SmokeFire EPX6 Stealth Addition - On Sale


 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
And again I tell myself,

“Must- Resist-Temptation…”
Actually I really have no interest in one but, in general, I have to rein myself in often!
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I had no interest either but if the Searwood performs with good reviews might be one at my house in the summer we will see. Much as I hate to say it if that happens the Performer heads to Facebook Marketplace let someone else enjoy it has a slow n sear deluxe stainless grates and the metal table it will be a good buy for someone and not looking for a ton of money for it. Included with it will be 7 or 8 bags of Weber Charcoal. My UDS will be posted for free or else goes to the junkyard. The Silver C will never be replaced so I will be down to 2 grills.

If I go to the Pellet grill gonna blame Larry if he can go to the dark side so can I. :)

Turning 71 this year so maybe a Searwood and for sure replacing my 50" plasma from 2008 with a 65" Oled probably a LG G3 or the LG C3. Can't take it with you.
 
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Brian B Atlanta said:
If I go to the Pellet grill gonna blame Larry if he can go to the dark side so can I. :)
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LOL, you guys on here were all the enablers. I never imagined I would love that MM so much, and really how well made and robust it is. And that Big Z? Definitely no slouch. Right now got filet mignons on MM along with taters, Did some smoke for about 30 min and temps on their way up to 450 for a nice crust on everything.
72 last October so, honestly lovin' the pellet grill life. This past Sat I had that huge cook (prime rib and pork shoulder). Everyone cleaned me out of leftovers :D
 
LMichaels said:
LOL, you guys on here were all the enablers. I never imagined I would love that MM so much, and really how well made and robust it is. And that Big Z? Definitely no slouch. Right now got filet mignons on MM along with taters, Did some smoke for about 30 min and temps on their way up to 450 for a nice crust on everything.
72 last October so, honestly lovin' the pellet grill life. This past Sat I had that huge cook (prime rib and pork shoulder). Everyone cleaned me out of leftovers :D
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Aw, c’mon Larry! You like the pursuit of excellence as much as the rest of us! I’ll admit it though, I’m an enabler.
 
ChuckO said:
You said it yourself; "lowering MSRP during inflationary times." You can't do that and remain profitable and you can't get market share back by churning out inferior product. It is clearly evident that Weber is turning over a new leaf, which started when they were bought by BDT Capital. A perfect example of this was Mastercraft Boats. They were tanking and Coleman Company took controlling interest in Mastercraft boats. I myself experienced it, I bought a 1988 Prostar 190 on a tandem axel for $18K OTD, which was an exceptionally good price for a high-end ski boat. Now they're $100K+. Coleman got Mastercraft back to making quality boats, and they hit the market under cost. The rest is history. Recently Weber filed a couple trademarks; "SmartControl" and "Rapid React" and they previously filed "Q+" so you can expect some new features in their clamshells and the SmartControl could run everything from BBQ to Smokers to Griddles and the Rapid React will be some sort of Proportional-integral-derivative. (PID) You get a bunch of guys writing algorithms, that ain't cheap. Sounds like they're buying the market back, with profits to come in the future.
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I didn’t look at cutting cost making the SearWood inferior to other cookers in the $1000 price point, but as being inferior to products in the $1500 price point. That’s what I meant by the SmokeFire being the better built product (designed and built for $1500 price point) now discounted to the $1000 price point.

A product can certainly be competitive in the $1000 price point while being inferior to products in the $1500 price point, don’t you think?

I think what your suggestions is introductory pricing for the first 1000 units. Perhaps, but it seems like a short run before they Jack up the MSRP. I guess if we see a big bump in MSRP up to $1500 mid to late summer, we will know you were right.
 
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WB Zipf said:
I didn’t look at cutting cost making the SearWood inferior to other cookers in the $1000 price point, but as being inferior to products in the $1500 price point. That’s what I meant by the SmokeFire being the better built product (designed and built for $1500 price point) now discounted to the $1000 price point.

A product can certainly be competitive in the $1000 price point while being inferior to products in the $1500 price point, don’t you think?

I think what your suggestions is introductory pricing for the first 1000 units. Perhaps, but it seems like a short run before they Jack up the MSRP. I guess if we see a big bump in MSRP up to $1500 mid to late summer, we will know you were right.
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“That’s what I meant by the SmokeFire being the better built product (designed and built for $1500 price point) now discounted to the $1000 price point.”

I truly think the quality of Smokefire was not a $1500 product to start with. But very overpriced. I think the SearWood pricing is a closer evaluation price wise.
 
Darian Hofer said:
“That’s what I meant by the SmokeFire being the better built product (designed and built for $1500 price point) now discounted to the $1000 price point.”

I truly think the quality of Smokefire was not a $1500 product to start with. But very overpriced. I think the SearWood pricing is a closer evaluation price wise.
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i read many reviews that said it was a waste of money, but generally this conclusion was based on the early problems. Once they got those worked out (except for the pellet hopper), they seem to generally positive.

