New MES Bluetooth Digital smoker

craig4699 · May 21, 2015

I'm looking at a 40" smoker in the very near future. I know to avoid the Gen 2 from all of the valuable information on this site. So, what I am wondering, should I go with a Gen 1 since there is such limited information at this time on the Gen 2.5, or should I take the plunge being that the design of the Gen 2.5 seems to incorporate most of the positives of the Gen 1 with some other "upgrades". I am coming from a cheap Char Broil vertical charcoal water smoker and am looking forward to getting an MES. I look forward to continuing to learn from all of your experiences. Thank you in advance!

Craig

bmaddox · May 21, 2015

Craig4699 said:
I'm looking at a 40" smoker in the very near future. I know to avoid the Gen 2 from all of the valuable information on this site. So, what I am wondering, should I go with a Gen 1 since there is such limited information at this time on the Gen 2.5, or should I take the plunge being that the design of the Gen 2.5 seems to incorporate most of the positives of the Gen 1 with some other "upgrades". I am coming from a cheap Char Broil vertical charcoal water smoker and am looking forward to getting an MES. I look forward to continuing to learn from all of your experiences. Thank you in advance!

Craig

I would say get the new 2.5 as the gen1's had problems too (search around on here and you will see a lot of gen1's having the wiring to the element fail)

Bearcarver · May 21, 2015

Craig4699 said:
I'm looking at a 40" smoker in the very near future. I know to avoid the Gen 2 from all of the valuable information on this site. So, what I am wondering, should I go with a Gen 1 since there is such limited information at this time on the Gen 2.5, or should I take the plunge being that the design of the Gen 2.5 seems to incorporate most of the positives of the Gen 1 with some other "upgrades". I am coming from a cheap Char Broil vertical charcoal water smoker and am looking forward to getting an MES. I look forward to continuing to learn from all of your experiences. Thank you in advance!

Craig

Right now it's a kinda toss-up. My Gen #1 MES 40 is 5 years old & never had a problem. I think a lot of the ones with wiring problems were from the same era & most if not all came from Sam's Club.

So far I haven't heard anything bad about the Gen 2.5, but I can't personally vouch for it.

Bear

mummel · May 21, 2015

Gen 2.5 hasnt been out very long. Reliability is yet to be determined. Where did you find a Gen 1 and what price?

icyhot · May 21, 2015

Amazon has them for 309 but u have to put in masterbuilt 40 gen one for it to show up.

mummel · May 21, 2015

Ah thanks. Yeah for the extra $70, rather get a Gen 2.5 with the added probe & digital controls. Seems worth it IMO.

daricksta · May 21, 2015

There's the redesigned Gen 1 (with the top controller) but I forget what the Gen designation is. It's virtually identical to the Gen 1 with some cosmetic differences. Here's a 30"; you might find ads on Cabela's, Bass Pro and other such sites for the 40".
Or you can go with the new Bluetooth Gen 2.5 models. I own a MES 30 Gen1 and haven't had any electrical problems over the 3 years I've had it. I bought mine off Amazon.

icyhot · May 21, 2015

That's the one that has black sides. The one I was talking about is all stainless inside and out with the same model number as bears.I just got one yesterday.

craig4699 · May 21, 2015

Thank you bmaddox for the info.

bmaddox said:
I would say get the new 2.5 as the gen1's had problems too (search around on here and you will see a lot of gen1's having the wiring to the element fail)

Bear, Thank you for informing me about the fact that the wiring issue seemed to be more with the "older" units from Sam's club. That makes me feel a little better about the possible purchase of a Gen 1.

Bearcarver said:
Right now it's a kinda toss-up. My Gen #1 MES 40 is 5 years old & never had a problem. I think a lot of the ones with wiring problems were from the same era & most if not all came from Sam's Club.

So far I haven't heard anything bad about the Gen 2.5, but I can't personally vouch for it.

Bear

mummel, Amazon has them for $309.99 plus free shipping. I'm new and not sure about the rules about posting links to other sites so I won't. However, if this is an OK thing to do I can post the link for you.

mummel said:
Gen 2.5 hasnt been out very long. Reliability is yet to be determined. Where did you find a Gen 1 and what price?

daricksta · May 21, 2015

Craig4699 said:
Thank you bmaddox for the info.

Bear, Thank you for informing me about the fact that the wiring issue seemed to be more with the "older" units from Sam's club. That makes me feel a little better about the possible purchase of a Gen 1.

mummel, Amazon has them for $309.99 plus free shipping. I'm new and not sure about the rules about posting links to other sites so I won't. However, if this is an OK thing to do I can post the link for you.

I'm new and not sure about the rules about posting links to other sites so I won't. I don't know if there's a rule against it and I personally don't care. I post links that I think are appropriate. If an admin had an issue with any of them they would be deleted. I'm not aware of that happening and I've never been warned against doing it.

mummel · May 21, 2015

daRicksta said:
I'm new and not sure about the rules about posting links to other sites so I won't. I don't know if there's a rule against it and I personally don't care. I post links that I think are appropriate. If an admin had an issue with any of them they would be deleted. I'm not aware of that happening and I've never been warned against doing it.

