It’s SmokeFAIL official... the UPDATE! Weber refunded my money and is picking up the EX6.


 
Of course I doubt they would be doing this without this post. Or maybe they have decided the right course. Stop sale retrieve and make. Ground up. We will see. Otherwise we will be buying stuff from the new DWambolt company...
 
Tony-Chicago said:
Yeahhhh! Maybe Weber will do the right thing and get all back (recall shhhhh) and start over.
Re-engineer the whole machine. Do the fan different and especially the cage. Easuly redo the hopper all problems solvable. Make sure the electronics are dead simple. Do the software. Done. Beef up the body from the wheels up. Add lower shelf to stiffen. Extra shelves around. Beef up the materials. No galvanise all tough. Weber done right.
Their choice. Weber for ever or bankruptcy
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Dude, i like your enthusiasm but I honestly don't see that happening, at least to not that extent (and certainly the legendary krappy wheels will stay! Lol).
 
I regret it came to returning it but the product simply does not perform anywhere close to the claims with regards to ash management made in advertising and was a huge disappointment to me as a Weber loyalist. I feel as though trying to make a pellet smoker into a high temp pellet grill in the same product was too much for engineering to overcome while keeping the unit reasonably affordable. The pit appears to run a discrete output PID control loop with two set speeds. The high speed is causing ash and embers to be ejected from the fire pot into the cook chamber. I realize the pit can’t reach 600F without the high speed fan setting but it appears to me, as a person who has configured and implemented PID control loops for electronic control systems in the oil & gas industry and in natural gas distribution systems that the pit would have performed better with an analog output PID control loop that would allow variable fan speed as needed instead of two set speeds as it appears to run from my observations. I would guess that the fan periodically running at fast speed even while running at low temperatures may be intended to be an ash sweeping function or maybe it is just poor configuration of the controller. I believe this product can be made substantially better with some design ( air flow in the fire pot & ash catching system along with steeper grease channels) and programming changes. I hope the people who were charged with designing it are allowed to do what is necessary to make it do a better job of what it was advertised to do but I also have a feeling that it may be cost prohibitive to make that happen. Hope I am wrong and that Weber eventually puts out a revised and improved pellet smoker product that operates closer to the advertising claims it made.

For everyone out there who love their smokefires... happy smoking!
 
I am kind of beginning to think all the complaints about this grill are coming from people that are working a little too hard to make it something it isn't. Personally, despite the marketing claims, I wouldn't get a pellet grill to sear steaks. I see what they were trying to do, but a pellet grill just isn't going to sear a steak like flaming hot charcoal 1 inch from the meat, or a sear zone on a Genesis.

After seeing some of the other results on this board alone, I think the SmokeFire will be successful for what a pellet smoker should be good at.... smoking meats.

My personal opinion, for what THAT is worth, is why get a $1000+ pellet grill to do something your $80 kettle does better than anything else on the planet? And, to top it off, why go to absolute war over it with the company?
 
spent most of the day reading the Rec Tec forum. First thing that jumped out at me was the complaints about the app, ash, not holding temp, and even a grease fire or 2.

I'll have to go find a Traeger forum.
 
MikeLucky said:
I am kind of beginning to think all the complaints about this grill are coming from people that are working a little too hard to make it something it isn't. Personally, despite the marketing claims, I wouldn't get a pellet grill to sear steaks. I see what they were trying to do, but a pellet grill just isn't going to sear a steak like flaming hot charcoal 1 inch from the meat, or a sear zone on a Genesis.

After seeing some of the other results on this board alone, I think the SmokeFire will be successful for what a pellet smoker should be good at.... smoking meats.

My personal opinion, for what THAT is worth, is why get a $1000+ pellet grill to do something your $80 kettle does better than anything else on the planet? And, to top it off, why go to absolute war over it with the company?
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I posted this before, but Kosmos seared tomahawks on a $19 WalMart grill

 
Lynn Dollar said:
I posted this before, but Kosmos seared tomahawks on a $19 WalMart grill

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I talk crap to my co-workers all the time about grilling. I tell them that I can take an old rusty shopping cart, a bag of charcoal, and a lighter and make them the best steak they've ever had. lol. I'm only kind of kidding, too.
 
MikeLucky said:
I am kind of beginning to think all the complaints about this grill are coming from people that are working a little too hard to make it something it isn't. Personally, despite the marketing claims, I wouldn't get a pellet grill to sear steaks. I see what they were trying to do, but a pellet grill just isn't going to sear a steak like flaming hot charcoal 1 inch from the meat, or a sear zone on a Genesis.

After seeing some of the other results on this board alone, I think the SmokeFire will be successful for what a pellet smoker should be good at.... smoking meats.

