Cyber Q vs Flame Boss 300?????

Militant83 said:

Thanks for the input guys. It looks like they both are probably great options. The main difference i've seen by doing some research is the Flameboss 300 comes as a kit with multiple probes. With the cyberQ to get the equivalent package you have to purchase an add on kit of probes. But the CyberQ still comes in about $20 cheaper than the Flameboss when you add the required parts to create the equivalent kit.

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They both can come in a kit or not. Guru gives you you the option to just build your kit based on your needs, totally custom. You don't have the option with Flameboss to build a custom kit. It's either the universal kit or not. The "universal" is supposed to be a fit all but well it's not so much unless you want to consider the term in the loosest sense.

I bought a Flame Boss 200 last fall and it's okay.

I did have a faulty probe, which customer service replaced free of charge and very little fuss. I wonder if that had hurt me a little bit, but it didn't seem to be as perfect on temp as I was expecting.
Two cooks, kinda sorta barely holding temp

My last cook, when I figured out something funny was happening with the probe


Don't know what happened in the middle, just hosed up. The meat probe worked fine, so that pointed to bad probe
My last cook, with the new probe


I mean, it still isn't perfect, but neither am I or my pit. I just feel like it should hold a little more steady. And when I changed the set point, it couldn't get it up. This cooks aren't in cold weather, wasn't especially windy. Just typical Midwestern spring/summer days

I do probably need to make sure my pit is better sealed, but it ran fine the old fashioned way.

bam said:

Got a guru have treated it like a rental car. I can say that it is water resistant since its been outside for 3 years. Works fine all the time. Never used a flame boss.

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Gotta agree with this.

I've treated my Cyber Q Guru so "badly", that I bought a spare fan for it months ago, and that spare fan is still in the box.

I did have a probe go bad though, and replaced it for dirt cheap. I also cover the control unit if it's going to be in weather.

But the fan and the probes, I treat them like I hate them.

Reading these posts, lets me know just how great of a purchase I made when I bought my Cyber Q Guru about 2 years ago.

I have two fans for it now. 5 temp probes. I actually bought two spare Guru temp probes when the one went out, and I'm looking to get the latest controller.

About 20 cooks into flame boss 300, here are 3 thoughts:

1) 15 CFM variable speed fan is massively underpowered for my 24x50 RF stick burner

2) I've learned to try to get my temps 30-50 degrees above set point and then allow flame boss to take it from there. It can usually keep it above 200 degrees for 4 hours using a topped off basket of briquettes

3) as an above poster wrote, flame boss isn't perfect but neither am I. I view it as a valuable tool that still gets me 4 hours of sleep which is something better than where I started. On my next rig, I might go for twin 25 CFM pit bulls to ventilate it properly

I gave away my Flameboss. From the purchase date to when I actually got the thing was was around 10.5 weeks. Way past the 30 day purchase date. Fault of the selling dealer. Meat probe was bad from get go. The FB fan would still be running/cycling even when the pit temp was 60* higher than the set temp.
Never could get it to work. Not a happy camper with that purchase or working with FB and the selling dealer was useless.
Bought a used Guru. works as advertised.
But now adays. I only use the controller to bring my non-insulated cabinet up to temp and have the set point 50* below what I want to cook at. Manual control works better/more stable. I made an adapter so I can run with the Guru and also use manual control.

I decided to use both the CyberQ and the "Smoke" from Thermo works to enable my "Don't worry....be Happy" BBQ experiences. I gotta say I am one smart cookie!!! The CyberQ was quite easy to set up using my phone with the app. I now use the Cyber Q to control pit temp. (Backwoods G2 Chubby).....and the smoke as a redundant pit monitor and food probe. I have used this set up for about a year now with excellent results. The guru allows me to monitor food temp if needed as well. Have used both from inside the house with a distance involved of 50 - 75 yrds with no probs. Have not attempted a "drive away' using wifi and the phone....but judging by the way the guru works at home....I would feel confident in doing so.

digi q dx2 works every time

NickTheGreat said:

I do probably need to make sure my pit is better sealed, but it ran fine the old fashioned way.

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Are you sure you don't just have more data points now and you probably had these swings all along? They're not just as evident on an analog gauge?

sudsandswine said:

Are you sure you don't just have more data points now and you probably had these swings all along? They're not just as evident on an analog gauge?

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FlameBoss instructs people to close their exhaust way down while running their controller. I know better than to choke the exhaust down on any cooker but I was still high on their koolade and gave it a shot. Smoke came out of my well sealed LSG cabinet like it didn't even have a gasket. I have seen some videos of other cookers that blew smoke out when using the FB as well. It is actually simple physics. Force air into a vessel and it's going to come out somewhere or blow up.

I really think that is part of their problem with any cooker other than a Komado style. Komados are more forgiving of closed exhausts than other cookers.

Very useful thread. I am purchasing a new smoker and I want to get a controller...I am thinking about DigiQ or CyberQ, only ~$100.00 difference.

I've thought about eating humble pie and ponying up for Cyber Q Cloud for next rig. Flame Boss is passable on my Shirley for four hours of getaway time from stick burning. However as you might've seen in my other threads, I want true set and forget if Da Wife allows me to get an LSG IVC . Thus, I may be a Brethren running both systems

sudsandswine said:

Are you sure you don't just have more data points now and you probably had these swings all along? They're not just as evident on an analog gauge?

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I don't "know" for sure. But I almost always used my Maverick and certainly never saw huge swings like that.

I haven't messed with the exhaust too much. Like I said, it's probably a fair amount of operator error . . . :icon_blush:

If you want to compare two product, you can read this post: https://bestsmokersinfo.com/flame-boss-300-review/