My original, made in Oregon, serial number 485 Traeger, was due for an upgrade. I have had my EX6 for a year now and am really impressed with the quality of food I’m cooking. Zero issues zero complaints. Color, bark, flavor, and convenience all superior.
Lack of an effective grease management system was the biggest problem with the Weber gen 1 but they didn’t address that with the new model. Second, one cannot conclude that “all problems were addressed “ until the unit is field-tested.
I picked up the smokefire and I am very happy with it. I have owned Campchef (still have a Campchef for camping) and green mountain grills pellet grills. The Weber is by far my favorite pellet grill I have owned. I think it produces a better flavor then the others. I am more of a charcoal kamado guy but find myself using the smokefire more then my Weber kamado lately. If it has short comings I have not experienced them.
About a year ago when I was in the market for a pellet grill it came down to 3 brands. Weber, Camp Chef, and Rec-Tec. After seeing all the problems the Weber was having I decided to go with the Camp Chef Woodwind WiFI 36 with propane sidekick plus accessories. Love it and never looked back. We use it often with zero issues so far. Happy to see that Weber addressed their issues.
My camp chef 24dlx smoke pro is almost 5 years old and I'm doing a brisket for Christmas, really satisfied with it, on low smoke, 170°, it puts out clean lite blue smoke, very happy
I have a Weber E series grill and have had it about 10 years and still going strong, I abuse that thing I keep it in the sun uncovered in Arizona and the finish still looks good. I had my gas bars go out about year ago and they sent me new ones free of charge they are awesome grill and are tough and nails
I buy everything based on reviews. Some said this was hard to put together th-cam.com/users/postUgkxCx5fHawkK9OoV-ojFrY8JLnZrFwAmvUt some guy said 2 hours and 2 beers later. I didn't drink beer like I was going to. I didn't feel like going to the store. I'm assuming I would have had at least 3. I took my time. Stepped outside for a cigarette break a couple times but all in all it was about a 3 hour project for me but it wasn't like it was difficult or anything . Only pictures but everything is pretty organized and labeled although I didn't see any #s on the actual pieces like it shows in the diagrams. Only the screws were labeled. On the cardboard part of the packaging on the back side. I put it together in my living room too. It wasn't supposed to rain today but it's Michigan and I couldn't wait so I put it together in my living room. Without beer but beer would definitely have made it more fun that's for sure. I'm giving this a 5 for easy assembly. I'll update after it stops raining when I can take it out of my living room and cook some food on it. Hope this helps at least for people who think they can't put this together because I did and you can too . And there are extra screws. I got nervous and immediately came here to see if others had the same experience and they have. You're not doing it wrong. There will be extra screws. Be patient. Don't rush it. Drink beer. Happy assembling
Our EX4 demo grill has been absolutely amazing. We wanted to get a chance to play with it as so we could compare notes against the Camp Chef Woodwind 36 we have at home. While we still love the Camp Chef, lemme tell you, this Weber is a fantastic machine. They do require a little extra maintenance on the cleaning side of things, but we've been torture testing ours here at the store using it for multiple cooks at various temperatures and a bunch of back-to-back runs without cleaning it out and it has been nothing but a champ. Honestly we're really impressed with this unit!
This video helped me in deciding which pellet grill to get. I bought the EX4. I have had it for 8 months and have cooked on my gas grill once since then and have not used my Weber kettle. I bought the smokefire because I wanted a grill that got to 600 deg, wanted it to come to temp quickly and all my friends with Traegers said they could never get over 450 deg. I cook on it 5-6 times a week and cook at 500 -550 depending on the food. I get to 525-530 degs in 10 mins, which makes it as fast as my gas grill. I cook steaks, salmon, chops etc and get the same grill marks I do on gas and also get a hint of smoke. the 10 min startup is why I cook on it 5-6 times a week. On weekends, I do cook at lower temps for ribs, pork shoulder etc and it is greqt. I used the Weber Connect probes regularly as well and they work great (often use 2). I bought the separate Weber Connect Ambient temp probe as on slow cooks I like to get the temp at grate level vs the grill probe which mounted higher than grills. This grill is super easy to clean, much simpler and faster than traditional pellet grills like Recteq. The only downside of this grill is the lowest temp setting is 200 deg where as other pellets can go as low as 165. So far, I have not needed to cook that low, and 90% of my weekly cooking is at high heat, so this is the right pellet grill for me.
Luckily I bought my Traegar 22 from Costco so easy returns. Even on a non-windy warm sunny day, the grill never goes past 435. Very disappointed. For Canadian cold summers and brisky weather, the Weber would be perfect. Not a big fan of the Pit Boss searing sliding thing, as I heard it has a lot of flare ups and gets messy near the Burn Pot.
this grille is awesome i have the ex4 and putting in a drip pan or water pan is not an issue at all ,so i can smoke and i can grille easily all on one grille i did a 15 hrs smoked brisket and i did a 20 min grilled steak from 0 to 500 degrees grilled steak and shut down in 25 minutes total
The fast startup is nice. One of the reasons I sold my Yoder YS640 was it was so slow to start, it was faster to use my charcoal Weber kettle. I wrote off the smokefire after the initial poor reviews but it may be worth another look. Seems almost as convenient as a gas grill.
@@rickyboyd2919 depends if it is Brisket(15lb) pulled pork or something quick and easy. I did a lot off cooking the first 6 weeks to learn how it cooked different things. 15 hour brisket maybe 1 20lb bag or close to it.. I used the smoke boost which prolonged the cook
Same here. I,ve had Weber gas’s grills all of my life, and they’ve been excellent. Naturally i checked out youtube reviews, and bought Camp Chef Woodwind 24. I believe in second chances which is why I’m watching
Thanks for that review I’m actually looking to purchase a pellet grill I have a weber genesis and it’s worked fine for years and I love it glad to see Weber come out with one I’m leaning towards a Traeger but now I will look at the weber
I just got mine in December 2021 and I love it over my Traeger. I haven’t cleaned the ash or drained the grease drain yet but if that is as easy as they say I am really gonna love this smoker. As a bonus it has the same body lines and aesthetics as my older weber genesis natural gas grill. I think they complement each other. Love your reviews
You talked about every Bug being repaired, except the GREASE FIRE issue of the design funneling the Grease and clogging Ash to the same drain holes next to the Fire Pot.
Agreed! Was waiting to see how they addressed the clogging issues which lead to dangerous grease fires. I know someone who almost caught the side of his house on fire from one of these.
I have had a camp chef since 2016 and was inspecting it and it is about wore out. Been a really great unit with many cooks, but any unit doesn’t last forever with heat and cool cycles. I am going to be in the market for another one. I like that the Weber goes 600 degrees (good for searing). I’m torn between going back to a camp chef (which has served me very well) or get this.
Even with the updates, Traeger all the way. I had a Smokefire for 6 months. Loved it at first, but anytime I would have guests or wanted to perform a long cook the grill would screw up mechanically. It was not trustworthy. Weber gave me a full refund and picked up the grill. I now have a Traeger Timberline and I love it! Not one issue yet.
No Disrespect Scott , glad your happy with Your Timberline Traeger , just stating video was based on two $1000 pellet smokers and while I’m sure the Timberline with all the bells and whistles is a great smoker doesn’t really compare at a $2K plus price tag with two in video . Enjoy!
@@jaimebedolla989 after the experience I had with the Smokefire, I wasn’t messing around. My neighbor swore by the timberline. And in Northern Ohio, the insulation sold me. I love this thing 1.5 years in. It was worth the spend.
Amazing how fast it reached 600! I've had my GMG for 2 years and love it. Really haven't had a single issue. Holds low temp with high smoke and easily reaches 550. The insulated blanket allows for easy use when well below freezing with minimal pellet usage too.. I don't know if I trust Treager quality, but they seem popular. Weber looks like an intriguing newbie. Hopefully it lives up to the Weber quality you'd expect.
