Longevity......


 

Don D.

TVWBB Fan
I have one month to decide if I send my EX6 back. I actually love the way it cooks !!
Great Smoky flavor. Clean up is a PIA, did it twice only, no great fires or other issues with anything I cooked. Use the water pan for bigger meats, not my chicken , burgers/hot dogs. I'm still getting low fuel warnings as my hopper pulls more from the left side. Didn't try any wax/tape mods yet. Controller was replaced by Weber due to Wifi connectivity issues. My biggest concern is longevity. I know, nothing lasts forever (except Mother in Laws) BUT , heat diffuser looks horrible already. Others are seeing rust starting. I got this for $850 so it was a steal, but I didn't want to start needing and replacing major parts in 3 years that would start racking up the cost. I wish the warranty would be 5 years, I think that would be fair. I'm looking into the Recteq RT1250 , but it'll cost almost double what the EX6 did, but comes with a 6 year warranty. Thoughts ??
 
You have a grill that you like how it cooks, you can't beat that!

Why not take this approach- Replace parts as needed during the warranty period, paying close attention to the grill's condition at the end of the warranty. See what you can get replaced at this point, and you should have bought a few more years of using a grill you like and didn't pay $1,600 for.
 
True, I did that with my other 2 Webers. Being the model is only 2 years Old, it's still hard to tell how it will hold up. Replacing parts before the three years doesn't show what will happen afterwards
 
For my two cents worth, I am a Recteq RT-700 owner and love it. Nonetheless, I would really like to have a 2nd pellet grill to make it possible to hold modest bbq events and still get to sleep for at least a few hours not having to tend charcoal.

I don’t have much support at home for getting another pellet grill, but I keep hoping for an EX-4 which would be a nice size as a second grill. Then I read a new thread like this one, and the caution light flashes again.

I have to wonder how many SmokeFire grills will be returned under this generous “return with no questions asked” policy? And what is Weber going to do with them? I wish I could get a heavily discounted one from that return pile. For that, I would take a chance and deal with the heat at home😲!
 
For my two cents worth, I am a Recteq RT-700 owner and love it. Nonetheless, I would really like to have a 2nd pellet grill to make it possible to hold modest bbq events and still get to sleep for at least a few hours not having to tend charcoal.

I don’t have much support at home for getting another pellet grill, but I keep hoping for an EX-4 which would be a nice size as a second grill. Then I read a new thread like this one, and the caution light flashes again.

I have to wonder how many SmokeFire grills will be returned under this generous “return with no questions asked” policy? And what is Weber going to do with them? I wish I could get a heavily discounted one from that return pile. For that, I would take a chance and deal with the heat at home😲!
Jon, When I worked at Sears in the tools and lawn and garden Sears had a policy on returned grills, they couldn't be resold because of possible food contamination. They woudn't take a chance that someone could get sick. We had lots of grills that were thrown into a large semi trailer many of them in like new condition and when it was full they were hauled away.
That would be my guess as to why you don't see Weber resealing the pellet grills.
 
The Smokefire saga messes with people's thinking. If you kept the EX6 would you ever stop doubting that you made the right decision? If not , then, just for peace of mind, the 1250 may be in your future. Good luck.
 
I know only very little about folks' rust concerns; I don't know if it's because of my region, that I wheel it into the unfinished basement after use, or that others have more mileage on their units that I haven't yet experienced that issue (I enjoy rotating among several outdoor cookers).

Without being technical and measuring and analyzing the two units I would be inclined to guess my RT-700 is built a little better but I don't know that for a fact. I do know this, though: when I load the SmokeFire hopper the sides expand to the point that the lid doesn't close without slight manipulation. That does not happen on the RT-700 (which also has a larger capacity).

But if I didn't have the SmokeFire I would definitely miss it. I bought it in June and when I smoke with pellets I have used it exclusively so far (but the RT-700 looks handsome and I know I'll use it some). I know it's not exactly a direct fire unit but in my experience it comes somewhat closer than other pellet smokers that I've used. For instance; there are some smokes that I do--baby back ribs for example--where the bottoms char beyond my preference and, so, I add a drip pan under the grates to compensate. Of course, there are also other reasons that I sometimes add a drip pan.

