Masterbuilt Gravity Series Smokers Are a Quality Control Nightmare; My Review

[sitruunatee]

That's a bummer. I bought my 560 fully assembled at H Depot for a bargain of $300.
I have never attempted to use the wifi function, figuring all the BS with 2.4Ghz vs 5 Ghz wifi would be a pain in the ass. I used the included temp probe once. I have a 4 port #inkbird wifi for temp management. I find the unit holds a good temp, but i use one of the probes from my inkbird to manage grid level temps, as i think the factory temp control is typically off . IG: when set at 235 the top grid tmp is usua;lly 10-15 degrees below the fan turn off level. I have remedied this by setting cook temp 20 degrees hotter than i wan to cook at. Other than that, this is the best backyard appliance I have purchased. I rarely use my egg or off-set stick burner since i got it. I guess i got lucky nd mine was built before saki break at the factory and assembled correctly by HD. (miracle)

In terms of cooking, this is straight up the best results I’ve ever got from direct/indirect smoking/grilling ever. I wish I didn’t buy it at retail price though.

 

[JWFokker]

Many people can't stand to hear negative opinions about the products they've bought. Unfortunately internet forums seem to attract these people and they band together to drive off dissenters. Try saying a critical word about RecTeq around here and the cult comes out of the woodwork. You're a bad person for disliking something they like. Especially the ones with thousands upon thousands of posts. You've basically come into their home and called their spouse ugly. They go nuts. They never grew past the old adage 'if you don't have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut'. Good for kids, not good for anyone who wants an objective opinion or unbiased recommendations.

 

[DougE]

Many people can't stand to hear negative opinions about the products they've bought. Unfortunately internet forums seem to attract these people and they band together to drive off dissenters. Try saying a critical word about RecTeq around here and the cult comes out of the woodwork. You're a bad person for disliking something they like. Especially the ones with thousands upon thousands of posts. You've basically come into their home and called their spouse ugly. They go nuts. They never grew past the old adage 'if you don't have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut'. Good for kids, not good for anyone who wants an objective opinion or unbiased recommendations.

I'd love to know what, if anything, you actually find favorable. Have you ever made a positive post about anything, or are you just here to tell everyone that everything they use is junk?

 

[sitruunatee]

I'd love to know what, if anything, you actually find favorable. Have you ever made a positive post about anything, or are you just here to tell everyone that everything they use is junk?

I mean it makes great quality meat, when it works. But I mean let’s be honest… I’ve demonstrated the quality control is awful, tons of people have issues, and Masterbuilt offers some of the worst customer service ever.

Why defend Masterbuilt, who is owned by Middleby Ovens, a company worth 7.56 billion dollars? Seriously, is screwing over a consumer worth it to defend awful manufacturing processes?

 

[DougE]

I mean it makes great quality meat, when it works. But I mean let’s be honest… I’ve demonstrated the quality control is awful, tons of people have issues, and Masterbuilt offers some of the worst customer service ever.

Why defend Masterbuilt, who is owned by Middleby Ovens, a company worth 7.56 billion dollars? Seriously, is screwing over a consumer worth it to defend awful manufacturing processes?

Wasn't saying you are wrong in your assessment, more of making an observation of what someone else routinely posts.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Hi and welcome from Iowa! Glad you decided to join us! With all your issues you are definitely right to post your thoughts on it. Big difference in some units both from the same company. I bought a GMG pellet grill this year and love it...another member here bought one and nothing but issues and that sucks! I won't defend MB, because I firmly believe you should have great customer service. It was way better pre covid, could actually call and talk to a live person but has really gone downhill since.
Look forward to seeing pics of some of your cooks.

Ryan

 

[sitruunatee]

Hi and welcome from Iowa! Glad you decided to join us! With all your issues you are definitely right to post your thoughts on it. Big difference in some units both from the same company. I bought a GMG pellet grill this year and love it...another member here bought one and nothing but issues and that sucks! I won't defend MB, because I firmly believe you should have great customer service. It was way better pre covid, could actually call and talk to a live person but has really gone downhill since.
Look forward to seeing pics of some of your cooks.

Ryan

Yeah maybe I’m just unlucky but the customer service aspect is what is universal.

Hello from Idaho!

Hey everyone! I've lurked here for a decade... maybe more now that I'm thinking about it. You guys got me into smoking things and so I just want to say thank you! I'm currently using a Masterbuilt 800 for smoking/grilling and it does an amazing job when I don't have technical issues. My next...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

I posted this with a few photos!

 

[912smoker]

Hi and welcome from Iowa! Glad you decided to join us! With all your issues you are definitely right to post your thoughts on it. Big difference in some units both from the same company. I bought a GMG pellet grill this year and love it...another member here bought one and nothing but issues and that sucks! I won't defend MB, because I firmly believe you should have great customer service. It was way better pre covid, could actually call and talk to a live person but has really gone downhill since.
Look forward to seeing pics of some of your cooks.