Love your comparison, I like how you stayed similar in cost with the Traeger and not their more expensive top of the line Timberline (overpriced IMO) but still more than the Weber in the Midwest . Also love the quicker temp and higher degrees if desired , I do wish the Weber would go lower temp like 100-150 for cold smoking some cheeses .nevertheless Weber makes quality grills and pellet grills is a new venture for them . I have a 10yr Weber Genesis grill that still looks new and runs flawless . With every maker their is always room for perfection. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the great review. Did they redesign the pellet box and replace it with a new one with a sharper angle or did they stay with the old/indirect solution, installing a piece of metal which increases the angle but reduces the size of the box ? from the video ots look that they chose the easy and inefficient way that waist 2 inches in the beginning of the drawer
I really wanted to give this grill a try but until Weber fixes the outrageous ash issue I will pass. Every cook video I’ve watched over the last year shows so much ash inside and out. I know some claim the ash doesn’t end up on your food but I don’t believe it. Then there’s the ash mixing with the grease and turning it into a sludge that makes it less likely to drain properly. Finally, the hopper insert hasn’t solved the feeding issue according to many. I’ll cross my fingers and hope Gen. 3 addresses the bugs.
My camp chef 24dlx smoke pro is almost 5 years old and I'm smoking brisket for Christmas Party, set it on low smoke, 170°, it puts out clean lite blue smoke
I preordered my EX4 and it's always worked great. Yes, it did have some minor issues in it's early days but Weber has been awesome at addressing them and quick about fixing them. Learning to use what you have is key and I feel this was part of the issues a lot of people have had, even those that have used other pellet grills. Learning how to use your equipment is key and there is always a learning curve with every single new "tool" you use, even if it's similar. After all the upgrades this thing is simply awesome! I love it better than my Big Green Egg! My only complaint about it is the method in loading pellets. It's just awkward and cumbersome, for me.
Thanks for this video. I remember seeing the first video and decided against buying that smoker. It’s good that there are reviewers still out there that talk about issues rather than just the specifications
I purchased one based odf of recent reviews including this one. Temp readings between probes varied by about 20 degrees. Updating the software took several attempts. Mine failed early morning while attempting to cook a brisket. I didn't pay 1186.00 dollars to have to deal with these headaches. Mine will be going back and I will be looking into another manufacturer.
I've had two Weber gas grills. The first I replaced when it reached 17 years. The second I still have and it's about 8 years and just love it. I liked this review but one thing I noticed the Traeger was smoking and the Weber was not. Is that because it was set at 600 degrees?
Thanks so much for this review. Very specific in addressing the many negatives about the WSF v.1. I'd have to say in response to the comments that the "grease fire" issue seemed to me to be overblown. I real commercial kitchen grease fire was very different from what I saw on TH-cam. People were putting very greasy briskets over an open flame and were surprised there was fire. Too bad I'm one state away or I'd come in.
The grease being funneled right next to the firebox on the 1st Gen was the biggest issue I thought which lead to massive flare-ups and potential fires. Thought that would be the #1 fix but was hard to tell from this video.
@@SnowManson as long as they continue to use the flavorizer bars(which on my weber gas grilll rust out every 2 years) and try to make this a smoker/gas grill type hybrid the clean up will always be a nightmare
@@davo912 I think the flavorizer bars on the gas grill is gas. Burning propane creates sulferic acid causing them to break down. Burning pellets I don't think there would be the same problem. Time will tell.
@@johnmanthey2683 Could be but people buy a smoker don't buy it to cook a steak and weber wants you to be able to cook both and put in the flavorizer bars. Big mistake since that created a clean up nightmare..their answer? put foil pans below the food..lol
I ended up picking one up. Worked fine for the first few cooks. Then I did a long and slow brisket, cleaned immediately prior to and had a grease pan as recommended now. About 10 hours in I had a pellet, auger, motor issue. Temps plummeted followed by lots of smoke and a flare up. Stay away. They want to send me replacement auger and motor but I’m just going to return, it’s not worth it for this finicky machine. Defeats the purpose of having a pellet grill.
Disagree on your logic of trade off to get high heat...500f is enough for most cooking, so Traeger is fine....but that Trade off is Traeger does every thing better from 0f to 500f, Including low and slow...I don't know anyone that buys a pellet grill for high temp sear. But if you need that, then buy a Traeger and an 18 inch Weber kettle charcoal grill....I have a Traeger Ironwood 650, Weber Genesis 330, and a Weber 22" Performer Deluxe.....all bases covered
I had a Traeger. I was very disappointed with it. I ended up selling it really cheap and just bought a Recteq. However, the Weber looks like it might be better than the Recteq.
they didn't address all the complaints..one of the biggest complaints was the cleanup..Just has the BBQ guy Harry Soo who ranted about the cleanup on the weber.
@@davo912 So I just watched that video and to be fair he did a long torture test with tons of fatty meats, didn't wrap or use a drip pan. he said in the future he'd just wrap or use a drip pan for easier cleanup. In the comments someone seemed to think he singled out the smokefire as especially hard to cleanup and his response was "Ditto for the GMG I have also. Pellet cookers are a pain to clean regardless of brand." So I don't think it's fair to characterize the smokefire as harder to clean than other pellet cookers and honestly in lots of smoking I see people use things like drip pans, wrapping components in foil, etc as easy clean hacks in pretty much any type of smoker from cheap to super expensive. I agree with Tevor here... any other pellet smoker where you get direct flames you have to open it up and swap out a tray or something and again I see people take any of those other ones often foil wrap the drip panels or baffles to simplify cleanup. Throwing a drip pan in seems like a pretty simple workaround. Sure it'd be nice if they included a re-usable part you could put in there (though people likely would wrap it in foil to simplify cleanup anyways) but I don't think it's a massive deal IMHO.
@@M4ttNet it's obvious you haven't seen or used a pellet smokers..as far as I can tell the Weber is the ONLY one that doesn't use the deflector/drip tray to move the grease to a bucket. it drips down the BOTTOM of the smoker the others don't ..so clean up is a easy
@@davo912 I simply referenced and quoted Harry Soo. Literally watched the video and responded and even copy and pasted his own response in his comment section. None of that is from personal experience, if you have an issue with Harry take it up with him, just sharing more of his comments and reaction that you referenced since you left out some important parts. My opinion at the end seems to be in line with this video here and similar to Harry's so not sure what you are arguing here. It's ok to disagree. I've seen countless videos of every type of smoker (and read countless forums) where people will commonly put drip trays on top of what the smoker comes with as well as many who will foil line various areas to catch drippings to simplify cleaning. Again these are with ones that have the better designed cleaning layouts that you mention. So in that case putting a drip tray in the Weber doesn't seem crazy since people often do that anyways. If you do it differently or think that's unreasonable you are fully welcome to do so, Harry Soo still uses his Smokefire and again related cleanup in all pellet smokers to be pretty bad so I'm not inclined to believe your opinion is the only one. You don't need to attack people who have differing views or even just share the differing views of others.
I work for a company that sells Weber smoke fire and the problems you talked about still happen. Still have grease fires. The pellet slide still happens. And computer is still having issues. My job sold that I personally saw and customer took, all 5 customers brought them back with the same issues
@Alex Atreides No. it’s the grill itself. Once you turn it on immediately you have to update it. And the grill isn’t built correctly. Weber tanked on this smoker. We don’t sell them anymore at my job. This year not one was sold online or in person before they took them away.
Impressed with the Weber Pellet Grill. Read many reviews there seems to be problems with the Glow Plug and Feeder? The price has been reduced does that mean a Gen 3 is close? Anxious to use a Pellet Grill but if the Gen 3 is close I'll wait. I have a Weber Gas for years and works great, but want the Smoke Flavor.
What did Weber to to make the gen 1 purchasers whole? Doesn't the hopper fix reduce pellet capacity? Since they don't show the capacity on the web site it seems that it is reduced and won't hold a full 20 lb. bag. What about the problem with grease fires (not just flareups) because the grease would mix with ash and not flow into the bucket. I disagree with your assessment of the 'trade off'. If Weber is going to include and tout its high heat it should be designed to avoid fires; you shouldn't have to play games to get it to work safely, particularly at their relatively high price.
