G2 Competitor vs. Pitmaker Vault

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Grif054

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I know this has been covered before but most posts seem to be a couple of years old (Not knowing if either one changed at all). I just moved away from my offset and want to get a good vertical reverse flow insulated smoker. The Backwoods G2 competitor and Pitmaker Vault have caught my eye. I do cook for pretty large groups several times per year and I am mostly worried about the transport issue. I also realize that both are pretty heavy units but the Pitmaker is double the weight. Backwoods seems like a better option for whatever wheels want to be added, but the pitmaker looks like one awesome machine built to last forever. Sorry about the long winded post just hoping to hear some feedback, pros and cons for both.

Thanks
 
The Vault gets my vote. It kicks ass to say the least. It's heavy for sure but that's because it's built like a, well a Vault. The computer on my fork lift confirms its weight of 928 pounds. I have no complaints at all with the Vault. It holds temp almost to good to believe. And even though it's a very large smoker, once up to temp it is as fuel efficient as it gets. I do not move mine much so weight is not really a concern for me. Plus I have a fork lift for when I do need to move it. If the weight isn't a problem for you, the Vault wins hands down. No regrets here brother. Also for clarification, you do not have to run water in the Vault. I run mine dry 95% of the time with spectacular results.
 
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Another smoker you may want to look at is the Humphrey Down East Beast "Qubed". Initially I looked it over and decided it was a little big for my needs. I was going to have a "battle wagon" built for it as well. I ended-up ordering a standard Beast instead. I was able to visit St Louis BBQ Store where they had lots of Backwoods and Humphreys in stock. The Backwoods are very nice units indeed but I felt the Humphrey was a better built unit. I was also looking at the Pitmaker "Safe" and might have gone that way if they would have called back but I never heard a thing from them. Humphrey also has the B.A.S. model if you want to get real about it. They also have gravity feeds as someone else mentioned - Good Luck!
 
Like yourself, I was considering a Backwoods as well when I was looking for a vertical cabinet. A Pro Junior instead of the Competitor. In the end I went with the Vault because of how heavy duty it was. Depending on where you are located shipping cost may figure into your decision as well. That said, Spicewine makes a spectacular vertical cabinet as well. I recommend giving them a look. Spicewine was my original choice but the shipping swung it in favor of the Vault due to my location. Spicewine and Pitmaker both are top tier manufacturers. All that said, I have been 100% satisfied with the Vault in every way. It's about as heavy duty and well built as you could ask for.
 
Dex said:
Cons: Dealing with hot greasy water.

Get a gravity fed!
Click to expand...


You don't run a water pan at all in those units? I guess I was thinking they still had them. Is it tough cooking low?
 
Thank you everyone for the help. I really love that Vault.
 
I have a Boxer mini skid steer. Kind of like a Toro Dingo. I probably could move either around with that if necessary.
 
SGH said:
The Vault gets my vote. It kicks ass to say the least. It's heavy for sure but that's because it's built like a, well a Vault. The computer on my fork lift confirms its weight of 928 pounds. I have no complaints at all with the Vault. It holds temp almost to good to believe. And even though it's a very large smoker, once up to temp it is as fuel efficient as it gets. I do not move mine much so weight is not really a concern for me. Plus I have a fork lift for when I do need to move it. If the weight isn't a problem for you, the Vault wins hands down. No regrets here brother. Also for clarification, you do not have to run water in the Vault. I run mine dry 95% of the time with spectacular results.
Click to expand...

That thing Is beautiful.
 
I'll second the Vault, although I never used a Backwoods for comparison, and they have a loyal following.
The Vault is probably more well built than I could accurately describe. It is incredibly heavy duty. Very efficient.
I did a 7 hour 300 degree cook this weekend with around 1/3 bag of RO lump and some small hickory splits around 1.5" diameter, 5" length.

It also has room for days. More room than I'll ever use unless I start catering.

I will add this one caveat: I haven't been able to get a decent smoke ring on brisket or spares so far, but I am relatively new to my Vault, and I have seen others get good results. I'm just not sure why I can't get the ring, and they can... still working on that.
I saw a post on the Fans of Pitmaker FB page where Bigmista showed his results with a smoke ring, and his was pretty good.
 
Grif054 said:
That thing Is beautiful.
Click to expand...

