About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

This model has been discontinued. It is replaced by the Ducane Affinity 3100, though these are very different grills.

The only thing I can find that Weber did to Ducane after they bought the company in 2004, was to lower the price on these grills. The 864 represents a great grill that doesn't come with a lot of extras. This grill won't stand out in a line up. It has great cooking abilities because of the compact internal design with high end stainless steel parts.


This is the grill for people who like to grill, not the people who want to decorate their patio. This model gives a large cooking area to work with.

Manufacturer's Site

Pros

• This grill has the stainless steel where it's important, inside
• Backed by Weber with full 24/7 support
• Superior heat output uses less fuel but still gets great heat
• Built for strong cooking abilities
• Very large grilling area

Cons

• Primitive grill design will go unnoticed next to flashy grills
• Low total BTUs means longer preheat times
• For a grill this size it probably should have three burners

Description

• 465 square inches of primary cooking area for a total of 864 square inches
• Two stainless steel 18,500 BTU burners giving a total output of 37,000 BTUs
• Stainless Steel Cooking Grates
• Ceramic Briquette and stainless steel vaporization barrier system
• Piezoelectric rotary igniter with view ports that let you see the flame without opening the grill
• Built in smoke tray
• Full 24/7 support from Weber (who owns Ducane)
• 2 polyethylene side tables

• Made in the United States by Ducane

Guide Review - Ducane 864 Inch Gas Grill

Even Weber wouldn't want to change how these Ducane grills work, something no one has done in decades. This is the largest of the Ducane line. Last year it would have set you back over $800, now, because of Weber's new pricing structure you can purchase this unit for under $550. This is without changing how the components are made, or how the grill works. This is also one of the last grills out there that uses ceramic briquettes for the vaporization barrier. This adds to the heat capabilities of the grill.

Ducane grills really work because of its efficient design that needs fewer BTUs to generate the same heat of other grills. For this reason you can actually sear a steak on this two burner, 37,000 BTU grill with a primary cooking area of 465 square inches. However, this unit should have more BTUs for the size.

For upgrades you can get a side burner on this unit and a stainless steel pedestal. Normally, the whole body of this grill is Cast Aluminum. In fact Weber now advertises it as a cast aluminum grill. This separates it from all those flashy gas grills that get all the attention. If you want a grill that will cook and not a grill that will look cool, this is one you should think about. Considering how much better it is than most the other aluminum grills, this is a good deal too.

This unit has two side tables and plenty of warming rack space, but beyond that this Ducane was built to grill.

Manufacturer's Site