Please verify temps on the Weber with another thermometer. The display lies and just tells you basically what you set it for. That is how it so quickly changes temps. I had temps that were consistently 25 to 50 cooler than the display temp when using another thermometer to check it. Other than that it is built really well and give a great smoke ring and flavor. Oh also I had to take off the finger guard on the feeder or I would get cavitation and it would go out. If that happens it doesn't start the igniter again and when the cavitation clears itself it just flows unburnt pellets until you stop, clean, restart it.
Dang it all! I didn’t watch this before I bought a Traeger! Love Weber. That’s all I’ve ever owned. They last a long time. But I was so brain washed with the Traeger commercials on radio I impulse bought it. I’m such a tool still at 54. I still need another pellet grill for the lake house so Weber it is! Great review! I was just a day late and a nickel short…
I was in that boat too, I so wanted the Weber. But after months of research went with ironwood 885. So far it has been stellar. I did grab a kettle for grilling
Well done explanation of all the corrections except the nut for the fan blower that use to come loose which Weber corrected by adding a lock-washer. I have the EX6 model and so far (knock on wood) it works great! I've done quick cooks like steaks and 16 hour cooks for brisket and smoked blast them all. Weber typically is the standard in grills and by making the corrections to the 2nd generation they'll own the pellet category in grilling soon.
I love Weber grills. I have 40 years of experience with them. I couldn't say a bad word about them... until now. My wife bought me the Gen 2 Smokefire. Just put it together yesterday and attempted to season it today. On the first attempt, the grill made it to 400F, then smoke started to pour out of the pellet hopper. I poked around the pellets in the hopper and a bunch of them dropped down into the auger feed. Then, the temperature started to drop, and eventually, the grill went into automatic shut-down because the fire went out. I let the unit cool down, cleaned out the firepot, and tried again. On the second attempt, the grill only went up to about 200F and went into shut-down mode. I let it cool down until the app told me it was OK to power off. I then took everything out of the cooking pot, thoroughly cleaned the burn pot, emptied the pellet hopper, blew out the auger tube with compressed air, vacuumed out all of the ash, and unburned pellets from the bottom of the cooking pot and the grease tray and then made my third attempt at seasoning the grill. Third attempt...ditto second attempt. At this point, I just allowed the unit to cool, powered down, unplugged, and covered to protect from expected showers. I don't want to deal with this thing anymore. I'm calling Weber on Monday morning and looking into returning this poor excuse for a grill for a refund. I'll base my future opinion of Weber on how they deal with this. I don't want to hate on Weber. I have a 12-year-old Weber Spirit gas grill that still operates and cooks perfectly. I've replaced parts here and there over the years, but that's to be expected because I use it a lot. I have a WSM I bought used from a neighbor. It heats up quickly and once you get the air vents adjusted, it holds temperature rock solid and smokes to perfection. I've literally taken Weber grills out of the trash and used them for years with no issues. Everybody fucks up. I'm cool with that, but I'm counting on Weber to do the right thing... We shall see.
@@embersliving Weber stepped up! Customer Service listened, put me on hold for a few minutes, and then gave me directions on how to return it for a refund. They sent out a shipping company to pick it up. Basically, all I had to do is wheel the assembled grill out to the driveway. Great experience! I remain a loyal Weber customer!
I sold my Weber and bought a treager it cocks better low and slow I have super smoke now if I want high temp I use gas grill Weber goes down to 95 Traeger goes down to 75 and super smoke. So baby back ribs a perfect now
Oh yeah there you go! I'd say you made the right choice especially for low and slow! Bring some ribs by the shop aye? haha just kidding! Thanks for watching!
To each their own, I don’t think it’s worth the trade off to worry about grease fires when the primary use is being a smoker more than a grill. I’ll stick with my timberline.
I've seen comparisons between RecTeq and Traegers and every one of those reviews points out the ReqTeq maintains temps within 5 degrees and the Traegers fluctuate 15-20 degrees. How is this Gen2 Weber at maintaining the set temp in comparison?
When people say Traeger they do it generally, the new D2 controller does a much better job than the old Traeger controllers. Wonder what the temp fluctuations are on a stick burner lol
Maybe cook some food next time. I’d like to see if the smokefire bursts into a bonfire. Would also have been nice to verify how accurate the probe temps are vs. a thermapen.
Thanks for the review and update on the second generation Weber (and I'm glad to see Weber address many of the issues with the first generation). Your original review/comparison with Traeger informed my purchase decision. Weber makes fantastic products, so my decision isn't a reflection on their quality. What it came down to, for me (and what this review/field test seemed to focus on, unfortunately) is that I didn't need or want to purchase a pellet smoker to sear or otherwise to replace my gas grill, but rather to be a smoker. So, being able to get to 600 degrees, achieving that temperature quickly, and being able to have direct heat are not advantages for me (and, for the latter especially, are a disadvantage). I love reverse-searing, but it is just as easy (and a better end-result) to use the searing burner on my gas grill for that purpose. Because of that, I went with what I thought was the best value for a pellet smoker to be used for smoking: a Traegar Ironwood.
I don't have a gas grill. But I do have charcoal. Same thing to me. I want a reliable smoker 1st. And what no one is telling me is whether the Smokefire is going to reliably cook quality brisket, pulled pork, or ribs without the cook chamber becoming a crematorium. 600 is nice. 250 for 12hrs is why I buy a smoker.
Everyone one has their favorite and stick to it. By chance I purchased a Traeger Jr about 11 years ago. Maybe I didn't take care of it properly but stopped functioning. Took it black for a new updated digital one. Don't use it much but when I need to it cooks well. Traeger was the first pellet smoker and everyone is trying to catch up. But if I were to purchase a bigger one, I would look around and not just stick to one brand. I do wonder why the Weber gets hotter quicker? I did notice the Traeger giving off much more smoke than the Weber.
The Weber gets hotter quicker because it is more of a direct grill. And I think this is the main problem with this grill. Direct is ok for a steak cook but in my opinion they need an insert tray when you want to do low and slow to prevent grease build up and flare ups and assist with even heat distribution.Weber will tell you to use foil trays instead of a purpose made heat deflector plate insert. That’s not good enough for a grill at this price point. I’ll wait for the gen 3 version as am a huge fan of Weber grills
Very informative video. I’m extremely intrigued by this smoker. But I can’t buy a Weber until they redesign the grease management system. That seems to have been a major issue and they really didn’t do anything to address it
Thanks for taking the time for the review and test. However for Weber, this was a colossal failure from the start. You keep saying it had “good bones and was well designed “. If it was, you wouldn’t be making this 2nd video. They brought in dozens of people to check it out, but never sent them one to field test (someone like you) and send back the results and issues. Instead they green lit the project and it showed. It’s a combination of a Ford Pinto and a Yugo. Why did Weber need a whole new team to redesign this? Giving extra glow rods and a temp probe as “free” is nothing but an “we’re sorry, and our probes will fail under warranty.” Once outside, you moved the pellets to cover the sensor, defeating the purpose of verifying the pellets will not get stuck under a real working scenario. Kudos for the effort.
20:05 the Traeger Timberline 850 actually has some *smoke* .. the build quality of the Weber Smokefire is very much in the cost cutting Chinese zone. Both are Made in China but Weber is still dragging the bottom here. Maybe Version 3.0? I love my Weber Summit 470. Otherwise a 50%-off sale at Lowes, Walmart or Costco.
@@DJaquithFL the top of the line Timberline 850 to be precise. I agree. I have an Ironwood 650, a step down from the Timberline. The price difference is much less.
Just got my pro 575 and cant believe pit boss and weber have the direct flame option and traeger doesnt like there higher end pellet grills how does walmart beat my traeger wtf so now I jimmy rigged it for direct flame and its amazing but still should come factory like pit boss or weber
Got me interested in the Weber again. I’ve used their products for 30 plus years. On the fence between Weber and Traeger. Please do a cook comparison between Weber and a Traeger Pro or Ironwood series. Will only be smoking on the weekends so the sear function on the Weber is interesting.
