SmokeFire on Fire...


 
Its kind of sad really they just can't seem to get things right. When I first saw this thread title my thought was say someone was considering the Smokefire did a search on Smokefire forums and came across this. Probably horrified on to the Traeger or whatever brand Pellet Forums.

As Lew said: Who in their right mind would own a grill where that's required to operate it? Regarding pulling out the auger and whatever everytime you had a cook.
 
I’m going to attempt putting the Smokefire in perspective. I don’t know of any pellet grill that has been publicly bashed this heavily. Just like everyone else the initial problems had me leery but if I could get it to perform then the capability was worth taking the risk. I’m on a Smokefire owners FB group with 3500 members. I spend time each day trying to help new owners understand the grill and how to troubleshoot/solve problems. It’s a very active group so I get to see a lot. The vast majority of members are having a very positive experience with their Smokefire and yet prospective buyers keep asking questions about problems and a few even say they expect a “perfect “ grill for the price. My EX6 isn’t “perfect “but it cooks great tasting food whether it’s smokeboost Jerky or a reverse seared steak. Unlike what many say is required for good performance I don’t clean it very often and it just cooks. I use Pit Boss or B& B pellets with no problem. The Smokefire experience of Feb. 2020 is not the experience today. It will take time to overcome the bad reputation and as long as Weber keeps improving the software it just might happen.
 
If I look at this from a common-sense approach I cannot conceive that Weber would do a road show, offer another $200 discount, and an extended return policy if they have data showing significant failures. They would not have data on major owner dissatisfaction and push the product unless they also know they're planning a bankruptcy filing.

I say this with my fingers crossed (on its performance, not out of concern over bankruptcy) since I'm only three uses into my recent purchase.
 
Lew Newby said:
I’m going to attempt putting the Smokefire in perspective. I don’t know of any pellet grill that has been publicly bashed this heavily. Just like everyone else the initial problems had me leery but if I could get it to perform then the capability was worth taking the risk. I’m on a Smokefire owners FB group with 3500 members. I spend time each day trying to help new owners understand the grill and how to troubleshoot/solve problems. It’s a very active group so I get to see a lot. The vast majority of members are having a very positive experience with their Smokefire and yet prospective buyers keep asking questions about problems and a few even say they expect a “perfect “ grill for the price. My EX6 isn’t “perfect “but it cooks great tasting food whether it’s smokeboost Jerky or a reverse seared steak. Unlike what many say is required for good performance I don’t clean it very often and it just cooks. I use Pit Boss or B& B pellets with no problem. The Smokefire experience of Feb. 2020 is not the experience today. It will take time to overcome the bad reputation and as long as Weber keeps improving the software it just might happen.
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Very well said, Lew. I think that the majority of the problems early on were originally small issues that resulted in much larger issues. Couple that with assembly mistakes, user error, and the standard normal rejection rate of any mechanical parts, and the reputation will continue to take an underserved hit. I say undeserved now, as Weber seems to have overcome the problems experienced by the early adopters. Early complaints were very valid, and convinced me to wait for Gen2, to which I am extremely happy with.
 
I would love to have the EX4 and the $800 sale price is very tempting. If I were to do it I think I would choose to buy it in the box and assemble myself just for piece of mind. I have no doubt that I would get along with it just fine. I look them over every time I'm in Ace Hardware and compared to the other offerings the SmokeFire is hands down the best built cooker.
 
Colin,

I agree very much with what you are saying. Having restored a number of gas grills, it is tempting to snag a used one that someone has given up on. Still, with uncertainties about "Gen 2", getting parts, and the possibility - maybe probability - of a used one not having been put together right, there is a lot to say for grabbing this sale price, registering and taking your time to be sure it is assembled properly. Doing that - and with the improvements in hardware and software made to date - I think you would most likely have a good experience. Not to say that it is a "set it and forget it" workhorse like my Recteq RT-700, but it has potential to be a great cooker nonetheless. I would love to do my own side-by-side cooks to see if there is a difference in flavor and appearance between the two.
 
