I tried Weber's 2025 Spirit EP-425 gas grill — and it's incredible value for backyard cooks
As long as I've known about gas grills, I've known Weber, and the Weber Spirit line has long been a staple in the world of outdoor cooking. In 2025, the Spirit received its first refresh in more than 15 years, looking to close the gap between midrange and premium by packing higher-end features into a reasonably budget-friendly frame.
So to celebrate Tom's Guide's Get Grillin' Week, I tested the Weber Spirit EP-425, the larger sibling to the more compact EP-325.
Both are two of the best grills you can buy now, with the main difference being the number of burners, making the EP-425 ideal for grillers who want a little more elbow room and the EP-325 great for smaller spaces.
And while this iteration of the Weber Spirit isn't perfect, it's pretty close. It hits most of the right notes: easy setup, even heat, and one seriously impressive Sear Zone.
Investing in a new grill can be intimidating, especially knowing it's an appliance you're likely to own for many years. I can tell you outright the latest-generation Spirit is a sound purchase, but you can read my full Weber Spirit review to learn more about its key features and what kind of performance you can expect.
Weber Spirit EP-425
Weber Spirit EP-325
Weber Spirit E-325
Weber Spirit EP-435
Price
$799
$649
$549
$899
Size
60.5 x 51.8 x 31.0 inches
60.5 x 48.3 x 31.0 inches
60.5 x 48.3 x 31.0 inches
60.5 x 51.8 x 31.0 inches
Weight
126 pounds
103 pounds
103 pounds
126 pounds
Burners
4
3
3
4
Cooking Space
533 square inches
450 square inches
450 square inches
533 square inches
Fuel type
Propane or Natural Gas
Propane or Natural Gas
Propane or Natural Gas
Propane or Natural Gas
Digital thermometer
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
In-shelf cooktop
No
No
No
Yes
I've put together plenty of grills over the years, some of which have felt more like an IKEA fever dream than a quick weekend project. That's not the case for the Weber Spirit, which ended up being among the easiest grills I've ever assembled.
Weber's clear instructions and smart packaging make a big difference, though I'd definitely recommend a second set of hands to help out. We were able to get it put together and ready to cook in under an hour, including giving the grates a good wash.
Although the grill doesn't need to be seasoned, I like to give it at least 20 minutes to preheat, and then lightly season by rubbing half an onion coated in oil and stuck at the end of a grill fork on the grates.
Most grills have hot spots, or areas that get significantly hotter than the others. The Weber Spirit isn't an exception, but I will say the EP-425 delivered generally consistent temperatures across the entire cooking surface when I checked with my infrared thermometer.
Whether I was grilling chicken thighs, vegetables, or a round of burgers, I didn't have to be precious about where I placed them, letting me take advantage of the entire main cooking surface. Sure, the items in the back cooked slightly faster, but I just made sure to flip those first in progression.
The lid thermometer proved fairly accurate when cross-checked with a heat gun, and the grill recovered heat quickly after opening. That said, strong winds can blow out the burners if you leave the lid open for too long, so make sure to keep it closed for the best temperature performance.
The Sear Zone is the Spirit EP-425's secret weapon, and easily my favorite feature of the latest Spirit line. But it's not a new feature for Weber — the Sear Zone is carried down from the Genesis line, which is the next step up from the Spirit.
By combining two right-side burners (on both the 3-burner and 4-burner Spirit models,) the Sear Zone delivers a 40% boost in heat, which is more than enough to develop that golden, caramelized crust on a ribeye or bring a steak to medium-rare in just a few minutes. I would also use it like an outdoor broiler for finishing chicken or reverse-searing thick cuts.
Post-grill cleanup is no hassle on the Spirit EP-425. The newly designed grease trap slides out easily and fits disposable trays, very minimal effort needed. The porcelain-coated grates held up well to repeated use and were simple to brush off between sessions, though I'd like to share that I've moved away from bristled brushes to the Scrub Daddy BBQ Brush, one of the best grill brushes overall.
For a grill with digital readouts and modular accessory support, the absence of a propane gauge feels like a miss. Running out of gas mid-cook is never fun.
It's a small omission, but one that has potential to introduce friction to an otherwise streamlined experience. I'm also guessing the Spirit will find its way to many first-time gas grill users who probably don't yet have a sense of how quickly a propane tank clears out. For what it's worth, I've bought a couple of these $18 add-on gauges over the years for exactly this situation.
