24%
  • Great for low-and-slow smoking, not just grilling · 6 · 16%
  • Convenient ash catcher makes cleanup easy · 6 · 16%
  • Durable, lasts decades with minimal care · 5 · 14%
What owners flag
  • Hard to control low temps for smoking · 4 · 11%
  • Cooking area fills up fast with sides · 3 · 8%
Who it's for
A great fit if
  • Charcoal fans grilling burgers, steaks, and sausages
  • Cooks wanting one versatile do-it-all cooker
  • Buyers who value a grill lasting decades
  • Occasional low-and-slow smokers on a budget
Look elsewhere if
  • Cooks plating lots of sides alongside the main (fills fast)
  • Serious low-and-slow smokers wanting easy temp control
  • Anyone needing more grate space (consider the 26")

Synthesized from what Weber Original Kettle 22 owners say — not a spec sheet.

How buyers rate it elsewhere

Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.

Top quotes, sourced

577 reviewed · 164 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
YouTube▼ don’t recommend

2 of my legs were a fraction too long. Had to shorten them so the little knob could click into place. Very frustrating!

YouTube— neutral

The hinged grate, ash catcher and thermometer would have been worth the extra cash in my opinion

YouTube▲ recommend

Still cooks like a beast, so you can make a hell of a feed with any of them.

YouTube— neutral

it with a new 22" that has the fancy ash catcher and 4 legs with wheels, and I don't care what Weber says about not needing to

YouTube▲ recommend

It was a great grill. Worth it at that price today.

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

The thermometer is on the back side of the lid, very band placement, bother vent and thermometer SHOULD be on the front.

YouTube▲ recommend

it's been going strong 💪 since the first day of purchase

YouTube— neutral

I have been using Weber products for years and you are spot on

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

rather than wasting all that money on a Weber you can get the same virtually the same thing expert grill will do everything

YouTube— neutral

My first Webber lasted 20 years too the second one only lasted 10 before the spot welds for the legs gave out.

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

Mine moves around in high wind, and has been blown off my deck, requiring an hour or so to straighten it out

YouTube▲ recommend

I have the cheapest model and I use it all the time.

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

I never understood why Weber didn't put hinges on the lid. I finally got rid of my Weber for that reason.

YouTube▲ recommend

Weber kettle is the best investment you can make if you're even a tad serious about grilling & bbqing.

YouTube— neutral

Ash sweeper is the first thing to go. Cheap to replace.

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

The biggest issue I have with most grills is they are too short. I usually end up modifying their height

YouTube▲ recommend

That bad boy been holdin coal a way long time.

Smoking Meat Forums— neutral

Personally since I'm not concerned about the falling ashes I like the easability of the pan over the catcher. The 22" also has the hook lid which works great.

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

There is an issue with the legs and the spring button that is supposed to pop out of the whole.

YouTube▲ recommend

Love my Kettle

Reddit— neutral

I bought the same model but used (~1 year old, great shape with a small chimney and cover) and quickly realized the ash catch is worth the extra price

YouTube▲ recommend

I use it a lot and it really does everything that the more expensive weber kettle grills do.

Smoking Meat Forums— neutral

Butut if you have something else for larger, cotrolled-temp smokes/cooks then the 22" is great but I think somewhat more limited to grilling or higher-heat setups (hard to keep the temp down on that smaller size.)

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

Weber charcoal grills are no longer made with high quality yet they still cost much more.

Showing 124 of 164

Common problems & things to know

Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.

Smoking Meat Forumsⓘ good to know

I use the old 22" for smaller/shorter cooks where I'm not so concerned about temp control. I've never been able to keep temps "down" in anything anyway LOL!

Smoking Meat Forumsⓘ good to know

Here is a recent cook on my 22. It gets a little tight with sides..