Looking for a couple of cheap EX4s to experiment with here ya go

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Colin said:
I would love to have the EX4 and the $800 sale price is very tempting. If I were to do it I think I would choose to buy it in the box and assemble myself just for piece of mind. I have no doubt that I would get along with it just fine. I look them over every time I'm in Ace Hardware and compared to the other offerings the SmokeFire is hands down the best built cook
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Colin said:
I would love to have the EX4 and the $800 sale price is very tempting. If I were to do it I think I would choose to buy it in the box and assemble myself just for piece of mind. I have no doubt that I would get along with it just fine. I look them over every time I'm in Ace Hardware and compared to the other offerings the SmokeFire is hands down the best built cooker.
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I went to get my EX6 from Ace, but they only had the one model that was already put together. I was ensured that they were put together properly, but the loose bolts in the handle told me otherwise. I ordered mine directly from Weber, and while that won't be the route that I would take next time, I did get to assemble the grill myself and know that it was done right. Been running flawless for 51 cooks now.

Charlie
 
Rich Dahl said:
Looking for a couple of cheap EX4s to experiment with here ya go

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That’s pretty incredible. I haven’t seen anything like that near me. $750 for an alleged Generation 2 EX-6. Definitely used and all else you get is a cover. Pass on that one.
 
Rich Dahl said:
Looking for a couple of cheap EX4s to experiment with here ya go

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Wow that is amazing less than $300! But still not temped to try again. It is not even just the grill, I think my experience with the EX4 soured me on the whole pellet concept, as I much prefer charcoal. If / when I try an electronic beast again, it will be a gravity fed like the Masterbuilt or Chargriller.
 
Joe,
It’s a shame the SmokeFire you got let you down. A well functioning pellet grill is pretty sweet in my opinion. People may complain about “computerized bbq” but I have gotten consistent great results across the board with my Recteq - pork shoulders, ribs, chicken and beef. We have certainly seen some awesome looking food from SmokeFires in this section.

I feel like my pellet grill allows me to cook more
1CA85381-C15C-4907-BEAA-56728801019F.jpegwith a lot less stress. I love and use charcoal, but I find my pellet grill to do almost as good with way fewer mishaps!

52835708-051F-4C03-B9BE-B65B7F83622C.jpeg
172EA6BE-EE5A-4195-A4D4-AB9FA675F421.jpeg
 
Jon, It is not just the Smokefire, it was also dealing with pellets, and a little bit flavor profile. It seemed like I was always sweeping up those darn pellets. Charcoal being much bigger is a lot easier to handle. I think I sold the EX4 a few moths ago, and I still find pellets that escaped around. I am using the ones I swept up in a smoker box on the gasser, so that is pretty nice. BTW those pics look yummy
 
Jon Tofte said:
That’s pretty incredible. I haven’t seen anything like that near me. $750 for an alleged Generation 2 EX-6. Definitely used and all else you get is a cover. Pass on that one.
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Not really sure why that is incredible the one for $280 kind of get that but months ago in ATL there were 4 or 5 listings for brand new EX4's at $400 bucks the market for used pellet grills or any other grill assume lets say you paid $799 for the EX4 not really sure why you think cause your unhappy and go to get rid of that you should expect to get more then $400 bucks or less for it and of course you need to find the right buyer who actually is looking for a SmokeFire. Even I might have taken a shot at $280 so if I hated it dump it for $200 or less it was not that costly even if I could not sell it.

Obviously the person selling it for $280 just wanted to get rid of it and get something back $280 is better than nothing. Pretty big hit depending on what they paid for it.

Edit: I looked at that listing for $280 again did not notice when I first looked at it that they had 2 left where did they get those things and I would assume they have to make a few bucks so what did they pay for them.
 
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