Very glad I saw this post, and right in the nick of time. I have one of his Blue Smoke Smokers that is finished and just awaiting shipping, and it has a removable T bar attached to the barrel under the collector. It has the elbow just like yours.
Funny thing is I saw the below picture on his FB page of another smoker with the T bar and it has a brace welded in at the elbow, apparently yours didn't, and I just looked at the picture he sent me of mine on Friday and mine doesn't have it either. Gonna have to call him on Monday and have him add that before it hits the road on it's way to me!
first post - this is my pit!
in the spirit of this thread, which is to post a detailed & honest assessment of Big Phil's product & service, I'd like to share a few things as well:
positives
i.) the smoker runs great. even temps, strong draft. has made it easy adjusting to an offset. the insulated firebox is clutch as we enter the cold weather months in the northeast.
ii.) from my eye, the welds are clearly of high quality/craftsmanship. the customization aspect of phil's offering is what ultimately drove my decision making to pick him as my pit-builder. especially the cart, with wheels thin enough to fit through my gate.
negatives
i.) reliability/responsiveness. when I contacted Phil in 4Q'21 to discuss the pit, and ultimately order it, he was more than happy to talk through ideas/process. after ordering it in Dec'21, i was given a 6-month lead time (which to be sure, I was totally fine with); still, it was virtually IMPOSSIBLE to get any updates on when he'd actually be either a.) completing the build or b.) shipping the pit. in fact, when i did get pics, there were several features i caught that he forgot to include - and had I not, they would not have gotten done. moreover, he did not note that i wanted the pit shipped - and because he did not arrange shipping in advance, this became a major problem as labor was scarce.
ii.) follow-up/resolution. i finally received the pit in mid July '22. the first thing i noticed was that the wheels were white, not black as i specifically discussed with him (multiple times) - and is clearly detailed in my invoice.
i flagged this immediately and he ordered the wheels promptly. since, he has gone completely silent, only telling me that the wheels are sitting in his box in the shop. no offer for a new solution, no timeframe, nothing. what went from solid, if spotty, customer service has become really upsetting. i would not have paid $750 for the wheel upgrade if i knew this was going to be the resulting outcome. at this point, i'm likely going to take care of the wheels myself - as there's no reason for me to expect phil to suddenly decide 6 months later that he'll actually take care of a frustrated customer.
correspondence below...
me:
Smoker made it. Can you send a nut for this wheel?
Also, we discussed spray painting the wheels black!
Phil Big Phil’s Smokers:
I can mail you a lug nut.
Sorry I forgot to get that done. Would you like for me to refund you for having white wheels ?
me:
Awesome. Yes that’d be greatly appreciated, whatever you think Is fair for the wheel painting
Phil Big Phil’s Smokers:
Well I was gonna get em Powdercoated
Which was $150.00 for all 4 wheels.
Are you gonna get em Powdercoated or just spray paint them
me:
If you can get 4 of them powder coated, and UPS them to me, I can put them on and I can UPS the white ones back to you.
Phil Big Phil’s Smokers:
Is there any powder coat shops around you
me:
Yes. But Problem is would be a pain to get those tires off those wheels. The powder coater won’t do that. Then, once they are coated, I’d have to reinstall the tires onto the wheels with tubes inside the tires.
Maybe you’d send the wheels, then i’d have them powder coated here? What are you thinking would be easiest?
Phil Big Phil’s Smokers:
I’ll just ship you the wheels and you can keep the others. To much of a hassle and I have no use for those wheels
And these tires don’t have tubes in them. They are tubeless
Wheels are ordered. When I get em in. I’ll take em to get stripped and Powdercoated and then once they are done. I’ll put em back in the box and ship to you