Thank you brother. I did a lot of looking and researching when I was looking for a vertical. Again the two that really stood out to me was Pitmaker and Spicewine. At the time, they were the two most heavy duty that I could find. Someone may have surpassed them now, but at the time those two were the real stand outs. Don't think that you could go wrong with either. Good luck choosing.
 
FireboxBBQ said:
I'll second the Vault, although I never used a Backwoods for comparison, and they have a loyal following.
The Vault is probably more well built than I could accurately describe. It is incredibly heavy duty. Very efficient.
I did a 7 hour 300 degree cook this weekend with around 1/3 bag of RO lump and some small hickory splits around 1.5" diameter, 5" length.

It also has room for days. More room than I'll ever use unless I start catering.

I will add this one caveat: I haven't been able to get a decent smoke ring on brisket or spares so far, but I am relatively new to my Vault, and I have seen others get good results. I'm just not sure why I can't get the ring, and they can... still working on that.
I saw a post on the Fans of Pitmaker FB page where Bigmista showed his results with a smoke ring, and his was pretty good.
Click to expand...

Mix some kingsford in with your RO. Although lump is arguably a superior fuel, it's horrible for smoke rings. I've cooked with SGH on his vault and I promise those looking at them, it is as badass as it appears. that's why I'm on this thread. he got me hooked. Anyhow, he used Kingsford blue and the smoke rings were killer. I'm a BGE guy and cook exclusively on lump- I never get smoke rings unless it's pouring rain outside.
 
centexsmoker said:
Mix some kingsford in with your RO. Although lump is arguably a superior fuel, it's horrible for smoke rings. I've cooked with SGH on his vault and I promise those looking at them, it is as badass as it appears. that's why I'm on this thread. he got me hooked. Anyhow, he used Kingsford blue and the smoke rings were killer. I'm a BGE guy and cook exclusively on lump- I never get smoke rings unless it's pouring rain outside.
Click to expand...

Weird. I switched to lump from kbb and got better smoke rings on my backwoods.
 
fnbish said:
Weird. I switched to lump from kbb and got better smoke rings on my backwoods.
Click to expand...

Well now I'm stumped. I know Kingsford has sodium Nitrate (pink salt) listed in its contents. I know for a fact sodium nitrate will give you a fat smoke ring (add a tiny bit to your rub and your rings will be fat and happy). I'm guessing its added for that reason as there would be no other reason to have sodium added to charcoal.

I think it's smart of them to do because most people will just say "I get awesome smoke rings with Kingsford".
 
Id lean vault. Better rack space, can't compare fully welded to sheetmetal screws

but at 900+lbs, thats a legit concern to think about.
 
centexsmoker said:
Well now I'm stumped. I know Kingsford has sodium Nitrate (pink salt) listed in its contents. I know for a fact sodium nitrate will give you a fat smoke ring (add a tiny bit to your rub and your rings will be fat and happy). I'm guessing its added for that reason as there would be no other reason to have sodium added to charcoal.

I think it's smart of them to do because most people will just say "I get awesome smoke rings with Kingsford".
Click to expand...

I don't think a person would get any or very little smoke ring just using kbb to cook with no wood.
 
I can also confirm the Vault as a superior built pit. I did a cook yesterday at 275, I pulled the brisket at 7-8 hours (overcooked, my fault) Looked at the temp at 12h and still 275. That was with 8lb KBB. I would not want to move this pit unless set up on a trailer. I still miss my offset though.
 
Thank you everyone for the advice. I do want go eventually get a pitmaker for my backyard but for now I picked up a Bavkwoods G2 Fatboy. A little easier to move to the comps. Also, the finish on the vaults (or pitmaker in general) is so beautiful I would be a nervous wreck worrying about scratching it during transport. Backwoods is kind of like a storage trunk or something. Lol I will post some pics in a new thread of the first couple of cooks I have on her. Also my cyberq works great thanks to Ron L ��
 
Grif054;3193164 Also said:
When I first saw my Vault I felt the same way. It was so pretty I didn't want to get it dirty. However once you taste the food that comes off of it, you get over that nervous feeling quick. You can't wait to light it and load it up with meat again!! Congradulations on your new pit. Enjoy sir.
Click to expand...
 
Well it has bee a couple of weeks and I decided to pull the trigger and ordered a Pitmaker Vault. I got the Backwoods for mobility but still kept coming back to this post reading everyone's pros on the Pitmaker. I probably won't get a birthday or Christmas present for the next 10 years but that's okay too. Building a new deck this year and I think it needs a Pitmaker to hold it down. Lol
 
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