Cajun Bandit Door


 
MY CB door fits like a charm. There is a wee bit of a gap both top left & top right, but it's a massive improvement on the OEM door. That used to rattle about like a pea in a tin.

I wouldn't recommend having the compression latch too tight, as mentioned before it may cause the door to flex.
 
i have the CB door and the latch. I have a few slight leaks when I start the fire, but this is a good thing - don't want white smoke hanging around for a cook. I bought it more for the look - the original door looks out of place and cheap to me.

One thing that I like about the original door are those tabe at the bottom that allow the door to pivot. The CB door must be held if you need to add more fuel...oh well..
 
I never worry with it. Perhaps I should? lol

Bob Correll said:
I have never understood all of the fret and worry about air leakage around the original or CB door.
Can someone please explain to me why this is so important?
Do you not use the vents to let in/out air/smoke??
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Isn't it harder to hold consist temps with such bad leaks at the door? When I took Harry Soo's class, this was one of the first thing he mentioned while we were looking over some of his pits...

Also, the SS door, in theory, should retain heat better vs the aluminum door, no?
 
Mac LA said:
Isn't it harder to hold consist temps with such bad leaks at the door? When I took Harry Soo's class, this was one of the first thing he mentioned while we were looking over some of his pits...

Also, the SS door, in theory, should retain heat better vs the aluminum door, no?
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Mac, I'm not knocking the CB door or you feeling the need for a tighter fitting one.
My 18.5 was used, and made before they put a therm or heat shield on them.
It leaks around the door a little, but not bad, so I never worried about it or have any problems holding consist temps.
My new 14.5 leaks air around the thermometer and the door, and still no big deal to me.

I don't use or see the need for an ATC, but using one is the only reason I can see for trying to make the WSM air tight.
Simply my own opinion.
 
Joe Tacoma said:
Enrico, I took the handle off the original door and installed in on the Cajun Bandit door. I wish I could post a picture, because the bottom part of the door where no smoke escapes is spotless, but the upper part of both sides is brownish because of the smoke that leaks out of the sides. Thanks.
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Joe, When I used my original handle, it pull too tight in the center, which made the two upper corners push out a little. After changing to the Southco latch, and doing a little bending, the door now works well. BTW - I found the customer service excellent at CB.
 
Bob Correll said:
Mac, I'm not knocking the CB door or you feeling the need for a tighter fitting one.
My 18.5 was used, and made before they put a therm or heat shield on them.
It leaks around the door a little, but not bad, so I never worried about it or have any problems holding consist temps.
My new 14.5 leaks air around the thermometer and the door, and still no big deal to me.

I don't use or see the need for an ATC, but using one is the only reason I can see for trying to make the WSM air tight.
Simply my own opinion.
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Understood and valid point.

Mines leaked extremely bad and even tried to form it but wasn't happy so opted for the cb door. I guess for the most part, I was going off of what I was taught.
 
I spent about an hour or so "tuning" my door to fit. I did need to dog ear the top corners a little as well as tighten the wing span. I used a business card from the inside as a test shim. It locks up like a vault now. I do also have the compression latch installed.
 
Tony, thanks for the tips. What do you mean by dog ear the corners? I wish this door locked like a vault. What does the compression latch do? I see it is $25 and I am skeptical about ordering anything from Cajun Bandit now especially since I received 0 replies from them.
 
Joe Tacoma said:
Tony, thanks for the tips. What do you mean by dog ear the corners? I wish this door locked like a vault. What does the compression latch do? I see it is $25 and I am skeptical about ordering anything from Cajun Bandit now especially since I received 0 replies from them.
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The latch tightens the door to a nice tolerance.

Very strange that you've gotten no response. Would you like me to send an email on your behalf? Did you try from a different email? I'm not in any way associated with them, but the door is worth it.
 
Joe Tacoma said:
What does the compression latch do? I see it is $25 and I am skeptical about ordering anything from Cajun Bandit now especially since I received 0 replies from them.
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Joe,
The compression latch is adjustable so you can squeeze the door at different pressures. The original latch that came with your WSM is not adjustable and could be the reason that your door leaks - as when the center gets pulled in too tight, the outside edges tend to pull "out".

If you CB door came with the square hole in it, the compression latch is an easy fit. If yours has a round hole, you'll have to take a small file and make the hole square to fit the new latch.

I am surprised to hear that CB has not replied, as I found them to have excellent follow up skills - both email and phone.
 
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Roger, I have not tried from a different email. Let me try that first. Thanks for trying to help out. I did not find a number to call.
 
I ordered a door and latch on Monday or tues, I'll let you know if/when it arrives
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It just arrived a few minutes after my post, UPS rocks!

Adjustable compression latch, assembled in 2 minutes, nice door and latch. I'll get it on tomorrow, raining out tonight
 
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Rich,
That's the one I now have - with the square hole.
I originally had the round hole door, for my original WSM latch, but when I
upgraded my latch, I ended up getting a new door that matches the new latch,
as I didn't want to mess around trying to make a round hole square.

The CB door not only works well, it "looks" super!
 
Joe Tacoma said:
Rich, have you used smoker with the new door and latch? If so how did it work, any leaks?
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No gaps on the inside, looks like gaps on outside but it'seems tight on interior, no leaks. It's a nice door, the handle is nice as well.
 
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