Ducane is a longtime loved brand for their sturdy, well-performing grills. For over thirty years, they’ve been trusted for their dependability and ability to handle bbq.
Today, Ducane is owned by another historically reputable brand: Weber. In New Jeresey, 1946, the Ducane Bothers Metal Fabricating company was started, and their focus was making hot air furnaces, powered by oil. In 1975, they changed their name to simply the Ducane Company, moved down south to South Carolina, and began creating the unrivaled Ducane gas grills. These were some of the finest grills to ever hit the market, and were an instant hit amongst backyard grill masters everywhere. To this day, they are still considered one of the best, and many people are still crazy about their vintage Ducanes grills. With the availability of grill repair, and purchasing replacement parts, there is nothing that keeps these marvels of grilling from still running powerfully today.
Part of the history behind Ducane gas grills was the ideal of quality that every grill was built on the premise of. The founders believed that grills should be made from the best materials available. Die cast aluminum was always a standard, as was the best USA stainless steel, and a stunning finish of baked enamel paint for the exterior surfaces were all standard features on Ducane grills, in a time when most manufacturers were looking to cheapen their commercial grills, and cut costs every way they could.
Ducane eventually went out of business, and was bought out by Weber. It is a sad story, that because of their sincere commitment to never lowering standards, they actually turned customers away. It is a very unfortunate tale, that because of their refusal to follow the trend curve, and use less expensive, even cheap materials like their competitors were doing, they were unable to sustain themselves and remain in business. On the flip side, however, being bought by Weber meant that the Ducane name was able to remain, and that lifetime warranties remain honored by Weber. As many people bought Ducane gas grills for their stupendous quality, and ability to last through decades of use, wear and tear, and weathering of the elements – many today are still proud owners. For those who continue to use their original grills, Ducane gas grill parts are sold for repairs.
The newest generation of Ducane grills feature great additions like rotisseries, smokers, and high BTU outputs. Large scale, and small models are available to suit the needs of every grilling enthusiast. As accessories, top-notch grill covers are also sold to make keep your investment protected no matter what the weather, or humidity level brings.
Today, Weber continues to manufacture grills under the Ducane name, however they are in no way the same quality as the original Ducanes. You will still get a high quality, well performing grill, but costs have definitely been cut in terms of the fine materials that were once a given. In a sense, if you are a fan of Weber, you will most certainly be a fan of Ducane, even with the changes that have occurred. In terms of customer service, Weber is known for being excellent, and Ducane is definitely under that umbrella as well.
Whether you’ve known of Ducane grills for the past 35 years, or if you’ve recently discovered them in a quest for the perfect grill, its great to know about the company as a valid option. Ducane gas grills were built to last, and through all these years, many people still use their original grills, and just replace parts as needed- they were that durable. Ducane’s legacy is fantastic, and it is pretty awesome that if you wanted to purchase a brand new Ducane, that option remains as well!