Humphrey's battle box issues.

[cheez59]

Humphreys dosent have a warranty, new that when I bought it. Don't expect them to do much,

There sir is your answer.

 

[Jfine]

Answer to what? Is that supposed to tell me they have or have not had this issue?

 

[Jfine]

I'm not on here to blast them and get anything from them, that's why I haven't contacted them a second time. I am on here to share what's going on with my $1500 cooker that's been kept inside, never seen rain and not very old. I'm trying to find out if this is normal/common as I read nothing about this when I chose Humprhey's. If it is common people who are looking to invest in a cooker should know to expect this. If its not the norm and its an isolated case I get the joy of repairing a cooker I love knowing I will have to repeat this process and to pay close attention to the bottom. If id not have decided to build a cart I wonder how bad it would have got before I new there was an issue down there.

 

[itschris]

Paint and heat do not get along. especially in areas of concentrated heat.

The face where the door is bubling is no big deal. happens to all pits of that style. if it concerns you, wire wheel it off and repaint with high heat black bbq paint. pretty much a yearly task.

The only real solutions I see are: avoid paint all together (stainless steel), Live with it, or buy generic black pits and touch up as needed.

Sexy paint jobs do not last long on a bbq pit

I'll have to call shenanigans on that. I have two Stumps and have no such issues. The flaking around the door is common... I just pull out the trusty putty knife every now and then and re-spray with Canola oil before the cook.

I've seen several year old Stumps that look like new. I've never seen a Hump in person so I can't comment on their quality but everyone says they're great. From the OP's experience however, the customer service may need some help. I'd be pissed if that were happening to me. It's pretty obvious there was a complete lack of care in the paint job prep for it to peel like that.

I'm always amazed at the "just fix it yourself' response from companies.

 

[cheez59]

Answer to what? Is that supposed to tell me they have or have not had this issue?

The answer to who is going to fix the problem. They obviously believe their product and people to be infallible. Otherwise they would have a warranty and not try to blame the customer for any problem. Whether they have had this problem in the past or not will not change the fact that you are on your own with the smoker once you make the purchase. I am sorry you have this issue. On the other hand since I am talking with them about a $3000 smoker this thread will certainly influence my decision.

 

[Rusty Kettle]

I call Bull Chit, on Humphrey's. No warranty probably should have been the first clue to stay away from them. No offense but without a warranty there is no recourse to remedy your problem.

I was looking at them myself as they are cheaper than the average cabinet smoker. I was going to try and convince my wife at tax refund time. Thanks for the post and the warning. I don't want to drop any money on something that will rust that quick. I understand things age but that's ridiculous. If my WSMs or even my kettles did that I would be angry and on the phone with weber and I doubt they would treat me that way and the WSM is cheap in comparison to that. I never would have thought a smoker that expensive wouldn't have a warranty.


If you are stuck with it I would get it sand blasted completely and maybe powder coated.

Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience and thank you for saving me from disappointment.

 

[newtwoq]

This same issue just came up on the Humphrey owners FB page.

 

[Jfine]

I have not seen their Fb page, I will check that out.

 

[kolky]

I'm having the same issue with the rust around the door on my Battle Box. Have not checked to see if there are any issues with the paint on the bottom.

 

[Ribeye Republic]

As someone who is seriously considering a Humphrey unit this thread is of interest. I would email them explaining the issue again and include a link to this thread.

"The squeaky wheel" and all that.

BP

 

[Jfine]

Worth checking out. Mine was on casters from day 1.

 

[vraknari]

This same issue just came up on the Humphrey owners FB page.

If it's the same post I read about, that was actually started back on October 16th.

Neither Chad or Nicole have responded to it, so take that FWIW.

 

[smokinit]

Ok guys read through everything no issues with mine let me touch base with them see what I can do. J FINE did.get it from Ron in Kc shoot him the thread.

 

[cseymour45]

I have had this problem with my Weeble that was purchased last January. The cooker had probably only 4 cooks on it when I started to notice paint bubbles where the gasket meets the frame of the cooker. I didn't think much of it at first, but it started growing. So, feeling the same as you I also contacted the company. A fairly quick response from them was that they are not happy with the paint they have used (or are forced to use for health standards). This is common for the bubbles to appear around where the gasket meets, Chad sent me a can of high temp black paint with the instructions to wire brush off the bubbling areas and re paint. I used my dremel to clean up the areas and re paint, it seems to have worked fine. Although, now I see more bubbles starting where the gasket seals around the fire door.

I have not looked underneath to see if any bubbles are appearing on the bottom. I understand your anger, I was also fairly upset. My father has had a Backwoods for about 4 years now, not one single spot of paint has bubbled, but that smoker is also much higher priced than mine. Maybe you do get what you pay for. Overall, the bubbles don't bother me too much, but a guy does get a bit irritated when you pay over $1,000 for a smoker that bubbles paint before the 5th use.

 

[Sfine118]

I must admit I'm both shocked and disappointed with the response you got from them directly. I'd expect at the very least a better explanation. :shock:

 

[Jfine]

Yes it's w tough pill to swallow when your not rich. Its a big purchase for someone like myself, wanted it to last as long as possible. Got me some hi temp pain this afternoon so I'll patch her up soon.

 

[Sfine118]

I've seen your cooker in person and been with you while you've cooked on it. It's a great unit, I guess that's why this is disappointing. I've been in contact with KC Bbq store, St Louis Bbq store, and Kevin from here about purchasing a unit myself. I'm not going to say it's making me think twice about buying one. But it definitely is weighing heavy on my mind. I hope at the very least this gets figured out for you, or at least advice from them directly on how to fix it.

 

[sylntghost]

Thanks so much for this post.i was also looking into a humphreys cooker.now I'm not to sure.

 

[Jfine]

Here is a better pic of the seal area on upper cook chamber and a pic of the pitting on the bar between cook chamber and fire box.

 

[Stlbbqstore]

We have been aware of this thread from the get go, we have talked to Jason at length and if he has any further questions, he is more than willing to contact us.

In addition, if anyone has any questions about Humphrey's smokers, feel free to give us a call at 314.200.5350