Traeger at Home Depot

[Rib Rub]

I have to agree with you. I had to grab something in HD last weekend and walked by the BBQ section and seen the same two grills. They looked like junk. You can get a way better pellet smoker for $800 bucks. Luckily though they had pellets there and saved me a trip as I was heading to get pellets also on that trip. I will add, Traeger has better grills, I don’t know why these are the ones they chose for a box store?

 

[OEF5]

They are getting a brand name posting on Instagram every few days. Eva Shokey cooks on one which I'm sure she got through a sponsorship deal with Cabela's and just raves about it.

I have a char griller grill with the side fire box, and while it turns out great food, it's a better grill than a smoker, my UDS' are better smokers.

 

[OklaDustDevil]

My neighbor has a Traeger and absolutely LOVES it. He's a bit of a chef so I trust his judgement about equipment, cooking methods, and food quality. But every time I tried to check one out, at CostCo, or the mall displays, or wherever, I just couldn't get over the thinness of the metal and the grates inside. So in the end I kept using my stickburners until Traeger's patents expired and other companies joined the fray using thicker materials. Ended up with a Mak 1-star, which I love.

I fully acknowledge that with the electronics, etc., maybe thickness or substantiality doesn't really matter for a pellet smoker. And the Traegers may be fantastic pellet smokers, even better than my Mak. Maybe I really missed out on pellet convenience for years. But I know myself well enough to know that every time I fired it up or used it, every time I walked out and saw it, every time I touched it or lifted the lid, the thinness and lightness would make me feel bad.

Maybe it comes from using quality stickburners for 25+ years, but at least IMHO there is a tactile aspect to smoking and grilling with quality equipment -- not necessarily expensive, but quality -- that is inextricably intertwined with how I experience and enjoy the process.

 

[rwalters]

My neighbor has a Traeger and absolutely LOVES it. He's a bit of a chef so I trust his judgement about equipment, cooking methods, and food quality. But every time I tried to check one out, at CostCo, or the mall displays, or wherever, I just couldn't get over the thinness of the metal and the grates inside. So in the end I kept using my stickburners until Traeger's patents expired and other companies joined the fray using thicker materials. Ended up with a Mak 1-star, which I love.

I fully acknowledge that with the electronics, etc., maybe thickness or substantiality doesn't really matter for a pellet smoker. And the Traegers may be fantastic pellet smokers, even better than my Mak. Maybe I really missed out on pellet convenience for years. But I know myself well enough to know that every time I fired it up or used it, every time I walked out and saw it, every time I touched it or lifted the lid, the thinness and lightness would make me feel bad.

Maybe it comes from using quality stickburners for 25+ years, but at least IMHO there is a tactile aspect to smoking and grilling with quality equipment -- not necessarily expensive, but quality -- that is inextricably intertwined with how I experience and enjoy the process.

My mind thinks identical to yours... kind of scary

 

[KORND4WG X]

My neighbor has a Traeger and absolutely LOVES it. He's a bit of a chef so I trust his judgement about equipment, cooking methods, and food quality. But every time I tried to check one out, at CostCo, or the mall displays, or wherever, I just couldn't get over the thinness of the metal and the grates inside. So in the end I kept using my stickburners until Traeger's patents expired and other companies joined the fray using thicker materials. Ended up with a Mak 1-star, which I love.

I fully acknowledge that with the electronics, etc., maybe thickness or substantiality doesn't really matter for a pellet smoker. And the Traegers may be fantastic pellet smokers, even better than my Mak. Maybe I really missed out on pellet convenience for years. But I know myself well enough to know that every time I fired it up or used it, every time I walked out and saw it, every time I touched it or lifted the lid, the thinness and lightness would make me feel bad.

Maybe it comes from using quality stickburners for 25+ years, but at least IMHO there is a tactile aspect to smoking and grilling with quality equipment -- not necessarily expensive, but quality -- that is inextricably intertwined with how I experience and enjoy the process.

Eloquently stated :thumb:

 

[solarcabin1]

I was very surprised today at HD. I saw a couple of Traeger pellet grills. That is the 1st time I had seen one in person. The larger of the 2 was $800, the smaller was $500.

Not to be insulting to those that own them, but they sure looked flimsy to me, especially for that kind of money.

We have had three traegers for three years and haven't had any issues as of yet. That's the only pellet stove we have owned so I have nothing to compare them to but so far so good. I know of six other people with them and no issues that I know of..

 

[Rusty Kettle]

I had one one for awhile. Sold it and regret it. I am going to get another one. Traeger customer service can't be beat. They walked me through how to get a heavier smoke flavor. Seriously top notch quality and service. No rust after 4 years of hard use. Yes it has thinner metal but it did not rot out. The temps do not stay steady. Not a big deal. It feeds the fire pellets and stops when it gets to temp then waits for it to drop so far then kicks in again. Slight learning curve. Good entry pellet grill and very durable.
Takes about 10 mins to get to temp and get cooking.