Having said all that, and I mentioned it before, if Weber really wants folks to latch-on and buy and keep their SmokeFire units, it would seem to me that changing their warranty period would help. But I'm not Weber and I don't know their mindset.

Right now I have beef short ribs rolling for dinner tonight :)

Good luck in your decision!
 
Thanks for all your replies !! I spoke to Weber today . I actually misplaced the cleaning tool, which said they'll send out a new one to me. I asked about maybe extending the warranty due to issues people are having. Rep told me we stand behind it products and will still help you at least 6 months beyond official warranty. I love the smokey taste the food has , much tastier than my MB electric smoker, always was too bitter. I cleaned it out today. It took 15 minutes and I just shoved everything down the grease holes.. as long as nothing else goes wrong on the next month, it'll be a keeper.
I'd hate to get the RT and then not enjoy the food off of it.
Here's pics of the inside and then what the grease tray looked like....
 

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True, I did that with my other 2 Webers. Being the model is only 2 years Old, it's still hard to tell how it will hold up. Replacing parts before the three years doesn't show what will happen afterwards

IMO, return it based on the quote.

I did some research on pellet smokers. Liked the EX6, then the issues deterred me. Looked at rec TEC 700. Was in my price range. Also looked at Traeger ironwood 650 (has super smoke), pro, timberline. Camp chef too.

There are issues with most of the pellet smokers. The ironwood series has the super smoke feature to boost smoke flavor. But the folks at the traeger forums can't tell the difference between super smoke and no super smoke when they taste the food. That seems like a BS feature.

And then traeger has the paint issue. It peels. Due to the heat. So if you take it anything over low and slow you're going to have peeling paint. And the burn-in period has you taking it to think 450 I think. And paint is not covered under warranty.

I read some issues about the rec tec paint peeling because the lid is not stainless steel. Heat is the issue.

The peeling paint issue is not that serious compared to the issues that you may have with the rusting internals of the smokefire. But that's my opinion. Somebody might think the peeling paint is more serious.

I gave up on a pellet smoker altogether, so it's not in my future. I need something more doable long term.

Good luck.
 
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Checked out a few other Forums today. Seems like complaints on all of them . Always have people who are upset. One guy was debating a EX6 vs Pro 575. He went with the Pro. Posted today that he returned the Pro SAME DAY IT WAS DELIVERED, due to temp swings of 30-35 degrees. I'm keeping the EX6 unless something happens again in the next month. Return period up 10/20.
 
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I have a Traeger and replaced all of the high heat parts with stainless steel replacements at less than 1 year old because I was pretty sure they wouldn't last. I replaced the computer with the upgraded one also. All out of pocket expenses because I wanted a better functioning more reliable unit. Was it worth it? I feel like it was but that's just me. Now I have a Weber Kamado and love it to death! No modifications and I am sure It will last for a very long time. Just my humble opinion. I think super smoke is a marketing thing, my cousin has RecTec and wanted more smoke I told him my trick is to throw pellets on top of the diffuser plate and you have more smoke!
 
E11E3B83-B34C-4BE5-8C75-FAD01886A819.jpeg.. as long as nothing else goes wrong on the next month, it'll be a keeper.
I'd hate to get the RT and then not enjoy the food off of it.
Don,
I do think that the SmokeFire’s design allows more smoke to reach the meat than on conventional pellet grills with a large solid grease shield. Of course that seems to bring problems with grease and ash management.

