Question for the Limo Jr owners.

[HuskerMan]

For those that have bought a Limo Jr in the last 3-4 years. What made you get the limo jr over the cheaper option of the Old Country? What made you to decide on the limo jr instead of going up in price to an assassin or similar?

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

following this thread...

 

[LSUSmoker]

I was between the Limo Jr and the Old Country as well, went with the Old Country. For the price difference, I could not justify why the Limo was better or may perform better. I have really enjoyed using the OC, holds rock steady and puts out some great BBQ. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have on it.

 

[CivilTrojan]

There’s a long thread on here about the OC gravity fed smoker and in it, quite a few people mentioned quality control issues with the door not sealing closed. If you can look at them in person and find one with a good door they sound like good smokers. I have never seen any of the smokers mentioned in person, but wanted to let you know what had been reported. Hope this helps.

 

[Chester]

I like the the fully welded construction, evenness of the cooking chamber temperature, easily replaceable oven style door gaskets like what Lonestar Grillz uses on their cabinets, 1000+ paint color options at no charge. Nice slam latches etc.

Fit and finish are quite good. It’s very heavy duty.

It uses 1 inch insulation instead of 2 inch on most others, which I like. Seems a little more responsive to adjusting temperature, but still holds rock steady. I think this also increases airflow slightly above other gravity cookers. This is the main reason why they weigh less than other comparable, the insulation is heavy. Temperature various about 15-20 degrees top to bottom, with the hottest part being the bottom closest to the fire.

Scott will customize them also. I got an extra rack (4 total) and six slides so I can adjust them more for various sized meats. Also got stainless racks.

I strongly considered the Assassin as well and think both are excellent. I live about 3.5 hours from where the Assassin are made and about 5 hours from Southern Q so was able to drive and pick up either.

I’ve looked at the Old Country’s in the local Academy sports. Im sure this is the best value for a heavy duty Gravity fed cooker, but you can tell where they cut some cost. Fit and finish and quality of hardware are quite a bit better on the Limo. Stuff like the slam latch and Tru-tel thermometer stick out, but just about all latches, gaskets hinges etc. seem a little better quality on the Limo. The Old Country looks and feels larger, but the cooking chamber on the Limo I believe is larger. It’s deeper and about the same width. Chock this up to the difference between the 1” vs 2” insulation.

Does it cook better than the Assassin or Old Country. Doubt it, but I wouldn’t trade my Limo Jr. after having it.

This is one of the better videos I have seen on it. The Southern Q website doesn’t do it justice. This one looks pretty standard with the gravel tires as the really only option I see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKSezpBZcXQ&t=13s


And this one has an optional valve on the bottom and adjustable smoke stack (don’t think you would gain much from either of these options).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OL_vTDc8ro

 

[Southpaw1061]

I like the the fully welded construction, evenness of the cooking chamber temperature, easily replaceable oven style door gaskets like what Lonestar Grillz uses on their cabinets, 1000+ paint color options at no charge. Nice slam latches etc.

Fit and finish are quite good. It’s very heavy duty.

It uses 1 inch insulation instead of 2 inch on most others, which I like. Seems a little more responsive to adjusting temperature, but still holds rock steady. I think this also increases airflow slightly above other gravity cookers. This is the main reason why they weigh less than other comparable, the insulation is heavy. Temperature various about 15-20 degrees top to bottom, with the hottest part being the bottom closest to the fire.

Scott will customize them also. I got an extra rack (4 total) and six slides so I can adjust them more for various sized meats. Also got stainless racks.

I strongly considered the Assassin as well and think both are excellent. I live about 3.5 hours from where the Assassin are made and about 5 hours from Southern Q so was able to drive and pick up either.

I’ve looked at the Old Country’s in the local Academy sports. Im sure this is the best value for a heavy duty Gravity fed cooker, but you can tell where they cut some cost. Fit and finish and quality of hardware are quite a bit better on the Limo. Stuff like the slam latch and Tru-tel thermometer stick out, but just about all latches, gaskets hinges etc. seem a little better quality on the Limo. The Old Country looks and feels larger, but the cooking chamber on the Limo I believe is larger. It’s deeper and about the same width. Chock this up to the difference between the 1” vs 2” insulation.

Does it cook better than the Assassin or Old Country. Doubt it, but I wouldn’t trade my Limo Jr. after having it.

This is one of the better videos I have seen on it. The Southern Q website doesn’t do it justice. This one looks pretty standard with the gravel tires as the really only option I see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKSezpBZcXQ&t=13s


And this one has an optional valve on the bottom and adjustable smoke stack (don’t think you would gain much from either of these options).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OL_vTDc8ro

I'm glad this topic popped up as I have been looking at the Assassin and the Southern Q smokers as well.

Chester - Thanks for the thorough response. This made me start questioning my choice of the Limo Jr. due to your point on insulation. I live in northern WI (-17F this morning) so would I benefit from the added insulation of the Assassin or would I just be using additional fuel in colder weather?

If I did end up going with the Limo Jr., would a 20 CFM fan be an advantage to keep up in cold weather, or would that be overkill during the summer months?

 

[Chester]

I'm glad this topic popped up as I have been looking at the Assassin and the Southern Q smokers as well.