Weber has a warranty listed on their web page. I was wondering if anyone has purchased the Gen 2 and experianced any issues and what Weber did for your customer service support.
You may not sale lonstar pellet grills . The first wave of them sold-out fast a month ago. It's looking like the ultimate pellet grill. You may wanna get just 1 and do a video or review on it , all usa made
@@martindeanculp4493 I just checked couldn't find any updated ones that show folks have bought them. I do see one from the manufacturer themselves and another one from 6 months ago that they are coming out with short commentary. Do you have a link where someone purchased this and is doing a full-on review consumer version?
@@embersliving My take, even with generation 1, I never understood why anyone would want tons of fat dripping into the grill, BUT what do Traeger and the others do about grease? I guess if the 'standard' is that they should safely funnel it into something, then I guess Weber failed--but even in my kettle and wsm, I put a drip pan to catch them.
@@monkeyb1820 It wasn't shown in the video but it was mentioned. The Traeger has a tray below the cooking grate where the meat sits. The tray covers the entire area below the grate and is sloped such that the fat runs off into a grease trap which funnels the fat into a container. I have a Traeger Ironwood. It has a bucket hanging on the outside where the fat is collected. The Timberline in the video hides the container, but the system is the same. No fat dripping into a fire. No flare ups. Traeger sells foil covers for the the drip tray to reduce clean up effort. There are also foil inserts for the fat bucket/containers for easy clean up and throw away.
@@jimbeama then that might be a Weber fail--but I haven't taken them apart to study closely. One of Weber's bragging points is that the smokefire could be used for regular grilling, moreso than the competitors. But maybe this ability also meant that it had to be designed where it would be prone to grease fires (if lots of grease dripping straight down). I'd have to lift the grates and study it closely to be certain.
@@monkeyb1820 It's pretty obvious when you open the lid. You can see what's below the grate. Look up owner manuals for these two and you can see how they are laid out. The Traeger does go to 500F. It will sear at that temp. I've made reverse sear steaks that rocked on the Traeger. Grill marks and everything. If I wasn't looking for some smoke flavor I'd just use my Weber gas grill. If you don't have the option of buy a smoker and a grill the Weber pellet may be a good option. But the Traeger does the job at 500F.
Great video! Love this grill, However very hesitant to pull the trigger on this bad boy. I'm a little skeptical on the electrical part of this grill. Living in the northeast things left outside don't hold up. I probably will wait for future models, but sweet looking grill!
Maybe you should take a look on the Louisiana legacy - also American and runs to 600 Fahrenheit. Even also with the possibility to open the grid to open fire.....
One complaint about pellets grills in general is the lack of smoke flavor at higher temps. The work around is to start low and finish high, Brands like Camp Chef have a great smoke setting. What is WEBER's solution??
How is your treager grill smoking so much? My treager only smokes below 230 degrees above that I get no smoke at all. Your grill even at 500 is smoking quite a bit out of that stack. I get no smoke at 500. I can grill inside my garage with the door closed for 6 hours doing ribs at 225 and get almost no smoke in the garage. I use lumberjack pellets. Maybe that is why. But I heard they are one of the best pellets to use for a pellet grill.
@@embersliving I mean in your video at time 21:00 at 500 degrees your treager grill is smoking out the stack. Mine never does that at any temp above 230. I get zero smoke at temps above 230.
I’ve had a Smokefire ex6 since February of 2020. Initially, I was a bit frustrated. With the fixes that Weber has sent out, it works great. I use mine at least 2x per week. Even during the winter. I cook everything from steaks to seafood to long cooks like brisket or pork butt.
What a GREAT and INFORMATIVE video, Just what I was looking for. Thanks for sharing this valuable info. I am a long time Weber fan some 35 years. I am to rethink my decision.
My original, made in Oregon, serial number 485 Traeger, was due for an upgrade. I have had my EX6 for a year now and am really impressed with the quality of food I’m cooking. Zero issues zero complaints. Color, bark, flavor, and convenience all superior.
Nice!
Lack of an effective grease management system was the biggest problem with the Weber gen 1 but they didn’t address that with the new model. Second, one cannot conclude that “all problems were addressed “ until the unit is field-tested.
thanks for the feedback
I picked up the smokefire and I am very happy with it. I have owned Campchef (still have a Campchef for camping) and green mountain grills pellet grills. The Weber is by far my favorite pellet grill I have owned. I think it produces a better flavor then the others. I am more of a charcoal kamado guy but find myself using the smokefire more then my Weber kamado lately. If it has short comings I have not experienced them.
Very nice!
About a year ago when I was in the market for a pellet grill it came down to 3 brands. Weber, Camp Chef, and Rec-Tec. After seeing all the problems the Weber was having I decided to go with the Camp Chef Woodwind WiFI 36 with propane sidekick plus accessories. Love it and never looked back. We use it often with zero issues so far. Happy to see that Weber addressed their issues.
Interesting! We might have to get one of those bad boys in the shop! Give it a test ride! Thanks for the feedback!! Also thank you for watching!
My camp chef 24dlx smoke pro is almost 5 years old and I'm doing a brisket for Christmas, really satisfied with it, on low smoke, 170°, it puts out clean lite blue smoke, very happy
I have a Weber E series grill and have had it about 10 years and still going strong, I abuse that thing I keep it in the sun uncovered in Arizona and the finish still looks good. I had my gas bars go out about year ago and they sent me new ones free of charge they are awesome grill and are tough and nails
Very nice !!
I buy everything based on reviews. Some said this was hard to put together th-cam.com/users/postUgkxCx5fHawkK9OoV-ojFrY8JLnZrFwAmvUt some guy said 2 hours and 2 beers later. I didn't drink beer like I was going to. I didn't feel like going to the store. I'm assuming I would have had at least 3. I took my time. Stepped outside for a cigarette break a couple times but all in all it was about a 3 hour project for me but it wasn't like it was difficult or anything . Only pictures but everything is pretty organized and labeled although I didn't see any #s on the actual pieces like it shows in the diagrams. Only the screws were labeled. On the cardboard part of the packaging on the back side. I put it together in my living room too. It wasn't supposed to rain today but it's Michigan and I couldn't wait so I put it together in my living room. Without beer but beer would definitely have made it more fun that's for sure. I'm giving this a 5 for easy assembly. I'll update after it stops raining when I can take it out of my living room and cook some food on it. Hope this helps at least for people who think they can't put this together because I did and you can too . And there are extra screws. I got nervous and immediately came here to see if others had the same experience and they have. You're not doing it wrong. There will be extra screws. Be patient. Don't rush it. Drink beer. Happy assembling
Thanks for watching!
Our EX4 demo grill has been absolutely amazing. We wanted to get a chance to play with it as so we could compare notes against the Camp Chef Woodwind 36 we have at home. While we still love the Camp Chef, lemme tell you, this Weber is a fantastic machine. They do require a little extra maintenance on the cleaning side of things, but we've been torture testing ours here at the store using it for multiple cooks at various temperatures and a bunch of back-to-back runs without cleaning it out and it has been nothing but a champ. Honestly we're really impressed with this unit!
nice!