If you're looking for a gas grill that offers near-premium performance without blowing your budget, the Weber Spirit EP-425 or EP-325 is an easy recommendation. It's well-built, simple to assemble, and packed with practical features that make backyard cooking easier and more enjoyable. The sear zone alone sets it apart from similarly priced rivals.
Sure, we'd love to see a built-in propane gauge, but that's a relatively minor gripe in an otherwise excellent package. Whether you're grilling every weekend or just looking to upgrade from an older model, the EP-425 strikes the right balance of power, convenience, and value. It's at the top of my list for beginner grill recommendations.
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Tom's Guide
2 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
I spent a week cooking on the new Weber Smoque, and it makes smoking feel simple
Price: $799Weight: 102 poundsCooking surface size: 594 square inchesDimensions: 44.5 x 28.75 x 22.5 inches Weber has built its name in the grilling world over the decades as a bastion of reliability, and the brand behind some of the best grills on the market. And the Smoque is no exception: this pellet grill/smoker combo does everything you need it to do, simply and intuitively, with quality results and a small footprint that won't take up your entire patio. For Tom's Guide Get Grillin' Week, I've been testing this new, mid-priced offering from the titans of grilling, and I've largely enjoyed my time using the Smoque. The food it has produced has come out with a subtle smoky flavor and even, consistent results. It suffers from the same drawback that most pellet smokers do: It doesn't get quite hot enough for a really good sear, and while the smoky flavor is noticeable, it's certainly not as strong as a charcoal or wood option. Still, for reliably good results, a set-it-and-forget-it cooking process, and a small footprint with a high quality build, the Smoque delivers a lot of value. The Weber Smoque costs $799 and is available for purchase on Weber's website. It comes with a 5-year warranty and free shipping. You can also add on-site assembly at checkout for an additional $99. The Smoque is also available through other retailers. Weber provides a dealer locator on its website so you can find a store to shop in person. The Smoque has a small footprint, despite offering an ample 594 square inches of cooking surface. That's great if you're short on space on your patio or just don't want the hassle of a large pellet grill. It took me less than an hour to build the Smoque, and the instructions were pretty clear and easy to follow. It was easily one of the quicker grill builds I've done. The finished product feels high-quality and well-made. Like most pellet grills out there, the pellet hopper lives on the side of the main cooking body. At its bottom, an auger runs horizontally to guide pellets from the hopper to the combustion area, where they will burn to create heat and smoke. Notably, the utensil hooks are built into the face of the hopper, where you'll also find the Weber Connect Digital LCD controller. On the other side where you'd usually find a prep table, Weber has instead affixed a handle to make it easier to move the unit around. That system is very easy to use. Just plug in the unit, set your desired temperature, and the grill does the rest. This is also where you'll plug in the two included food probes, which will give you a live reading of your food's internal temperature as you cook. Weber also includes what it calls the Rapid React PID, which essentially monitors the grill's temperature and gets it up to temperature in 15 minutes or less after initial startup. This system is also responsible for getting the grill back up to temperature after you have opened the lid to tend to your food. Weber's SmoqueVent system is a design feature that circulates smoke around your food as it cooks. Weber says this lends a deeper flavor to your food, and encourages browning of meats — again, to lend more depth to your food's flavor, and to help develop a bark on smoked meats. An internal panel beneath the cooking grates sits at an angle and has a hole on one end. This allows greases and debris to flow downward into the hole, where it's caught by a grease trap that mounts to the underside of the cooking chamber. At low temperatures, the Smokeboost feature can be used, which helps maintain ideal temperature for as much smoke absorption as possible. Notably, there are no prep tables on the front or side of the Smoque, nor is there a storage shelf beneath the cooking area. These are available as additional accessories. I immediately liked the Weber for smaller smoking sessions, due in part to its smaller size. But more importantly, Weber allows you to set the Smoque as low as 180 degrees, which really makes it possible to do low and slow cooking. Some of the Weber's closest competitors set the minimum temperature at 200 degrees. That's okay, but for real low and slow cooking, 180 degrees is a sweet spot. At that lower temperature, you can use the Smokeboost feature, which monitors the temperature inside the cooking chamber and maintains it for optimal smoke absorption. I used this feature during my first smoking session to get as much of a smoky flavor as possible. During my first use, I seasoned the grill for an hour at high temperature. This burns off any chemicals or debris from shipping and ensures you don't get any foreign flavors in your food while grilling or smoking. I then smoked chicken thighs for three hours at 180 degrees, using the Smokeboost feature. I chose the largest and smallest thighs for my probes and monitored those