For example, Max Good, the product reviewer over at Amazingribs.com made the following recent post in March of last year (2023). It wasn’t an update to his review, just a post in their Pitmaster forum..

“I still have the original SmokeFire and now that the software is up to date and fully functional, my only complaint is the hopper design, which Weber claims they addressed in the new versions. Otherwise, SmokeFire is both an excellent grill and smoker, reaching high, searing temps easily and producing some of the best smoke I've had on a pellet burner.”

Max Good comment a few post down the thread

Outside of the reviews made in the first year or two, I don’t remember reading ones that said it was overpriced. Then again, I by no means read all the reviews.

What components that you came across were sub quality for the price point? As compared to the Traeger Ironwood 885 for example? On paper they seem quite comparable, are there particular materials or components that you think are higher quality on the Traeger, or any other comparable ?

I assume you made your conclusion in comparison shopping, but if you have a SmokeFire, what was the most disappointing thing?
 
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WB Zipf said:
i read many reviews that said it was a waste of money, but generally this conclusion was based on the early problems. Once they got those worked out (except for the pellet hopper), they seem to generally positive.

For example, Max Good, the product reviewer over at Amazingribs.com made the following recent post in March of last year (2023). It wasn’t an update to his review, just a post in their Pitmaster forum..

“I still have the original SmokeFire and now that the software is up to date and fully functional, my only complaint is the hopper design, which Weber claims they addressed in the new versions. Otherwise, SmokeFire is both an excellent grill and smoker, reaching high, searing temps easily and producing some of the best smoke I've had on a pellet burner.”

Max Good comment a few post down the thread

Outside of the reviews made in the first year or two, I don’t remember reading ones that said it was overpriced. Then again, I by no means read all the reviews.

What components that you came across were sub quality for the price point? As compared to the Traeger Ironwood 885 for example? On paper they seem quite comparable, are there particular materials or components that you think are higher quality on the Traeger, or any other comparable ?

I assume you made your conclusion in comparison shopping, but if you have a SmokeFire, what was the most disappointing thing?
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There are many posts on this forum about members purchasing pellet grills below the price of the Smokefire and being very happy with quality and performance.
There is nothing about the quality of the parts or material used in the Smokefire that make it worth the higher price.
Is the Smokefire designed different than most other pellet grills? Yes, but it’s nothing that makes it better quality or would prompt a higher price.
What was most disappointing for me? The poor choice of the material used on the internal parts. Again, there are many posts related to these parts. My Smokefire saw only moderate use my first year. And not many high temp cooks. But my internal parts looked like a 6-7 year old grill. Weber did replace many of the parts at no charge but refused to replace others.
I also had several shutdowns mid cook. Others on this forum blame user error, not cleaning often enough, damp pellets or the particular brand of pellets used. I really wanted a pellet grill I could rely on working when I cooked.
I’m happy that many users are having no issues. But there is also a growing number of members posting on this forum who use brands other than Weber. Most were very honest and explained why they chose another grill over the Weber.
I truly wanted to keep loving my Smokefire. But it just didn’t play out for me.
 
Darian Hofer said:
There are many posts on this forum about members purchasing pellet grills below the price of the Smokefire and being very happy with quality and performance.
There is nothing about the quality of the parts or material used in the Smokefire that make it worth the higher price.
Is the Smokefire designed different than most other pellet grills? Yes, but it’s nothing that makes it better quality or would prompt a higher price.
What was most disappointing for me? The poor choice of the material used on the internal parts. Again, there are many posts related to these parts. My Smokefire saw only moderate use my first year. And not many high temp cooks. But my internal parts looked like a 6-7 year old grill. Weber did replace many of the parts at no charge but refused to replace others.
I also had several shutdowns mid cook. Others on this forum blame user error, not cleaning often enough, damp pellets or the particular brand of pellets used. I really wanted a pellet grill I could rely on working when I cooked.
I’m happy that many users are having no issues. But there is also a growing number of members posting on this forum who use brands other than Weber. Most were very honest and explained why they chose another grill over the Weber.
I truly wanted to keep loving my Smokefire. But it just didn’t play out for me.
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Thanks. That’s helpful.
I saw that the most common failure of the first generation were the auger assembly, followed by electronics, were these yours? , Did you have the first generation or a later version?

Going back to my original point, if this was a materials/quality of parts defect at $1500. Why would I expect the part to be upgraded in quality at a lower price point? Meaning if your premise is that it was always more appropriately priced at $1000, because of quality, and that this new product is now priced where it should be, I don’t see why I should expect an upgrade in materials/parts with a lower price. Shouldn’t I expect the same crappy materials/parts in the new model? Maybe even worse?

I just can’t wrap my head around how any company is in a position to offer a product made with higher quality materials for 30% less. Especially when the new product is post Covid inflation and the old product was priced based off pre Covid cost for raw materials and manufacturing.

