Lang 36 poor quality welding?

[yoda3647]

yeah here is the the quote from the post:

"I hope all you Lang smokers are having a nice Thanksgiving!! My birds on the smoker and cooking.

To recap, I added thin UNGLAZED porcelain tiles to my fire box and covered them with shinney side up alum foil and then took readings with my heat gun. The Lang gauge registerd 300F and the chimney gauge read 295F. The front of the fire box read 536F, the back read 483F, the top read 568F and the door read 399F

A couple of weeks ago the bottom, with only alum foil, read 313F. Today, with the combination of the tiles and the alum foil, the bottom read 125f!! Obviously, I'm not losing much heat through the bottom as most of it's going where it's suppose to go -- into the cook chamber. The mate that added the fire bricks had a good idea.

Don G"

Link (http://lang.myfreeforum.org/ftopic538-0-asc-10.php)

with just the bottom got the temp down to 125 that is a lot more heat going to meat I am thinking about doing the bottom and the sides with the Grill Greats being only 1/4 in I will not loose much space just need to figure out how to put them on the sides.

 

[chipotleq]

I will give a try with some firebricks lined in the bottom. The trick is to get the most efficiency by moving the heat as quickly as possible horizontally across the chamber and back to the stack. I can see why the vertical smokers have an advantage. But I just love to hear the sizzle of fat drippings on the reverse plate and the aromas that accompany it. I have been seriously contemplating adding a bbq guru to aid the air flow out the fire box. I got the guru, just need to figure how to install a DYI adapter to move the air with out having to drill a hole.

 

[ice daddy]

Here is what I did.  Took a cheap stainless dog bowl, drilled a hole in the center and used a piece of wire to hook to the pin wheel.  Didn't have to do any modification to the fire box at all.  Also drilled a hole on the left bottom side for the guru to attach, used metal duck tape to secure the adapter.  It works just fine, have been using it for over a 

year now and no problems.  

IMG_0024_1861.JPG

• ice daddy
• Mar 24, 2014

 

[pig-a-liscious]

I don't want rain on anybody's parade but I find all of you guys awfully gracious and forgiving for what I am hearing is just plain BAD QUALITY WORKMANSHIP.

I am just BLOWN away if Ben Lang is aware of the poor quality of product that his company is putting out. To me there is NO excuse for this to happen if you have good manufacturing/fabrication/welding processes in place.  There has to be a total lack of quality control and inspection of the finished product prior to shipping/customer pick up or an attitude that this is a less than quality product that we produce and you can either accept it or look at someone else.

From the smoker research that I have done over the past 18 months or so, you won't hear any of these types of complaints from clients who have purchased Jambo, Cadillac, Myron Mixon, Klose, Southern Pride and a host of others.

Now having said that, the aforementioned smokers are more expensive than Langs and perhaps therein lies the answer but I don't think so.

Enough said, and you guys have the patience of an owl .

 

[ribwizzard]

Sounds like a product of cheap labor and / or high employee turn over....

It's not like they are coming up with new and more complicated designs everyday....

 

[pig-a-liscious]

Rib,

You may well be right on that. Cheep labor in the fabrication/welding business would well seem to me that you are NOT going to get a top of the line end product manufactured. It's a little like the old saying, "You get what you pay for". If you buy cheep then you are more than likely to get a product that is not going to be made very well. Conversely, if you invest in experienced/trained labor and have a good quality control process in place your going to produce a much better end product.

That by no means is saying that you can't have some inexperienced labor as a part of your team but you then have to have a stronger oversight by some very experienced fabricators/welders as you move through all the various stages of production and most certainly you still need to have someone with a strong skill set inspecting every smoker coming out the door before it is sold. And the aforementioned doesn't necessarily equate to ......now it's got to be a high priced smoker.

Now that's my take on it  from the "Pig"

 

[wood river bbq]

I have a Lang 36, which I purchased about 8 months ago. I learned to smoke on a Char Broil Smoking Pro, which I highly modified but no matter what changes I made heat and smoke leaked all over the place. It cooked OK but I wanted a better unit and I reviewed a number of manufacturers (Horizon, Meadow Creek etc). I wish I had unlimited funds but I'm just a retired stiff with a limited budget and I wanted the REVERSE FLOW flow feature so I settled on a Lang. I'm not a welder but I noticed some of the weld discrepancies ChipotleQ pointed out. Unfortunately, when you purchase something "sight unseen" you get an "Oklahoma Guarantee", which means when it's delivered to you home you own it as is.

