270 vs Humphreys

[Johnnyrotten]

I am trying to decide between getting a 270 Hollywood & Humphreys Battle Box. Can any of you owners give me some insight into the pros & con?

 

[Rusty Kettle]

270 Smokers
Pros:
All Welded
Staggered shelves
Already has wheels attached
Easy to move
No need for electronics.
Pretty good burn times. I get burns longer much longer than 270 claims. 12hrs on one load of charcoal in my Sumo with briquettes is typical.

Cons
The powder coat is not durable and seems to be prone to staining.
You got to buy an Ironman Shield for really windy days.
I think they have a version for the intake as well as the exhaust.
The felt gaskets suck. Fall apart from moisture. You can upgrade to rope gaskets through them. I suggest ordering it that way. I hate the felt gaskets. Some folks like them. I just don't like them.

Customer service is great most of the time. One bad experience with them though.
Terry is a nice guy.
Stephanie.... Well.... Not the most pleasant the last time we spoke. Maybe a bad day? Don't know. Won't buy another unless its used because of that. That being said typically she was great.

 

[West River BBQ]

I'll chime in about the Humphreys. I have a pint and can fit a ton of food: four shelves have held a full brisket, two pork shoulders and four racks of ribs laying flat. It is super easy to hold a steady temp with a guru. I have had 12+ hour burns on half a bag of charcoal (10 lbs). I see that you live in a cold climate, so having an insulated cooker is important - and I don't think there is a lot of difference between the two makers.

Is there much of a price difference? Will you have to pay for shipping?

 

[Home Farm BBQ]

Have a 270 Kansas City and love it. I think both smokers are good choices.

I bought the 270 due to being able to move easily on my own. Also like the convection like airflow. No hot spots.

I drove to Virginia from Iowa to pick up. Wanted to see in person. Sister also lives nearby so it was a good excuse. Owners were great to walk me through the dues and don’ts of the smoker.

One of my sister’s neighbors bought one after eating off of it. I think it cooks a little quicker and it doesn’t have hot spots.

I don’t have any experience with the other smoker, but that is what I had my choice down to also.

Cooking 8 pork butts tonight for a work event tomorrow and it is currently 19 degrees. Easy to slow preheat the cooker also. No digital devices needed for control. Previously had digiq products and loved them, but not needed with 270 at all. Here is some q view below currently going on.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ebijack]

270..wider and shallower grates.... 8 butts from above photo
Humphrey's.. narrow deeper grates... 8 butts
You have to pull out Humphrey grates 3/4 of the way to access meat.

 

[Johnnyrotten]

270 vs HumphreysPrice is within $200

Great feedback, thanks! Rusty, what is it you don't like about the felt gaskets? Prices are close. Thanks for the pics. Nice looking butts! I wish I could afford a KC, but the Hollywood is do-able.

 

[Johnnyrotten]

What temp are you cooking at, while getting a 12 hour cook on the Sumo? And what kind of meat capacity (can you do 2 briskets & 2 butts at once?). I think the Hollywood model has slightly more shelf depth (12.5" deep). I have seen the Hollywood at a local dealer, but Humphreys doesn't have one nearby. Tom & Rusty, do you guys cook with a water pan? In Tom's pics, it looks like there is a water pan in 1 cook, & a covered pan in another

 

[pharp]

I think they are both good smokers. I hadn't heard of 270 when I bought my Pint. It has cooked so well I never looked at anything else when I bought my next two, a Whole Hog and Long Weekender.

As I mentioned in the FB Group, I would strongly consider the Long Weekender. It is my favorite one of the three.

 

[cfrazier77]

I have never used a 270, or seen one up close. But I love my Humphrey's, it is even and holds temps great. You don't have to use a controller but it really helps with recovery after opening the door.

 

[CookinAt225]

That battle box looks like they reverse engineered the smoker I have --


Backwoods G2 Fatboy


If thats the case, then it should do a fine job. I havent had any problems at all. Everything comes out perfect. Fast cooks at 270.

 

[Johnnyrotten]

Thanks for that. I would agree that the Long Weekender is the better bang for your buck

 

[Johnnyrotten]

RustyK. What is it you don't like about the felt gaskets?

 

[Rusty Kettle]

I hate that the felt absorbs moisture and crumbles over time.
They don't last long. Plus they freeze in winter really easy and it messes up the gaskets.
They are complete trash.
Plus scraping them off to replace them is a real pain in the arse.
The rope gasket does not have that issue. Its messy to install yourself but once its installed its great. I have not needed one since.

