Is this a good deal? new to electric

[indianaman79]

so I was going to pick up an electric smoker for winter time to use in place of my charcoal. everything in this forum says Masterbuilt 40". my wife just sent me this link and and says it one of the best deals she's seen. is this a "buy it now" deal or should I wait until closer to the spring sales? it would be free shipping but I would have to pay tax. so I think its somewhere around the $325 range



PS - doesn't matter if I buy it today or 5 months from now, I just need to use it a couple of times to perfect it for the fall.

 

[THW]

I am new to all of this and just got my new Masterbuilt 30" yesterday. I think the one from the link is the 2nd generation Masterbuilt 40" which has had some issues. The 1st generation was good, the 2nd had issues and there is now a 2.5 generation which is said to be good having updates to correct the issues the 2 generation had.

If I am mis-stating this I hope someone corrects me.

I would look for the 2.5 generation which has the exhaust vent on top in the left rear corner and also used Bluetooth with a smartphone instead of the remote.

I just bought the Masterbuilt 30 inch 2.5 generation from Academy Sports for $199 + tax so about $213 in Indiana shekels. They are still available if interested. Or, just look that one up and study the pictures so you will be able to identify a 2.5 generation. Look for exhaust vent location and control panel with sun visor along with bluetooth control. The Masterbuilt 40" looks the same just a little bigger with a higher wattage element. Most here say bigger is better just as a general rule.

Hope this is helpful
Tom

 

[THW]

This is what the Gen 2.5 looks like.

 

[tallbm]

so I was going to pick up an electric smoker for winter time to use in place of my charcoal. everything in this forum says Masterbuilt 40". my wife just sent me this link and and says it one of the best deals she's seen. is this a "buy it now" deal or should I wait until closer to the spring sales? it would be free shipping but I would have to pay tax. so I think its somewhere around the $325 range



PS - doesn't matter if I buy it today or 5 months from now, I just need to use it a couple of times to perfect it for the fall.

Hi there and welcome!

I'd pass on that one. You can find better prices throughout the year. Heck you can likely go to Academy near you (if there is one near you) and I'm sure you can find a better price.

Here is the black no window 2.5 gen MES 40 for $249 at Academy right now https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/ma...digital-electric-smoker#repChildCatid=4903505

The one you posed from amazon is the gen 2 which has a bad reputation.

I personally don't care for the window in my MES 40 and I gave up cleaning it a long time ago. Some other's like it and have no issue. If I had to do it over again I would have got a version without the window to save the few extra bucks, especially with how wild I went modding mine. The extra savings will easily pay for the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS) which basically all MES owners move to in a hurry, or would have paid for a 2 probe Thermometer like the ThermoPro TP20, since the MES temp and meat probes are always reported as being bad... like always!

Anyhow, pass and keep your eyes open. The best time of year for MES prices is just before or during Black Friday weekend at Academy. Best of luck!