Backwoods vs Spicewine

This really is a Dodge vs Chevy, Remington vs Winchester, Bud vs Miller argument.

I have BWS and had the privilege of cooking on a SW this past weekend actually. Either are very good, well made cookers.

I can get a good 5-7 hour burn in my cooker using just the vents and without any charcoal pan mods. I dont have a removable water pan but would recommend getting one.

I like the BW for the mobility it offers, I can easily move it myself on wheels or using a handtruck. Hard to do that with the heavier SW

I didn't like the shelves on the SW, or at least the way they came apart. I also don't know if the heavier material is needed in the shelves. That being said, I don't think you may ever have to replace them. The BWS uses a lighter oven type shelf that I have yet to max out or have a problem with.

The thing I don't like about the BWS is the ergonomics. It is set up so the door swings open to the right making it perfect if you are a lefty but kind of a PIA for us right handed people. I bought mine used, so I am not sure if you can order the door on the other side, but I have never seen one.

I know that these seem like small chit things but I think thats all you can find wrong with either of these fine units.

BWS vs SW

I own a backwoods competitor. Either one that you decide on you will be getting a quality piece of work. The inner frame of a backwoods is all steel with the outside being a light wt. sheeting. I can cook on my backwoods for 12hr on 10lbs of lump charcoal. However on a backwoods competitor you can not get a full pan in unless you bend the tabs on the end. The BWS competitor weighs 350lbs, so it would be better to roll it up on trailer. Shipping will be closer to you in GA from LA. Mike is a very gook guy and stands behind his product. He will build the cooker as you like. As you can tell in the south the BWS is very popular. The BWS in the south is like the Goodone is in KS. I have been very pleased by my cooker and have no regrets.

CivilWarBBQ said:

I'm looking at the Competitor in the Backwoods, possibly the medium Spicewine.

I'm aware of the obvious differences in finish and features, the things I'd like to hear from owners are things like:

• Mobility loading and unloading on a truck or trailer
• Any rust or leakage issues
• Ease and method of cleaning
• Manufacturer support and warranty claims
• Unattended cook times
• Hot spots or other idiosyncrasies

Thanks for your help! I like to get as many opinions as possible before buying...

-gf

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For Mobility I would give it to the Backwoods based on weight since it is much lighter making it easier to move around and lift.

I do not have any rust on my Backwoods But I think either as long as they are properly maintained would hold up well to rust. I am not sure what you men by leakage but I do not have any leakage issues with my backwoods.

I would think that cleaning either would be about the same since they are essentially the same shape and the shelves are held on the same the backwoods shelves might be easier to clean but I don't think it would be much of a difference.

I bought my Backwoods used so I have not had any need for factory support but from what I have read from the owner of both smokers that have needed it you can't go wrong either way.

On my Party I run water so my unattended cook time is limited to approx 4 hours before I need to add water, without water I would have no problem leaving it unattended for as long as the charcoal was burning I easily get 12 hour burn times using Briqs in a charcoal basket and just the vents this could be increased by using a stroker or guru. But I see no need for one since it will cruise along all night for me with out messing with it already.

Hope this helps both are such great smokers it is hard to choose between them, the good thing is you can't go wrong either way.

I have a Competitor that I use in my catering business and I have the convection fan on it which makes it cook even from top to bottom an option the spicebox does not offer and if you want that top rack to finish chicken you just turn the fan off. Add a Guru to it and I can get 10 plus hours of burn time and along with the convection just set it and walk away. Plus I give Brethren discounts:biggrin:

We are getting 20 hours of heat out of the U Shaped basket with no guru or fan ust dont need it
We also built "David Klose Style" racks for ours (We clean with a Weed Burner)

Jimmy has a few in stock at a Move em out price Looks like your lucky day

Bigmista said:

I've cooked on both, side-by-side, more than once. Both are great cookers. Both have advantages over the other. One that hasn't been mentioned is the Spicewine has a much larger water pan. THe Backwoods comes up to temp faster because it has lighter metal. The Spicewine will hold temps longer because the metal stays hot. You can keep cooking in a Spicewine an hour after the charcoal has burnt out. That is not a guess. I have done it.

