New MES vs Older ones?

[brayhaven]

My old MES 30 has been a great smoker for 8 yrs. had to replace the controller once but otherwise flawless.
It finally burned out the element and has some rust. Had been thinking of getting a new one anyway.
Question: when looking at reviews on the new ones and looking at them, they don’t look as well made. Anyone give me the lowdown on the new smoke machines? (Vs the old ones). Are they as good? If not, what’s a good replacement? I Have the smoke generator which is a must with these units IMO. Would like to use it on the new one.
Always get good info from this crew.
Thanks for any experienced input.
Greg

 

[hawtsauc3]

My understanding is the newer ones seem to burn out quicker with the controller. It sounds like its still repairable but my guess is the materials have gotten cheaper. As far as replacement options it kind of depends what you want. Pellets have recently seemed to takeover the electric market.

 

[jcam222]

Bearcarvers is a wealth of resource on MES models. In the step by step index there are many links for the MES https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/bears-step-by-step-index.159333/