What caught my attention to this topic was a video I viewed yesterday on the Meadow Creek Smoker and their attention to the welding and fit details. They produce a quality product but at a higher price. I've got a few heat/smoke leaks on my Lang, which bug me, but they're so small I can't get material thin enough to seal the space. The fact of the matter is I've given up on fixing the leaks and I overlook the weld cosmetic problems. I've concentrated on mastering the Lang, which I have, and it's one wonderful cooking machine. Could I get BETTER cooking results with a Meadow Creek or other very expensive smoker -- I doubt it.

My career was sales/marketing so I know the importance of quality and Lang should pay more attention to the quality of their product. How hard could it be to do a better welding job? Also, their customer response to emails stinks - all you get is one line cryptic answers, if they even respond at all.

With all that being said, would I purchase another Lang -- I would in a heartbeat but I'd be specific in what I expect when arrives at my door step.      

 

[like2que]

Oh'boy! I know this thread is old but... Now I'm scared recently ordered a Lang 36' stretch deluxe trailer unit.. I will be picking mine up thankfully know what to look for.. fingers crossed!!

 

[neumsky1]

I thought Langs had all this stuff figured out...I hope your not TOO far away to get service from them. If you are...what then?

 

[neumsky1]

I have a Lang 36, which I purchased about 8 months ago. I learned to smoke on a Char Broil Smoking Pro, which I highly modified but no matter what changes I made heat and smoke leaked all over the place. It cooked OK but I wanted a better unit and I reviewed a number of manufacturers (Horizon, Meadow Creek etc). I wish I had unlimited funds but I'm just a retired stiff with a limited budget and I wanted the REVERSE FLOW flow feature so I settled on a Lang. I'm not a welder but I noticed some of the weld discrepancies ChipotleQ pointed out. Unfortunately, when you purchase something "sight unseen" you get an "Oklahoma Guarantee", which means when it's delivered to you home you own it as is.

What caught my attention to this topic was a video I viewed yesterday on the Meadow Creek Smoker and their attention to the welding and fit details. They produce a quality product but at a higher price. I've got a few heat/smoke leaks on my Lang, which bug me, but they're so small I can't get material thin enough to seal the space. The fact of the matter is I've given up on fixing the leaks and I overlook the weld cosmetic problems. I've concentrated on mastering the Lang, which I have, and it's one wonderful cooking machine. Could I get BETTER cooking results with a Meadow Creek or other very expensive smoker -- I doubt it.

My career was sales/marketing so I know the importance of quality and Lang should pay more attention to the quality of their product. How hard could it be to do a better welding job? Also, their customer response to emails stinks - all you get is one line cryptic answers, if they even respond at all.

With all that being said, would I purchase another Lang -- I would in a heartbeat but I'd be specific in what I expect when arrives at my door step.      

Oklahoma guarantee?

 

[pig-a-liscious]

Like2que,

I am glad that you are aware of some of the reported product quality issues that seem to keep surfacing concerning Lang Smokers.

ChiptoleQ had several welding issues with his Lang 36 which he posted several photographs of. Further, he called and spoke to people at Lang and sent them photo's of his product concerns which were supposedly reported directly to Ben Lang. As I recall, Ben Lang was supposed to get back to ChiptoleQ regarding the issues but never did so.

To me that is a bad way to treat your customers and directly is a bad reflection on Lang Smokers as a company. Further it tells me that Ben Lang is not very customer service oriented which I believe is going to catch up with him in the near future.

I see that Wood River BBQ also bought a Lang 36 and had similar issues to ChiptoleQ upon delivery of his smoker.

I can only say that I hope that upon your arriving at Lang to pick up your smoker that you inspect it well for quality workmanship and if there are obvious issues hope you will demand to see Ben Lang personally and show him. Additionally, if you feel comfortable you might share with him that you are personally aware of two other Lang clients that have had a product quality issues that have never been addressed and for the most part totally ignored when brought to Lang staff attention.

This alone in my opinion is inexcusable and I am very disappointed to hear of the product quality problems and the lack of top quality customer service to address them. I personally have smoked on a Lang 60 Deluxe and a Lang 108 Deluxe and have had outstanding results and I enjoyed the ease of use. What I didn't see in either product, however, is any poor visible welding problems or other product issues. I certainly hope that these smokers weren't a part of an exception production group and that the greater majority have poor product quality, but  haven't a clue.

Take your time with your inspection my friend and please let us all know what you observed and what you did if you observed poor product quality issues.

Pig

 

[neumsky1]

Hey Pig...great name choice...this is a great idea for those who CAN pick them up...can you imagine for the ones who have them shipped.?