This video helped me in deciding which pellet grill to get. I bought the EX4. I have had it for 8 months and have cooked on my gas grill once since then and have not used my Weber kettle. I bought the smokefire because I wanted a grill that got to 600 deg, wanted it to come to temp quickly and all my friends with Traegers said they could never get over 450 deg. I cook on it 5-6 times a week and cook at 500 -550 depending on the food. I get to 525-530 degs in 10 mins, which makes it as fast as my gas grill. I cook steaks, salmon, chops etc and get the same grill marks I do on gas and also get a hint of smoke. the 10 min startup is why I cook on it 5-6 times a week. On weekends, I do cook at lower temps for ribs, pork shoulder etc and it is greqt. I used the Weber Connect probes regularly as well and they work great (often use 2). I bought the separate Weber Connect Ambient temp probe as on slow cooks I like to get the temp at grate level vs the grill probe which mounted higher than grills. This grill is super easy to clean, much simpler and faster than traditional pellet grills like Recteq. The only downside of this grill is the lowest temp setting is 200 deg where as other pellets can go as low as 165. So far, I have not needed to cook that low, and 90% of my weekly cooking is at high heat, so this is the right pellet grill for me.
cool
Luckily I bought my Traegar 22 from Costco so easy returns. Even on a non-windy warm sunny day, the grill never goes past 435. Very disappointed. For Canadian cold summers and brisky weather, the Weber would be perfect. Not a big fan of the Pit Boss searing sliding thing, as I heard it has a lot of flare ups and gets messy near the Burn Pot.
this grille is awesome i have the ex4 and putting in a drip pan or water pan is not an issue at all ,so i can smoke and i can grille easily all on one grille i did a 15 hrs smoked brisket and i did a 20 min grilled steak from 0 to 500 degrees grilled steak and shut down in 25 minutes total
nice!
I have a first gen Smokefire. It has worked perfectly every single time.
What are you using it for? Burning your house down?
@@dryflymaster I never had a problem with mine.
thanks for the feedback
The fast startup is nice. One of the reasons I sold my Yoder YS640 was it was so slow to start, it was faster to use my charcoal Weber kettle. I wrote off the smokefire after the initial poor reviews but it may be worth another look. Seems almost as convenient as a gas grill.
Very nice!
I have a gen 2 X6 I bought about 6 weeks ago.. I've put about 5-6 bags of pellets through it .. So far so good
thanks for the feedback
1 bag of pellets per week? How many pellets does it use on a typical cook?
@@rickyboyd2919 depends if it is Brisket(15lb) pulled pork or something quick and easy. I did a lot off cooking the first 6 weeks to learn how it cooked different things. 15 hour brisket maybe 1 20lb bag or close to it.. I used the smoke boost which prolonged the cook
I just bought Weber Smokefire Gen2. Grill is absolutely excellent. Easy to cook and clean
Right on! Glad you like it! Thanks for watching!
Same here. I,ve had Weber gas’s grills all of my life, and they’ve been excellent. Naturally i checked out youtube reviews, and bought Camp Chef Woodwind 24. I believe in second chances which is why I’m watching
haha nice. thanks for watching.
Thanks for that review I’m actually looking to purchase a pellet grill I have a weber genesis and it’s worked fine for years and I love it glad to see Weber come out with one I’m leaning towards a Traeger but now I will look at the weber
Glad we could help! Both are good choices.
Great video. I know it was a test to see how quick they got up to temp., but the Traeger seemed to put out more smoke.
I just got mine in December 2021 and I love it over my Traeger. I haven’t cleaned the ash or drained the grease drain yet but if that is as easy as they say I am really gonna love this smoker. As a bonus it has the same body lines and aesthetics as my older weber genesis natural gas grill. I think they complement each other. Love your reviews
thanks for watching!
We live in Grand Junction now and we get to Denver frequently. I can’t wait to go check out your store it looks nice from the pictures
You talked about every Bug being repaired, except the GREASE FIRE issue of the design funneling the Grease and clogging Ash to the same drain holes next to the Fire Pot.
So sorry. This has also been corrected
Agreed! Was waiting to see how they addressed the clogging issues which lead to dangerous grease fires. I know someone who almost caught the side of his house on fire from one of these.
@@embersliving Thanks for the reply.
Exactly how has this been corrected?
@@embersliving how has this been corrected? There are no changes to the design.
I have had a camp chef since 2016 and was inspecting it and it is about wore out. Been a really great unit with many cooks, but any unit doesn’t last forever with heat and cool cycles. I am going to be in the market for another one. I like that the Weber goes 600 degrees (good for searing). I’m torn between going back to a camp chef (which has served me very well) or get this.
Even with the updates, Traeger all the way. I had a Smokefire for 6 months. Loved it at first, but anytime I would have guests or wanted to perform a long cook the grill would screw up mechanically. It was not trustworthy. Weber gave me a full refund and picked up the grill. I now have a Traeger Timberline and I love it! Not one issue yet.
thanks for the feedback
Yeah but you are talking about a Cadillac and a Mercedes Benz $1000 to $2000 price tags , if you have money to burn and not on a budget .
@@jaimebedolla989 are you trying to make some kind of a point?
No Disrespect Scott , glad your happy with Your Timberline Traeger , just stating video was based on two $1000 pellet smokers and while I’m sure the Timberline with all the bells and whistles is a great smoker doesn’t really compare at a $2K plus price tag with two in video . Enjoy!
@@jaimebedolla989 after the experience I had with the Smokefire, I wasn’t messing around. My neighbor swore by the timberline. And in Northern Ohio, the insulation sold me. I love this thing 1.5 years in. It was worth the spend.
Amazing how fast it reached 600! I've had my GMG for 2 years and love it. Really haven't had a single issue. Holds low temp with high smoke and easily reaches 550. The insulated blanket allows for easy use when well below freezing with minimal pellet usage too.. I don't know if I trust Treager quality, but they seem popular. Weber looks like an intriguing newbie. Hopefully it lives up to the Weber quality you'd expect.
Great to hear!
What insulated blanket?
Love your comparison, I like how you stayed similar in cost with the Traeger and not their more expensive top of the line Timberline (overpriced IMO) but still more than the Weber in the Midwest . Also love the quicker temp and higher degrees if desired , I do wish the Weber would go lower temp like 100-150 for cold smoking some cheeses .nevertheless Weber makes quality grills and pellet grills is a new venture for them . I have a 10yr Weber Genesis grill that still looks new and runs flawless . With every maker their is always room for perfection. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching!
They have an 80 deg (Celsius) smoke mode
@@tychoreniers2713 80 Celsius is 176 Fahrenheit. Too hot for a lot of cold smokes.
Just ordered mine today the 2nd gen. The reason I chose it because it can perform high temp searing. Hopefully, I will be satisfied.
cool
How has it held up the past year?
@@odom2142 so far i got used to it. make sure to buy good pellets.
Thanks for the great review. Did they redesign the pellet box and replace it with a new one with a sharper angle or did they stay with the old/indirect solution, installing a piece of metal which increases the angle but reduces the size of the box ? from the video ots look that they chose the easy and inefficient way that waist 2 inches in the beginning of the drawer
We have a video on the new smoke fire! They did make some small changes to the angle of the feeding box.
I’ve a ex4 1st gen for over a year and still happy with it. Replaced the auger with a new version, great service from Weber.
Oh awesome! Glad Weber is taking good care of you! Thanks for watching!
I really wanted to give this grill a try but until Weber fixes the outrageous ash issue I will pass. Every cook video I’ve watched over the last year shows so much ash inside and out. I know some claim the ash doesn’t end up on your food but I don’t believe it. Then there’s the ash mixing with the grease and turning it into a sludge that makes it less likely to drain properly. Finally, the hopper insert hasn’t solved the feeding issue according to many. I’ll cross my fingers and hope Gen. 3 addresses the bugs.
thanks for the feedback
My camp chef 24dlx smoke pro is almost 5 years old and I'm smoking brisket for Christmas Party, set it on low smoke, 170°, it puts out clean lite blue smoke
nice
I preordered my EX4 and it's always worked great. Yes, it did have some minor issues in it's early days but Weber has been awesome at addressing them and quick about fixing them. Learning to use what you have is key and I feel this was part of the issues a lot of people have had, even those that have used other pellet grills. Learning how to use your equipment is key and there is always a learning curve with every single new "tool" you use, even if it's similar. After all the upgrades this thing is simply awesome! I love it better than my Big Green Egg! My only complaint about it is the method in loading pellets. It's just awkward and cumbersome, for me.
thanks for the feedback
Thanks for this video. I remember seeing the first video and decided against buying that smoker. It’s good that there are reviewers still out there that talk about issues rather than just the specifications
Glad it was helpful!
