M1 gets some upgrades.

I did see that - might be confirmation bias but I prefer my Gen1. The bolt together pieces I guess are handy for replacement I dont plan on needing that :becky: Plus I just like the cleaner look.

The exhaust is interesting and something I had thought about but it drafts just fine as it is albeit after adjusting my split size. I have not done much as far as biscuits and such so maybe that aspect is improved.

Anyway it was a cool look inside the factory :clap2:

It definitely addresses issues I had with my first gen M1, but I also agree with what has already been said... I prefer the look of the first gen. Putting looks aside, I’d pick the second gen just to be done with some of the things that drove me bonkers with my first gen. Man, that’s a tongue twister... lol.

One thing I wonder about the updated model... hows the new smoke stack gonna handle rain water??? Sure seems water would pour into the stack and possibly cooker if left (or cooking) in heavy rain. Hope I am wrong!

70monte said:

The question about the smoke stack and rain is a good one and something I didn't think about. I'm not sure if they have a drain hole at the bottom of that stack.

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They might want to think about that... I could see that being a real pain. That is one big water inlet if there’s not a drainage solution. As it stands, it does not appear there is...

Travis?!?!

70monte said:

After thinking about it, I guess having the open smoke stack is not much different than most of the other grills that I own that have the vents on the top of the lid. Granted those vents are not as big as the new stack but water still can get down inside those grills.

the new stack is slanted so it probably helps keep some water out.

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Agree! Lots of cookers with open stacks, although many have lil umbrellas (lol)... but as you said, it’s the size that caught my attention. I could very well be wrong, but I’d prefer to see others buy and give it a rainy day test drive before I’d feel comfortable considering it

Heck, Travis and crew have a video with explosives going off inside the first gen M1 showing its ruggedness... perhaps another video with the new M1 left in the sprinklers for 30 mins is in order

How do you clean inside that area below the smoke vent opening on the right side ( below the grates) does that baffle plate come out? Is it hard to reach all the way down there? Still gotta be some ash and grease going way down there if used as a grill, and even as a smoker, (grease)?

ASAT said:

How do you clean inside that area below the smoke vent opening on the right side ( below the grates) does that baffle plate come out? Is it hard to reach all the way down there? Still gotta be some ash and grease going way down there if used as a grill, and even as a smoker, (grease)?

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It’s not hard to clean any part or area of the M1. I had the same concern at one time. I don’t think this video answers your specific question, but it may give you a better idea.
https://youtu.be/2rH1iVETwEo

Yeah but what about that big gaping hole on the right side of the baffle? It’s pretty obvious that junk falls way down there, do you use a shop vac periodically or a long handled L shaped shovel or what?

ASAT said:

Yeah but what about that big gaping hole on the right side of the baffle? It’s pretty obvious that junk falls way down there, do you use a shop vac periodically or a long handled L shaped shovel or what?

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Yes, stuff does drip down there. And yes, I had the same concern. It turned out to be an invalid concern. You can easily reach your arm in there through the lower fire door, or even from the top of the grill. Once in a great while I would scrape it with a stiff metal scraper, but there was never really that much of a mess to clean. It really not much different than the heat baffle. Things get so hot down there, that the drippings just carbonize. Think of the interior walls of a Weber kettle. Drippings hit — drippings carbonize/crust up — an occasional scrape is all that’s needed

I like the changes. I wish they would make one more change - adding a full width drop down door on the front of the grill so you can easily add more fuel when grilling with the charcoal grate.

That smoke stack is going to let a ton of water in.

Hey guys...

I`ll be happy to address some questions about the new design. I'm completely excited about the new upgrades that we implemented.

The stack does have a drain hole at the bottom. Just like our M36 smaller stack which could allow a lot of rain in if left outside, the drain hole at the bottom prevents the water from entering the cooker. We also have a stack cap that can be placed on top of the stack to completely shut off any entry when the cooker is not in use. Our current M1 grills covers fit the new design as well, so we do recommend keeping a grill cover on when not in use which will also help.

Besides the stack, the biggest change was fully insulating the firebox. Instead of just going with the thin 409 stainless steel walls as before, I completely redesigned the firebox out of 10 gauge steel which is surrounded with thermal insulation within the 10 gauge body. This did add some more weight, but it's well worth it. Keeps the heat off of the firebox area on the body, protecting the finish. Also, the insulation keeps the M1 even more consistent than before. The firebox door redesign is great since you can now completely unbolt and replace if ever needed. We design the grills that you should never have to, BUT if for some crazy reason you ever did... you can easily change out the part. We also added the addition of a 1-3/8" hole directly under the firebox basket in case you wanted to add a Guru or any other type of fan control system. There is a cap that is removable if you choose to not use a device like this.

The new lid flange design keeps moisture from dripping down the body as well which is very nice AND we have changed paint manufactures since I was never very happy with our last manufacturer. After testing a TON of different paint manufactures, we went with a different company and so far we are very happy with the results! Definitely an improvement.

At the end of the day, we were able to make all of these adjustments and keep our price the same.

I just got back from The Shed BBQ Steak Throwdown in Mississippi where I had the new M1 and M16's on display and people were blown away with the updates.

To answer this comment...

"I like the changes. I wish they would make one more change - adding a full width drop down door on the front of the grill so you can easily add more fuel when grilling with the charcoal grate."

- I have been asked this many times from people, but I choose not to add any additional drawers, doors, or anything else of that nature on the M1 to keep it completely sealed up. Once you start adding stuff like this, you risk chance of air leakage which will definitely hinder the smoking performance. The supplied Grate Lifting Tools do make it easy to add more charcoal for long grilling sessions. I have lifted up my cooking grates with food still on them when adding more charcoal. I can grill for hours with one small load of charcoal, but for those all day grilling sessions for large groups... the Grate Tools are very handy for that.


Thanks again guys!

Forgot to mention...

Because of these new upgrades we made to the M1.. we are now able to build a 10 gauge 304 or 316 stainless steel M1 that won't completely be astronomical.

travismagee said:

Forgot to mention...

Because of these new upgrades we made to the M1.. we are now able to build a 10 gauge 304 or 316 stainless steel M1 that won't completely be astronomical.

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That has my attention! What’s the price on a 304 SS M1?

rwalters said:

That has my attention! What’s the price on a 304 SS M1?

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The stainless M1 will be available later this year. Price to be determined.

We are currently updating the C4 Portable Grill and offering a stainless version. Then the M36 which will get updated like the current M1 and feature an insulated firebox with other goodies. Once we roll those into production we are starting 2 new Competition Smokers and 2 Commercial Smokers.

If y'all want to stay on top of the new products and events we are attending.. check out the new vlog I started. Im going to post The Shed video very soon so stay tuned for that one. Lots of fun stuff, behind the scenes, and product testing videos planned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omg0qbFNsRo&t=469s

70monte said:

This is the one I'm interested in. Hopefully the price will not be too crazy. If it comes out later in the year, it gives me time to save some money.

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Simmer down buddy... you’ve got plenty of grills and smokers already! Do you really need another?!?! ;-)