BeefEater vs Weber: which brand to buy, at each price

People compare BeefEater and Weber because they are the two BBQ brands every Australian has heard of. The honest answer is that they barely make the same product. Weber’s volume is the Q, a small cast-aluminium gas BBQ with one or two ring burners. BeefEater’s is the four and five burner trolley with cast iron burners. Where they do overlap, at $1,000 to $1,800 for a full-size trolley, the comparison is real and BeefEater is usually the better value. Here is how it falls out at each price, with prices from Bunnings and BCF on 4 October 2026 (Amazon prices change daily, so check them there).

Questions to ask before choosing between BeefEater and Weber

• How many people do you cook for? Two to five on a deck or balcony: a Weber Q. A big four or five burner trolley with a side burner and a cabinet: BeefEater. For a built-in outdoor kitchen, BeefEater unless you want the Q’s shape in a bench.
• Can you wait for a special order? BeefEater’s 1200 and 1600 series and their covers are special orders at Bunnings, so order the cover with the BBQ. The Good Guys had the 1200 series four-burner in stock when checked on 9 Nov 2026. BCF stocks the Weber Q and Spirit with covers and parts on the shelf.
• Who puts it together? Bunnings lists a $160 assembly service on the BeefEater pages, and a 1600 series on a trolley is a two-person job. A Weber Q from BCF goes in the boot assembled.
• Do you live near the sea or a pool? Material matters more than brand: the Q’s cast aluminium body doesn’t rust, while both brands’ trolleys need a cover near salt. Weber’s warranty lapses for damage or rust caused by salt air or pool chemicals (Weber manual); check the BeefEater warranty card for the same wording.
• Will you run it on natural gas? BeefEater sells a $149 kit for its trolleys; Weber sells natural gas Qs that can’t be converted back. Either way the connection is a licensed gasfitter’s job (WA Building and Energy).
• Is it certified for Australian gas? Every gas appliance sold here must be tested and certified (Gas Technical Regulators Committee). Look for the compliance plate; overseas marks such as CSA or CE aren’t enough (Energy Safe Victoria).

Head to head at each price

Budget	BeefEater	Weber	Our call
About $500	Bugg 2 burner, on Amazon (trolley base extra)	Q2000N, $539 at BCF; Baby Q1000N $389	Weber. The Q is cheaper, in stock everywhere, and its covers and hotplates are on BCF’s shelf.
$750 to $900	Clubman 4 burner, $798 at The Good Guys (14 Nov 2026), also on Amazon	Family Q+ Premium (Q3200N+), $919 at Weber or sold by Weber on Amazon; plain Q3100N+ $909 at BCF	Depends. Four burners and cast iron for less money, or two burners with a tall hood and a parts network. For a family on a deck, the Family Q. For a big flat hotplate for a crowd, the Clubman (it has no hood and no grill).
About $1,000 to $1,100	1200 series 4 burner black mobile, $997 at The Good Guys (13 Nov 2026)	Spirit E-325 3 burner, $1,099 at BCF	BeefEater. Four 15 MJ cast iron burners plus a 15 MJ side burner, a double-layer hood with a window and a seam-welded enamel firebox, against three burners on an open cart.
$1,300 to $1,600	1600 series 4 burner stainless mobile, $1,545, special order	Spirit E-425 4 burner, $1,299 at BCF	Closer. The Weber is $300 cheaper with four burners. The BeefEater adds stainless, a side burner and a two-door cabinet.
$1,600 to $1,800	1600 series 4 burner dark mobile, $1,899	Genesis E-325 3 burner, on Amazon	Weber if you want the Genesis cooking system and the included griddle; BeefEater if you want a fourth burner and the side burner.
Built-in	1600 series 4 burner stainless built-in, $1,094, special order	Family Q built-in (Q3600) natural gas, on Amazon	BeefEater for a full outdoor kitchen. Weber if you want the Q in a bench.

