I purchased a new 2012 MES 40, and just happened to have a brand new never used, Old Model MES 40 sitting in my garage, waiting for a reason to use it. I decided to compare them Side X Side and post my results.
Both units were ran for (5) hours at 275° to burn off the manufacturing oil
The results I came up with are my opinions, and my opinions only!!
I paid for both units, and did not receive $0.01 for my review.
At first glance, the New 2012 definitely has the "Cool Factor"
The window is bigger, the top is flat and the new digital controls are blue
The new 2012 MES sports a sexy skirt, but don't let it's looks fool ya! It's plastic, and pretty cheesy.
The Old MES 40 has (2) adjustable legs for the unit to sit on
The controller on the new 2012 MES is mounted flush and the digital readout is blue and the top is flat
The controller on the Old Mes is mounted on top, and the digital readout is green
Both the blue and green digital readouts were difficult to read in the sun
This is a view of the underside of the control panel
This area is not sealed and steam could enter the control panel above
Time will tell if this will become an issue in the future
2012 MES 40 Chip Loader on the left and the Old MES 40 Chip Loader on the right
New Chip Loader is narrower, but you can fill the entire length with chips
The old MES 40 chip loader has 1/2 the tube blocked
You shouldn't put more than 1/2 cup of chips in at one time
2012 MES 40 on the left has a new drip pan and water pan design.
There's a 2 3/4" gap between the door and the drip pan in front and 1" gap in back
The drip pan/water pan combo on the old model covers less area
There is no heat shield on the element of the 2012 MES to protect the door
The heat shield on the Old MES protects the door
The chip pan on the left is from the 2012 MES 40. It's much larger than the previous model
You can only use about 1/2 cup of chips at a time in either chip pan
The brackets for the shelves on the new 2012 MES are attached on pins and the brackets are removable
The brackets on the Old Model MES are screwed to the sides
The exhaust vent on the 2012 MES 40 is mounted on the left side, about 4" from the top
The exhaust vent on the Old MES 40 is mounted in the top right rear corner
Drip tray on the new 2012 MES is located in the front. It's very small and will not allow for you to use a disposable foil pan.
Foil would not lay in the tray, without being ripped out when the drawer is removed
The drip tray on the Old MES is mounted on the back, and must be removed before the MES can moved
I use disposable foil drip pans under my meat, so the external drip pan is really not necessary for me
The hinge on the 2012 MES 40 is Very Poorly Engineered!!!
The first wind that hits this door, and the hinge is going to be distorted
(2) of the (4) 4 mm screws that were supposed to attach the hinge to the unit were not installed properly. The threaded inserts were not installed properly, so only (2) screws held the hinge onto the cabinet
I had to rework the cabinet and install new threaded inserts and larger screws, in-order for the hinge to be installed properly
Bad Engineering and poor execution of this integral part of the door hardware will lead to it's failure
The hinge on the Old MES 40 is mounted on top, and will not bend easily
There is a built-in stop, to keep the door from moving too far and damaging the hinge.
I made a cable strap to keep my New 2012 MES from opening all the way, and bending the hinge
If the hinge bends, the door will not fit properly
One easy mod is to dump the small water pan and place a disposable foil pan on the floor, under the hole for the factory drip pan.
This may also allow for more heat to rise up the left side and equal out temps on each rack....Maybe!
TEMPERATURE TEST
Both units were set to 275° for (5) hours
During this period, I used (2) my Maverick ET-732 to track the temps of each rack in the MES
The results were very interesting!!!
The top rack I'll call Rack #1 and the bottom rack I'll call Rack #4
Probe #1 is on the right side and probe #2 is on the left side
Each probe was set on the rack approx. 3" from the inside wall
Each rack was monitored for (1) hour, and the average temps are posted in the table below
2012 MES 40
Probe #2 Probe #1
Rack #1 282° 302°
Rack #2 275° 282°
Rack #3 268° 284°
Rack #4 270° 280°
Old MES 40
Probe #2 Probe #1
Rack #1 279° 268°
Rack #2 252° 257°
Rack #3 259° 264°
Rack #4 284° 286°
2012 MES Summary
There are some new features on the new 2012 MES 40
Not all of them are improvements
- Larger Window
- Flat Top
- Flush mounted controls w/ blue digital readout
- Side exhaust
- Front drip pan
- Light under control panel
- Removable brackets for shelving
- Wall-to-wall drip pan with integrated water pan
The larger window may be cool looking, but it really means more heat loss. It was very hot to the touch, meaning lots of heat was escaping out thru the window..