Just so you know, that Nina Hartley does Hilary Clinton link probably wont pass muster.

daricksta · May 21, 2015

mummel said:
Just so you know, that Nina Hartley does Hilary Clinton link probably wont pass muster.

Only because they're way too old to appeal to anyone's prurient interests. Darn you for putting that visual in my head. I need to smoke some brisket--and fast!

craig4699 · May 21, 2015

daRicksta said:
There's the redesigned Gen 1 (with the top controller) but I forget what the Gen designation is. It's virtually identical to the Gen 1 with some cosmetic differences. Here's a 30"; you might find ads on Cabela's, Bass Pro and other such sites for the 40".
Or you can go with the new Bluetooth Gen 2.5 models. I own a MES 30 Gen1 and haven't had any electrical problems over the 3 years I've had it. I bought mine off Amazon.

daRicksta said:
I'm new and not sure about the rules about posting links to other sites so I won't. I don't know if there's a rule against it and I personally don't care. I post links that I think are appropriate. If an admin had an issue with any of them they would be deleted. I'm not aware of that happening and I've never been warned against doing it.

Mummel,

That definitely isn't something I would dream about in even a nightmare so no worries.

mummel said:
Just so you know, that Nina Hartley does Hilary Clinton link probably wont pass muster.

Really enjoying the forum already and thanks everyone for the good info. I'm thinking I'll go with the 2.5 and be one of the "early adopters" to try to prove it. Hopefully I'm able to help someone out someday the way that you guys do.

daricksta · May 21, 2015

Craig4699 said:
Mummel,

That definitely isn't something I would dream about in even a nightmare so no worries.

Really enjoying the forum already and thanks everyone for the good info. I'm thinking I'll go with the 2.5 and be one of the "early adopters" to try to prove it. Hopefully I'm able to help someone out someday the way that you guys do.

Craig4699, I knew it was a general comment. I was just describing my own experience to make a point. And I agree: SMF has really raised my smoking game. It was here I learned about the AMNPS, Maverick therms (I own the ET-733), 3-2-1 (and variations thereof) ribs cooking method, and tips on what might be wrong with my MES 30 and how to fix it. @Bearcarver has his famous Step-By-Step recipes. I'm always talking up this forum to my smoking buddies.

wichita chief · May 23, 2015

For anyone located in the states where they have stores Academy Sports has the Gen 1 30" for $249 and the 40" for $299. Shipping says $45 so unless you live where you can pick it up online ordering wouldn't be a savings. No 2.5 offered yet.

bdskelly · May 25, 2015

TJohnson said:
That's very typical with Bluetooth

Todd

Looks like the new redesigned 40" units are missing the 2 smoker tray element supports bars. ....That we use as the perfect location to place the AMPS

1. That means the AMPS has to go on the lower rack. ( Not great because of the drippings. Maybe a redesign of your pelet tray with a dog house roof on top to shed the grease? ) Could use a foil tent I guess...

2. Next option is to put it under the pan like we do the old units. BUT without the old style support bars its swimming in the greasy catch tray. ( Legs added to the AMPS or well vented shelf with feet sold separately?)

I dunno.. Just thinking out load.

b

tjohnson · May 25, 2015

Use a landscape brick wrapped in foil to raise it off the floor

Bearcarver · May 25, 2015

BDSkelly said:
Todd

Looks like the new redesigned 40" units are missing the 2 smoker tray element supports bars. ....That we use as the perfect location to place the AMPS

1. That means the AMPS has to go on the lower rack. ( Not great because of the drippings. Maybe a redesign of your pelet tray with a dog house roof on top to shed the grease? ) Could use a foil tent I guess...

2. Next option is to put it under the pan like we do the old units. BUT without the old style support bars its swimming in the greasy catch tray. ( Legs added to the AMPS or well vented shelf with feet sold separately?)

I dunno.. Just thinking out load.

b

Brian,
The best I've seen in the New Gen #2.5 BT is one of the newer guys put a wire freezer basket upside down in the bottom left, where our Gen #1 support bars are, and he put his AMNPS on that basket. He said it works Awesome, and I could see why. That's what I'll do, should I eventually get a 2.5. You get air flow through the wire basket.

Note: I just looked---There's Pics on post #348 of this Thread.

Bear

bdskelly · May 25, 2015

TJohnson said:
Use a landscape brick wrapped in foil to raise it off the floor

All my brilliance and we narrow this solution down to a brick? LOL Okay... Clearly I flunked engineering. I'll just shut up and keep burning your pellets. LOL

Happy Memorial Day my friend!

B

bdskelly · May 25, 2015

Bearcarver said:
Brian,
The best I've seen in the New Gen #2.5 BT is one of the newer guys put a wire freezer basket upside down in the bottom left, where our Gen #1 support bars are, and he put his AMNPS on that basket. He said it works Awesome, and I could see why. That's what I'll do, should I eventually get a 2.5. You get air flow through the wire basket.

Note: I just looked---There's Pics on post #348 of this Thread.

Bear

Excellent points as usual my good friend. b

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