Model: Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1050 Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker - Charcoal Grills at Academy Sports
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I have this. On the one hand the concept is great as is the execution. You do truly get a self regulating charcoal burning grill that can double as a smoker or get up to 700 degrees to sear stuff.
On the other hand, when building it, the quality of the components is very evident that this won't last forever as metal is very thin & will certainly rust out sooner than you'd like.
Check out the Char-Griller 980 at the same price (edit: actually Char-Griller is $100 less). Better built and has some improvements learned from letting Masterbuilt go first. Better fire box (fire bricks instead of metal), porcelain coated parts, better manifold, better grease trap design and generally thicker steel as well.
Not trying to threadcrap, honest question- isn't masterbuilt one of those brands that's basically disposable after a few years (rusts out, etc). Even at a discount, I'm hesitant to pay Weber/traeger prices if it's not built to last.
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Not trying to threadcrap, honest question- isn't masterbuilt one of those brands that's basically disposable after a few years (rusts out, etc). Even at a discount, I'm hesitant to pay Weber/traeger prices if it's not built to last.
Yup, paying nearly 700 bucks for anything made by this company is a guarantee for disappointment.
Not trying to threadcrap, honest question- isn't masterbuilt one of those brands that's basically disposable after a few years (rusts out, etc). Even at a discount, I'm hesitant to pay Weber/traeger prices if it's not built to last.
A couple things. I somewhat agree but I wouldn't lump weber/trager into the same category. Weber will last forever, Traeger is not the same quality or anything close. The build quality of the Traeger is better but the electronics are not even as good as the Masterbuilt.
I've had a MB 560 for a couple years now. The quality isn't the highest but I've had zero problems and it can do things no other smoker can do. This is one of the few smokers where I can just flip a switch, set a temp, and come back 8 hours later. The 560 can be bought for around $400 and I think it's well worth it. If I was going to pay $700, I may start considering other options. Also keep in mind that I probably will only use my smoker 7-10 times a year. If I was using it 30 times a year I'd buy something like a Yoder.
Conceptually I love the gravity feed systems. Having the ability to grill/smoke with charcoal and be in control of the temp is amazing. I have the 560 and for my use as an occasional user who isn't hosting grilling parties it suffices. The build quality, however, is abysmal. Very thin metal, the grill itself is prone to grease fires (I had one that ruined many components), and while you aren't paying thousands, paying $500-1000 for a year or two of occasional use is pretty horrid. I am only able to get 2 years of use out of it because I had to have the entire hopper assembly, manifold, and racks replaced under warranty. The grill itself has pretty bad hot spotting making it a pain to get even 4 burgers on/off at the same time. The temp control also is pretty inaccurate, but is cured by having your own external monitoring/control device (i.e. firebox).
That said, having the ability to do both grilling and smoking is great and I intend to get as much use out of it until the components start to show significant wear again. One grease fire is all it takes to ruin it (and you would be surprised how easy it is to have a grease fire with this thing). If you are lucky and on top of it, you may be able to get 5 years out of it, but don't hold your breath.
Yeah, sorry didn't mean to confuse anyone and imply Weber of traeger have similar models yet. Just meant that there are lots of other high quality grills/smokers in this price range.
And I hope you're right about Weber introducing one next year! The sooner they introduce it, the sooner they can work the bugs out and release a V2. love the concept of these, but won't buy one until I can be reasonable confident it'll last for a decade-ish. For those who do buy this, enjoy the smokes with it on the 4th!
Been on the fence with these. How well does the hopper work? The idea of charcoal that feels like wood pellets really has ben intrigued, but early designs were known for getting clogged with ashes.
Been on the fence with these. How well does the hopper work? The idea of charcoal that feels like wood pellets really has ben intrigued, but early designs were known for getting clogged with ashes.
The hopper is flawless from what I've experienced. I've never had an issue with Ash getting clogged, and it holds a lot of charcoal!
Most people who research this verses the Char Griller 980 go with the 980. More even cooking space, much better built, cheaper, etc. It is brand new so it will have some quirks to work out, but it looks to be the better buy. For perspective, the 980 is 50 pounds heavier than the MB 1050.
It seems like a lot of the issues people have is when using this to grill and getting to high temps. If I were to use this just for smoking at low temps, would these issues arise?
I would avoid these masterbuilt gravity series. I have had 2 of them in less than a year. The first one went out on day 87 of ownership so I was able to exchange. And funny enough the second one will also not hold a consistent temp. What I mean is, if I set it up to 225. It'll keep climbing and climbing. On my last cook it got close to 400. I literally just picked up a different smoker today. After my experience I will never own another masterbuilt. I loved this grill and have smoked some mean briskets. I just cannot deal with the nonstop issues tho. Buy at your own risk.
I went through 2 of the smaller 560 model. 2nd one works after some mods and just giving up on the wifi.
Definitely great idea with horrible execution and quality. I'm waiting for a reputable brand to do this right.
There are a lot of high quality gravity grills out there if you're looking to spend ~$4k+. Myron Nixon, Royall, Assassin, T&K etc.
Stumps, too. But yeah, those charcoal gravity smokers you will definitely pay for the premium quality!
As far as I can tell, there are basically 3 affordable gravity smokers right now:
The Masterbuilt series. MB did update their design for this year, so they aren't quite as bad as last year's models, but still this is the lowest quality of the 3. By far.
The Char-Griller 980. Available at Lowes. Reviews are generally positive. I am 90% sure that I will buy one for myself. Same price range as the MB. Biggest drawback of the CG 980 is that it's a drum shape rather than a box shape like the MB, so it's less internal space. There's no rotisserie option like the MB.
The Old Country BBQ Pits Insulated Gravity Fed Charcoal Smoker. Availability is really limited on this one. It goes for about $1300, so pricier, but in the general range. Build quality is very very high. It's a cabinet, so it doesn't grill. But anyway, if you're looking for a gravity-fed charcoal smoker, it's a good option to consider
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On the other hand, when building it, the quality of the components is very evident that this won't last forever as metal is very thin & will certainly rust out sooner than you'd like.
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Yup, paying nearly 700 bucks for anything made by this company is a guarantee for disappointment.
I've had a MB 560 for a couple years now. The quality isn't the highest but I've had zero problems and it can do things no other smoker can do. This is one of the few smokers where I can just flip a switch, set a temp, and come back 8 hours later. The 560 can be bought for around $400 and I think it's well worth it. If I was going to pay $700, I may start considering other options. Also keep in mind that I probably will only use my smoker 7-10 times a year. If I was using it 30 times a year I'd buy something like a Yoder.
That said, having the ability to do both grilling and smoking is great and I intend to get as much use out of it until the components start to show significant wear again. One grease fire is all it takes to ruin it (and you would be surprised how easy it is to have a grease fire with this thing). If you are lucky and on top of it, you may be able to get 5 years out of it, but don't hold your breath.
And I hope you're right about Weber introducing one next year! The sooner they introduce it, the sooner they can work the bugs out and release a V2. love the concept of these, but won't buy one until I can be reasonable confident it'll last for a decade-ish. For those who do buy this, enjoy the smokes with it on the 4th!
Always hold out for V2!
The hopper is flawless from what I've experienced. I've never had an issue with Ash getting clogged, and it holds a lot of charcoal!
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I went through 2 of the smaller 560 model. 2nd one works after some mods and just giving up on the wifi.
Definitely great idea with horrible execution and quality. I'm waiting for a reputable brand to do this right.
As far as I can tell, there are basically 3 affordable gravity smokers right now: