Christmas Grill - help needed....

That's easy

Weber Spirit series

Depending on what all they will be grilling, the Weber Q series might be a viable option.

Weber. Mine is 18 years old and still performs well. Parts are readily available and weber support is excellent.

I would definitely recommend any of the 3 burner models. My experience with the 2 burner models is they do not get as hot ad I would like to sear steaks.

Many barely used weber gas grills are available on craigslist and she may save enough to throw in a set of Grillgrates.

Weber Genesis E310, around $500, made in USA, I think the Spirit model is not..

You're going to get a LOT of Weber recommendations. The reason for this is they're in your price range, they provide great customer support and they last. Just about every other gas grill is disposable. They are built to last 3 years and then break. Then you're expected to buy a new one. You cannot even repair them as the parts change and are not available. Yes, they cost more, but you'll more than get your money's worth out of them. I've owned a lot of gas grills, given as gifts. The only one that's made it past that 3-year mark is a Weber, and I still have it. Oh, and I might also mention that there are no hot spots -- the surface still heats evenly.

Weber Genesis Series hands down

Love my Weber Genesis S-330, but that's out of that price range. I would definitely go Weber though. I tried the others and 3 years is about as long as they last.

Another brand I bought had three burners front to back and a bar that connected them across the back end. Flame traveled along that bar, so it was like an extra burner that was always on. Real B*tch to control temps on it and the back was always on sear mode. Took it back for another, lit it up in the parking lot and it did the same.

Paid for my Weber and haven't looked back. Pay once, cry once. heard that here before...