Trying to decide between Yoder Y640 & Rec Tec

[ncage]

Hello everyone. I'm decided to dip my toe in the pellet smoker world so I'm in the market for a pellet smoker. After doing some research and taking my budget into consideration i'm trying to decide between the rec tec & the yoder y640. The yoder is a "little" bit more money. I just called my closest local yoder deal ~2.5 hours away and it looks like the Y640 is going for $1299. + Tax Thats not much more than the rec tec (if you have it shipped). The question still having it shipped will be worth the cost they are asking to ship it (225). I asked him if it would fit in little prius (he said he used to have one) and he doubts it will which means i'll have to borrow my fathers truck and when you take into account gas/time

It doesn't seem like anything will be built like the yoder :). It seems like its a tank (eventhough i haven't seen one in person). And i like that its built in the US. One thing i heard awhile back is that the yoders seem to burn a lot o fuel though i don't know how true this is. I also like it has a max of 600F. 

From what i've read the Rec Tec while not as well built as the yoder still is very well built. I really do like the 6 year warranty. Also if i buy it through amazon i can use my amazon store card to get financing :).  While the design of the rec tec is similar to Traeger hopefully it doesn't come with the problems (built in the same factory wtih a different paint).

Ok my final concern is about pellet grils in general is fuel cost. There is one local place i can find pellets (traeger) which sell for about $17 for a 20 pound bag. The question is how long, in general, does a 20 pound bag last you. I know it depends on what temp your cooking at and ect.. but i'm just saying in general. I've also heard for high temp grilling 450 & above you don't get much smoke flavor out of a pellet grill which i think means you might as well grilled it on a gas grill :).

anyways any help and advice would be appreciated...

 

[seenred]

Hello Ncage.

IMHO, you are looking at two of the best quality pellet pits for the money. The next level pellet smokers in quality sell for significantly more than these pits. I own a Rec Tec and love it...I've never been sorry for choosing it, and I know many YS640 owners who feel the same way about their rigs. Whichever of these pits you choose, I think you'll be happy you did.

I have seen Traegers up close, and no offense to the Traeger owners out there, but they don't compare to the heavy gauge construction or temp control in my Rec Tec. I've never had the opportunity to look at a Yoder in person, but I hear they are very solidly built as well. Like you, I too have heard the YS burns a lot of pellets...perhaps some Yoder owners will weigh in with some info on that. On average, my Rec Tec consumes about 1 to 1.5 lbs. of pellets per hour of use. More for hotter cooks, less for lower, but that's a good average, and should give you baseline to use in estimating fuel cost.

The Rec Tec makes plenty of smoke at temps from 180 to 275. At increasing temps, the smoke production gets progressively less. This is not an issue to me, because I usually only cook at temps above 300 when I'm direct-grilling (steaks, burgers, etc.), when heavy smoke production isn't important to me. I will say that I do sometimes use an Amazen tube smoker in the Rec Tec, when I want to add extra smoke flavor to higher temp cooks.

I hope any of this helps...Good luck! Be sure to let us know what you decide.

Red

 

[njfoses]

Keep in mind if warranty is a factor that there is a $99 charge if you need warranty service in year 4-6 on the rectec.  

 

[show me smoke]

I have had the Yoder for almost a year now,  I have had no problems with it and have been very happy with it.  As far as pellets go...I will burn through a 20 lb bag on a very long cook..8 or so hours.. I have been using pellets from tractor supply...i have had good luck with them.. Ozark premium hardwood pellets...they are for heating with, but others say rec tec sends them with the units.  I also called the company and they said the pellets were safe to use in a grill...no binders ect...all hardwood.  They are about 5 bucks for 40 lbs...I have found them fine for general cooking...burn good and have not had any problems with them. I also use BBQ delight pellets, they work well and have many types of woods.

 

[geerock]

Rec tec has a great true pid controller and great warranty. Yoder great unit also but........ if you talk to rec tec and tell them you arehaving trouble deciding between the 2 they will deal with you. Maybe add some accessories or help with shipping costs.

 

[shtrdave]

I bought an Rt back around Labor day, It is okay, the RT it just doesn't do things the way I was hoping I could have it do them. I did some minor mods to mine, and it is better still working out the bugs.

I have temp issues with mine, it takes forever to get up to temps I have been talking with Ron one of the owners of the company trying to get this figured out, He asked me to do a test for him set it at 500 with grill together and empty and see how long it takes to get there, I was at 1 hour 45 minutes and it only got to 415 and had been there for 10 minutes or so. I needed to cook dinner so I aborted the test at that point.