Chester - Thanks for the thorough response. This made me start questioning my choice of the Limo Jr. due to your point on insulation. I live in northern WI (-17F this morning) so would I benefit from the added insulation of the Assassin or would I just be using additional fuel in colder weather?

If I did end up going with the Limo Jr., would a 20 CFM fan be an advantage to keep up in cold weather, or would that be overkill during the summer months?

Well, I relocated from a colder climate to Florida 15 years ago, and have become a wuse to the cold, so I’m likely not the best to answer this.

I’d imagine the Limo Jr. would work fine, but would burn through the charcoal faster in the winter. The thicker insulation of the Assassin might make it a better performer in the winter months up north. But I have no experience with this. I’ve cooked with my Limo Jr. when it dipped down to the upper thirties here with no issues or extra thought at all (it may have increased fuel consumption slightly, but hard to tell), but it’s a big difference going to the temps you mention.

I use the 15 cm BBQ guru fan with my Fireboard, and it works well in the Florida weather. The only negative issues I have heard with going to the 20 CFM Fireboard fan or 25 cfm BBQ Guru Pit Bull fan is that they burn through the battery faster on the Fireboard. If you get a decent external battery pack (something like a 30,000 mah, Amazon has a slew of options that don’t cost that much) that you can plug into the Fireboard, then this isn’t an issue. ….I assume you are talking about the Fireboard with 20cfm fan.

 

[jkief]

I went back and forth for some time between the Limo Jr and Assassin. I was sold on the Limo Jr. Ultimately, I ended up with the Assassin, though. Jeff already built me a 48” grill that I love. So when I was looking for a gravity fed, I contacted him and Scott. Both are excellent cookers and I’m not sure you could go wrong with either. In the end, Jeff gave me a military discount and threw in a couple of freebies I wasn’t expecting. The Assassin seems just a hair easier to clean than the Limo. I’m familiar with his work so I just pulled the trigger on the Assassin. It was a very difficult decision for sure. I’m somewhere on Jeff’s waiting list as we speak.

 

[SeenRed]

For those that have bought a Limo Jr in the last 3-4 years. What made you get the limo jr over the cheaper option of the Old Country? What made you to decide on the limo jr instead of going up in price to an assassin or similar?

My experience and reasoning for going with the Limo Jr was very similar to Chester's. To begin with, I had a hard time finding an OC pit to look at - in all the Academy stores in my area. When I did finally find one to look at and put my hands on it, I wasn't very impressed with the fit and finish. They only had one in the store, and the door on it didn't seal all the way around. I was aware of others saying Quality Control was inconsistent, but that if you could look around and be patient, you could eventually find one that was air tight...but generally the OC pits are pretty much what you'd expect from a big box store - not necessarily a bad product, but not as well made as the higher end pit makers.

I considered Assassin for a minute, and I have no doubt that they are excellent cookers. But for the difference in price, I just didn't think I'd be getting more value. All-in, including 3 upgrades (new BBQ Guru Digi Q, 4th rack, and travel latch) and including the shipping cost, my Limo Jr. still cost me less than the advertised base price of an Assassin 17 - and my Limo Jr has more cooking area than the Assassin 17. (3 racks on the Assassin 17 @ 17x23; 4 racks on my Limo Jr @ 19x24)

As already mentioned, I doubt any of these cookers turns out better Q than the others, so it mostly boils down to personal preferences. There are several members here who really like their OC gf smokers. I couldn't be happier with my Limo Jr...and I've read many posts from Assassin owners who feel the same way about their pits.

Whatever you choose, good luck!

Red

 

[Southpaw1061]

I finally decided to go with the Limo Jr. today. The Assassin looks to be higher quality, but for home use, the Limo Jr. has enough features and quality aspects over Big Box varieties that I couldn't justify the added cost for the Assassin. Now for the eight-week wait.

 

[jkief]

Congrats on the purchase! Hoping it will serve you well when it arrives.

 

[Chester]

I finally decided to go with the Limo Jr. today. The Assassin looks to be higher quality, but for home use, the Limo Jr. has enough features and quality aspects over Big Box varieties that I couldn't justify the added cost for the Assassin. Now for the eight-week wait.

Yes, Congratulations. Don’t think you could go wrong with either the Limo Jr. or Assassin.

 

[Southpaw1061]

Thanks, guys. Thanks for all of the additional information to help make a decision. It's been a 3.5-year endeavor to make it to this point.

One additional point - Shipping seemed really high even to Wisconsin, but included in the shipping was the crating fee that I was unaware of, but makes complete sense. With that, shipping is right in line with any LTL quotes you may get.

 

[HuskerMan]

Thanks, guys. Thanks for all of the additional information to help make a decision. It's been a 3.5-year endeavor to make it to this point.

One additional point - Shipping seemed really high even to Wisconsin, but included in the shipping was the crating fee that I was unaware of, but makes complete sense. With that, shipping is right in line with any LTL quotes you may get.

Mind giving ballpark figure on what shipping was.

 

[Southpaw1061]

When I got a general quote through CH Robinson it was $350-$450 without lift gate service which was right in line with Scott's price for actually shipping.

 

[smokeisgood]

I never considered the Old Country because my smoker sits outside, so I wanted automotive paint. That meant the SouthernQ or Assassin, etc. I chose the Limo Jr over the Assassin for the fully welded construction.