2017 Weber Genesis II LX Now In Stores - The Virtual Weber Gas Grill

The new 2017 Weber Genesis II LX grills are now starting to show up in stores. I caught my first glimpse of the LX at a Lowe’s Home Improvement Center in San Jose, CA.

Comparing Genesis II and Genesis II LX

The differences between the base model Genesis II and high-end Genesis II LX grills include:

Feature	Genesis II	Genesis II LX
Storage	Open cabinet, one shelf	Enclosed cabinet with door(s), two shelves
Taller lid	No	Yes
Lid handle light(s)	No	Yes
Lighted burner control knobs	No	Yes
More substantial lid handle design	No	Yes
Tool hooks	6 end-mounted	3 front-mounted
Cooking grates	Porcelain enameled cast iron	7mm stainless steel rods
Flavorizer bars	Porcelain enameled steel	Stainless steel
Main burners	60,000 BTU-per-hour input	72,000 BTU-per-hour input
High+ heat setting on each burner	No	Yes
Side burner with cover	No	12,000 BTU-per-hour input
Lid material	Porcelain enameled	Porcelain enameled or stainless steel
Fuel gauge	Mechanical	Mechanical + LED display
Assembly required	Yes, a lot	Yes, a little. Major components come pre-assembled at the factory.
Where made?	Made in China	Made in USA incorporating globally sourced component parts

First Impressions of Genesis II LX

The first thing I noticed about the Genesis II LX was the enclosed storage cabinet. It consists of two solid metal shelves (no wire shelves or metal slats here) and a single door on the two-burner model, two doors on the three-, four- and six-burner models. The usability of the top shelf is reduced by the placement of the grease drip pan in the center of the shelf and the close proximity of the grease catch pan above. This limits the use of the top shelf to small, thin items like tongs, grill brushes, etc.

Enclosed storage cabinet with two shelves

The second thing I noticed was the additional height of the LX lid. It looks more like what you expect from a traditional Genesis lid. You can easily see the difference in this photo:

Taller lid on LX (right) vs. shorter lid on base model (left)

Another obvious difference that stands out is the side burner. All LX grills come standard with a 12,000 BTU-per-hour input side burner for preparing side dishes or warming sauces.

The LX features the same GS4 High Performance Grilling System as the base model (see 2017 Weber Genesis II: First Impressions for details) but with the addition of a super-charged “High+” setting on each individual burner, allowing additional searing power on a per-burner basis.

One feature new to the Genesis line is lighted control knobs, now standard on the LX and previously available only on Summit gas grills. The lights are activated by a push button on the right side of the control panel and powered by three D-size batteries located inside the storage cabinet.

Control knobs in normal state. Note the "High+" burner position (the flame in the open circle icon). — Control knobs in normal state. Note the “High+” burner position (the flame in the open circle icon).

Lighted control knobs, very helpful in the dark

If you’re using the optional Weber iGrill 3 Bluetooth-enabled probe thermometer with the Genesis II LX, you can read the grill’s propane level and turn on/off the lighted control knobs from the comfort of your smartphone. On the LX, the iGrill 3 installs right over the LED fuel display on the front face of the right side work surface.

The lid handle on the LX is essentially the same as recent Genesis grills and is more substantial looking and feeling than the base model Genesis lid handle which borrows its design from the Spirit line.

One small improvement in the LX over the base model Genesis is the front-mounted tool hooks on the left side work surface. In my opinion, tool hooks belong on the front of the grill for easy access. But in a strange twist, the LX gets only three tool hooks while the base model gets six tool hooks.

All LX models feature 7mm stainless steel rod cooking grates and stainless steel Flavorizer bars, a nice improvement over the base model’s porcelain enameled cast iron grates and Flavorizer bars (although these stainless steel parts can be found in a Special Edition SE-410 4-burner base model available at select dealers like Ace Hardware). Upgrading to stainless steel lid and storage doors adds $100 to the price of each LX model.

Made in USA…sort of

Label says, "Made in USA incorporating globally sourced component parts" — Label says, “Made in USA incorporating globally sourced component parts”

Last but not least, unlike the Genesis II base model which is made in China and requires substantial assembly by the buyer, the Genesis II LX is “Made in the USA incorporating globally sourced component parts”. What this means is that while many parts are still made in China or elsewhere, perhaps some parts are still made here in the USA and the majority of the grill is assembled by American workers in Illinois, leaving a smaller number of assembly steps for the buyer.