I will tell you I have not made anything on it that has not tasted good, did cornish hens tonight, have done a butt, some CSRs, chicken wings, legs thighs,steaks, meatball, salmon and chops, veggies. All came out well and very tasty.

The company is great as far as should you have a question, I have called them in the evenings after work and if they don't answer their cell phone they usually call back in a short period of time that evening.

All this said and after having mine for a couple months, I am not sure I would buy one again, I was wanting to much from it, not the cookers fault, I would have been better off with an FEC 100 or the Dreamwerks cooker, but with them come a big increase in cost.

I also use an AMNPS tray bought a tube but haven't used it yet.

If you are looking for another option, take a look at the Lousiana grills, it was between them or the RT, I went with the RT because it had the good controller already and with the Lousiana it was another 300 bucks I think.

I don't think you would be unhappy with the RT should you decide to go that route, Mine was 1300.00 delivered with a lift gate to my work address with the bronze package which was I believe 240lb of pellets plus a cover and they sent a free 40lb bag, all came packed very well and neatly, and was easy to put together in about an hour.

Good luck with your decision and purchase.

 

 

[ncage]

Guys thanks for all the feedback. I'm leaning towards the rec tec now to be honest because of price. I seem to keep wanting extra options which is making the yoder's price kreep up which is going to give the wife a heart attack :)

 

[seenred]

Guys thanks for all the feedback. I'm leaning towards the rec tec now to be honest because of price. I seem to keep wanting extra options which is making the yoder's price kreep up which is going to give the wife a heart attack :)

Another factor to consider is Rec Tec's easy, same as cash financing. When I bought mine, I paid 500 down and financed the rest, interest free for 12 months. This made it a no brainer for me...I was able to get a great pit without a huge one-time expense, and with 12 small monthly payments.

Red

 

[vmastros]

Call RT to get the details on the financing. There is a fee involved. It may be interest free but the fee increases the real price just the same.

Also, the 30 day return only gets you the purchase price refunded. You still to pay the shipping both ways and package it for shipping.

 

[bolopwr]

I purchased my Rec Tec a few months ago and love it! So far, I have not had any problems with it. I looked at the Yoder at a local store before making my decision... I will say that it was built like a tank, looked awesome and probably cooked really good, I just couldn't justify the extra $$$. For Rec Tec, throw in the great Customer Servie and financing options and I was sold. I have absolutely no regrets going with Rec Tec. I looked at just about all of the different cookers out there from Green Mountain, Traeger, Yoder, etc etc etc. and Rec Tec just seemed like the best bang for the buck overall. Good luck with the decision!  I went through exactly what you are experiencing right now! 

 

[bbryon]

I own a YS640, had it for almost 3 years know. They are great, heavy duty, well constructed, great craftsmanship and work great. I smoke pork butts, ribs and half chickens all the time. Do your self a favor and order the top rack/shelf works great for smoking lots of wings or even peppers out of the garden. I usually burn about 3/4 bag(15 lbs) on a 10-13 hr smoke. I use BBQ delight, can get just about any flavor you want. I will never get rid of my yoder.

 

[striper]

Another vote for the Yoder YS 640.  Had mine for 3+ years now and it has performed flawlessly for me.  Couple that with fantastic customer service the couple of times I did have problems and it's a no brainer to me.  I ordered the extra shelf and have used the heck out of it also.  Just bought the Grill Grates, they were not available when I bought mine, and they have added another demension to the unit.  I would also order it with the feature for easily using your temperature probes, wasn't available when I ordered mine.

 

[riblet1]

I love my Yoder 640, I'm glad I went with it.

 

[seans45]

Hi Ncage,

Im a newbie as well and just brought home a y640 yesterday.  I looked hard at the rectec as well. I read alot of forums and comments on all the pellet smokers and everything pointed to these two.  i went for the yoder because of the way it was built, the feedback on customer service and the fact it was made in USA.  It was more money, but i went in with the attitude i was buying a smoker for life.  last night i ran it through the initial burn and everything worked perfectly.  ill be trying some brisket this weekend.  good luck whichever way you go

 

[cobbq]

That pretty much helped me decide, the rec tec sounds like its really a 3 year warranty with the added cost after 3 yrs. Think its yoder 640 for me after watching the serious competition folks using yoder on youtube think ill spend the extra and go yoder.
Im sure both are good, its like my gas grill bought the home depot special every 2 years then bought a Weber gas grill 7 years ago and its going to last to the point where i would have to make up a reason to replace it, it really sounds like Yoder is the same way.

 

[daron jake]

I have a Yoder :-) a guy was on a Yoder fb page talking about how much better the rectec was and how much more the YS640 cost.... turned out to be a rectec employee, wasn't impressed