My personal opinion, for what THAT is worth, is why get a $1000+ pellet grill to do something your $80 kettle does better than anything else on the planet? And, to top it off, why go to absolute war over it with the company?
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Honestly I don't think people asking a machine to do what is claimed by it's company that it was "designed" to do is "making too much" of anything. I hineslty think you need to rethink that. If Weber said don't do this and you did with issues then it's on you. If Weber says "we made it to do this and do it well" than it's on them if it falls on it's face and it's on them to make it right
 
LMichaels said:
Honestly I don't think people asking a machine to do what is claimed by it's company that it was "designed" to do is "making too much" of anything. I hineslty think you need to rethink that. If Weber said don't do this and you did with issues then it's on you. If Weber says "we made it to do this and do it well" than it's on them if it falls on it's face and it's on them to make it right
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Eh. I'm not in agreement with that. I know it's 2020 in America, but we still have to use our brains and take some personal responsibility for simple physics. If Porsche puts out a claim that the new 911 is a top performing car that is also comfortable, then I know it's just marketing fluff. It can't be both. It doesn't mean I then get angry and wage an internet war on Porsche. I either buy one for what it is, or I don't. If you buy a 911 because you think it's going to be a comfortable ride, then that's on you. Sorry. If this SmokeFire didn't do what a pellet grill was supposed to do, then I'd agree that Weber really screwed the pooch. Based on what I'm seeing, it just doesn't accomplish the few claims that are above what other pellet grills can accomplish. Are they guilty of embellishing for marketing purposes? Yes. Does it mean the entire company is going under and they should redesign the entire platform because Mr. Angry can't sear a steak on it? That's ridiculous.

But, like I said earlier, that is just my opinion and it's worth the bandwidth used to post this thread, or less.
 
I have seen steaks seared with the SmokeFire.

From everything I've seen so far, the real problems are grease fires and to a lesser extent, the void created in the pellet hopper. But I also understand the pellet problem is not just a SmokeFire issue, happens in other brands also.
 
And oh yeah, I had a small grease fire in my Kettle a few months ago. I was using the vortex to smoke some wings and ABT's . I foil my charcoal grate when I use the vortex and bacon grease from the ABT's formed a puddle on the foil, the grease ran over to the edge of the vortex and somehow caught fire.
 
I’m glad they stepped up, I feel a little better about the rollout, as long as they are willing to do the right thing I’m still a fan. Some companies are pretty apt to leave their customers twisting in the wind nice to see they are trying to make things right for at least one customer.
I’m looking forward to seeing just how they handle the whole frustrating debut.
 
MikeLucky said:
Eh. I'm not in agreement with that. I know it's 2020 in America, but we still have to use our brains and take some personal responsibility for simple physics. If Porsche puts out a claim that the new 911 is a top performing car that is also comfortable, then I know it's just marketing fluff. It can't be both. It doesn't mean I then get angry and wage an internet war on Porsche. I either buy one for what it is, or I don't. If you buy a 911 because you think it's going to be a comfortable ride, then that's on you. Sorry. If this SmokeFire didn't do what a pellet grill was supposed to do, then I'd agree that Weber really screwed the pooch. Based on what I'm seeing, it just doesn't accomplish the few claims that are above what other pellet grills can accomplish. Are they guilty of embellishing for marketing purposes? Yes. Does it mean the entire company is going under and they should redesign the entire platform because Mr. Angry can't sear a steak on it? That's ridiculous.

But, like I said earlier, that is just my opinion and it's worth the bandwidth used to post this thread, or less.
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Porsche never claimed their 911 had a comfortable ride, so I don't think your analogy works. BTW, cars can be both with Magnetorheological dampers. Weber didn't claim this was an ordinary pellet grill. Weber claimed to have revolutionized the pellet grill; slow smoking, 600 degree searing and grease/ash cleanup in one simple drawer. To your standard, it doesn't even do what other pellet grills do -- feed pellets consistently and reliably on long cooks; so they did screw the pooch on their hopper design.
 
MikeLucky said:
Eh. I'm not in agreement with that. I know it's 2020 in America, but we still have to use our brains and take some personal responsibility for simple physics. If Porsche puts out a claim that the new 911 is a top performing car that is also comfortable, then I know it's just marketing fluff. It can't be both. It doesn't mean I then get angry and wage an internet war on Porsche. I either buy one for what it is, or I don't. If you buy a 911 because you think it's going to be a comfortable ride, then that's on you. Sorry. If this SmokeFire didn't do what a pellet grill was supposed to do, then I'd agree that Weber really screwed the pooch. Based on what I'm seeing, it just doesn't accomplish the few claims that are above what other pellet grills can accomplish. Are they guilty of embellishing for marketing purposes? Yes. Does it mean the entire company is going under and they should redesign the entire platform because Mr. Angry can't sear a steak on it? That's ridiculous.