temperatures via the Weber app. Within that app, you can set the probes for specific recipes, and the app will walk you though the correct process. In this instance, I simply chose the chicken setting and waited for the thighs to hit a target temperature. Throughout those three hours, I did open the lid occasionally to mop the chicken with barbecue sauce. It was remarkable how quickly the Smoque gets back up to the set temperature once you re-close the lid. This lends more consistency to your cooking. It's a very easy, set-it-and-forget-it operation. If I hadn't spent some time mopping with barbecue sauce, I could have simply walked away for three hours and come back to take the chicken off the grill when they were cooked. It's really that easy. That said, the Smoque does suffer from the same problem pretty much every pellet smoker I've used has. While the chicken ended up with a slightly smoky flavor, I certainly wouldn't call it a champion barbecue smoky flavor. It's subtle, and while the chicken came out delicious, if you're after a truly deep, smoky flavor, I find that charcoal or wood-burning smokers still reign supreme here. For my next session with the Weber Smoque, I tried my hand at cooking a New York strip steak and some mixed vegetables. Once again, the Smoque got up to temperature quickly — in this case, the maximum 500 degrees. I would have liked to get the grill up to 550 degrees, and the recipe the app called for even notes a 550-degree cooking temperature. But the Smoque does not allow you to get the grill that hot. This time, I used the app's recipe, which loads automatically and walks you through each step, from prepping the meat to cooking it through and letting it sit after grilling. It even tells you when to flip the steak. Of course, the timing was a bit off because the recipe called for a higher temperature than the grill can manage, so I still had to monitor the internal temperature of the meat to ensure I got the medium-rare finish I was looking for. And I did indeed get a very good medium-rare steak, albeit with the very extreme edges of the steak slightly overcooked. As promised, the Smoque also delivered a nice browning around the edges, adding to the complexity of flavor. That said, once again the Smoque stumbles where just about all pellet grills do. I wanted to do a reverse sear — that is, cook the steak to the desired temperature, then finish it with a high-heat sear, preferably in a pan or over a flame. I transferred the steak to the lower rack and tried to sear there, but the grill just doesn't get hot enough to get a good sear here. I ended up taking it inside to sear on a cast-iron skillet. One more notable feature of the Smoque: the smoke largely stays in the cooking chamber. A lot of smokers have gaps or openings, whether by design or by chance, that allows a lot of the smoke to escape during the cooking process. Not so with the Smoque. I was very pleased to see it is well-sealed and keeps the smoke in the chamber where it belongs. The Weber Connect app is easy to use and connected quickly to my grill. It gives you the basics — controls for the grill itself, temperature charts to monitor both the cooking chamber and your meats in real time, timers, and access to the Smokeboost feature. You can also look up recipes and have the app walk you through the cooking process. It's clear Weber put some good effort into this app and it's intuitive, user-friendly, and a great companion to the Smoque. One of the bummers about the Smoque is the lack of a side table to prep foods before putting them on the grill. I had to put plates and cutting boards on the lid of the hopper instead. Fortunately, Weber does sell a Side Table for an additional $125, though it definitely feels like this should be included in the original purchase price. The list of other accessories is quite extensive. Some of the most useful ones include: The pellet grill category is a crowded one. Fortunately for Weber, it floats close to the top of the category, with solid build quality, a great app, and some solid features that make cooking on it a breeze. I would compare this to similarly-sized Traeger grills, which is another quality name in pellet grills/smokers. I recently tested the Woodridge Pro from Traeger, which is much larger than the Smoque but similar in terms of performance. It costs $1,150 as compared to the Smoque's $800, and the Traeger includes two side tables and more cooking surface area. Otherwise, the performance of the two smokers is very comparable. It's worth noting that the Smoque seems to be sealed better, keeping more smoke within the cooking chamber. The Smoque is a well-built and easy-to-use option for nightly grilling or weekend smoking. You can fit quite a lot of food on this compact grill, though if you'll be feeding large parties frequently, the Smoque may be a bit small for you. But its small stature is also one of its big benefits if you're short on patio space. Despite its small footprint, it delivers plenty of food, a good smoky flavor (though not as much as wood or charcoal units), and a simple, set-it-and-forget-it cooking method. The app is solid too, and guides you through optimal cooking procedures for various foods you might be interested in grilling or smoking. At this price, I do feel that the side table and bottom storage shelf should be included. But otherwise, I had no problems at all with the Smoque and find it very useful for small and medium-sized meals. It seals in smoke well, and goes down to 180 degrees for true low and slow cooking. I wish it got hotter than 500 degrees for better searing capabilities, but it's a solid unit even without that max temperature.