The flat top is a nice feature for setting trays and tools on
The flush mounted controls make for a more finished looking smoker. The blue digital readout was dim in the sun. The light under the panel should not get all gunked up like the light in the Old MES.
The side exhaust did not impress me at all. A slight wind allowed the unit to Back Draft, and air would enter the exhaust and exit the chip loader. IMHO: The exhaust would have been much more effective on the top left rear corner.
The Removable Brackets for the shelving are definitely a plus. The walls can be cleaned more easily than the Old MES
The Drip pan fell a little short. There is a 2 3/4" gap between the drip pan and the door. Any drips in this area will drop straight to the floor. I thought it would act as a better heat deflector, but it really didn't. Since it angles up and to the right, the heat follows it's path, and results in higher temps on the right 1/2 of the smoker, on every rack.
At the end of the (5) hour break-in or "Seasoning", the 2012 MES had a funky melted plastic smell that did not go away. I'll clean everything with Simple Green, and fire it up again and post my results. For now, food is not going into this smoker until I can figure out what this smell actually is.
When the controller was set to 275°, the top rack read up to 304° on the right side. That's Hot!
Temps varied 20° from top rack to bottom rack, and 10° - 20° from right to left on the same rack. This is a HUGE difference in any smoker, let alone on each rack. This means each rack will cook at different rates, as well as each side of the rack will cook at different rates.
In comparison, the Old MES 40 performed very similarly to the other MES 40's I own. The top and bottom racks were the hottest, but temps fluctuated very little from side-to-side on each rack. There was no funky smell during or after the Break-In period.
I am not trying to tell anyone to buy, or not to buy the new 2012 MES 40.
Since I have both models, I offered a side-by-side comparison and added my observations as I have hundreds of hours using the Old MES 40.
I was not paid for my review and both units were purchased at SAMS Club.
If I made a mistake, I'll apologize in advance, and try to correct it
Todd
Both units were ran for (5) hours at 275° to burn off the manufacturing oil
The results I came up with are my opinions, and my opinions only!!
I paid for both units, and did not receive $0.01 for my review.
At first glance, the New 2012 definitely has the "Cool Factor"
The window is bigger, the top is flat and the new digital controls are blue
The new 2012 MES sports a sexy skirt, but don't let it's looks fool ya! It's plastic, and pretty cheesy.
The Old MES 40 has (2) adjustable legs for the unit to sit on
The controller on the new 2012 MES is mounted flush and the digital readout is blue and the top is flat
The controller on the Old Mes is mounted on top, and the digital readout is green
Both the blue and green digital readouts were difficult to read in the sun
This is a view of the underside of the control panel
This area is not sealed and steam could enter the control panel above
Time will tell if this will become an issue in the future
2012 MES 40 Chip Loader on the left and the Old MES 40 Chip Loader on the right
New Chip Loader is narrower, but you can fill the entire length with chips
The old MES 40 chip loader has 1/2 the tube blocked
You shouldn't put more than 1/2 cup of chips in at one time
2012 MES 40 on the left has a new drip pan and water pan design.
There's a 2 3/4" gap between the door and the drip pan in front and 1" gap in back
The drip pan/water pan combo on the old model covers less area
There is no heat shield on the element of the 2012 MES to protect the door
The heat shield on the Old MES protects the door
The chip pan on the left is from the 2012 MES 40. It's much larger than the previous model
You can only use about 1/2 cup of chips at a time in either chip pan
The brackets for the shelves on the new 2012 MES are attached on pins and the brackets are removable
The brackets on the Old Model MES are screwed to the sides
The exhaust vent on the 2012 MES 40 is mounted on the left side, about 4" from the top
The exhaust vent on the Old MES 40 is mounted in the top right rear corner
Drip tray on the new 2012 MES is located in the front. It's very small and will not allow for you to use a disposable foil pan.
