Amateurbbq
MemberGot rid of the matchlight.
Hi guys my name is Mike and I'm new to the forum so I'm hoping this is the right place for this discussion. I have been looking to purchase a pellet grill after having had food from my Uncle and Grandfathers Traeger pellet grills. After looking into pellet grills I quickly found there were more than I thought there would be.
My desires for a pellet grill would be something that is dependable, user-friendly and durable without breaking the bank (around $1500 or less). I would also like a larger grill as the one my grandfather has seems to be too small for what I'd want to do at times. I'd mainly be using the grill for smoking with the occasional burger or steak. After visiting this site among others during research I have eliminated Traegers, GMG and Q450. Memphis grills are out of my price range and the MAK 1 is too small for what I want not to mention more than what I want to spend after I would have to buy all the accessories to get close to what I'd want. The FEC PG500 appears too small as well for what I'd want and more than I'd want to pay for the limited cooking area. I have also personally went to look at Yoders and although they appear to be a great grill I think for their price tag I can get a different grill with more features. The two grills I have narrowed my search to currently is the REC TEC 680 and Blaz'n GridIron grill.
The advantages I see with the Blaz'n Grill is (1) more cooking space with the included second shelf, (2) included meat probe which controls grill function once the meat reaches the desired temp, (3) removable firepot for easy clean up, (4) Made in USA and (5) current WIFI capabilities. I did find the firepot was made of steel and not stainless steel. Not sure if any of these features are important or worth the extra price.
The advantages for the REC TEC is (1) 6 year warranty, (2) largest hopper at 40Lbs, (3) Price ($500 cheaper), (4) extra smoke mode/full temp mode on the PID controller (5) shorter auger from being in center of pit which I was told will prevent jamming more compared to a side mounted pellet unit and (6) all 304 stainless steel internal parts including the firepot. The rep for REC TEC said they are working on WIFI capabilities but its not ready yet. Also would the meat probe advantage of the Blaz'n be eliminated by adding a thermometer product such as Fireboard?
Any advice to help me decide between these two or some other smokers I have not considered would be much appreciated. If anyone has had problems it would be nice to know this too as finding negative experiences can be hard to find and I want to make sure I don't fall victim to marketing over a quality product.
My desires for a pellet grill would be something that is dependable, user-friendly and durable without breaking the bank (around $1500 or less). I would also like a larger grill as the one my grandfather has seems to be too small for what I'd want to do at times. I'd mainly be using the grill for smoking with the occasional burger or steak. After visiting this site among others during research I have eliminated Traegers, GMG and Q450. Memphis grills are out of my price range and the MAK 1 is too small for what I want not to mention more than what I want to spend after I would have to buy all the accessories to get close to what I'd want. The FEC PG500 appears too small as well for what I'd want and more than I'd want to pay for the limited cooking area. I have also personally went to look at Yoders and although they appear to be a great grill I think for their price tag I can get a different grill with more features. The two grills I have narrowed my search to currently is the REC TEC 680 and Blaz'n GridIron grill.
The advantages I see with the Blaz'n Grill is (1) more cooking space with the included second shelf, (2) included meat probe which controls grill function once the meat reaches the desired temp, (3) removable firepot for easy clean up, (4) Made in USA and (5) current WIFI capabilities. I did find the firepot was made of steel and not stainless steel. Not sure if any of these features are important or worth the extra price.
The advantages for the REC TEC is (1) 6 year warranty, (2) largest hopper at 40Lbs, (3) Price ($500 cheaper), (4) extra smoke mode/full temp mode on the PID controller (5) shorter auger from being in center of pit which I was told will prevent jamming more compared to a side mounted pellet unit and (6) all 304 stainless steel internal parts including the firepot. The rep for REC TEC said they are working on WIFI capabilities but its not ready yet. Also would the meat probe advantage of the Blaz'n be eliminated by adding a thermometer product such as Fireboard?
Any advice to help me decide between these two or some other smokers I have not considered would be much appreciated. If anyone has had problems it would be nice to know this too as finding negative experiences can be hard to find and I want to make sure I don't fall victim to marketing over a quality product.
