Masterbuilt 140S vs 20070311

[njsmoker67]

Im completely new to smoking. im looking at the masterbuilt 40" to be my first electric smoker. i see everywhere has the 20070311 for around $320ish and then see the 20072618 140S from Academy for $199.99. whats the difference between the two? they look similar. not sure whats the difference when i compare them. sorry if this has been asked before. i saw posts here but got lost in it all. made me more confused.

thank you
andrew

 

[Bearcarver]

Im completely new to smoking. im looking at the masterbuilt 40" to be my first electric smoker. i see everywhere has the 20070311 for around $320ish and then see the 20072618 140S from Academy for $199.99. whats the difference between the two? they look similar. not sure whats the difference when i compare them. sorry if this has been asked before. i saw posts here but got lost in it all. made me more confused.

thank you
andrew

It would help if you give a link to show which one for $199 you're talking about.

Here's how to tell them apart & my thoughts on the various models:
Masterbuilt Smokers (Bear's Thoughts & Findings)
MES Generation Number Recognition Pictures & Pics (Digital Units)

Bear

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

I would ask Bearcarver , he's the MES guru!

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

We posted at the same time Bear! LOL

 

[njsmoker67]

It would help if you give a link to show which one for $199 you're talking about.

Here's how to tell them apart & my thoughts on the various models:
Masterbuilt Smokers (Bear's Thoughts & Findings)
MES Generation Number Recognition Pictures & Pics (Digital Units)

Bear

https://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/...sdboQE7Q5C-gmscxXkhtoOnroQLIgoBRoC4cwQAvD_BwE

 

[Bearcarver]

We posted at the same time Bear! LOL

LOL---Happens now & then.
I Appreciate the referral.

Bear

 

[njsmoker67]

cost is a big factor for me as well. cant spend a ton of money on one.

 

[Bearcarver]

At the current time below is the best Smoker, and the best price I could find.
However the prices change often, and could easily be at $249, or even $229 at certain stores all of a sudden.

https://www.samsclub.com/sams/maste...sel:people-who-viewed-this-item-also-viewed:1

Bear

 

[SonnyE]

Im completely new to smoking. im looking at the masterbuilt 40" to be my first electric smoker. i see everywhere has the 20070311 for around $320ish and then see the 20072618 140S from Academy for $199.99. whats the difference between the two? they look similar. not sure whats the difference when i compare them. sorry if this has been asked before. i saw posts here but got lost in it all. made me more confused.

thank you
andrew

Hi Andrew, Welcome to SMF!
The 40 inch model is highly prided here.
I lookied around but for what I wanted, and where I was going, and especially since I'm basically an Island here with my smoked meats love, I scaled back, and refined, and got a fairly basic digital MES 30.
Then, after one smoke in it, I corrected the things that were wrong about it for my specific needs.

Now, I love it. But holy moly, it's a far cry from out of the box. And a highly refined version of what I've done for a long, long time. (Which is basic Cold and Warm smoking.)
But since I'm almost the only one who likes smoked food in my immediate vicinity, a smaller smoker works fine for me.
But, like Bear does, you can grab the model that fits your wants (mine were simplistic), and add an AMNPS, and be a smoken Guru as fast as you can haul meat home.

I look at the pictures of a fortune in food all stacked up in a smoker (any smoker), and wonder how it tastes with everything dripping down on everything else. Because I know better.
So more's the reason for me to want a smaller smoker, too.

 

[Bearcarver]

Andrew,
Just so you know, like many others here I started with an MES 30---9 years ago, because it's just me & Mrs Bear doing the eating. However like so many others it didn't take long to realize it's not how many are eating, it's how much room some things take.
I got tired of cutting my Rib Racks in half because the MES 30 was too narrow. And forget about a Brisket in an MES 30.
Then I made 10 pounds of Beef Sticks & found out I could only get 7 pound in the MES 30.
Plus the MES 30 only has an 800 Watt heating element, and the MES 40 has a 1200, and can recover in much less time.

So save your money by not buying an MES 30, and ending up buying the MES 40 later.

The voice of experience.

BTW: Whichever one you get, you can always use this to get you started.
They're All Step by Step How-Tos:
Just click on "Bear's Step by Steps".

Bear

 

[SonnyE]

Andrew,
Just so you know, like many others here I started with an MES 30---9 years ago, because it's just me & Mrs Bear doing the eating. However like so many others it didn't take long to realize it's not how many are eating, it's how much room some things take.
I got tired of cutting my Rib Racks in half because the MES 30 was too narrow. And forget about a Brisket in an MES 30.
Then I made 10 pounds of Beef Sticks & found out I could only get 7 pound in the MES 30.
Plus the MES 30 only has an 800 Watt heating element, and the MES 40 has a 1200, and can recover in much less time.

So save your money by not buying an MES 30, and ending up buying the MES 40 later.

The voice of experience.

BTW: Whichever one you get, you can always use this to get you started.
They're All Step by Step How-Tos:
Just click on "Bear's Step by Steps".

Bear

:p