I'm looking to buy an MES40.
Academy Sports has model 20070311 (Gen 1 w/remote) on sale this week for $299. I also found a MES40 w/bluetooth locally on craigslist for $250. He claims to have only used it 1 time for a party when his other smoker wasn't working.
I have read a bunch of posts about MES40s here in this forum, in particular from Bear. I get the feeling that the Gen 1 might be a better design than the Gen 2.5, but both are decent units. Is this because the Gen 2.5 is new, so time will tell if problems will arise? Or are there clear differences in performance?
I don't really care about having bluetooth vs the remote. The smoker will sit very near my back door, and only steps from the kitchen. I'm more interested in dependability, and even cooking temps than the convenience of Bluetooth or even the remote control.
It seems like it really comes down to warranty and support from Masterbuilt being mydeciding factor. I assume that if I buy a used (1 time) unit, the warranty would not transfer to me. Does anyone have any experience getting masterbuilt to stand behind a smoker they didn't purchase new? I assume the controls, or the heating element are the things that could potentially need to be replaced. I figure I would be saving $50 + $28 in sales tax by buying the used blue tooth model. That would cover the price of a replacement heating element and them some. What about the control panel?
Thoughts? What would YOU do, and why?
Thanks.
Dave in KC
Academy Sports has model 20070311 (Gen 1 w/remote) on sale this week for $299. I also found a MES40 w/bluetooth locally on craigslist for $250. He claims to have only used it 1 time for a party when his other smoker wasn't working.
I have read a bunch of posts about MES40s here in this forum, in particular from Bear. I get the feeling that the Gen 1 might be a better design than the Gen 2.5, but both are decent units. Is this because the Gen 2.5 is new, so time will tell if problems will arise? Or are there clear differences in performance?
I don't really care about having bluetooth vs the remote. The smoker will sit very near my back door, and only steps from the kitchen. I'm more interested in dependability, and even cooking temps than the convenience of Bluetooth or even the remote control.
It seems like it really comes down to warranty and support from Masterbuilt being mydeciding factor. I assume that if I buy a used (1 time) unit, the warranty would not transfer to me. Does anyone have any experience getting masterbuilt to stand behind a smoker they didn't purchase new? I assume the controls, or the heating element are the things that could potentially need to be replaced. I figure I would be saving $50 + $28 in sales tax by buying the used blue tooth model. That would cover the price of a replacement heating element and them some. What about the control panel?
Thoughts? What would YOU do, and why?
Thanks.
Dave in KC