Unless, of course, the design improvements are such that it can function better with cheaper parts (hopefully for Weber, this is where they are at) or they are willing to accept much lower margins. PE firms aren’t in the business of excepting lower margins, so I really struggle with that idea too (unless it’s for a limited period to gain market share, as the other poster suggested).
 
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WB Zipf said:
Unless, of course, the design improvements are such that it can function better with cheaper parts
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This. +1
By shifting to a more tried and proven design, they can get along with not having to build parts to the "nth" degree of quality just to make the tech work. Now they're bringing the "tech" down to the level of build they can make at a price point. Just like other companies.
So, now it will remain to be seen how PB will manage after using some of the tech type we saw fail in the SF with their new tech PB grill.
 
WB Zipf said:
Thanks. That’s helpful.
I saw that the most common failure of the first generation were the auger assembly, followed by electronics, were these yours? , Did you have the first generation or a later version?

Going back to my original point, if this was a materials/quality of parts defect at $1500. Why would I expect the part to be upgraded in quality at a lower price point? Meaning if your premise is that it was always more appropriately priced at $1000, because of quality, and that this new product is now priced where it should be, I don’t see why I should expect an upgrade in materials/parts with a lower price. Shouldn’t I expect the same crappy materials/parts in the new model? Maybe even worse?

I just can’t wrap my head around how any company is in a position to offer a product made with higher quality materials for 30% less. Especially when the new product is post Covid inflation and the old product was priced based off pre Covid cost for raw materials and manufacturing.

Unless, of course, the design improvements are such that it can function better with cheaper parts (hopefully for Weber, this is where they are at) or they are willing to accept much lower margins. PE firms aren’t in the business of excepting lower margins, so I really struggle with that idea too (unless it’s for a limited period to gain market share, as the other poster suggested).
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My Smokefire was second generation with most of the updates already installed. Software updates did help.
Yes, I believe the price point of the Smokefire was higher than it should be for the quality of the product. We can only hope the newer design does not pinch pennies in crucial high heat areas of the grill. And I hope they get their quality control issues fixed with their control boards.
The Smokefire was my first experience with pellet cooking. I purchased my second pellet grill used. It was 5-7 years old. When I got it home I pulled it apart to give it a thorough cleaning. I was amazed at the much larger auger, auger tube and motor. I can now fully understand why the Smokefire could be finicky using different sized pellets or get hung up on a few bad pellets.
A good friend of mine purchased a Pitt Boss pellet grill a year before I purchased my Smokefire. It eats every brand of pellets he has tried. 3 years now and it’s running strong and his food off the grill is great. And it cost 1/3 the price of my Smokefire. A point he still makes on a regular basis.lol
I hope the SearWood is as good as Weber promises. But I wouldn’t jump on it for at least a year. Oh, and I would never suggest it uses higher quality parts. But maybe the new design will help parts last longer. But this is only wishful thinking. Time will tell.
 
SmokeFire was priced well. It’s a lot of grill for the money.
It has its issues, did the internal parts hold up well to 600 degrees? NO.
It was a learning experience for us and Weber. A lot going on for try number 1.
I’m looking forward to the SearWood. I hope to see them using the SmokeFire knowledge gained in a positive way. Weber is amazing on the customer service end. They have gone above and beyond for me on any issues I had with the SmokeFire or any other grill I had an issue with.
 
The SmokeFire also puts out plenty of smoke. I am tired of hearing people say it doesn’t.

We all know smoke rings don’t add **** to. a cook either but if you want to see some ridiculous smoke rings off the SmokeFire I’d be glad to show you.
 
Bruno said:
SmokeFire was priced well. It’s a lot of grill for the money.
It has its issues, did the internal parts hold up well to 600 degrees? NO.
It was a learning experience for us and Weber. A lot going on for try number 1.
I’m looking forward to the SearWood. I hope to see them using the SmokeFire knowledge gained in a positive way. Weber is amazing on the customer service end. They have gone above and beyond for me on any issues I had with the SmokeFire or any other grill I had an issue with.
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Price point for the quality given is certainly up to personal opinion.
But “we” the users should not be part of Weber’s learning curve experience.
But like I said before, I happy for the users that have had no problems. And I’m still a happy Weber owner of several other products.
 
Darian Hofer said:
Price point for the quality given is certainly up to personal opinion.
But “we” the users should not be part of Weber’s learning curve experience.
But like I said before, I happy for the users that have had no problems. And I’m still a happy Weber owner of several other products.
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Gotta start somewhere.
Go look a $1000 Traeger and you can see how good a value the SmokeFire was.
 
LMichaels said:
Yeah, Traeger is another one. Price it high because of the name, yet most of theirs are made by Z Grills.
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I don't believe Z Grills makes anything for Traeger and have not for awhile.

Z Grills was originally a manufacturer of pellet grills for several top brands in this industry. The Z Grills brand was founded in 2016 and has quickly become one of the most respected brands in pellet grills.
 
All you have to do is look at so many Traegers and see they're the exact same hardware, stampings and other parts as many Z Grills. Doesn't mean they're "bad". Just over priced
 
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