Yoder Wichita or Lang. Forum opinion appreciated!!!

[Hawging It]

Hey smokers. Not a rookie smoker. Been watching the TBS for many years. What an enjoyable and relaxing thing to do. I have my Bayou Classic stick burner and my 1,000 pound BIG BERTHA custom stick burner. Lots of great memories and lots of lies told around both!!! Lately I have been researching quality smokers, not that mine are not, but looking for something a little different. Really like what I see in the loaded out YODER WICHITA as well as the LANG loaded out. When I say loaded out, not speaking about some HUGE LONG smoker. Just the one that most folks would put on the porch. Wanted to know what you fellow smokers think about each of them. Again, not a rookie smoker. Just thinking about upgrading. Thanks guys!!!!

 

[drunkenmeatfist]

I've been looking into smokers in this area as well. I don't own any of these smokers, just been reading reviews and such. Haven't heard many good things about the Yoder, but the Lang seems to have quite a few fans. Based on my research I would probably lean toward a model from Lone Star Grillz if I were going to pull the trigger right now. People seem to love them, they are in a decent price range, and you can get the reasonably quickly compared to other fabricators with longer wait lists.

 

[old sarge]

In looking at the Lang, I selected their 48 inch model to compare with the Wichita.

The Lang has larger cooking racks by a couple of inches and a wrap around exterior shelf which is a real plus. But the cooking rack is one piece where as the Yoder has two piece racks and a front shelf only. I prefer split racks over a single rack.
The Lang comes standard with a second shelf and is optional on the Yoder.
Lang has inflatable tires and the Yoder steel.
The Lang has a square fire box but I really like the drum fire box on the Yoder.
The Lang is considerably heavier but where that weight is I cannot say.
I like the pricing of the Yoder much better than the Lang.

Having a combination concrete and paver stone patio, Yoder's steel wheels might scar the patio when moving the smoker and turning it to position whereas the Lang with it's rubber tires and pivoting casters should be easier to move around; I favor the Lang with tires over the Yoder's steel wheels. So I would go with the Lang even though it cost more. If I had a fixed location for the smoker and knew I would never move it, then I would get the Yoder because of the fire box and split shelves. I reckon it comes down to personal preference and budget.

 

[Dantij]

Ok, so obviously I'm going to choose the Lang over the Yoder because that's what I own. The only real way to compare the two is to cook on them . The biggest selling point for me was the reverse flow on the Lang. It does maintain even temps across the cooking chamber AFTER 3 hours of cooking. At first, I have a 20° difference that gradually decreases after a few hours. Most importantly, it holds cooking temps incredibly well with very little work. I've been cooking on mine for 6 months and can consistently hold temps wherever I choose. I can maintain temps at 275°, 250°, and even cooked hot at temps over 350°. I added a few upgrades that ran the price up but I think it was money well spent.

 

[Hawging It]

I've been looking into smokers in this area as well. I don't own any of these smokers, just been reading reviews and such. Haven't heard many good things about the Yoder, but the Lang seems to have quite a few fans. Based on my research I would probably lean toward a model from Lone Star Grillz if I were going to pull the trigger right now. People seem to love them, they are in a decent price range, and you can get the reasonably quickly compared to other fabricators with longer wait lists.

Thanks. I will check them out!

 

[Hawging It]

In looking at the Lang, I selected their 48 inch model to compare with the Wichita.

The Lang has larger cooking racks by a couple of inches and a wrap around exterior shelf which is a real plus. But the cooking rack is one piece where as the Yoder has two piece racks and a front shelf only. I prefer split racks over a single rack.
The Lang comes standard with a second shelf and is optional on the Yoder.
Lang has inflatable tires and the Yoder steel.
The Lang has a square fire box but I really like the drum fire box on the Yoder.
The Lang is considerably heavier but where that weight is I cannot say.
I like the pricing of the Yoder much better than the Lang.

Having a combination concrete and paver stone patio, Yoder's steel wheels might scar the patio when moving the smoker and turning it to position whereas the Lang with it's rubber tires and pivoting casters should be easier to move around; I favor the Lang with tires over the Yoder's steel wheels. So I would go with the Lang even though it cost more. If I had a fixed location for the smoker and knew I would never move it, then I would get the Yoder because of the fire box and split shelves. I reckon it comes down to personal preference and budget.

Thanks. I appreciate the comparisons and your opinion.

 

[Hawging It]

Ok, so obviously I'm going to choose the Lang over the Yoder because that's what I own. The only real way to compare the two is to cook on them . The biggest selling point for me was the reverse flow on the Lang. It does maintain even temps across the cooking chamber AFTER 3 hours of cooking. At first, I have a 20° difference that gradually decreases after a few hours. Most importantly, it holds cooking temps incredibly well with very little work. I've been cooking on mine for 6 months and can consistently hold temps wherever I choose. I can maintain temps at 275°, 250°, and even cooked hot at temps over 350°. I added a few upgrades that ran the price up but I think it was money well spent.

Glad to hear about the consistent heat. That is very very important. That is a nice looking stick burner. Love the tires as well. Thanks for the info.