Ryan

Agreed Ryan and I , along with others here, have have great service and c/s from MB. I definitely was a little more complicated for a tec challenged old fart like me during Covid. But they always resolved my issues in a timely manner.

Now I have heard from others here that this was not always the case and hate to hear of any brand not delivering as promised.

I encouraged a friend to purchase a 1050 last week and the internal probe wouldn't work and therefore no temp control for.the unit. I ordered one from MB for $10 and it arrived 4 days. I felt like I owed him a fix since I recommended the 1050

Keith

 

[gmc2003]

Look folks, anytime you buy a product with movable parts there's always a chance of something going south. Even something as simple as a Weber kettle can have issues. So to think that every smoking unit MB or <insert brand name here> builds is going to be 100% perfect is a fallacy. Are some manufacturers more reliable than others - sure. Some units were probably built on a Friday afternoon(I remember stories of empty beer cans being found in the doors of some brand new cars), or you could have gotten a unit built by a disgruntled worker. If someone wants to praise their purchase then thats great, but remember some members may have had a different experience and that's fine also. Let them vent in peace. When I'm thinking of buying something and research what's available. I like to hear both the pro's and con's of whatever it is, and then make my decision. As for customer service that's hit or miss with most companies. A lot of it depends on how experienced the service tech. is, or how well staffed the dept. is. If nobody is overseeing the incoming emails or voicemails then they start building up, and will probably get buried forever. Just remember everyone has a different experience and it's good to hear all the experiences. Not just the ones you want to hear.

Chris

 

[schlotz]

Looks like someone is not having a good day, time to chill negolien

 

[gmc2003]

I could have sworn I had posted a reply to this thread. Did it get deleted or am I imagining things? Maybe too many trips to the beer pole.

Chris

 

[clifish]

I could have sworn I had posted a reply to this thread. Did it get deleted or am I imagining things? Maybe too many trips to the beer pole.

Chris

I thought you did also, a long one too.

 

[gmc2003]

I thought you did also, a long one too.

Thanks Cliff for the reassuring post. I also don't remember it being offensive.

Chris

 

[clifish]

Thanks Cliff for the reassuring post. I also don't remember it being offensive.

Chris

It wasn't, merely stating to keep things calm and respect others opinions from what I remember

 

[mcokevin]

Maybe too many trips to the beer pole.

No such thing.

 

[rexster314]

Bummer...I just ordered my 1050 yesterday and am really psyched to use it. I know there are some big (HUGE) MB fans here. I wonder if there are some mods or preventative things a new user should consider to avoid heartache/trouble?

I had a 560 and several months later got a 1050.
The switches on the grills are the weakest link. A dose of contact cleaner after every cook will alleviate but not fully fix those problems. My solution was to bypass the switches completely.
The firebox can be a problem for a lot of people. I replaced it on my 1050 with a Klotes designed fix. After 30 or so cooks, the original metal was burned out and exposed the "firebrick". It's a soft material and had begin shedding some of it's fibers. It never got brick hard.
The best thing I did was get rid of the clunky control panel and install a Fireboard controller. Perfect temp and fan control.
I'd still have them but they were destroyed in my house fire in 2021 and I've not replaced them

 

[3montes]

The best customer service is the one you never need has been my experience. Camp Chef probably has the best customer service I've ever dealt with but it doesn't negate the fact that I needed them in the first place. Sent me a camp stove with a big dent in the front plate. They gave me a cash credit of $40 which was good enough for me as it was only cosmetic.

Sorry to hear about your frustrations using your MB as it is supposed to be something that provides relaxation and good food. All the electronic gadgetry involved with smokers these days means it is just going to come with some built in failures. It's truly rolling the dice as to if you get a good unit, a lemon or something in between. Of course everything is made overseas and companies like MB have a limit on what they are willing to spend on quality control and who they are having do it. Hope you get things turned around and can get back to cooking some good meals without the frustration.

 

[mneeley490]

For those that have had good experiences with MB customer service, that's great. But many of us have not. I've owned various MB smokers for over 10 years, and I can attest that their quality and customer service has steadily gone downhill in that time. Their Gravity series is an exciting and interesting concept, and I hope that it works out in the long run. But to pile on to users who've had negative experiences is unproductive and beneath us. Look at how many cars get safety recalls each year after presumably going thru multiple quality control checks. It's no different with smokers. And it's worse when the company doesn't care enough to fix the problems before they sell the units.

 

[sitruunatee]

I could have sworn I had posted a reply to this thread. Did it get deleted or am I imagining things? Maybe too many trips to the beer pole.

Chris

You did! I think my thread is starting to look like a CIA redacted document at this point. Haha.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

I, for one, and glad to see honest reviews pointing to features and flaws. Good things and issues.

I have been thinking of purchasing one of these units, and it's clear to me that some of the bugs are still yet to be worked out on them.