Smokefire no longer at Lowes


 

Derrick H

TVWBB Fan
This makes the cover and other accessories sale makes sense. I went into Lowes yesterday and didn't see the Smokefire anywhere. They had pellets, but no smokers or covers. I didn't think much of it until I looked online and saw a message saying "this item is not available on lowes.com". I wonder what happened.Screenshot_20210131-114406.png
 
Might have been they just didn't move either. I was in my Lowe's 3 or weeks ago they had two 4's and a 6 floor models only no fixes been there awhile need to stop in there this week will look to see if they are still there and clearing them out.
 
If Lowes has really abandoned the SmokeFire and Home Depot never did carry it, then Weber has some real trouble with no representation in the big box stores. Menards, a third alternative I am getting to know here in the Midwest, has a mostly dismal offering of grills - and no Webers at all.

I think Weber is going to have to work hard this spring to make a successful reboot of the SmokeFIre a success. They just cannot afford to be pushed out of this rapidly growing niche.
 
Interestingly, I can apparently get one, though not at my local store (they actually haven't had them for months).

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The model number on JimK's post is 22510201. Gen 2. The model number of the one no longer sold is 22510001L.
Gen 1. Lowes is only selling the Gen 2 model now so they are still a Weber outlet.
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Jim, Lowes has some funky links click the wrong one and it says they are available, click another which I did today and as the OP said they are unavailable. This link says they are gone: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Weber-SmokeFire-672-sq-in-Black-Pellet-Grill/1001380586

Jon, I think they will make a push but I doubt they will magically re-appear in Lowes as they have already been there and done that. Might be destined to be like the Summit Charcoal trying to see one in person is almost impossible unless its maybe a high end Grill Store. My ACE never carried the Smokefire and never have seen a Summit Charcoal there either. HD carries Traeger as well as my local Ace and I believe Costco also.

Edit: I just saw Lew's post the 201 in my area is available but it is not available for pickup at the store it is home delivery only and the shipping charge is $59.00 when you view the cart. So it appears all they are doing like a lot of retailers is if you want to order it from them fine so at that point I assume your better off buying it from Weber if they are still not charging for shipping.
 
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I did a search for Lowes Weber Smokefire and what I got for each model said no longer sold.
Then I searched Lowes for Weber grills, scrolled down through the models and found both for sale. I was then able to put an E6 in a cart, later I deleted it, I'm not in the market for one.
 
Jim, Lowes has some funky links click the wrong one and it says they are available, click another which I did today and as the OP said they are unavailable. This link says they are gone: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Weber-SmokeFire-672-sq-in-Black-Pellet-Grill/1001380586

Jon, I think they will make a push but I doubt they will magically re-appear in Lowes as they have already been there and done that. Might be destined to be like the Summit Charcoal trying to see one in person is almost impossible unless its maybe a high end Grill Store. My ACE never carried the Smokefire and never have seen a Summit Charcoal there either. HD carries Traeger as well as my local Ace and I believe Costco also
Brian,

I think it is like Lew says. That link is for the first generation SmokeFire. The new one has this link:


But even this kind of funkiness doesn't help. And, yes, they really need to lean on their other outlets like Ace to give this thing a serious push this coming spring/summer. I personally think it is almost life and death if Weber is going to stay in the mainstream of bbq/grilling today. Charcoal kettles and WSMs will always have their fans (including me), thankfully, but I don't think it is a big or growing niche. Gas grills seem to me to be in decline - other than cheap import junk they stick out front of the stores every season. I base that on what appears to be shrinking display space and the many heavy discounts that have been noted here.

So, the pellet grill has to be more than a novelty for Weber. It can't be another Summit Charcoal invisible grill. The less than stellar launch at the beginning of the year really hurt. They will have to work double-overtime to show people the positive aspects the SmokeFire has and that the teething problems have been addressed in the new 2.0 edition.
 