I would like to have a SmokeFire as a second pellet grill, but I would never give up my rock solid Recteq to have one. As far as results, I can say my Recteq has turned out lots of great food and even yields beautiful smoke rings. I certainly have not had food I did not enjoy:
 

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Jon, I have no doubt the RT makes great food. I love the way my SF food tastes. No buddies with an RT for me to compare to. I just wish the warranty was longer, although I do believe that with the Gen 2 they made significant changes to parts and theredore has less issues.I do have the pellet void issue from time to time. Have to see what to do about it. Seems like whatever other brand forum you go to RT, Camp Chef, Traeger etc. There are lovers and there are haters.
I am a Weber guy, I have 4, their biggest grill S670 and a Silver C down to two Baby Qs. I've had no warranty issues before with them , if something broke parts were sent promptly. Heck, they replaced the cookbox on the S670 out of warranty !!! I have also bought parts out of warranty for a discounted price from them. I got one more month. I really want to keep ..... We'll see how the next month goes.
 
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So like I posted inner a diff thread on this board, last week was find a $50 brisket and had to run out for an hour. Controller froze and SF shut off. Was today cold when I got home and had to restart the grill.Bridget wasn't so good. I guess coming off totally and restarting hurt it. So I said I'm done. This is my second controller on less than a month and a half. Called Weber to complain and basically say, instead of continuously sending out replacement parts, FIX the damn thing. What does it help to send me a controller that has the same issues as the controller it's replacing ?? They told me they are working very hard to fix everything and sent me out a new mothernoard... Didn't come yet and still got 19 days to send it back, but I'm loving the way it cooks and grills... This is a love/ hate relationship.
 
Don,
I think what you have said encapsulates the whole SmokeFire dilemma. Some people have minimal problems, some have continual ones. Many seem to feel for a grill currently available for $800 to $1000 both models bring better construction and certainly way better style than their similarly priced competitors. (Sure you can buy a MAK or Yoder, but only for a LOT more money - even Traeger and Recteqs will cost you a good bit more.) Most everyone has raved about the results (and posted proof right here) - at least when their SmokeFIre was cooperating. And finally, I think every owner feels that this grill was rushed out with inadequate testing and that the digital control software is still a work in progress.

I have said this before, but as someone still on the sidelines, it is very hard to sort this out. I guess I would say that I would probably NOT buy a SmokeFire if it was going to be my only grill. But since I have lost count of how many kettles and gas grills I own, along with a Recteq RT-700, having a temperamental race horse in the herd might still be OK with me. But I am still not sure...
 
Jon,
I have looked through many Traeger and Rectec forums as well as other brands. There are horror stories on each forum, this one says stay away from this brand and then the next guy says the exact opposite....I love the SF results, just wish it was a little more stable. I am a Weber fan and have only had great experiences with CS in the past. I just wonder how are they going to continually ship out parts that will just keep breaking ??? I guess as long as they support it for the next 3 years , it'll be worth keeping. I got my EX6 for what most are paying for their EX4. I still have the Summit 670 gasser if I need a quick grill. Mainy find people are complaining about lack of some taste. Haven't experienced it on my SF, just undecided what to do. One minute I want to send it back, then I figure I'll keep it and keep getting replacement parts as needed
 
Well I think the key is you have another grill to use what kind of downtime is it waiting for these parts? This was sold as the only grill you needed since you could do everything but not sure if unless your one of the lucky ones that is the case. If it was your only grill and you had issues I get the Weber CS but how many days would you not have a grill waiting for parts or being in the middle of a cook and it croaks on you.

If it was me I would return it maybe you got a lemon who knows not like you can't buy another one. What about the return policies if you buy a Traeger at HD or Costco and try it out not happy but guessing you have 30 days to return it actually Costco longer unless they have a different return policy for grills don't know.

As to Rectec and Traeger costing more money than the smokefire well maybe there is a good reason for that. What about a Camp Chef members here who own them and don't seem to have any issues?

Hard decision good luck on what you decide.

There are people like myself who these threads kind of turned me off from ever owning a pellet grill thought they were supposed to be set and forget at least I thought they were supposed to be but you are dealing with software and electronics which some do better than others I assume.
 
I watch several of the other brands forums and see similar complaints on a variety of brands and models.

My pellet is a lower cost older design without a PID controller and it works well once I learned to distrust the provided probes. It started to rust in under 2 years, even though it's really dry here.

I don't expect my pellet to last long, but it was 1/3 the price of a smokefire.
 

 

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