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b-g-k

Newbie
Original poster
Mar 6, 2013
4
1
About 6 months ago I broke down and decided to give a pellet smoker/grill a chance. I started with a stick feed and eventually broke down and got a propane for certain things and figured the pellet route was worth a shot for convenience as I work from home most of the time but can’t run down and tend the smoker very often. I ordered the small z grills 450, knowing it was just a test unit. Fast forward and I am a big fan of starting ribs, chicken, etc at noon and only going down to adjust temp settings to have a great dinner ready (I’m the cook.. my wife struggles with it and I enjoy it anyways).
I’m having a really tough time, but have it narrowed down to three finally:
1. Yoder ys640s. Love that it’s made in USA.
2. Rectec rt-700
3. Camp chef woodwind 36 wifi.

The more I read, the more I’m torn. Currently leaning towards the rectec. The Z grills has served me well, and I’ll gift it to my dad. Maybe I’m just thinking about it too much.
 
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Can’t speak to the others but you will be happy with a rec tec. I absolutely love mine.
 
The Yoder and Rec Tec are in a whole different league than the Camp Chef. Hard choice between the two.
Is that really the consensus? The camp chef seems like it is towards the top plus you can add the searing grill... which I don’t care about.

like I said, I’m leaning towards the rectec unless someone can convince me the yoder is worth the extra.
 
I would go rectec myself, I really like the pellet smokers for the ease of use and the foods pretty dang good,
 
I've been cooking on a Rec Tec 590 a few months now. It's been a very nice grill.
I was "saving up" for a Yoder 640, but at the end of the day I couldn't justify the cost of it. It would have been double the cost of my Rec Tec. I get the thick steel and american made thing, but for me it's a large enough purchase I have to maximize the value of my dollar. Rec Tec is a slam dunk.
 
1. Yoder ys640s. Love that it’s made in USA.
2. Rectec rt-700

The Yoder and Rec Tec are in a whole different league than the Camp Chef.

Never heard anything but great stuff about the Yoder but never cooked on one. I too have the RT700 and absolutely love it!! It's a great grill and Rec Tec customer service is second to none. A friend has a CC Woodwind and loves it but he's not doing a lot of cooking on it. I've never owned one but have heard they are a pretty darned good grill but not quite up to the rec Tec and Yoder in overall quality or the features offered by the other two. You've narrowed it down to three good cookers and probably can't go wrong with any of them.

Robert
 
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Yoders are great and I might have bought one but at the price I went with Rec Tec and haven't looked back. If price were no option at all, maybe I'd have gone with Yoder. Also, you cannot put a price on customer service, and theirs is the best I've seen with a company of any type.
 
I found when doing my shopping for a new pellet grill that people are very stubborn about what they believe is the best pellet grill out there. It reminds me of people who swear by iPhones vs people who swear by Android phones.

The best pellet grill for one person might not be the best on for someone else so do your research and look at the features and buy the unit that best meets your needs. For myself I went with a Camp Chef Woodwind 36 WIFI with a sear box and the front shelf attachment. My decision was based on the following:
  • I own a Camp Chef flat top grill I use all the time and it has held up over time and I know the build quality
  • I like the two full racks and like to be able to cook on the top rack which I feel allows more smoke to hit the meat and makes cleanup easier by putting a pan or foil underneath
  • If I want direct heat (flames) it allows for that by pulling a lever
  • I like greater control over the smoke settings on the newer model
  • The ash cup makes cleanup easier as well. Still have to cleanup under the pan from time to time but not as much as other units I've seen
  • I chose the sear box attachment because I also sous vide a bunch of meat and it works great to put a crust on it after a cook and I don't need the features of the sidekick (pizza oven or additional flat top grill)
I did look at the other grills out there but I felt that the Camp Chef was a better fit for me and it hasn't disappointed me yet
 
As stated everyone has their opinions on the best PG. Where do you live, is cold weather cooking something your will be doing? Be aware that the Yoder, while an excellent grill, will require more maintenance than the RT, or CC. Yoder just paints the outside, not powder coated, so you will constantly be fighting rust, they actually include touch up paint with the grill. If you have the budget for the Yoder then Mak and Pitts&Spitts https://pittsandspitts.com/pellet-grills/ are some other American Made grills you should check out. the Pitts&Spitts was the grill I really wanted, when I was searching for my grill last year. I came across a deal on the Timberline 1300 that was too good to pass up and I have been very happy with it.
 
At the end of the day, with practice and attention to the process, a $400 grill will basically make the same food a $3000 one does. It won't be as heavy duty, have wifi with graphs, or have +/-2 degree accuracy. The maintenance and care to make any of these grills run at their best is all similar.
 
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At the end of the day, with practice and attention to the process, a $400 grill will basically make the same food a $3000 one does. It won't be as heavy duty, have wifi with graphs, or have +/-2 degree accuracy. The maintenance and care to make any of these grills run at their best is all similar.
Perhaps but when I had my Traeger and my GMC I had nothing but issues with temp swings to the point that I had to babysit the grill as if it were a stick burner. I could never be consistent with cook times because when I thought the grill was running 225 it would be actually 275 or vice versa. With the Rec Tec that’s not an issue. So yes all the pellet grills will work but there are huge gaps in quality, performance, reliability etc. like they say you get what you pay for
 
Perhaps but when I had my Traeger and my GMC I had nothing but issues with temp swings to the point that I had to babysit the grill as if it were a stick burner. I could never be consistent with cook times because when I thought the grill was running 225 it would be actually 275 or vice versa. With the Rec Tec that’s not an issue. So yes all the pellet grills will work but there are huge gaps in quality, performance, reliability etc. like they say you get what you pay for

Totally agree. My traeger was a handful getting it A-B, but I actually never made bad food. And as crazy as the temps got occasionally, it was still fun to cook on. My Rec Tec feels like it's on autopilot now, but ultimately I can't say the food is any better. My point is if your committed to your grill and love it, you don't need a mega $$ rig to have fun and make good food.
 
Another Rec Tec RT-700 vote here. I struggled with evaluating different units for months. So happy i got he rec tec! it performed every time and I needed to call CS with questions - they are ultra responsive, above and beyond.

I run my Bull nearly year round and its always on point. can say that enough. make the best food. upped my game for sure. wife was a touch hesitant about the purchase...till she had some of my cooks on it - then it was more like "what took you so long"
 
Can't say anything about the Yoder, working on my second cook with my new RT700 and I am sold so far. Had to contact customer service and was blown away by their commitment to the customer after the sale too. today I threw on some ribs and bought some whole chickens and small pork butt to do over next few days.

So far it has truly been a set and forget style cooker which was a huge item at the top of my list.
 
You could throw a dart and be happy with any you have listed. Mak would be in that circle also before I threw.
I choose RT 590
 
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