Yoder or Traeger?

[Epsmith19]

I have a Red Tec and love it!

 

[djetok]

I was in the same boat and was leaning towards the yoder and then found a cook shack fast eddy. love it

John,

Which FEC did you get? I used a FEC 100 in comps, If I remember you went big. You went big commercial or the pg1000.

 

[BigJ]

Pit Boss, will get a Green Mountain or Yoder when the Boss dies

 

[John Mcpartland]

John,

Which FEC did you get? I used a FEC 100 in comps, If I remember you went big. You went big commercial or the pg1000.

I got the 500

 

[Liveto99]

A half hour and a little smoke going to waste made a great snack yesterday.

 

[Whisky]

Well timed thread for me! Have been spending darn near every free moment over-researching pellet smokers and tryi by to make a decision lately.

For me, I need something that can smoke, as well as fill the gap that my propane grill is soon to leave. Which makes it tougher

Another thing I really want is the WiFi connectivity.... I know it’s not maybe wise, but the ability to set up a smoke, spend the day on the boat, and come home to an amazing meal sounds just about perfect to me!

I found a nearly new Traeger Timberline 850 nearby that is a very pretty grill, but honestly, I also keep coming back to maybe taking a SmokeFire for a spin.

Absolutely, they seem to have some issues, however Weber seem to have been very proactive in working to find solutions, and when I dig into the forums and such there seem to be just as many or more who have never had a single issue with theirs.

it’s a tough one..... I always seem to have a bad habit of over researching, finding a non-traditional option, buying in to their story, then finding I should have just hopped on the main line once it’s wayyyy too late.

As a side note, I think, if it were an option (not available in Canada unfortunately) I would jump instantly on the Camp Chef WoodWind wifi. That looks like an awesome grill!

 

[djetok]

Well timed thread for me! Have been spending darn near every free moment over-researching pellet smokers and tryi by to make a decision lately.

For me, I need something that can smoke, as well as fill the gap that my propane grill is soon to leave. Which makes it tougher

Another thing I really want is the WiFi connectivity.... I know it’s not maybe wise, but the ability to set up a smoke, spend the day on the boat, and come home to an amazing meal sounds just about perfect to me!

I found a nearly new Traeger Timberline 850 nearby that is a very pretty grill, but honestly, I also keep coming back to maybe taking a SmokeFire for a spin.

Absolutely, they seem to have some issues, however Weber seem to have been very proactive in working to find solutions, and when I dig into the forums and such there seem to be just as many or more who have never had a single issue with theirs.

it’s a tough one..... I always seem to have a bad habit of over researching, finding a non-traditional option, buying in to their story, then finding I should have just hopped on the main line once it’s wayyyy too late.

As a side note, I think, if it were an option (not available in Canada unfortunately) I would jump instantly on the Camp Chef WoodWind wifi. That looks like an awesome grill!

I have had a lot of different cookers. The cookers that have been pellet cookers have been.

FEC-100 (smoker only, nogrilling), traeger 075, taeger bbq125, and the Yoder.

The traegers I always had to use a welding blanket to insulate against the cold and/or the wind. That was before they sold to a Chinese mfg. The Yoder is a lot thicker metal and works better in the cold and wind.

Most of the components are the same since traegers patent expired.

If it were me , I would just look at budget compared to options that you want. At the end of it will be a component of how much fuel you will burn.

 

[Whisky]

Very good point @djetok, grill will be just off the kitchen so I fully intend to cook right through the winter (currently bbq atleast 3-4 days a week year round)

There is a Yoder dealer nearby I should visit, they do seem to be the one grill almost no one has anything bad to say about.

fighting the start cheap and upgrade later vs do it right the 1st time battle. Admittedly, after learning from my 1st boat and subsequent upgrade, I’m getting better and suppressing my cheapness and doing it right from the start....

 

[djetok]

Very good point @djetok, grill will be just off the kitchen so I fully intend to cook right through the winter (currently bbq atleast 3-4 days a week year round)

There is a Yoder dealer nearby I should visit, they do seem to be the one grill almost no one has anything bad to say about.

fighting the start cheap and upgrade later vs do it right the 1st time battle. Admittedly, after learning from my 1st boat and subsequent upgrade, I’m getting better and suppressing my cheapness and doing it right from the start....

I am not trying to push you one way or the other. There are trade offs with everything. If you get a yoder, it will not be perfect either. I would say that if you get one that is thinner metal. Just look at a solution , like the welding blanket. It worked great, it wasn't optimal, but it worked. There are work around for everything. If I were to want a smoker for Canada, and wanted something to cook in the cold. I would probably go with a insulated cooker, stumps, backwoods, gator, and the such. They do not grill traditionally , but you could.

 

[Bearsar240]

Well after about 6 hours of staring and comparing GMG and Yoder at the dealer. I ended up getting GMG Jim Bowie.
Yoder is an awesome smoker no doubt, but I'm no competition smoker. After pondering long and hard about how much I actually smoke the cost came into play. I got a really good price on the GMG so that helped. I also like the layout and space of the GMG. I've done six smokes already and am happy with my decision.
Thank you all for the feedback!

 

[djetok]

Well after about 6 hours of staring and comparing GMG and Yoder at the dealer. I ended up getting GMG Jim Bowie.
Yoder is an awesome smoker no doubt, but I'm no competition smoker. After pondering long and hard about how much I actually smoke the cost came into play. I got a really good price on the GMG so that helped. I also like the layout and space of the GMG. I've done six smokes already and am happy with my decision.
Thank you all for the feedback!

Thats awesome. Gmg is the first with wifi, so I'm sure the app is robust.

 

[John McLaughlin]

They are both very good however as a MAK owner I am prejudice towards the MAK. It is completely made in America and their customer service IMO is the absolute best.

 

[Epsmith19]

I have a Red Tec and love it!

Rec Tec

 

[subysti]

Just got my Rec Tec 700 Bull a couple weeks ago and love it. All stainless steel, 6 year warranty, wifi, dual probes, 40lb hopper and it gets to temp quick and holds it there. It will go over 500 degrees which most smokers won't do, some will. I've heard of other brands that vary up to 20 degrees, this stays within 2. I can monitor and control it all from my phone.