Tom's Guide
4 hours ago
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I walked 8,000 steps with the Apple Watch 10 vs Garmin Forerunner 570 — and one was more accurate
These days, the best fitness trackers on the market do a hell of a lot more than just count your steps. Both the Garmin Forerunner 570 and Apple Watch 10 are designed to be worn 24/7, and can track everything from your heart rate variability to your menstrual cycle. But if you've wondered which is more accurate when it comes to step-counting, you've come to the right place. In my latest step-counting challenge, I strapped the Garmin Forerunner 570 to one wrist, my Apple Watch Series 10 to the other, and manually counted my steps to compare. Read on to find out which came out on top. Both watches count your steps by using an internal accelerometer, which measures the swing of your arm. Each swing counts for two steps. It doesn't matter whether you wear your watch on your dominant or non-dominant hand, or whether you're walking with your hands in your pockets, or holding something, the accelerometer should still measure your body's movement. I've used both devices for tracking my workouts in the past, although the Garmin Forerunner 570 is a newer device, only launching a month ago. If you've followed Tom's Guide for a while, you'll know this isn't my first step-count comparison. In fact, you can read what happened when I did the same test with the Garmin Forerunner 570's predecessor in my Garmin Forerunner 265 vs Apple Watch 10 face-off here. For all of these challenges, I use my trusty clicker counter. Every step I took, I clicked. When I got home, I downloaded all the data. If you own an Apple Watch, you'll also know that Apple doesn't include step count data in its workout summaries. You can see your overall steps for the entire day, but not how many steps you took on a particular walk (probably because steps aren't actually that useful a metric, but annoying for me when writing these articles.) Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. This challenge was originally 10,000 steps, but I lost the beginning of my walk as the StepsApp on my Apple Watch decided to stop working. I switched to the Pedometer+ app and started again. Here are the results: Manual: 8,000 steps Garmin Forerunner 570: 8,100 steps Apple Watch 10 7,700 steps As you can see from the results, the Garmin Forerunner 570 was pretty much spot on, counting 100 steps more than I did. The Apple Watch 10, on the other hand, missed 300 steps. Of course, to truly test the accuracy of the two watches, you'd need to do a lot more testing on a much bigger scale. I'm also not saying that the Apple Watch 10 isn't accurate. The average person takes 2,000 steps in a mile, so missing 300 steps isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things. Interestingly, for the walk, my Apple Watch recorded the distance as 3.79 miles, whereas my Garmin recorded 3.85 miles. Again, we're talking about very small differences here. Without getting into the smartwatch vs sportswatch debate, it seems important to also point out that these watches do a lot more than just count steps. Without getting into the smartwatch vs sportswatch debate, it seems important to also point out that these watches do a lot more than just count steps. The Apple Watch 10 is the best smartwatch on the market and is like having your iPhone on your wrist. The Garmin Forerunner 570, by comparison, doesn't have as many smartwatch features but is Garmin's mid-tier Forerunner, designed to accurately track your marathon training. It's one of the best Garmin watches I've ever tested, and the bright screen is truly beautiful. Whichever device you choose to strap to your wrist, know that they're both counting your steps, so, unlike me, you don't have to. While counting steps isn't always the best metric to focus on when it comes to getting in shape and losing weight, it's a good place to start. A review of 32 studies, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that '10,000 steps/day is a reasonable target for healthy adults.' If you're looking for more inspiration, you've come to the right place — read what happened when I tried this Japanese walking method, as well as this 5-4-5 walking technique.