Foil would not lay in the tray, without being ripped out when the drawer is removed
The drip tray on the Old MES is mounted on the back, and must be removed before the MES can moved
I use disposable foil drip pans under my meat, so the external drip pan is really not necessary for me
The hinge on the 2012 MES 40 is Very Poorly Engineered!!!
The first wind that hits this door, and the hinge is going to be distorted
(2) of the (4) 4 mm screws that were supposed to attach the hinge to the unit were not installed properly. The threaded inserts were not installed properly, so only (2) screws held the hinge onto the cabinet
I had to rework the cabinet and install new threaded inserts and larger screws, in-order for the hinge to be installed properly
Bad Engineering and poor execution of this integral part of the door hardware will lead to it's failure
The hinge on the Old MES 40 is mounted on top, and will not bend easily
There is a built-in stop, to keep the door from moving too far and damaging the hinge.
I made a cable strap to keep my New 2012 MES from opening all the way, and bending the hinge
If the hinge bends, the door will not fit properly
One easy mod is to dump the small water pan and place a disposable foil pan on the floor, under the hole for the factory drip pan.
This may also allow for more heat to rise up the left side and equal out temps on each rack....Maybe!
TEMPERATURE TEST
Both units were set to 275° for (5) hours
During this period, I used (2) my Maverick ET-732 to track the temps of each rack in the MES
The results were very interesting!!!
The top rack I'll call Rack #1 and the bottom rack I'll call Rack #4
Probe #1 is on the right side and probe #2 is on the left side
Each probe was set on the rack approx. 3" from the inside wall
Each rack was monitored for (1) hour, and the average temps are posted in the table below
2012 MES 40
Probe #2 Probe #1
Rack #1 282° 302°
Rack #2 275° 282°
Rack #3 268° 284°
Rack #4 270° 280°
Old MES 40
Probe #2 Probe #1
Rack #1 279° 268°
Rack #2 252° 257°
Rack #3 259° 264°
Rack #4 284° 286°
2012 MES Summary
There are some new features on the new 2012 MES 40
Not all of them are improvements
- Larger Window
- Flat Top
- Flush mounted controls w/ blue digital readout
- Side exhaust
- Front drip pan
- Light under control panel
- Removable brackets for shelving
- Wall-to-wall drip pan with integrated water pan
The larger window may be cool looking, but it really means more heat loss. It was very hot to the touch, meaning lots of heat was escaping out thru the window..
The flat top is a nice feature for setting trays and tools on
The flush mounted controls make for a more finished looking smoker. The blue digital readout was dim in the sun. The light under the panel should not get all gunked up like the light in the Old MES.
The side exhaust did not impress me at all. A slight wind allowed the unit to Back Draft, and air would enter the exhaust and exit the chip loader. IMHO: The exhaust would have been much more effective on the top left rear corner.
The Removable Brackets for the shelving are definitely a plus. The walls can be cleaned more easily than the Old MES
The Drip pan fell a little short. There is a 2 3/4" gap between the drip pan and the door. Any drips in this area will drop straight to the floor. I thought it would act as a better heat deflector, but it really didn't. Since it angles up and to the right, the heat follows it's path, and results in higher temps on the right 1/2 of the smoker, on every rack.
At the end of the (5) hour break-in or "Seasoning", the 2012 MES had a funky melted plastic smell that did not go away. I'll clean everything with Simple Green, and fire it up again and post my results. For now, food is not going into this smoker until I can figure out what this smell actually is.
When the controller was set to 275°, the top rack read up to 304° on the right side. That's Hot!
Temps varied 20° from top rack to bottom rack, and 10° - 20° from right to left on the same rack. This is a HUGE difference in any smoker, let alone on each rack. This means each rack will cook at different rates, as well as each side of the rack will cook at different rates.
In comparison, the Old MES 40 performed very similarly to the other MES 40's I own. The top and bottom racks were the hottest, but temps fluctuated very little from side-to-side on each rack. There was no funky smell during or after the Break-In period.
I am not trying to tell anyone to buy, or not to buy the new 2012 MES 40.
Since I have both models, I offered a side-by-side comparison and added my observations as I have hundreds of hours using the Old MES 40.
I was not paid for my review and both units were purchased at SAMS Club.
If I made a mistake, I'll apologize in advance, and try to correct it
Todd
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