 

[Rusty Kettle]

What temp are you cooking at, while getting a 12 hour cook on the Sumo? And what kind of meat capacity (can you do 2 briskets & 2 butts at once?). I think the Hollywood model has slightly more shelf depth (12.5" deep). I have seen the Hollywood at a local dealer, but Humphreys doesn't have one nearby. Tom & Rusty, do you guys cook with a water pan? In Tom's pics, it looks like there is a water pan in 1 cook, & a covered pan in another

I cook about 270-290. I cook with a water pan.
I have cooked 2 butts and 1 packer brisket at once. You might be able to cook 2 briskets and 2 butts at once but it would be tight imo

 

[ebijack]

Tom & Rusty, do you guys cook with a water pan? In Tom's pics, it looks like there is a water pan in 1 cook, & a covered pan in another

I only use water when burning pure wood. Which you are not able to do in either of those production cookers.
Cooking indirect I use a drip pan covered in foil. No water, no firebricks.

 

[wmarkw]

RustyK. What is it you don't like about the felt gaskets?

The felt works fine. I actually work for a textile company and a product we make uses nomex/aramid felt that is slit 2" wide. A perfect replacement. I re-do mine every year. Takes 20 mins or so to replace. But Rusty is correct; if you are cooking in weather they can get wet but i've never had it where i can see smoke visibly leaking from the door. (i.e. bad seal). 270 originally came with the rope but they replaced it with the felt a few years back.

I run a water pan with my 270s. You will have to add water mid way through a long cook. I usually cook between 250-270 on the temp dial. When I do ribs i use less water as I find the steam/moisture in the cook chamber can mess with bark production.

Capacity for the Sumo is decent. I would say it can hold 4-6 racks of trimmed stl ribs. 4 med size butts. 1 big packer brisket. Individually of course.

 

[Rusty Kettle]

The felt works fine. I actually work for a textile company and a product we make uses nomex/aramid felt that is slit 2" wide. A perfect replacement. I re-do mine every year. Takes 20 mins or so to replace. But Rusty is correct; if you are cooking in weather they can get wet but i've never had it where i can see smoke visibly leaking from the door. (i.e. bad seal). 270 originally came with the rope but they replaced it with the felt a few years back.

I run a water pan with my 270s. You will have to add water mid way through a long cook. I usually cook between 250-270 on the temp dial. When I do ribs i use less water as I find the steam/moisture in the cook chamber can mess with bark production.

Capacity for the Sumo is decent. I would say it can hold 4-6 racks of trimmed stl ribs. 4 med size butts. 1 big packer brisket. Individually of course.

Pennsylvania has pretty harsh weather to be honest. I have seen smoke leak from the firebox door. Rain and snow and ice really do a number on the gaskets. The rope holds up better in PA than felt. Nomex is a different animal. I replaced a kamado gasket with Nomex. That stuff is good. The felt from 270 is not nomex though. It doesn't hold up for me.
It works better for me to use a rope gasket. Your mileage may vary.

 

[pharp]

For whatever reason there is a general negative perception of Humphrey's on here. Not sure why, they are great smokers.

There are a lot more people cooking on Humphrey's and the 2019 American Royal Invitational winner was cooking on two of them.

They are great smokers. I also think 270 are good smokers, but I caution you that there are a few really negative voices about humphrey's on this forum that tend to dominate conversations.

 

[Pife]

I have a Humphrey cubed pint and really like it. I've used 270's a few times...they are great smokers, as well.

The way I have mine mounted on my trailer, i needed access to charcoal in front (Humphrey)... the 270 loads in the rear.

 

[Sid Post]

Between a Humphrey's and Backwoods, I'm partial to the Humphrey's even though Backwoods is almost next door.

Like 270, Humphrey's has some vocal negativity on the forums. I attribute this to the normal WalMart syndrome as well; one negative experience is repeated over and over in a very vocal way as if that would make any difference whether at the customer service counter or online. Happy customers aren't nearly as vocal or confrontational.

The one thing to me that 270 has going for it is the grate orientation. The wheel location for transport is pretty nice too.

When it's all said and done, I'd be happy with either choice as there are always subtle trade-offs whenever you compare two similar competitive smokers.