Weber Rotisserie worth the cash? what alternative

[AlanL]

Been looking at a Rotisserie for by Weber Spirit. Now the obvious choice would be to go for Weber's own but even my local Weber dealer said it was a lot of money for what it was @ £100+ and recommend the Broil King one at just under £50.

The difference between the two is the Weber is mains powered but the Broil King is batteries. My concern would be that batteries would not have enough power but the dealer said that due to the low speed there is enough torque. As well as saving a bit of money I like the idea of batteries as it means no trailing cables for someone to get snagged on and should the usual happen with the UK weather a bit of rain won't be a worry.

I know I incur running costs with batteries but th 1/2 doz of so times a year it'l get used it shouldn't be a big issue especially if I bulk buy in Costco.


Anyone see any reason not to go with the Broil King or have other recommendations.

Alan.

[keith157]

There is a fair choice here, also JEC has had succes in powering an Ique 110 with cordles drill batteries so maybe worth thinking about converting/adapting the power supply

http://www.planetbarbecue.co.uk/sfrotigrill.htm

JEC's battery power

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=2012&p=16597&hilit=12v+battery#p16597

[philnewts]

Totally love the weber rotisserie

[AlanL]

Well I decided to opt for the Broil King but to get it to fit I'll have to widen the holes on the base that would normally hold the Weber Rotisserie up slightly. Now I would be ok with that as the cost saving was quite significant however when I tested the motor drive unit is seemed quite noisy. It is loud enough that you wouldn't want to be sitting too close as the level and whring sound would be annoying. Measured from approx 1 meter away sound levels 72-75dB.

Now before I make any mods to the BBQ how noisy is the Weber Rotisserie? Is the sound that noticable / annoying?

Alan.

[RobinC]

Just popped into my garage and plugged my rotisserie in as couldn't remember how noisy it is. Didn't seem annoying or o early loud to me and I was holding the actual thing so was close. I've got the 2011 version, I think the 2012 one has a stronger motor so could be louder. Don't have a sound metre so can't give you figures but the noise coming from mine wouldn't spoil a BBQ

[keith157]

Assuming the motor unit supplied with the Weber charcoal version is the same then there is almost no discernable noise and we don't live in a noisy area which would mask it. My main bugbear with the Weber unit is the extremely short power cord it comes with. I end up cable tying the cord to the side handle of either the OTP or Outdoorchef to reduce a trip hazard.
Doubtless someone will have plans or ideas of soundproofing your unit. A plywood box with a fireproof batting or foam filling would do it, as would turning up the music

[Titch]

I think Balance, is the all inportant for these units,
they can be noisy if loading up then overunning as they turn.
just a thought.
Cheers.
Titch

[AlanL]

The unit I was testing was a Broil King and not the Weber one. I tested without any load on it IE straight out of the box and before any assembly. I've taken it back to the shop and tested a few motor units and all reached a similar level of sound. Guy in shop agreed it was noisey so agreed to a refund. Although a Weber dealer and carries most items he doesn't carry the Rotisserie as a stock item as he doesn't get much call due to the price.

Before I spend £100+ on the Weber Unit I'd like to be certain it's going to be a lot quieter. I expect some noise similar to a hum or a low whirling but not something that is going to annoy or be distracting.

[keith157]

Where are you townwise?