I purchased one based odf of recent reviews including this one. Temp readings between probes varied by about 20 degrees. Updating the software took several attempts. Mine failed early morning while attempting to cook a brisket. I didn't pay 1186.00 dollars to have to deal with these headaches. Mine will be going back and I will be looking into another manufacturer.
sorry to hear that
I've had two Weber gas grills. The first I replaced when it reached 17 years. The second I still have and it's about 8 years and just love it. I liked this review but one thing I noticed the Traeger was smoking and the Weber was not. Is that because it was set at 600 degrees?
Flavour is key here, temp time is not really an issue
Yup
Thanks so much for this review. Very specific in addressing the many negatives about the WSF v.1. I'd have to say in response to the comments that the "grease fire" issue seemed to me to be overblown. I real commercial kitchen grease fire was very different from what I saw on TH-cam. People were putting very greasy briskets over an open flame and were surprised there was fire. Too bad I'm one state away or I'd come in.
Glad it was helpful!
Grill is a beast smoke and grills like a champ . I regret not buying the bigger one. Keep grill clean and you won’t have any issues.
Thanks for the tip
You didn't cook anything to verify that the grills work like they're suppose to. There was a grease and ash concern with the weber pellet grill.
thanks for the feedback
The grease being funneled right next to the firebox on the 1st Gen was the biggest issue I thought which lead to massive flare-ups and potential fires. Thought that would be the #1 fix but was hard to tell from this video.
@@SnowManson as long as they continue to use the flavorizer bars(which on my weber gas grilll rust out every 2 years) and try to make this a smoker/gas grill type hybrid the clean up will always be a nightmare
@@davo912 I think the flavorizer bars on the gas grill is gas. Burning propane creates sulferic acid causing them to break down. Burning pellets I don't think there would be the same problem. Time will tell.
@@johnmanthey2683 Could be but people buy a smoker don't buy it to cook a steak and weber wants you to be able to cook both and put in the flavorizer bars. Big mistake since that created a clean up nightmare..their answer? put foil pans below the food..lol
I like the 2nd Gen Webber. Cant understand why they sell the shelves separately?
not sure
Money lol
I ended up picking one up. Worked fine for the first few cooks. Then I did a long and slow brisket, cleaned immediately prior to and had a grease pan as recommended now. About 10 hours in I had a pellet, auger, motor issue. Temps plummeted followed by lots of smoke and a flare up. Stay away. They want to send me replacement auger and motor but I’m just going to return, it’s not worth it for this finicky machine. Defeats the purpose of having a pellet grill.
thanks for the feedback with your experience
Disagree on your logic of trade off to get high heat...500f is enough for most cooking, so Traeger is fine....but that Trade off is Traeger does every thing better from 0f to 500f, Including low and slow...I don't know anyone that buys a pellet grill for high temp sear. But if you need that, then buy a Traeger and an 18 inch Weber kettle charcoal grill....I have a Traeger Ironwood 650, Weber Genesis 330, and a Weber 22" Performer Deluxe.....all bases covered
thanks for the feedback
100% agree
I had a Traeger. I was very disappointed with it. I ended up selling it really cheap and just bought a Recteq. However, the Weber looks like it might be better than the Recteq.
Possibly! I think they are redoing the smokefire design again.
Good video, I'm glad to hear they took care of the issues. I'm gonna buy one
nice!
Great video! You nailed all the complaints and didnt shy away from them. Looks like they did a good job with this 2nd version
Thanks!
they didn't address all the complaints..one of the biggest complaints was the cleanup..Just has the BBQ guy Harry Soo who ranted about the cleanup on the weber.
@@davo912 So I just watched that video and to be fair he did a long torture test with tons of fatty meats, didn't wrap or use a drip pan. he said in the future he'd just wrap or use a drip pan for easier cleanup. In the comments someone seemed to think he singled out the smokefire as especially hard to cleanup and his response was
"Ditto for the GMG I have also. Pellet cookers are a pain to clean regardless of brand."
So I don't think it's fair to characterize the smokefire as harder to clean than other pellet cookers and honestly in lots of smoking I see people use things like drip pans, wrapping components in foil, etc as easy clean hacks in pretty much any type of smoker from cheap to super expensive. I agree with Tevor here... any other pellet smoker where you get direct flames you have to open it up and swap out a tray or something and again I see people take any of those other ones often foil wrap the drip panels or baffles to simplify cleanup. Throwing a drip pan in seems like a pretty simple workaround. Sure it'd be nice if they included a re-usable part you could put in there (though people likely would wrap it in foil to simplify cleanup anyways) but I don't think it's a massive deal IMHO.
@@M4ttNet it's obvious you haven't seen or used a pellet smokers..as far as I can tell the Weber is the ONLY one that doesn't use the deflector/drip tray to move the grease to a bucket. it drips down the BOTTOM of the smoker the others don't ..so clean up is a easy
@@davo912 I simply referenced and quoted Harry Soo. Literally watched the video and responded and even copy and pasted his own response in his comment section. None of that is from personal experience, if you have an issue with Harry take it up with him, just sharing more of his comments and reaction that you referenced since you left out some important parts.
My opinion at the end seems to be in line with this video here and similar to Harry's so not sure what you are arguing here. It's ok to disagree. I've seen countless videos of every type of smoker (and read countless forums) where people will commonly put drip trays on top of what the smoker comes with as well as many who will foil line various areas to catch drippings to simplify cleaning. Again these are with ones that have the better designed cleaning layouts that you mention. So in that case putting a drip tray in the Weber doesn't seem crazy since people often do that anyways.
If you do it differently or think that's unreasonable you are fully welcome to do so, Harry Soo still uses his Smokefire and again related cleanup in all pellet smokers to be pretty bad so I'm not inclined to believe your opinion is the only one. You don't need to attack people who have differing views or even just share the differing views of others.
I work for a company that sells Weber smoke fire and the problems you talked about still happen. Still have grease fires. The pellet slide still happens. And computer is still having issues. My job sold that I personally saw and customer took, all 5 customers brought them back with the same issues
thanks for the feedback
@Alex Atreides yes that’s exactly the problem
@Alex Atreides No. it’s the grill itself. Once you turn it on immediately you have to update it. And the grill isn’t built correctly. Weber tanked on this smoker. We don’t sell them anymore at my job. This year not one was sold online or in person before they took them away.
I have the first generation with the updates. Works great. A Grease fire could happen if you don't clean it.
thanks for the feedback
Thanks so much for such a detailed analysis of this grill!
yup!
Impressed with the Weber Pellet Grill. Read many reviews there seems to be problems with the Glow Plug and Feeder? The price has been reduced does that mean a Gen 3 is close? Anxious to use a Pellet Grill but if the Gen 3 is close I'll wait. I have a Weber Gas for years and works great, but want the Smoke Flavor.
I dont know if they are on the books for a Gen 3 anytime soon
What did Weber to to make the gen 1 purchasers whole? Doesn't the hopper fix reduce pellet capacity? Since they don't show the capacity on the web site it seems that it is reduced and won't hold a full 20 lb. bag. What about the problem with grease fires (not just flareups) because the grease would mix with ash and not flow into the bucket. I disagree with your assessment of the 'trade off'. If Weber is going to include and tout its high heat it should be designed to avoid fires; you shouldn't have to play games to get it to work safely, particularly at their relatively high price.
thanks for the feedback
Please verify temps on the Weber with another thermometer. The display lies and just tells you basically what you set it for. That is how it so quickly changes temps. I had temps that were consistently 25 to 50 cooler than the display temp when using another thermometer to check it. Other than that it is built really well and give a great smoke ring and flavor. Oh also I had to take off the finger guard on the feeder or I would get cavitation and it would go out. If that happens it doesn't start the igniter again and when the cavitation clears itself it just flows unburnt pellets until you stop, clean, restart it.
thanks for the feedback
have an EX4 1st gen with the weber supplied upgrades and enjoy it immensely
nice!
Can you review Zgrills 11002B wifi pellet grill? Similar to Weber Ex6 and seems to be a better wifi pellet grill
We might.
I don't like being Weber's R&D department. I have owned Weber grills a long time and been waiting for a good pellet smoker to finally arrive.