Tom's Guide
17 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
I cooked everything on the Ninja FlexFlame — and the results surprised me
I can safely say the Ninja FlexFlame is unlike anything the brand has released before. And at $999, not only is it Ninja's most expensive product yet, but it's also its most ambitious. Propane-powered but digitally controlled, this outdoor cooker isn't just a grill: it's also a smoker, a griddle, a pizza oven, and a roaster all built into one setup. It's Get Grillin' Week here at Tom's Guide, so I've spent a couple of weeks grilling, smoking and baking with the FlexFlame, trying to gauge whether it falls into the 'jack of all trades but master of none' category by trying to do too much. I went into testing thinking it was a gamble for Ninja to introduce its convention technology into the equation, touting a grill that can reach 600 degrees in as little as 7 minutes. Without spoiling too much of my full Ninja FlexFlame review below, I'll tell you it earned a permanent place in my outdoor cooking setup for the summer — but not without some important caveats that will determine whether it's the best grill for you. Ninja FlexFlame Price $999 Dimensions 59.57 x 48.31 x 25.08 inches Weight 130 pounds Electrical 400W watts, 120v-60hz volts Fuel Propane Total cooking area 544 square inches I've built a lot of grills in my time, and this was easily one of the most pain-free setups I've done. You attach the grill to the base, screw in the control panel, pop on the doors, slide in the grease trap, and that's basically it. I love how Ninja splits all the screws and smaller parts into individual bags that correspond with the assembly steps. Even though this is one of Ninja's most advanced outdoor products, it doesn't make you work for the first cook. You can be up and grilling in under an hour. I would recommend giving the grates and cooking surfaces a good wash before your first use, and pay attention to whether your surface needs to be seasoned. For example, the full and half griddle accessories both require you to know how to season a flat top griddle first. One of the most impressive things about the Ninja FlexFlame is how quickly it heats up. Thanks to a powerful built-in convection fan that circulates hot air from the flames around the cookbox, the grill can reach 600 degrees Fahrenheit in as little as 7 minutes. The temperature is tracked in real-time on the digital control panel, and during my tests, it hit target temps faster than most grills I've used, including some much higher-end models. Now, let me set expectations: it's loud. Not leaf blower loud, but not far off. The convection fan has an industrial whirr that's very noticeable when the lid is closed and the heat is circulating. That said, the fan smartly pauses whenever you open the lid, and as soon as you close it again, the fan kicks back on to quickly bring the grill back up to temp. I wouldn't call it dealbreaker by any means, unless of course you're worried about a noise complaint from close-proximity neighbors. The FlexFlame isn't just about grilling. You can: I tried every mode, and all of them worked as advertised. I grilled kebabs and steak, smoked beef ribs with a real bark and smoke ring, roasted a whole chicken to golden perfection, and cooked breakfast bacon on the griddle. Every feature felt purposeful. I'm certain some people will purchase this and never use at least a few of the settings, but with the help of the comprehensive user guide that comes with the FlexFlame, there's guidance on how to get started. I know I've already outlined the cooking modes, but there is one that surprised me the most. When I've tested Ninja's Woodfire products that have small smoke boxes, I've enjoyed the subtle touches of smoky flavor but I wouldn't say something like the Woodfire Outdoor Oven can genuinely smoke big cuts of meat. But with a 2-pound pellet box, the FlexFlame doesn't just flavor your food with smoke, it actually smokes it. I got bark, smoke rings, and fall-apart ribs in three hours. Yes, you'll need to refill the smoke box during longer cooks, but the fact that this kind of performance is coming from a gas-powered grill is seriously impressive. Just be ready to stock up on pellets because their sampler bags will run out quickly (and no, you don't have to use Ninja's brand). The FlexFlame may be a propane grill, but it still needs to be plugged in. The electric power runs the digital controls and the internal fan (which is a key part of its performance). If you're grilling off-grid, tailgating without a generator, or just don't want cords on your patio, this could be a dealbreaker. A lot of people don't think about needing electrical power when buying a gas grill, so I wouldn't be surprised if Ninja sees a majority of returns related to those expectations. Out of the box, you get the basics: the main grill, a solid set of grates, and an average-sided elevated top rack. But to unlock all the modes I outlined above, you'll need accessories. Some are more essential than others (like the cover), but if you want the full FlexFlame experience with smoking, griddling and pizza-making, expect to tack on another couple hundred bucks. As with any 'system,' your experience will be elevated based on how much you're willing to spend. Considering the grill already costs $999, I wouldn't recommend it to someone looking for 'just a grill.' If I had no interest or need in combining smoker or griddle functionality, I'd personally opt for the $799 Weber Spirit EP-425 for an appliance with basically the same amount of cooking area. The Ninja FlexFlame is a serious cooking system for people who want serious outdoor cooking versatility. If you're just making burgers every weekend, this might be more of a system than you need, and the Weber Spirit I mentioned is still a better pick among the best grills for simpler needs and tighter budgets. But if you're ready to cook a variety of meals outside, and like the idea of combining all outdoor cooking appliances into one system, the FlexFlame is worth the investment. It's not just a 5-in-1 appliance, it's five really good appliances in one.