Jon, I did an edit to my post you were probably typing Lew is correct version 2 is available if you want to pay for shipping. I think I would disagree with everything being addressed and fixed in version 2 at least not what I have read recently in the forum. I also disagree and we can all agree to disagree I don't believe Gas Grills are in decline yes pellet grills might have taken some of that business but my guess is and only a guess is a large very large percentage of people who own pellet grills still have a gasser for the convenience factor.

Now charcoal that is a different beast and I own a performer. The other interesting thing is I don't know among friends and acquaintances in my neighborhood anyone who owns a pellet grill a bunch of WSM's though. All have gassers though.
 
If my back was in better shape I would still have charcoal. The Smokefire is far from perfect but it will extend my BBQ years for several more because I can stand up and deal with it. When I got it I thought the mechanical design was good but the software needed a lot of work. 7 months later the software still needs a LOT of work. Having dealt with replacing the auger chute assembly and looking at how to replace the thermocouple I see at least 2 mechanical/electrical item that could use a redesign but that would probably require a hopper redesign. Despite all that I am glad I have it and I'm willing to deal with the issues because of the capabilities and the flavor it imparts into the food. Smart move Bob.
 
It will be interesting to see how things all sort out. I know that more and more people ask me about pellet grills. I rebuilt a Broilmaster gas grill for my pastor in Florida a year and a half ago. Very capable gasser. He went out and bought a Traeger. I see more and more pellet grills, models and pellets for sale in all the big box stores and fewer good gas grills and way fewer charcoal units. Less charcoal, too.

As far as the SmokeFire, I keep trying to warm up to this thing. It obviously can produce wonderful results as we have seen, but it does look to me to have a very "moody" side to it as well, to say the least. My Rec Tec just chugs along cook after cook never complaining or doing any of the odd things people here have reported about their SmokeFires. Still, the SmokeFire has this special appeal - a WEBER pellet grill, and one with some very innovative thinking. They just HAVE to get all these issues worked through!
 
It will be interesting to see how things all sort out. I know that more and more people ask me about pellet grills. I rebuilt a Broilmaster gas grill for my pastor in Florida a year and a half ago. Very capable gasser. He went out and bought a Traeger. I see more and more pellet grills, models and pellets for sale in all the big box stores and fewer good gas grills and way fewer charcoal units. Less charcoal, too.

As far as the SmokeFire, I keep trying to warm up to this thing. It obviously can produce wonderful results as we have seen, but it does look to me to have a very "moody" side to it as well, to say the least. My Rec Tec just chugs along cook after cook never complaining or doing any of the odd things people here have reported about their SmokeFires. Still, the SmokeFire has this special appeal - a WEBER pellet grill, and one with some very innovative thinking. They just HAVE to get all these issues worked through!
Jon, you have your Rec Tec (great pellet smoker) plus gas and charcoal grills that you enjoy. You're wise to wait until the Smokefire is a WEBER and not still a weber in name only. I don't have a crystal ball but I've watched the rate of improvement and I don't see how they'll get it as reliable as your Rec Tec before 2022. I hope I'm wrong.
 
It will be interesting to see how things all sort out. I know that more and more people ask me about pellet grills. I rebuilt a Broilmaster gas grill for my pastor in Florida a year and a half ago. Very capable gasser. He went out and bought a Traeger. I see more and more pellet grills, models and pellets for sale in all the big box stores and fewer good gas grills and way fewer charcoal units. Less charcoal, too.

As far as the SmokeFire, I keep trying to warm up to this thing. It obviously can produce wonderful results as we have seen, but it does look to me to have a very "moody" side to it as well, to say the least. My Rec Tec just chugs along cook after cook never complaining or doing any of the odd things people here have reported about their SmokeFires. Still, the SmokeFire has this special appeal - a WEBER pellet grill, and one with some very innovative thinking. They just HAVE to get all these issues worked through!
I've had way too many pellet grills over the past decade and the SmokeFire is definitely moody. Maybe the best description I've heard for it yet. I've had a couple other poopers that were problematic, but they were predictably problematic, one was going to cover everything in ash all the time and the other was likely going to have a grease fire if I cooked anything remotely greasy and guaranteed if I bumped the temp from 225 to 300 towards the end of the cook to try to eat sooner.