Oh yeah
Dang it all! I didn’t watch this before I bought a Traeger! Love Weber. That’s all I’ve ever owned. They last a long time. But I was so brain washed with the Traeger commercials on radio I impulse bought it. I’m such a tool still at 54. I still need another pellet grill for the lake house so Weber it is! Great review! I was just a day late and a nickel short…
Hey that's okay! When you get the Weber for the lake house you can do a side by side for yourself and determine which is better!
I was in that boat too, I so wanted the Weber. But after months of research went with ironwood 885. So far it has been stellar. I did grab a kettle for grilling
@@PyrateGraphics good choice. Your homework paid off. Weber will fix the issues in time
A bit late to the party, but I’m a fan of the Weber.
Hope they eventually launch a Summit Smokefire with a built in option. I’d buy one in a second!
That would be cool.
Well done explanation of all the corrections except the nut for the fan blower that use to come loose which Weber corrected by adding a lock-washer. I have the EX6 model and so far (knock on wood) it works great! I've done quick cooks like steaks and 16 hour cooks for brisket and smoked blast them all. Weber typically is the standard in grills and by making the corrections to the 2nd generation they'll own the pellet category in grilling soon.
Thanks for the info!
I love Weber grills. I have 40 years of experience with them. I couldn't say a bad word about them... until now.
My wife bought me the Gen 2 Smokefire. Just put it together yesterday and attempted to season it today.
On the first attempt, the grill made it to 400F, then smoke started to pour out of the pellet hopper. I poked around the pellets in the hopper and a bunch of them dropped down into the auger feed. Then, the temperature started to drop, and eventually, the grill went into automatic shut-down because the fire went out. I let the unit cool down, cleaned out the firepot, and tried again.
On the second attempt, the grill only went up to about 200F and went into shut-down mode. I let it cool down until the app told me it was OK to power off.
I then took everything out of the cooking pot, thoroughly cleaned the burn pot, emptied the pellet hopper, blew out the auger tube with compressed air, vacuumed out all of the ash, and unburned pellets from the bottom of the cooking pot and the grease tray and then made my third attempt at seasoning the grill.
Third attempt...ditto second attempt. At this point, I just allowed the unit to cool, powered down, unplugged, and covered to protect from expected showers.
I don't want to deal with this thing anymore. I'm calling Weber on Monday morning and looking into returning this poor excuse for a grill for a refund. I'll base my future opinion of Weber on how they deal with this.
I don't want to hate on Weber. I have a 12-year-old Weber Spirit gas grill that still operates and cooks perfectly. I've replaced parts here and there over the years, but that's to be expected because I use it a lot.
I have a WSM I bought used from a neighbor. It heats up quickly and once you get the air vents adjusted, it holds temperature rock solid and smokes to perfection.
I've literally taken Weber grills out of the trash and used them for years with no issues.
Everybody fucks up. I'm cool with that, but I'm counting on Weber to do the right thing... We shall see.
so sorry about your experience
@@embersliving Weber stepped up! Customer Service listened, put me on hold for a few minutes, and then gave me directions on how to return it for a refund. They sent out a shipping company to pick it up. Basically, all I had to do is wheel the assembled grill out to the driveway. Great experience! I remain a loyal Weber customer!
I sold my Weber and bought a treager it cocks better low and slow I have super smoke now if I want high temp I use gas grill
Weber goes down to 95
Traeger goes down to 75 and super smoke.
So baby back ribs a perfect now
Oh yeah there you go! I'd say you made the right choice especially for low and slow! Bring some ribs by the shop aye? haha just kidding! Thanks for watching!
I like like like a smokey flavor. I didn't see nearly as much smoke coming from the Weber. What's ths comparison like?
I like the Traeger.
To each their own, I don’t think it’s worth the trade off to worry about grease fires when the primary use is being a smoker more than a grill. I’ll stick with my timberline.
thanks for the feedback
Enjoy that lack of smoke flavor! Don’t cry because you regret spending the money you did for no smoke
Any news on the new Weber SmokeFire EPX6 STEALTH Edition
haven't heard anything
Traeger cranking out smoke! Weber, nothing. Everything I need to know right there, thanks for the informative video!
Thanks for watching!
I've seen comparisons between RecTeq and Traegers and every one of those reviews points out the ReqTeq maintains temps within 5 degrees and the Traegers fluctuate 15-20 degrees. How is this Gen2 Weber at maintaining the set temp in comparison?
seems good!
When people say Traeger they do it generally, the new D2 controller does a much better job than the old Traeger controllers. Wonder what the temp fluctuations are on a stick burner lol
Maybe cook some food next time. I’d like to see if the smokefire bursts into a bonfire. Would also have been nice to verify how accurate the probe temps are vs. a thermapen.
Next time!
Awesome reviews you guys do on this channel. Is there a top 5 pellet grills video in the works?
Thank you so much! We Actually will be coming out with that video here soon!
Great video review. Very professional and well produced. Way to go!
Much appreciated!
Thanks for the review and update on the second generation Weber (and I'm glad to see Weber address many of the issues with the first generation). Your original review/comparison with Traeger informed my purchase decision. Weber makes fantastic products, so my decision isn't a reflection on their quality. What it came down to, for me (and what this review/field test seemed to focus on, unfortunately) is that I didn't need or want to purchase a pellet smoker to sear or otherwise to replace my gas grill, but rather to be a smoker. So, being able to get to 600 degrees, achieving that temperature quickly, and being able to have direct heat are not advantages for me (and, for the latter especially, are a disadvantage). I love reverse-searing, but it is just as easy (and a better end-result) to use the searing burner on my gas grill for that purpose. Because of that, I went with what I thought was the best value for a pellet smoker to be used for smoking: a Traegar Ironwood.
thanks for the feedback
I don't have a gas grill. But I do have charcoal. Same thing to me. I want a reliable smoker 1st. And what no one is telling me is whether the Smokefire is going to reliably cook quality brisket, pulled pork, or ribs without the cook chamber becoming a crematorium. 600 is nice. 250 for 12hrs is why I buy a smoker.
How does the weber hold up at maintaining low temperatures for smoking ?
it does great!
Everyone one has their favorite and stick to it. By chance I purchased a Traeger Jr about 11 years ago. Maybe I didn't take care of it properly but stopped functioning. Took it black for a new updated digital one. Don't use it much but when I need to it cooks well. Traeger was the first pellet smoker and everyone is trying to catch up. But if I were to purchase a bigger one, I would look around and not just stick to one brand. I do wonder why the Weber gets hotter quicker? I did notice the Traeger giving off much more smoke than the Weber.
The Weber gets hotter quicker because it is more of a direct grill. And I think this is the main problem with this grill. Direct is ok for a steak cook but in my opinion they need an insert tray when you want to do low and slow to prevent grease build up and flare ups and assist with even heat distribution.Weber will tell you to use foil trays instead of a purpose made heat deflector plate insert. That’s not good enough for a grill at this price point. I’ll wait for the gen 3 version as am a huge fan of Weber grills
haha
Very informative video. I’m extremely intrigued by this smoker. But I can’t buy a Weber until they redesign the grease management system. That seems to have been a major issue and they really didn’t do anything to address it
we have the new review coming out in a bit
@@embersliving is that review out now?
Very well done and helpful. Thanks
thanks for watching!
Thanks for taking the time for the review and test. However for Weber, this was a colossal failure from the start. You keep saying it had “good bones and was well designed “. If it was, you wouldn’t be making this 2nd video. They brought in dozens of people to check it out, but never sent them one to field test (someone like you) and send back the results and issues. Instead they green lit the project and it showed. It’s a combination of a Ford Pinto and a Yugo. Why did Weber need a whole new team to redesign this? Giving extra glow rods and a temp probe as “free” is nothing but an “we’re sorry, and our probes will fail under warranty.” Once outside, you moved the pellets to cover the sensor, defeating the purpose of verifying the pellets will not get stuck under a real working scenario. Kudos for the effort.
thanks for the feedback
20:05 the Traeger Timberline 850 actually has some *smoke* .. the build quality of the Weber Smokefire is very much in the cost cutting Chinese zone. Both are Made in China but Weber is still dragging the bottom here. Maybe Version 3.0? I love my Weber Summit 470. Otherwise a 50%-off sale at Lowes, Walmart or Costco.