 

[like2que]

Thanks pig.. I indeed will report back with my experience at Lang .. Still very unsure bout my purchase. Read so many great reviews of Lang and was within my bbudget. Wish I would of found Shirley fabs sooner! .

 

[wood river bbq]

like2que: I would buy another Lang in a heart beat. It will cook as good as any unit on the market regardless of what a person pays. I don't have any smoke/heat leaks and that's the most important element. I don't even look at the welds anymore -- they're cosmetic. The main thing is everything fits tight

I look at it this way "nuts & bolts don't know if they are being taken off by a Snap-On or Sears socket". Same with meat on a smoker -- the product I cooked on my modified smoking Pro is as good as the stuff I cook on my Weber 22.5 or my Lang  or units costing thousand of dollors more.

Lang will build the unit with any modifications you want and you could probably tell them how you want it welded. 

 

[like2que]

Wood river BBQ, I know Lang will modify smoker's . I'm into mine for close 3grand the moment I discovered Lang I was hooked. Seeing those pics really made me say Whoa!! .. 3 grand is not chump change to Me, luckily I have awesome wife who let me splurge.. originally was just ordering a 36' patio and ended up 36' stretch deluxe w/ mod fire/warmer box on.trailer.. Lol boy n his toys!

 

[wood river bbq]

Well, you only live once!! I couldn't get a 36 stretch deluxe through my side yard gate!! I barely made it with the 700 lbs patio. It was a rainy day when it was delivered and I had the trucker place it in my garage. I unpacked it and then tried, alone, to move it down the driveway to my side yard gate. It darn near ran me over. At one point I thought I'll just let it run out into the street. A friend saw my situation and offered to help me move it to the back yard  --- that was the last time he's offered to help me with anything!! 

 

[neumsky1]

like2que: I would buy another Lang in a heart beat. It will cook as good as any unit on the market regardless of what a person pays. I don't have any smoke/heat leaks and that's the most important element. I don't even look at the welds anymore -- they're cosmetic. The main thing is everything fits tight

I look at it this way "nuts & bolts don't know if they are being taken off by a Snap-On or Sears socket". Same with meat on a smoker -- the product I cooked on my modified smoking Pro is as good as the stuff I cook on my Weber 22.5 or my Lang  or units costing thousand of dollors more.

Lang will build the unit with any modifications you want and you could probably tell them how you want it welded. 

Those nuts and bolts do to know....haha

 

[pig-a-liscious]

Neumsky1,

Yes and that's what worries me !! 

 

[pig-a-liscious]

Like2que,

Let me add a comment here that may make you feel a little better about your choice of a Lang smoker.

As I mentioned in my previous post I have smoked a ton of butts, chicken spare ribs, turkeys and sausage on both a Lang 60 Deluxe  and a Lang 108 Deluxe and the end results have been nothing other than fantastic.

Maintaining the temp on the Lang's was not an issue and very easy to do with the pin wheels. Also, the amount of wood needed to do the smoking often for 10+ hours was NOT a truck load. I was very pleased at how easy it was to learn how the smokers worked and what I had to do to get some wonderful tasting "Q".

Now having said all of that, I am one who comes from the Corporate World of both Retail Sales and computer hardware, software and a host of services where I was addressing the Public Sector Vertical Market. More specifically, the local, state and federal law enforcement community.

I learned very on in my career that if you don't deliver or due what you said you would do with your products and services then you risk having your legs cut off at the knees. One of the most important requirements here for a successful company to learn is (a) uncompromised customer service, (b) make sure that your products and services if there are any will do what you said they will do and solve a clients problem(s) and (c) ABOVE ALL: listen to your customers about there likes, dislikes and suggestions for product improvement.   Other than your employees your customers are your most valuable asset.

Having said all of the above, I have a real personal sensitivity to the quality of a company's products or services and what their commitment is to customer service/client satisfaction.

I think I have probably said enough.

Pig

 

[chipotleq]

Like2que, I am sure you will love the lang. And best is that you can actually be there to inspect your smoker before handing out your final payment. I am planning an RV trip with the family from Southern California to NY by taking the bbq trail from austin all along the south to Georgia and up north to NY. My plan is to purchase a Lang 60(possibly 84 since I will do competition this summe I hope to get an idea of what size is best for comps) and pick it up in person. There I can have a talk with lang and you bet I will bring my original experience up. Good luck with yours and you will enjoy the sound she makes when you hear the fat drippings sizzling off the reverse plate, along with the smells and aromas, it will be a culinary symphony.