PID sale?

[$mok!ng]

do the recommenced replacement PID for a masterbuilt smoker ever go on sale? Kinda tuff to spend 150$ on a 150$ smoker.

 

[chopsaw]

do the recommenced replacement PID for a masterbuilt smoker ever go on sale? Kinda tuff to spend 150$ on a 150$ smoker.

Not sure about going on sale , but completely worth the money .

 

[sm0kin]

I have the WiFi model from Auber, zero regrets. My smoker tuned with that pid cooks faster and more evenly.

 

[Braz]

If you have an electric hotplate your PID controller can double as a sous vide controller. Might make the $150 a little easier to justify.

 

[sm0kin]

Furthermore, I would say this has converted my $250 smoker into an $800 smoker imho.

 

[dr k]

do the recommenced replacement PID for a masterbuilt smoker ever go on sale? Kinda tuff to spend 150$ on a 150$ smoker.

With all the generations and million models, the all stainless steel cabinet and door is edging ahead on longevity with the older models. Some newer ss I'd consider if I need a new box and door or additional smoker but painted door jambs so to speak have been giving people hell. I have the Gen 1 40 with emblem Masrebuilt Electric Smokehouse not stamped lettering on the door. All I need is a heating element and have a spare because notthing is forever. I did ask Auber if they have sales and they gave me $5 off shipping if I bought within 5 days. I do sous vide with their chart on crockpots for no over shoot with P=4, I=0 and D=40 for the WS-1510ELPM. If I need more room I'll do a sous vide cooler mod with a stick circulating sous vide. I would have built a PID no problem but as tallbm said, housing it compared to the small Auber was a no brainer. Plus support with charts for your specific model and tried and true algorithm parameters on rice cookers, steam tables, crockpots and roasters for sous vide. I'll buy another again or have it repaired if this one dies before I do.

 

[tallbm]

do the recommenced replacement PID for a masterbuilt smoker ever go on sale? Kinda tuff to spend 150$ on a 150$ smoker.

I don't think they ever go on sale.

Like sm0kin mentioned, once you add the Auber PID your $150 smoker performs so well it feels like an $800 smoker.
If this helps justify the cost just imagine now that you can do bacon, sausage, ground formed sandwich meat, etc. without worrying about giant temp swings that may cause fat out and wreck the food.
Also you can now precisely hold temps without swings for things like Jerky.
You can now truly hit 275F for hotter/faster smokes on things like Briskets, Beef Ribs, and Pork butts!

With all of these new and/or improved smoking capabilities alone you have basically transformed your smoker into a brand new one. It really does get cool how the mes performance/behavior becomes soooo much better!

That is a no BS elevator pitch to help justify the cost. I understand the apprehension I had it to. I had it to the point where I found an MES40 on craigslist for $45 and used it as a test subject and if I didn't like it all I would toss it and resell my PID on ebay hahaha. I went the complete opposite direction and gave that smoker to my mother as a gift and I went crazy and bought a HeaterMeter PID (very techy and not a plug and play PID) and used it for MY MES40 hahaha.


I hope this info helps! :)

 

[chopsaw]

I was lookig at a smoker from TSM . About $1k , until I found out it did not have a PID . So I decided to add the Auber to my MES . I paid $156 for the controller , only paid $149 for the smoker , that's now 5 years old . Turned into an awesome smoker for a small amount of money .

 

[mosparky]

I've watched the prices on Aubers for nearly 4 years, Never have they gone on sale. There is one that has been maked "sale" for a couple of years. The prices have usually gone up moderately at the beginning of each year. You snooze, you loose.
I bought my MES knowing the short-comings and planned from the beginning to up-grade to PID. What I didn't plan on was rain EVERY dang time I have a day off or spare time to smoke. With a little careful planning and ingenuity, I think I can rain proof the Auber set-up and use it rain or shine.
As said before, it is a buy once, cry once situation. The Auber can be used for other applications and moved easily to another smoker, should you ever completely wear out the first one or "shit happens".

 

[dr k]

I've watched the prices on Aubers for nearly 4 years, Never have they gone on sale. There is one that has been maked "sale" for a couple of years. The prices have usually gone up moderately at the beginning of each year. You snooze, you loose.
I bought my MES knowing the short-comings and planned from the beginning to up-grade to PID. What I didn't plan on was rain EVERY dang time I have a day off or spare time to smoke. With a little careful planning and ingenuity, I think I can rain proof the Auber set-up and use it rain or shine.
As said before, it is a buy once, cry once situation. The Auber can be used for other applications and moved easily to another smoker, should you ever completely wear out the first one or "shit happens".

Rain or shine! It's out of the rain but the sun still hits it so......

 

[tallbm]

Rain or shine! It's out of the rain but the sun still hits it so......
View attachment 394678

Hahaha nice! It looks like the Auber is having a day at the beach and just needs a beer :) (FYI, in Texas we can drink on the beaches but there is usually an ordinance against bottles so cans, kegs, and boxed drinks are all fair game :)

 

[normanaj]

Inkbird PIDs are under $40.I have no idea how good or bad they are compared to the Aubers,maybe someone here can shine some light on that.