BTW I'd compare SmokeFire EX6 (2nd Gen) vs Traeger Pro 780 not the 850.
@@DJaquithFL the top of the line Timberline 850 to be precise. I agree. I have an Ironwood 650, a step down from the Timberline. The price difference is much less.
true points I was making a point that even the most expensive traeger cant get as hot as this
Meanwhile in the background only smoke I see is from the Traeger …
Is that an issue?
No
Due to the flavor bars instead of a large plate you get more smoke across you food during cooking
not that I noticed
Just got my pro 575 and cant believe pit boss and weber have the direct flame option and traeger doesnt like there higher end pellet grills how does walmart beat my traeger wtf so now I jimmy rigged it for direct flame and its amazing but still should come factory like pit boss or weber
cool
Got me interested in the Weber again. I’ve used their products for 30 plus years. On the fence between Weber and Traeger. Please do a cook comparison between Weber and a Traeger Pro or Ironwood series. Will only be smoking on the weekends so the sear function on the Weber is interesting.
thanks for the feedback
Weber has a warranty listed on their web page. I was wondering if anyone has purchased the Gen 2 and experianced any issues and what Weber did for your customer service support.
great question, I haven't had much complaints
You may not sale lonstar pellet grills . The first wave of them sold-out fast a month ago. It's looking like the ultimate pellet grill. You may wanna get just 1 and do a video or review on it , all usa made
They haven’t sold any units yet so not sure what you’re talking about.
@@Pete_or_Peter4Long look it up on youtube there is 2 videos
thanks for the feedback
@@martindeanculp4493 They haven’t started production yet. Got to Lone Star website. There’s a countdown to start production.
@@martindeanculp4493 I just checked couldn't find any updated ones that show folks have bought them. I do see one from the manufacturer themselves and another one from 6 months ago that they are coming out with short commentary. Do you have a link where someone purchased this and is doing a full-on review consumer version?
What changes were made in this version to prevent grease fires?
technically its how you use it like we talk about in the video. On low and slow they want a drip pan in there
@@embersliving My take, even with generation 1, I never understood why anyone would want tons of fat dripping into the grill, BUT what do Traeger and the others do about grease? I guess if the 'standard' is that they should safely funnel it into something, then I guess Weber failed--but even in my kettle and wsm, I put a drip pan to catch them.
@@monkeyb1820 It wasn't shown in the video but it was mentioned. The Traeger has a tray below the cooking grate where the meat sits. The tray covers the entire area below the grate and is sloped such that the fat runs off into a grease trap which funnels the fat into a container. I have a Traeger Ironwood. It has a bucket hanging on the outside where the fat is collected. The Timberline in the video hides the container, but the system is the same. No fat dripping into a fire. No flare ups. Traeger sells foil covers for the the drip tray to reduce clean up effort. There are also foil inserts for the fat bucket/containers for easy clean up and throw away.
@@jimbeama then that might be a Weber fail--but I haven't taken them apart to study closely. One of Weber's bragging points is that the smokefire could be used for regular grilling, moreso than the competitors. But maybe this ability also meant that it had to be designed where it would be prone to grease fires (if lots of grease dripping straight down). I'd have to lift the grates and study it closely to be certain.
@@monkeyb1820 It's pretty obvious when you open the lid. You can see what's below the grate. Look up owner manuals for these two and you can see how they are laid out. The Traeger does go to 500F. It will sear at that temp. I've made reverse sear steaks that rocked on the Traeger. Grill marks and everything. If I wasn't looking for some smoke flavor I'd just use my Weber gas grill. If you don't have the option of buy a smoker and a grill the Weber pellet may be a good option. But the Traeger does the job at 500F.
A flashlight or camera light might be a nice thing in the future for seeing into dark areas to point out features 😊
thanks for the feedback
That's easy.. The answer is Pit Boss XXL
hah nice
Great video! Love this grill, However very hesitant to pull the trigger on this bad boy. I'm a little skeptical on the electrical part of this grill. Living in the northeast things left outside don't hold up. I probably will wait for future models, but sweet looking grill!
thanks for watching
May wanna take advantage of the 100 money back guarantee before it goes away.
Pit boss pro grilles can sear with the pull of a rod . No trade offs
Well sounds like you already know your stuff!
I've done some research yes . Far from knowing everthing
I like that feature on the pitboss, but $150 to add wifi is too much.
Which one would you still recommend between these 2?
both are really good probably the traeger
@@embersliving Thank you sir!
Maybe you should take a look on the Louisiana legacy - also American and runs to 600 Fahrenheit. Even also with the possibility to open the grid to open fire.....
Oh awesome! Thanks for the recommendation!! We Will for sure have to look into that brand! Thanks for watching!
can you show how the bottom was changed to prevent grease fires better?
thanks for the feedback
Will you be doing a few of the new cuisinart pellet smokers and propane griddles. They seem to have an interesting design.
those I have not heard of
@@embersliving www.cuisinart.com/shopping/outdoor-grilling/smokers_pellets/cgwm-080/
Drinking game. Take a drink every time he says, “ We are going to take this outside and test it.” You will pass out.
Hahah this comment has me laughing!
😂😂😂😂🥃🍻🍻🍻🍻 Lmao
😂
One complaint about pellets grills in general is the lack of smoke flavor at higher temps. The work around is to start low and finish high, Brands like Camp Chef have a great smoke setting. What is WEBER's solution??
I think that holds true for pellet smokers
Any thoughts on why the Traeger was producing SO much more smoke?
because it was at a lower temp
pretty sure some models from Traeger and z grill both had pellet feed problems. i think companies chases hopper size over functionality.
probably
how do these compare with cooking performance and taste etc ?
They are bot hvery solid. Minimal difference more preference than anything.
Would be interested in your opinion of the rec tec 700 pellet grill
we are trying to get one to review
Thanks for sharing, still looking at getting a pellet grill to join my other Weber’s 👌👌
Go for it!
How is your treager grill smoking so much? My treager only smokes below 230 degrees above that I get no smoke at all.
Your grill even at 500 is smoking quite a bit out of that stack. I get no smoke at 500. I can grill inside my garage with the door closed for 6 hours doing ribs at 225 and get almost no smoke in the garage. I use lumberjack pellets. Maybe that is why. But I heard they are one of the best pellets to use for a pellet grill.
because it was cooking at a lower temp
@@embersliving I mean in your video at time 21:00 at 500 degrees your treager grill is smoking out the stack. Mine never does that at any temp above 230. I get zero smoke at temps above 230.
Looked like the Treager put out a lot more smoke than the Weber from your video. Is that because the Weber was at high temp most of the time?
yes
My first Gen EX6 works like a champ. If you clean it properly no flare ups issues. Updates and the new smoke boost are excellent.
thanks for the feedback
I’ve had a Smokefire ex6 since February of 2020. Initially, I was a bit frustrated. With the fixes that Weber has sent out, it works great. I use mine at least 2x per week. Even during the winter. I cook everything from steaks to seafood to long cooks like brisket or pork butt.
thanks for the feedback
Is it weather proof? I have concerns with those electronics.
What a GREAT and INFORMATIVE video, Just what I was looking for. Thanks for sharing this valuable info. I am a long time Weber fan some 35 years. I am to rethink my decision.
thanks for watching!
man that start time is impressive . def would like a cook off video .
agreed!
It's assembled in US from parts sourced worldwide (China).
Thanks for the info!
This Webber grill is not under 1k lol @ Embers Fireplace & Outdoor Living thanks for the feedback!
thanks for the feedback
Bullshit yes it is. Go to Amazon, Lowe’s, or Home Deport. $799 at all 3z
$200 off now so $999 or $799
@@AnontheGOAT when I looked it wasn’t $799.99.