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I would be the owner of the BW on the left in this pic...I have had the opportunity to cook on both of these boxes. Your choice is really going to come down to what specifically is more important to you. That Spice is HEAVY...600+ lbs. My BW is ~200 lbs. You can put full pans in the Spice...you can't in the BW. I was able to cook 18 racks of spares with a little room left over in the Spice...I was pushing it with 10 in the BW. For some odd reason, the Spice would leak when I moved it around the driveway, but the BW wouldn't. The Spice has a nice, huge water pan...the BW is only good for about 4 hours without refilling. The wheels on the Spice look like they've been through a war, while the BW wheels are fantastic, and the wheel locks are easy to use and work well on the BW (the BW is actually a little older than the Spice). I can't understand why the BW has larger, more sturdy wheels than the Spice.

They both are FANTASTIC cookers! If money were no object, I'd have a Spicewine at home and a Backwoods to take with me.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42955

Jimmys Construction Sale in Progess

ThomEmery said:

"David Klose Style" racks for ours (We clean with a Weed Burner)

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Thom,

what do mean by that? never heard of them.......

Muzzlebrake said:

Thom,

what do mean by that? never heard of them.......

Click to expand...

Oh we have a Klose and the cooking shelves are expanded metal
very sturdy Maybe I should have said expanded metal cooking shelves

Careful using a weed burner to clean the racks in the Spicebox! I ruined a few and had to buy replacements from Jay. I'm talking about the removable grates, not the frames.

CivilWarBBQ said:

I'm looking at the Competitor in the Backwoods, possibly the medium Spicewine.

I'm aware of the obvious differences in finish and features, the things I'd like to hear from owners are things like:

• Mobility loading and unloading on a truck or trailer
• Any rust or leakage issues
• Ease and method of cleaning
• Manufacturer support and warranty claims
• Unattended cook times
• Hot spots or other idiosyncrasies

Thanks for your help! I like to get as many opinions as possible before buying...

-gf

Click to expand...

GF
Nice to see you are doing your homework.
I would suggest that you take it one step further and talk or email other owners of the particular smoker you are looking at (Medium Spicewine or Backwoods Competitor ) not just the brand of smoker.
Here are pics of Ed E piece of 2" insulation ( made by Mike @ Backwoods ) sandwiched in stainless steel that acts as a barrier from the Backwoods Fatboy that he uses.
He cooks without water and is extremely happy with the results and it also increases his cook times.This is designed to drain the grease thru the ball valve.

This is Ed's comments about it on the Backwoods website

Mike has been playing around with some mods for dry cooking. I've got a retrofit in my Fatboy and had my Patio built with it. It's basically insulation sandwiched by sheet metal that fits in the water pan. My Fatboy has a permanent water pan and he fixed it where the grease will drain out the valve. I've been very happy. They are super efficient. Just an option you might want to check out.

http://usera.imagecave.com/edembry/BWS-Mods/

OK, so you knew I'd chime in !!!

I don't sell Spicewines because I need the money!
During my journey finding the best cooker for the money in the past 10 years nothing compares to a Spicewine.

I've used them both (Backwoods & Spicewine) for pleasure and competition. I have researched it to death. No comparison as far as quality.
I am a licensed Inspection Authorized Aviation Mechanic and Quality and Durability is the quality I look for in anything worth buying with my hard earned money. The Spicewine is made for the long haul.

OK so I like my cookers....

I agree with Jimmy! The Spicewine is built like a Brick Chithouse and may be the last cooker you ever need to buy.

Unlike many of you who might seema bit biased to the cooker that you own or sell I have a different perspective.I do not own either and per my avatar I am partial to the wsm. That being said I have had the luxury of cooking on both and hands down the spicewine would be my choice. BW= Maserati(poor mans ferrari) very nice car well built but not......SW= Ferrari. ( FERRARI)

CivilWarBBQ said:

Thanks for all the great input folks!

By "leaks" I mean the nasty black tar dripping out of the bottom of the unit. I've heard some reports of this occurring with the Spicewine.

Interesting observation on the left hand doors on some of the Backwoods models. I wonder why some open to the right and some to the left? The racks seem a bit flimsy on the Backwoods - any problems when you stuff the smoker full with cases of butts?

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Backwoods owner here. No leaks at all with my party, they are sealed tight. Backwoods WILL mount your door which ever way you want, its personal preference. Default from the factory is open to the right, but they will reverse if you wish. The racks on the backwoods did seem flimsy the first time I saw them, but quickly realised they are fine. I load mine down and no problems at all. When I move my BWS around I appreciate that the grates dont weigh a ton and it is not needed.