 

[JZ_Focus]

Totally worth the money to get the Auber. I had a a hard time too with the initial cost, but at that time my options were get a new smoker, or buy the auber and upgrade my existing unit. Overall the auber is cheaper than a new masterbuilt smoker, and the auber make controlling the temp so much easier that it was worth every penny I paid for it.

 

[Steve H]

Inkbird PIDs are under $40.I have no idea how good or bad they are compared to the Aubers,maybe someone here can shine some light on that.

The only advantage I see with the Auber PID over the InkBird is that some of the Aubers can do ramp and soak steps. I haven't found a InkBird that does this. Other then that my InkBird is very good at maintaining temp to within a few degrees.

 

[tallbm]

Inkbird PIDs are under $40.I have no idea how good or bad they are compared to the Aubers,maybe someone here can shine some light on that.

It depends.
I'm not sure that Inkbird sells a "plug and play" version that is equivalent to the Auber PID.
This means you have to build the complete unit (Inkbird PID, wiring, Solid State Relay, housing unit, chords, sockets, etc.)

I know Inkbird has some units that SEEM plug and play but I believe those units aren't made to handle the the needs of a 1400Watt element or they have a max temp control limitation that may not go above 225F or something like that.

So in the end it comes down to knowledge, experience, and preference.

If you have never built a controller unit with the parts (PID, Solid State Relay, wiring, housing unit, etc.) then the common Inkbird PID stand alone unit is not really an option unless you just really want to spend the money and learn how to build a complete unit.

The Auber PID "plug and play" is already built for you AND is very competitive to the cost of you building one if you bought all the pieces (I compared the 2 options during my PID journey).

So rule of thumb: If you don't know or care to learn how to build one then go with an Auber PID.
If you are familiar with this stuff and CAN build a whole unit then go whatever route suites you.

If you are trying to save a buck and are thinking you can use an Inkbird like the one in the following image YOU BETTER look really hard at the specs, limitation, and behavior because I have yet to see one handle a 1400Watt element or one that can do enough. You might get lucky and find one that can work with the 800Watt elements but AGAIN look at all the specs and behavior to see if REALLY can do what you need for a controller. I believe someone her on the forum uses an Inkbird like the one below but they are like limited to 200F degrees or something else funny but it works for them to do sausage or jerky or something like that so it fits their very particular goals.

I hope all this info helps! :)

 

[Steve H]

I was under the assumption that he was going to build a PID. Not use one of the pre-built ones. Tallbm is correct with the InkBird plug and play ones. While I was searching for a plug and play unit I found a InkBird that can handle 1100 watts and go to 212 degrees. Which made me decide to build a controller. Actually I'm building another that can do ramps/soaks. I got a Fuji controller for a excellent price that can do 8 ramp/soak cycles. I got the rest of the items on line for under 50.00 . I'm going to use this one for SV as well as my other smoker. I don't know if you have the skill/ability/tools to do this. But it could be another way to get a good controller without blowing a wad of cash on a Auber.

 

[Mark Krenn]

I have a My Pin PID. $32.99 on Amazon. I installed it on my MES 40. Works awesome. I only had to buy a little extra 16ga wire and a weather rated electrical box. Was easy to install.

 

[sigmo]

Hahaha nice! It looks like the Auber is having a day at the beach and just needs a beer :) (FYI, in Texas we can drink on the beaches but there is usually an ordinance against bottles so cans, kegs, and boxed drinks are all fair game :)

Does anyone sell "adult" juice boxes for beach use? If not, they're missing out on a great market, IMO!

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I'm in the do it yourself camp, but unless you have the chops to do a safe build, I'd advise buying a complete solution. A fire, injury, or death will cost you a LOT more than $150.

And it really is true that a properly modified smoker will be worth a lot more to you than what it might have been right out of the box.

 

[Mark Krenn]

Um yeah. You do need to have “basic” knowledge for wiring. Put it this way, if you don’t know how to check oil on you car, don’t buy one of these. If your on a low budget and “think” you could do it, download a video on this install. There are several on YouTube.

 

[Wakulla]

I bought a thermomart pid with time and temperature control and a built in 30amp relay for $50 off amazon. Used a new thermister from my thermoworks smoke kit. This PID does not use a thermocouple. Just gutted out all the masterbuilt electronics and rewired it with the pid. Nothing to it really. A couple of runs of high temp appliance wire and remove the masterbuilt temp sensors and replace with the new ones. Mount the controller in a plastic box and install it with the same screws that held the masterbuilt controller in place.

Now my PID controller and thermoworks smoke agree on temperature within a few degrees depending on where in the smoker i place the smoke sensor. Set it on 225 and it goes from 221 to 228 for a complete 12 hr smoking cycle