Turns smoking a brisket into setting a dial, which is why people love it in year one. The recurring long-term story is the controller and auger — electronics on a grill are a failure point a charcoal kettle does not have.
This entry is written from the 4 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
It depends on how you will use it. 58% would buy it again, which means roughly 42% would not. Controller malfunction is the defining second- and third-year complaint.
The novelty of easy smoking holds. What erodes it is the first time it will not light and you are reading a troubleshooting page instead of cooking.
Controller malfunction is the defining second- and third-year complaint. Ignition and power faults require diagnosis most owners cannot do. Consumer complaint volume around service is unusually high for the category.
Worth it for: People who want to smoke meat without learning fire management; Weekend cooks who value convenience over control; Anyone happy to replace a part rather than the grill. Think twice if: You want a grill with nothing electronic in it; High-heat searing is your main use; You have nowhere dry to store pellets.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 8.4 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 8.8 / 10 |
| One month | 7.9 / 10 |
| Six months | 7.0 / 10 |
| One year | 6.7 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 6.6 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Owner thread on recurring controller failures.
Large body of complaint reports, mostly service and reliability.
Customer reviews weighted toward warranty and support experiences.
Diagnostic write-up of the common power and ignition faults.