Seriously you don't need to drop a ton of money for a good pellet grill. Traeger is great. I only sold mine to get my 270 smokers sumo. I need one for week night cooking. Probably get a tailgater.

 

[wahoowad]

There was a Forbes magazine article last year about Traeger being sold to venture capitalists. I think it said they fired everybody except 4 people and moved the business to another location. They are putting tons of effort into marketing via social media so there are tons of influential people on social media posting about their cooking with it every day. Right now they own like 70% of the pellet cooker market and i’m curious if that is rising or falling given the increased competition.

As far as I am concerned they all are almost the same, with the major differences being a single feature that one maker offers that others don’t have. So not a lot of differentiation, just a little bit. The technology looks rudimentary - maybe high tech for a grill or smoker - but still rudimentary given the state of technology today. I’m expecting the industry to continue to grow and evolve. Many diehard don’t want the electronics or wireless or ease of set it and forget, but the average consumer will and that is who Traeger is marketing to.

 

[Rib Rub]

My neighbor has a Traeger and absolutely LOVES it. He's a bit of a chef so I trust his judgement about equipment, cooking methods, and food quality. But every time I tried to check one out, at CostCo, or the mall displays, or wherever, I just couldn't get over the thinness of the metal and the grates inside. So in the end I kept using my stickburners until Traeger's patents expired and other companies joined the fray using thicker materials. Ended up with a Mak 1-star, which I love.

I fully acknowledge that with the electronics, etc., maybe thickness or substantiality doesn't really matter for a pellet smoker. And the Traegers may be fantastic pellet smokers, even better than my Mak. Maybe I really missed out on pellet convenience for years. But I know myself well enough to know that every time I fired it up or used it, every time I walked out and saw it, every time I touched it or lifted the lid, the thinness and lightness would make me feel bad.

Maybe it comes from using quality stickburners for 25+ years, but at least IMHO there is a tactile aspect to smoking and grilling with quality equipment -- not necessarily expensive, but quality -- that is inextricably intertwined with how I experience and enjoy the process.

Check out a RecTec or a Yoder. I paid a $1000 for my Camp Chef Woodwind and it is a pretty solid grill. It also has a sear box on it, not to mention quite a few little features that won me over vs the TRagger. I have been pretty happy with it. For the extra $500 or so I would have gotten the Yoder if I had know about it. Going to upgrade to the Yoder this summer and just keep the Woodwind for and extra grill for parties and doing side dishes.

I will also add that Traeger did an infomercial with a grill and was a good unit which came with allot of extras like a cover and pellets etc... It was also around the $899 price tag. Was a much better grill than the ones they have in HD.

 

[Richard_]

I looked at Traeger's and heard enough stories about their augers that break. I saved my money and bought a MAK which is made in Oregon. Awesome cooker with even better Customer Service.

MAK is made in my home town , definitely a quality cooker , but for what I've spent on my 2 Craigslist Treagers , I have zero complaints !

 

[Atlantaegger]

If you decide, Costco seems to have the best price plus extras over anywhere else.

 

[solarcabin1]

I had one one for awhile. Sold it and regret it. I am going to get another one. Traeger customer service can't be beat. They walked me through how to get a heavier smoke flavor. Seriously top notch quality and service. No rust after 4 years of hard use. Yes it has thinner metal but it did not rot out. The temps do not stay steady. Not a big deal. It feeds the fire pellets and stops when it gets to temp then waits for it to drop so far then kicks in again. Slight learning curve. Good entry pellet grill and very durable.
Takes about 10 mins to get to temp and get cooking.

Seriously you don't need to drop a ton of money for a good pellet grill. Traeger is great. I only sold mine to get my 270 smokers sumo. I need one for week night cooking. Probably get a tailgater.

We have a couple of tailgaters and a pro22 but I enjoy the tailgaters the most. They can cook for 6 or more people with no problem. The temp on ours are well regulated

 

[solarcabin1]

Check out a RecTec or a Yoder. I paid a $1000 for my Camp Chef Woodwind and it is a pretty solid grill. It also has a sear box on it, not to mention quite a few little features that won me over vs the TRagger. I have been pretty happy with it. For the extra $500 or so I would have gotten the Yoder if I had know about it. Going to upgrade to the Yoder this summer and just keep the Woodwind for and extra grill for parties and doing side dishes.

I will also add that Traeger did an infomercial with a grill and was a good unit which came with allot of extras like a cover and pellets etc... It was also around the $899 price tag. Was a much better grill than the ones they have in HD.

Maybe HD ordered them to spec. That's why they are so thin. Not sure just saying