If you have a solution you are happy with, you are better to wait, but the Weber also outlooks every pellet grill I've had by a long shot, high and low. Nothing sears and grills anything like it. It's almost as good at grilling as my Spirit E-330 was, but also adds flavor that my gasser did not. The SmokeFire produces more smoke flavor at 275 than all my other poopers would an any temp, meaning I can save a lot of times on cooks versus cooking always at 225 or starting the first couple hours there to get enough smoke before bumping up a Traeger or CampChef.

However, I don't trust it like I did the others. I keep a very close eye on it all the time like having a toddler around. I run my Fireboard in it every LnS cook and even some hot cooks. I've probably wasted at least 2-3 full bags of pellets maybe more just running Fireboard graphing tests the next day watching 4-6 spots in the grill at various temps after running into something quirky. So far I've tolerated it because the end results have been very satisfying and I've only ruined one meal because of issues with the grill. Temps got way off and probes stopped responding on a cook making me think food wasn't done yet and then pork burgers were 200+ when I finally realized the controller must be acting wonky and checked them with my Thermopen. Every time there's a Software or Firmware update I get excited...then usual cringe thinking about what new moods did they introduce and did they really remove any of the moods I'd finally gotten used to.

Weather also seems to be a big variable with the SmokeFire. It's usually always breezy here if not just plain windy. Like 5-10 MPH is what we call a completely wind free day and most days anymore (or at least every time I want to grill) seem to be 15-25 MPH winds. This wind, especially when combined with cold, seem to cause issues with uneven temps and getting to temp. It's not surprising with the leaky lid with the probe ports at the top and the 3 giant vents in the back combined with single wall construction as well as other paths for air to move through the drip try, etc. I have to be very careful to orient my grill the correct way. A couple times I've fired up the grill in a hurry ran back inside to prep food and begin wondering why after 20-30 minutes I'm stuck at 125-150 degrees. Then I usually find the wind is blowing straight into the vents, go out turn the grill 90 degrees and within a few minutes jump right to set temp.

Putting a probe port on the side and flattening the lid to remove that solution for probe wires, adding a lid gasket, making some vent extensions (like ReqTec offers), and offering an insulation cover would probably make this pit a ton more reliable. The vent extensions might also keep the hopper lid from getting so nasty. Users shouldn't have to engineer their products with these solutions though. They're in Chicago, they know what cold and wind are.

I have to admit that lately I've been considering replacing or supplementing the SmokeFire with a MAK that I feel I'll be able to trust without keeping a close eye on. I'll probably keep the SF around for grilling duties because I don't have a gasser anymore and don't know that I'd be able to sell it with the reputation it has. It's an absolutely fabulous cooker, when it's in a good mood.
 
Lowe's and Weber are possibly waiting until the firmware and software issues are resolved or more stable. Why ship lots of units to stores nationwide that require updates and upset users that may return them with issues we have seen recently. You will see more units appear in the stores as spring arrives.
 
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From the comments I'm reading elsewhere about the most recent controller software version (hopefully available for everyone this week) Weber made some significant changes in their control strategy that both simplify its temperature control operation and add to the SmokeFires overall stability. A wider test group will be needed to determine this.

Unfortunately, many people continue to suffer from all sorts of maladies while so many others have no troubles at all. I'm certain that the spread of reported problems would make more sense if everyone were running the most recent EVERYTHING but that is simply not the case. Such is the nature of these publicly available discussion groups.

Cross your fingers... I'm pretty confident that progress is being made.
 

 

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