Traeger?

My mom bought one at Costco. She returned it in one month. Buy it at Costco for the return policy in case you don't like it.

Excellent advice. I can't imagine trying to wrap it up and ship it back if bought through Amazon or Traeger's own website.

When Trager grills first came out they were very well built machines. Mechanics were reliable,  the steel was thick enough for good heat retention, and I'm told customer service was very good. The company was sold in 2007 and they stopped making them in the USA, and now all Tragers come from China. As a result, they are now very cheaply made with thin metal walls and components that break down more easily, not to mention the poor customer service. I would not buy one.

Also, I will not buy their pellets. You won't find this information on the bags, or without doing some heavy research, the information is deeply hidden on the website. But they are not what they are advertised to be. It will say something like "100% hardwoods", but that is misleading. If you were to buy cherry for example, you might think you're getting cherry wood pellets. Not so. Half or more of the makeup of the pellet is oak or alder, and cherry would fill in the rest. Also, Trager is the only pellet manufacturer that I know of that uses "flavoring oils" in their pellets. I don't know about you, but I don't want vague "oils" coating my food.

@mneeley490 posted:

When Trager grills first came out they were very well built machines. Mechanics were reliable,  the steel was thick enough for good heat retention, and I'm told customer service was very good. The company was sold in 2007 and they stopped making them in the USA, and now all Tragers come from China. As a result, they are now very cheaply made with thin metal walls and components that break down more easily, not to mention the poor customer service. I would not buy one.

Also, I will not buy their pellets. You won't find this information on the bags, or without doing some heavy research, the information is deeply hidden on the website. But they are not what they are advertised to be. It will say something like "100% hardwoods", but that is misleading. If you were to buy cherry for example, you might think you're getting cherry wood pellets. Not so. Half or more of the makeup of the pellet is oak or alder, and cherry would fill in the rest. Also, Trager is the only pellet manufacturer that I know of that uses "flavoring oils" in their pellets. I don't know about you, but I don't want vague "oils" coating my food.

this man speaketh the truth

Excellent information. I think the saddest thing, is when you look at any site that has reviews, they are frequently calling out bad customer service. These reviews have been going on for many years and it's obvious what happens when a company doesn't pay attention to a consistent complaint. Is there any recommended pellet system?

@The Old Man posted:

Is there any recommended pellet system?

Recteq.

I have a Green Mountain Grill, Daniel Boone model that I got on a good sale. I like it, but it's not without its problems. (Had to replace the empty bin sensor, as the alarm wouldn't stop going off even when full. Not great at 3am. Also, takes some adjustment thru trial and error to get it to heat evenly.)

Recteq is high quality, and not inexpensive. But you get what you pay for.

The Rectec does look very impressive. Those double handles are actually a little scary.

@mneeley490 posted: retro bowl

I have a Green Mountain Grill, Daniel Boone model that I got on a good sale. I like it, but it's not without its problems. (Had to replace the empty bin sensor, as the alarm wouldn't stop going off even when full. Not great at 3am. Also, takes some adjustment thru trial and error to get it to heat evenly.)

Recteq is high quality, and not inexpensive. But you get what you pay for.

how much did you sell it for?