EX4 or EX6?


 
CZazzara

CZazzara

New member
As I get closer to buying one of these units I am asking myself this question.

Is one more balanced (heat) than the other? I don't often cook for a crowd so the smaller would suit me fine for week to week use. However, I don't want to short-change myself if one is particularly better than the other at temp performance. Any thoughts, guys?

I'm coming from charcoal but won't be selling my WSM or Performer. There is a time and a place... :)

Also, many thanks for those of you that have pushed forward with this smoker in spite of Weber's initial growing pains and troubles. This forum is great reading and very informative. The guys at my local Lowes are quite clueless about the SmokeFire's pluses and minuses.

Chris
 
I only cook for two people 85% of the time but I am so glad I bought the EX6 to have for the other 15%. The only reason I can see to buy the EX4 is if you have a space issue where you park it. Go for the EX6 and you will be glad you did.
 
I have the EX6 but I would be happy with the EX4. The EX4 will cook a lot of food. I got the EX6 because it's probably my last cooker and if we ever have a big family gathering, post pandemic, I want the cooking space. I read on this or another group that the EX4 seems to have more uniform heat distribution and that makes sense because of less volume to heat. Don't know that from personal experience so take it for what it's worth.
 
My selection has become moot for now. After a ride around yesterday to visit a couple of local Lowes as well as our high end BBQ parlor it became very clear that everyone has complied with Weber's request to not sell any remaining product and return it to the factory for retro-fitting. I even asked at Lowes about their display models and they said that they couldn't sell them.

When I asked about the timeframe for the new models all were pretty sure of late November/early December.

In the mean time Lowes is blowing out covers at half price and I've seen some half price sales on some of Weber's pellets. May as well stock up in anticipation.

And one last thing. While chatting at the BBQ Parlor (my nickname, not theirs, they're actually a great store for this stuff) we talked about all of the fixes that are coming in the new units. I was expecting to hear about the auger and slide improvements as well as better software and firmware. But then they mentioned something about a different firebox design because of warping. I haven't seen that mentioned in my reading here and on F-Book.

So that's where I'm currently at... picking up discounted stuff and waiting for the new grills to show up. :)
 
Looks like you can still order directly from Weber if you don't want to wait. I dropped an EX6 in my cart just to see.....$40 shipping. It does say "Low Stock", but if you prefer not to wait, it's an option....

Rich
 
I did that with an EX4 last night and they indicated that they were out of stock and could contact me when they were back in...

To be honest, I'd rather buy it locally if possible. So I'm waiting it out for a bit.
 
Out of curiosity, are the 2nd generation EX4's and EX6's showing in stock on Amazon what box store retailers are waiting to receive? Have box stores received any, yet?
 
BFletcher said:
Out of curiosity, are the 2nd generation EX4's and EX6's showing in stock on Amazon what box store retailers are waiting to receive? Have box stores received any, yet?
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Yes, they appear to showing in stock at Amazon and shipping... but I never trust Amazon completely.

My local Lowes stores have nothing in stock and are waiting for inventory but they would much rather sell me something else that they DO have in stock than waste time with me answering questions about product that they have no info about.

My local BBQ Parlor has them on order and is expecting new 2nd gen Smokefires in November... or so.

That's what I know so far.
 
Did they ever do anything to address the uneven heating? I haven't been paying attention at all to the pellet grill forum. I remember early on some youtube videos where the right side was very dramatically hotter than the left for some reason.
 
Dustin Dorsey said:
Did they ever do anything to address the uneven heating? I haven't been paying attention at all to the pellet grill forum. I remember early on some youtube videos where the right side was very dramatically hotter than the left for some reason.
Click to expand...
In some cases. In other cases, it is the opposite.
 
CZazzara said:
My selection has become moot for now. After a ride around yesterday to visit a couple of local Lowes as well as our high end BBQ parlor it became very clear that everyone has complied with Weber's request to not sell any remaining product and return it to the factory for retro-fitting. I even asked at Lowes about their display models and they said that they couldn't sell them.

When I asked about the timeframe for the new models all were pretty sure of late November/early December.

In the mean time Lowes is blowing out covers at half price and I've seen some half price sales on some of Weber's pellets. May as well stock up in anticipation.

And one last thing. While chatting at the BBQ Parlor (my nickname, not theirs, they're actually a great store for this stuff) we talked about all of the fixes that are coming in the new units. I was expecting to hear about the auger and slide improvements as well as better software and firmware. But then they mentioned something about a different firebox design because of warping. I haven't seen that mentioned in my reading here and on F-Book.

So that's where I'm currently at... picking up discounted stuff and waiting for the new grills to show up. :)
Click to expand...
FWIW, I just got off the phone with Weber and I feel like I talked to a fairly knowledgeable customer service representative. I asked several questions about the availability and build of the second generation units. Specifically, I asked if there was any indication on when new inventory would be available once all the units are out of stock on the Weber site. Naturally, he could not share any insight on this. Next, I asked if the next batch of second generation units being shipped are essentially existing units with all of the modifications pre-installed. He said yes, that is essentially the second generation, just like what the Weber site in Australia mentions. I asked specifically about the rumor of a new firebox design and he said that the engineers have not forwarded any information about that to them. He added that that does not mean there will not be changes, but he would have expected to have heard something about it if it were true.

On a related note, it is hard for me to believe that Amazon is truly selling 2nd generation units when no one else is selling them and Weber will not even say when they will be available?
 
CZazzara said:
I see that.

They also appear to be in stock at the local BBQ Parlor. I haven't seen anything new appear at Lowes yet.

Why am I waiting on Lowes? Well, $50 off is $50 off. :cool:
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I got mine in July from Lowes for the veteran discount. I registered it with Weber and life is good.
 
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