MES 40" with BT

[Patrick_K]

Maybe I am looking in the wrong place but why is Sam's Club the only place that sells a MES 40" with BT? I am not a member of sam's club as I don't have one near me so that means if i order from them i pay 10% more and that would push it with taxes over 400 dollars, which i don't wanna do.

 

[Jeff Wright]

Thought I saw one recently on Amazon. Don't recall the prices, though. Seems about $370 or $380

 

[tallbm]

Maybe I am looking in the wrong place but why is Sam's Club the only place that sells a MES 40" with BT? I am not a member of sam's club as I don't have one near me so that means if i order from them i pay 10% more and that would push it with taxes over 400 dollars, which i don't wanna do.

Hi there and welcome!

I'm not sure but I bet SAM's has a contract or some kind of order for Masterbuilt to fill with them.

I wouldn't be surprised if Masterbuilt is moving away from their BlueTooth Remote version because everyone basically reports that the bluetooth remote stuff has not worked at all and has caused all kinds of problems.

So it could be that SAMS simply has a bunch to unload and Masterbuilt may not be doing the same old BT production.

I'm speculating but in my opinion you should probably avoid the BlueTooth version anyhow with all the reports of that feature not working.
Heck I would say get as plain and simple of an MES as you possibly can since none of the extra features are actually worth it in the end. This includes the meat probe since MES meat and smoker probe since basically EVERYONE reports them being off and the 2nd purchase made with an MES is a good reliable dual probe (or more) wireless Thermometer like the ThermoPro TP-20. Other wireless thermos work but trust me you will be like every other MES owner and buying one yourself once you see how off the onboard ones are :)

Best of luck looking! :)

 

[TomKnollRFV]

https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/ma...23|11426&brandCrumb=3264655254&bn=masterbuilt

This is the one I got, when I got it ..it was on sale mind. <Heck I paid 270 USD for it. A week ago they had ANOTHER sale and it was down to 230 USD!!!>

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/ma...tric-smoker-with-window#repChildCatid=4903528

Academy has it at 200 and I believe they do free shipping. As for what generation? I have no idea what they got. Mine is the 2.5 Hybrid, which I believe might be the best just reading about the other generations. Just remember on top of the MES, you need thermal probes, the built in one is hit or miss. I lucked out in that mine is only off a few degrees, but some people report theirs are off 20 degrees. I believe if you get a windowless model, it is less. I solely got a model with a window as it was the only 40 inch one there from Masterbuilt. It was that or a no frills 30 inch that was analog for 100 dollars less. I wanted a set and forget for temps.

 

[Patrick_K]

I don't really want the BT but from what i can tell the only way to make sure you get a gen 2.5 and not a gen 2 is to get the BT function. I would not mind a gen 1 MES 40" but i cannot find one for sale only the gen 2 and gen 2.5 smokers

 

[Patrick_K]

I can not use that first link as they do not have a store near me and will not ship to my house. I might run by academy to figure out if it is a 2.5 hybrid. If it is that is a good price for a 40. I wish they had a picture of the inside to see what the water pan looks like. Did you say you got the one that academy has for 200?

https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/ma...23|11426&brandCrumb=3264655254&bn=masterbuilt

This is the one I got, when I got it ..it was on sale mind. <Heck I paid 270 USD for it. A week ago they had ANOTHER sale and it was down to 230 USD!!!>

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/ma...tric-smoker-with-window#repChildCatid=4903528

Academy has it at 200 and I believe they do free shipping. As for what generation? I have no idea what they got. Mine is the 2.5 Hybrid, which I believe might be the best just reading about the other generations. Just remember on top of the MES, you need thermal probes, the built in one is hit or miss. I lucked out in that mine is only off a few degrees, but some people report theirs are off 20 degrees. I believe if you get a windowless model, it is less. I solely got a model with a window as it was the only 40 inch one there from Masterbuilt. It was that or a no frills 30 inch that was analog for 100 dollars less. I wanted a set and forget for temps.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I don't really want the BT but from what i can tell the only way to make sure you get a gen 2.5 and not a gen 2 is to get the BT function. I would not mind a gen 1 MES 40" but i cannot find one for sale only the gen 2 and gen 2.5 smokers

I don't have Bluetooth, neither model I posted does either. It has a digital wireless controller.

