expired Posted by rbstern • Nov 8, 2023
Nov 8, 2023 11:44 PM
Item 1 of 1
expired Posted by rbstern • Nov 8, 2023
Nov 8, 2023 11:44 PM
Pit Boss 850 Navigator pellet grill $499
$499
$899
44% offAcademy Sports
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I opted for a triple combo grill, smoker, and cooktop from Lowe's. I couldn't find that combo in the same price bracket so I'm pleased. Just... that connectivity feature is poo.
Edit: oh yeah, and cleaning ash from the fire pot is a PITA. You have to remove the grate, remove the heat shield, and then use a shop vac to remove the ashes. So it's not something you can do in the middle of a long smoke. (e.g. using a wood type that produces a lot of ash like mesquite? you're likely to get a lot of ash blown around inside after it's been running for several hours. That's the #1 thing I dislike about my Pit Boss.
Also, a minor design flaw is the chute to clean out the pellet hopper. The screw to open the chute is not captive and it has fallen into my bucket of pellets on more than one occasion. I had to get a big strong magnet and force it down in the pellets to find the lone screw (or sift through the whole bucket a handful at a time). A single 1¢ part would fix it. It's just little quirks that let's me know the designers didn't consider the use of the product very thoroughly.
I opted for a triple combo grill, smoker, and cooktop from Lowe's. I couldn't find that combo in the same price bracket so I'm pleased. Just... that connectivity feature is poo.
Edit: oh yeah, and cleaning ash from the fire pot is a PITA. You have to remove the grate, remove the heat shield, and then use a shop vac to remove the ashes. So it's not something you can do in the middle of a long smoke. (e.g. using a wood type that produces a lot of ash like mesquite? you're likely to get a lot of ash blown around inside after it's been running for several hours. That's the #1 thing I dislike about my Pit Boss.
Also, a minor design flaw is the chute to clean out the pellet hopper. The screw to open the chute is not captive and it has fallen into my bucket of pellets on more than one occasion. I had to get a big strong magnet and force it down in the pellets to find the lone screw (or sift through the whole bucket a handful at a time). A single 1¢ part would fix it. It's just little quirks that let's me know the designers didn't consider the use of the product very thoroughly.
To help with the searches you suggested ppl do, here's something they should look for. The old app was called SmokeIT while the new one is just called Pitboss. People still have issues, but if you noticed they almost categorically go silent when anyone asks them about the troubleshooting steps they've taken, typically because they haven't taken any, and doing those steps resolves the issue (ie. user error.)
Your complaint about cleaning the grill is literally just a feature of ANY pellet smoker. Pellets produce ash. Some pellet brands produce more than others. Cleaning every 3 to 5 smokes with a shop vac takes about 2 minutes before you start the thing up. There are no pellet smokers that let you clean the grill while in use either. If you want the convenience of a machine that handles the fire maintenance for you, this is the trade off. It isn't a Pitboss issue at all.
I can't speak to the screw thing, but there pellet chute isn't even something I've ever bothered opening, because I've never taken pellets out of the hopper that I've put in there. The only reason I can ever see myself doing that is if I somehow let the pellets get wet, and there were a ton left in there. To get them wet, I'd literally have to leave the lid it open in the rain. Also, there's a good chance I'd just grab my shopvac and not bother with the chute.
I'm not saying pitboss has no flaws, but I'm saying they're not really the ones you're listing. If you compare to am something like a Yoder or RecTec, it's clear that Pitboss grills aren't as premium, develop more hot spots, don't and aren't as good at burn logic as some of these other grills. If you're in the market and your budget it 1k to 3k don't even look at a Pitboss because there are definitely superior units. For 500 though, you probably can't beat this grill, and if you aren't sitting there expecting an ultra premium experience you'll almost certainly be very happy with this unit.
Does this mean you need to buy another accessory to use the grill through the app?