CivilWarBBQ said:

I'm looking at the Competitor in the Backwoods, possibly the medium Spicewine.

I'm aware of the obvious differences in finish and features, the things I'd like to hear from owners are things like:

• Mobility loading and unloading on a truck or trailer
• Any rust or leakage issues
• Ease and method of cleaning
• Manufacturer support and warranty claims
• Unattended cook times
• Hot spots or other idiosyncrasies

Thanks for your help! I like to get as many opinions as possible before buying...

-gf

Click to expand...

I own a BWS party and love it. I can't comment on the Spicewines, but I hear they are quality smoker's too (as are the Stumps smokers).

Regarding the mobility, I think the lighter BWS will be easier to move although I'm not sure either is going to be "easy" to move around.

Rust. Both are made of metal.

Leakage. The BWS have a nice gasket on the doors. I've not had any issues with leakage.

Cleaning. A clean smoker is a neglected smoker. I wipe the outside of mine down with a damp rag and stainless steel appliance cleaner because I want the outside to shine.

Warranty. I can't imagine either group would want to have disgruntled customers and I suspect they both stand behind their product.

Unattended cook times. Both will give you plenty of unattended cook times (especially if you use a Guru, DigiQII, Stoker or something similar). The limiting factor might be with the water pan, but I got 7 hours of sleep with my BWS party last weekend.

Hot spots. Not that I've discovered, but some say the upper grate is hotter than the lower grate. The lower grate is closest to the water and might affect bark, but I haven't had any problems like that.

Budweiser or Miller. I'm a Miller High Life guy
Ford or Chevy. I'd go with Ford although I don't own either

I'm not sure about Spicewines, but I know there is a strong secondary market for BWS. So if you bought a BWS and didn't like it, you shouldn't have any problem unloading it for a reasonable price.

CivilWarBBQ said:

Thanks for all the great input folks!

By "leaks" I mean the nasty black tar dripping out of the bottom of the unit. I've heard some reports of this occurring with the Spicewine.

Interesting observation on the left hand doors on some of the Backwoods models. I wonder why some open to the right and some to the left? The racks seem a bit flimsy on the Backwoods - any problems when you stuff the smoker full with cases of butts?

Click to expand...

No problems with loading my Competitor to the max the Party model is lieghter weight but will still hold what it is designed for.

I recently purchased a used BWS Piglet. Similar weight to the Competitor, but significantly more space to cook on.

The primary reason I purchased this cooker was ease of use and weight.

So far, I have been very happy with it. It comes up to temp and holds well, is efficient, and effective at producing the results.

The only complaint I have is the casters. They are not meant for rolling over anything except hard surfaces. I upgraded to a 10" pneumatic tire caster setup through Northern Tool (thanks to Pigmaker23). If I were to buy one new, I would buy the casters, and ship them to the factory for installation.

As far as customer service, I contacted BWS today. Talked with Chase. Believe me, they stand behind their product. In short, they are handling a manufacturing defect (thermo location) like pros. Also, please recognize that I am not the original purchaser of the cooker. Their attention to the matter really impressed me.

Before I bought the BWS, I looked at all the vertical water smoker companies. They all do a great job. Some differences, but in the end lots of people produce great Q on each of the brands of cookers. Weight was the single biggest factor for me.

Whether you buy a new or used cooker. Give these guys a try for freight, contact Rick @ Craters and Freighters out of Tulsa, OK. He managed the whole transaction of picking up the cooker at the owners house, crating it, insuring it, and freighting it to Boston, NY. The whole transaction was easy, and reasonable. They are nationwide. This guy has a lot of experience shipping cookers.

Craters & Freighters
[SIZE=-1]1515 West 36th Place[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Tulsa, OK 74107[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]918-447-9600 - 877-887-9600[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]fax: 918-447-9606[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Tulsa@CratersAndFreighters.com[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]Good luck in your quest! Let us know what you decide.[/SIZE]

Jeff_in_KC said:

Careful using a weed burner to clean the racks in the Spicebox! I ruined a few and had to buy replacements from Jay. I'm talking about the removable grates, not the frames.

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Thats why we put expanded metal in the shelves So we can use the weed burner