 

[dr k]

Sam's has the Latest 340G 40" BT with the trapezoid window and four swivel casters on legs @ $350.00. The two links above are gen 1 box, door, vent and rear controller with gen 2.5 interior design but may not have the rf remote. The fleet farm link that is more expensive mentioned pick up in store, no delivery and to check availability at the store near you. I wonder if the BT on the latest 340G is any better than the standard large window gen 2.5 BT?

 

[Jkracing64]

Patrick, I was at Acadamy Friday. They had 2 40” Masterbuilts. The 140S and the 140B. The B model is very basic, no temp probe or light. It is all black with no window. The S model has temp probe and light. It has stainless door with window.
I believe these are hybrid going by Bear’s guide. On both models the control is on top near the back with the exhaust on the right rear. The water pan is the kind of oval stepped version. I guess it is the 2.5 interior.
Hope this helps!
Joe

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

This includes the meat probe since MES meat and smoker probe since basically EVERYONE reports them being off and the 2nd purchase made with an MES is a good reliable dual probe (or more) wireless Thermometer like the ThermoPro TP-20. Other wireless thermos work but trust me you will be like every other MES owner and buying one yourself once you see how off the onboard ones are :)

I've actually measured the MES smoker box temp and included MES meat probe against 2 different probes and the MES internal temp and meat probe on my MES 340g are correct! Erroneous temps may be an issue with other or older MES units but the 340g, which I got from Sam's Club, doesn't have temp measurement problems.

 

[Bearcarver]

I've actually measured the MES smoker box temp and included MES meat probe against 2 different probes and the MES internal temp and meat probe on my MES 340g are correct! Erroneous temps may be an issue with other or older MES units but the 340g, which I got from Sam's Club, doesn't have temp measurement problems.

The problem is mostly that even if you MES sensor is accurate, the only way the built in sensor would give accurate Temp is if you have your meat where their sensor is.

With a Wireless set of Therms, like the Maverick ET-732, or similar, you can put your probe where the meat is, not 2 or 3 racks away.

Bear

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

The problem is mostly that even if you MES sensor is accurate, the only way the built in sensor would give accurate Temp is if you have your meat where their sensor is.

With a Wireless set of Therms, like the Maverick ET-732, or similar, you can put your probe where the meat is, not 2 or 3 racks away.

Bear

Oooooooh...I see. Thank you. I hadn't thought of that. I guess that means the internal temperature sensor can only keep the smoker in the ball park. At least the meat probe has been right so far.

 

[Bearcarver]

Oooooooh...I see. Thank you. I hadn't thought of that. I guess that means the internal temperature sensor can only keep the smoker in the ball park. At least the meat probe has been right so far.

It's not really that big a problem:
All you have to do is using a wireless probe near your meat, find out what the temp is there.
Then adjust your MES controls to get the wireless to read the Temp you want your meat to be in.
Example:
You want your meat to be in 230°.
Your wireless, next to your meat says 245°.
Your MES is set at 230°.
So change your MES setting to 215°.
This should bring your Smoker to 230° in the area of your meat.

And as for the MES meat probe:
The problem with the Meat probe is you can't take it in the house & test it in a pot of boiling water as easily as you can a wireless probe.

Bear

 

[tallbm]

I've actually measured the MES smoker box temp and included MES meat probe against 2 different probes and the MES internal temp and meat probe on my MES 340g are correct! Erroneous temps may be an issue with other or older MES units but the 340g, which I got from Sam's Club, doesn't have temp measurement problems.

That's the 2nd report I've heard where the new meat probe seems to be accurate.
As Bear mentions though it is hard to do a boiling water test with it since it is attached to the MES. The best you could do is have a few probes that are tested and see how it keeps with those probes in temps from 100F to 225F. If it is close to the the tested probes in temp and location through the 100F-225F temp range then I think it would be good to use.
My meat probes on my Gen 1 and the Gen 2 I fixed up were off by over 10F so I scrapped the idea of using them all together.