Burners: cast iron against stainless tube

The Bunnings pages for the BeefEater 1200 and 1600 list 15 MJ cast iron burners with stainless steel vaporisers (17 MJ on the 1600 dark built-in). Cast iron burners are heavy, hold heat, and are the part BeefEater has built its reputation on. Weber’s Spirit and Genesis use stainless tube burners behind Weber’s Flavorizer bars; the retailer pages we loaded do not state their output in megajoules, so we are not going to guess. In practice both cook well. The argument for cast iron is longevity in the salt air that kills thin tube burners; the argument for Weber is that a replacement tube burner is cheap on Amazon and you can fit it yourself.

Covers and parts

Weber wins on availability. BCF stocks a fitted cover for every Q, the kettle, the Lumin, the Slate, the Smoque and the Spirit E-325, from $39.99 to $119.99, and hotplates, grills and starter packs sit next to them. BeefEater’s covers are $113 to $135 for the trolleys and $89 for the built-ins, all special order at Bunnings, and the Bugg cover is on Amazon. See BeefEater covers and Weber Genesis and Spirit covers.

Natural gas

Both convert. BeefEater sells a $149 natural gas kit covering the 7000, 1600, 1500, 1200 and Clubman trolleys and a $199 kit for the built-ins, both special order at Bunnings. Weber sells natural gas versions of the Q2200N, Q2800N+ and Family Q3200N+ on Amazon rather than kits, and they are not convertible back. Either way the connection is a licensed gasfitter’s job; see natural gas BBQs.

The verdict

Small BBQ for two to five people, a deck or a balcony: Weber Q, no contest. Big four or five burner trolley: BeefEater gives you cast iron burners, a side burner and a cabinet for Spirit money, and the 1200 at $997 (The Good Guys, 13 Nov 2026) is the best-value full-size BBQ from either brand. Built-in: BeefEater unless the Q’s shape is what you want. Premium three-burner with the Weber cooking system: Genesis, and accept the price. Our best gas BBQ guide ranks them against Matador and Jumbuck too.

The one trap

Buying BeefEater on price and forgetting the two costs that are not on the ticket. First, special order: the 1200 and 1600 series and their covers are ordered at Bunnings and delivered later, so the BBQ arrives before the cover unless you order both at once. Second, assembly: Bunnings lists a BBQ assembly service at $160 on the BeefEater pages, and a 1600 series on a trolley is a two-person job. A Weber Q from BCF goes in the boot assembled. Add $160 and a wait to the BeefEater price before you compare.

The competition

We compared 14 BBQs across the two brands, all in the head-to-head table; these nine aren’t picks:

• BeefEater Bugg (Amazon Australia, trolley base extra): BeefEater’s answer to the Q, but at about $500 the Q2000N is cheaper, sold everywhere and has its cover and hotplate on BCF’s shelf.
• Weber Baby Q1000N ($389 at BCF): the smaller Q, better for a balcony or camping than as a home BBQ; see the Weber Q guide.
• Weber Family Q (Q3100N+) ($909 at BCF): the pick without the lid thermometer, $10 less; buy whichever is cheaper on the day.
• Weber Spirit E-425 ($1,299 at BCF): four burners for $300 less than the BeefEater 1600; it’s a pick in the 4-burner guide.
• BeefEater 1600 series 4 burner stainless ($1,545, special order at Bunnings): stainless, a side burner and a two-door cabinet, but $548 more than the 1200 for mostly looks, and sold only through Bunnings.
• BeefEater 1600 series 4 burner dark ($1,899): more again for a darker finish.
• Weber Genesis E-325 (Amazon Australia): the premium three-burner with the Genesis cooking system and an included griddle, for people who want Weber’s top range; the Spirit does the family job for less.
• BeefEater 1600 series 4 burner built-in ($1,094, special order) and Weber Family Q built-in (Q3600) (Amazon Australia): for outdoor kitchens; see the built-in BBQ guide.