But, like I said earlier, that is just my opinion and it's worth the bandwidth used to post this thread, or less.
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We are NOT talking about a car and market fluff. This is an appliance just like a refrigerator or range or microwave. Like ANY appliance the company designed it for specific CAPABILITIES not FLUFF. If a refrigerator does not do what it's designed to do (keep frozen foods frozen and cold foods cold enough to be safe to consume it is NOT on me if it does not do that task. A few years ago I went through just that with Frigidaire. Their claim? "I keep my house too cold for their refrigerator to work properly" Yes you read that correctly! Bottom line it was a unit that could not keep the freezer between 0 and +10 def F or the fridge between 33 and 40. Freezer temps regularly exceeded 38 degrees and fridge temps regularly exceeded 60 deg and many times dropped down to 20. Kinda hard to keep food stored in that. Yet it was MY FAULT in their theory because at 70 to 72 deg F they called my house too cold.
Weber made this thing and made specific claims about it's capabilities that is on them if it does not meet those capabilities. Not on the customer.
Bottom line yes, they tried and failed to over achieve. But if I fork over hard earned $$$ for it and it doesn't meet the criteria WEBER set out for it it's NOT my fault
 
Larry, you’ve had an issue with Weber about customer service before and I fully appreciate the reluctance to give them much of an opportunity with a new product. You had a problem with Frigidaire and want them pilloried with the same vehement commentary. Just because you had problems does not mean that the entire industrial complex is a failure.
Weber certainly seems to have missed the mark but, I think having a little confidence for them to figure out how they can plow through this is reasonable, they’ve only been available for less than a month. I really don’t think they deserve quite the amount of vitriol you are hurling at them.
Just a differing opinion, we are still usually in similar camps.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Larry, you’ve had an issue with Weber about customer service before and I fully appreciate the reluctance to give them much of an opportunity with a new product. You had a problem with Frigidaire and want them pilloried with the same vehement commentary. Just because you had problems does not mean that the entire industrial complex is a failure.
Weber certainly seems to have missed the mark but, I think having a little confidence for them to figure out how they can plow through this is reasonable, they’ve only been available for less than a month. I really don’t think they deserve quite the amount of vitriol you are hurling at them.
Just a differing opinion, we are still usually in similar camps.
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You actually need to reread what I wrote. What I wrote goes FAR beyond Weber, Frigidaire, GE or whoever. If goes to manufacturers as a whole. If a company makes a claim an item is "designed and built" to perform a task and does not perform that task why is that on me?!
 
J Grotz said:
Porsche never claimed their 911 had a comfortable ride, so I don't think your analogy works. BTW, cars can be both with Magnetorheological dampers. Weber didn't claim this was an ordinary pellet grill. Weber claimed to have revolutionized the pellet grill; slow smoking, 600 degree searing and grease/ash cleanup in one simple drawer. To your standard, it doesn't even do what other pellet grills do -- feed pellets consistently and reliably on long cooks; so they did screw the pooch on their hopper design.
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Lol. I was just using that as an example and the analogy works just fine. And, I hear all the same complaints about other pellet grills for cleanup, fires, and hopper issues. Again, it's just my opinion, but this is not much more than inflated marketing claims by Weber, which isn't nearly as big of a deal as everyone seems to be making it.

LMichaels said:
We are NOT talking about a car and market fluff. This is an appliance just like a refrigerator or range or microwave. Like ANY appliance the company designed it for specific CAPABILITIES not FLUFF. If a refrigerator does not do what it's designed to do (keep frozen foods frozen and cold foods cold enough to be safe to consume it is NOT on me if it does not do that task. A few years ago I went through just that with Frigidaire. Their claim? "I keep my house too cold for their refrigerator to work properly" Yes you read that correctly! Bottom line it was a unit that could not keep the freezer between 0 and +10 def F or the fridge between 33 and 40. Freezer temps regularly exceeded 38 degrees and fridge temps regularly exceeded 60 deg and many times dropped down to 20. Kinda hard to keep food stored in that. Yet it was MY FAULT in their theory because at 70 to 72 deg F they called my house too cold.
Weber made this thing and made specific claims about it's capabilities that is on them if it does not meet those capabilities. Not on the customer.
Bottom line yes, they tried and failed to over achieve. But if I fork over hard earned $$$ for it and it doesn't meet the criteria WEBER set out for it it's NOT my fault
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The SmokeFire makes great BBQ, as there are several examples here on this very board. And, in fact it apparently does very much go to 600 degrees and get hot enough to sear a steak. There are clearly some issues when it does that, but if we're arguing semantics then I'd say their claims aren't even false. Plus, it's been an entire raging month that they've been on the market. lol. Folks are ready to SERIOUSLY kill the whole Weber company over this. LOL to that. Seriously folks, get it together. If you don't like it, don't get it. If you bought it sight unseen in the first month and it's not 100% matching YOUR expectations because you are so much more of a discerning customer than everyone else, then you probably should stop being an early adopter. The market will bear this out. Weber will either fix the issues or they won't. But, if they don't I don't think we'll have to buy all our Webers on Craigslist for the rest of time. lol. Just saying.
 
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