Lets hope that Masterbuilt is fixing the meat probes as it seems like an easy area to improve the smoker :)

 

[Kevin1234]

Got the MES 340 from SAMS on Friday. Easy assembly. Smoked ribs and Boston butt on Sunday. Everything came out fantastic. Blue tooth was a bit rocky at first. Set the temp on the app. Temp shot up to 295. I had read reviews where this had happened, so was prepared. After shutting everything down, I reset on the control panel and just used the app to monitor temps. It worked well. I had some difficulty reconnecting at one point. Tried reloading app, resetting control panel. Nothing worked. I finally got it to reconnect by pushing the temp set button on the control panel, until I heard the long beep. All in all, pretty happy so far. Poultry on the menu for next weekend.

 

[Bearcarver]

I can't help you with the Bluetooth part of an MES, because I don't have anything to go with mine, so I just use the controls on the console.
However it doesn't matter if the heat coasts up 10°,20°, or 30°, as long as your heating element shuts off at the Temp you have it set for.
Enjoy that MES---They're Great !!

Bear

 

[dr k]

Got the MES 340 from SAMS on Friday. Easy assembly. Smoked ribs and Boston butt on Sunday. Everything came out fantastic. Blue tooth was a bit rocky at first. Set the temp on the app. Temp shot up to 295. I had read reviews where this had happened, so was prepared. After shutting everything down, I reset on the control panel and just used the app to monitor temps. It worked well. I had some difficulty reconnecting at one point. Tried reloading app, resetting control panel. Nothing worked. I finally got it to reconnect by pushing the temp set button on the control panel, until I heard the long beep. All in all, pretty happy so far. Poultry on the menu for next weekend.

I have been looking forward with great anticipation on MB's 340G BT controller reviews/reliablity vs. the original Gen 2.5. It appears to be pure crap Vol. II. I have empathy for people that aren't able to control their smoker out of the box for the seasoning process because of BT issues let alone smoking confidently regarding safety and wondering if they own a rogue machine. What does MB tell their customers that can't operate their smokers with BT, take it back to where you bought it because we can't fix it but we have released another BT model that's also defective? If I intended on using the app to control the smoker, I'd take it back. If your ok with never turning on the app then keep it. You'll always have the thought, I wonder if MB ever fixed the BT issue. That's the good thing about buying locally, you don't have to ship it back. Oh, but you'll still have a chore and an errand to run. Or MB could get the BT right the first time before releasing it ...........or the second time before releasing 340G BT pure crap Vol. II.

 

[tallbm]

Got the MES 340 from SAMS on Friday. Easy assembly. Smoked ribs and Boston butt on Sunday. Everything came out fantastic. Blue tooth was a bit rocky at first. Set the temp on the app. Temp shot up to 295. I had read reviews where this had happened, so was prepared. After shutting everything down, I reset on the control panel and just used the app to monitor temps. It worked well. I had some difficulty reconnecting at one point. Tried reloading app, resetting control panel. Nothing worked. I finally got it to reconnect by pushing the temp set button on the control panel, until I heard the long beep. All in all, pretty happy so far. Poultry on the menu for next weekend.

Hi there and welcome!

Like dr. k discusses, it seems the Bluetooth feature has never really worked on any model of the MES. If you can live without controlling it via BT and are happy with just the BT monitoring then that is ok, but it sure would be nice for them to get the BT right someday if that is a major feature that people buy the unit for.

There are better products out there for wireless control of an electric smoker if you ever get tired of the MES controller and busted BT functionality. It just takes a simple rewire and one of the 3rd party controllers and you would be set. Only entertain this option if you get completely fed up with your MES control capabilities or the MES starts really acting up on you at a fundamental temp control level.

Best of luck with the smoking and enjoy the good food! :)

 

[Bearcarver]

Actually I think they should do what I told them a long time ago-----
Lose the Bluetooth & go back to the RF Remote that I loved for many Years.
It could see better through walls than my Mavericks & worked Great even through my Steel Front Door!!!!
It never lost contact from Remote to Smoker!!

Bear

 

[Kevin1234]

I can't help you with the Bluetooth part of an MES, because I don't have anything to go with mine, so I just use the controls on the console.
However it doesn't matter if the heat coasts up 10°,20°, or 30°, as long as your heating element shuts off at the Temp you have it set for.
Enjoy that MES---They're Great !!

Bear

I agree, however in this case, it was still in heating mode and did not shut off. I had it set to 275 for seasoning. Later on, I set 270 with the Bluetooth, and it seemed to work. It seemed like it glitches when you try and set max temp with the app.