Anyone disappointed

[Frank289]

No apologies needed. No offense, but your first post, innocuous as it is, had many makings of a troll post and as a moderator, I was just checking to see if it was legit. We usually shut such negative posting down pretty quick as it brings nothing to the forum.

As it was pointed out, this is not a Traeger sponsored forum, but a grass roots effort to build a community of Traeger users to commiserate and share experiences. We are all glad to help out where we can.

My second Traeger was a Century 22 from Costco which I returned for a full refund 9 months later due to a lack of CS at Traeger. It was a lemon that would always throw a code on the smoke setting. Then the heat baffle warped and could not be put back in place, hence the return. I bought another Century 22 (new design) and it's been working great for a couple of years now.

I would push Home Depot to take it back even to the point of contesting the charge on the credit card. No one should have to deal with parts and labor to fix a defect in an $800 grill so early in the game.

Appreciate the No Offense. I suspected sponsor from the original response, but can see its genuine regarding trolls. I wish I went to Costco now, but they were out of stock and I wanted it "NOW", hence THD. And for the record, the cook is great, my kid uses his 5x a week and laughs at me because of "Dad Luck". Now that I have, or will be getting parts, hoping its done eating all electronics. Hoping you all have a great Thanksgiving.

 

[GrillMeister]

Appreciate the No Offense. I suspected sponsor from the original response, but can see its genuine regarding trolls. I wish I went to Costco now, but they were out of stock and I wanted it "NOW", hence THD. And for the record, the cook is great, my kid uses his 5x a week and laughs at me because of "Dad Luck". Now that I have, or will be getting parts, hoping its done eating all electronics. Hoping you all have a great Thanksgiving.

Welcome to the Traeger Forum. Have a great turkey day too!

 

[JPSBBQ]

All pellet cookers are susceptible to these sorta failures. Lots of moving parts and electronics in an inhospitable atmosphere. While very frustrating for sure, please take solace in the fact it happens to every single manufacturer out there. Once you power through this PITA you should have years of enjoyment. Cheers!

 

[midwest]

I used to work in the retail business, Lowes specifically. Most of these places have such a lax return policy that it is almost criminal. I am shocked they didn't return your grill for an exchange. If it was me, even with the new parts I would probably go talk to the manager and ask for an exchange, just in case you got a lemon. I can tell you countless stories about these stores taking back items they should not have. So the ones they should take care of shouldn't be an issue.

 

[ImTarheel]

Long time smoker, 6 week Traeger owner. I loved my new Traeger I just got, but I've already had to replace the igniter and auger motor. For the amount of $$$, shouldn't the parts last more than a few weeks?

I have been very disappointed with my Traeger, I have the Timberline 850 when it was delivered it did the initial burn went to use it the following Saturday after bragging it up to my Green Egg Friends and the Hot Rod was bad, called Traeger they sent me a new firebox replaced it and it worked good for about another 2 weeks when it started to have controller issues, called Traeger and they sent me a new Control Board put it on problem solved fast forward a month I went to open it and the gasket that seals the smoker lid stayed half connected to the Lid other Half Dangling called Traeger they sent me a new Door Gasket, so about a month ago I got an error saying Failed to Ignite Called Traeger and went thru all their steps only to be told I needed a new Fire Box so they sent me one put it in and for the time being its working again, but for a 2000.00 Smoker I am completely disappointed not even to mention the three times it caused me to have to cancel a cookout that friends and family had been invited too. If you don't have a Traeger already and want one I would suggest you buy 2 then maybe you could count on one working all the time.... And by the way this grill is always covered and has never been exposed to the elements....

 

[JPSBBQ]

I have been very disappointed with my Traeger, I have the Timberline 850 when it was delivered it did the initial burn went to use it the following Saturday after bragging it up to my Green Egg Friends and the Hot Rod was bad, called Traeger they sent me a new firebox replaced it and it worked good for about another 2 weeks when it started to have controller issues, called Traeger and they sent me a new Control Board put it on problem solved fast forward a month I went to open it and the gasket that seals the smoker lid stayed half connected to the Lid other Half Dangling called Traeger they sent me a new Door Gasket, so about a month ago I got an error saying Failed to Ignite Called Traeger and went thru all their steps only to be told I needed a new Fire Box so they sent me one put it in and for the time being its working again, but for a 2000.00 Smoker I am completely disappointed not even to mention the three times it caused me to have to cancel a cookout that friends and family had been invited too. If you don't have a Traeger already and want one I would suggest you buy 2 then maybe you could count on one working all the time.... And by the way this grill is always covered and has never been exposed to the elements....

Hmmm, really? Hmmmm.

 

[putnamm]

Spent three years dealing with this POS. Replaced all the guts. Finally, when it engulfed itself in flames (ruining a good piece of meat and nearly burning down my deck) I called it quits. As a former owner of a traditional, cast iron barrel smoker--and a Texan--I was always kind of ashamed to have one of these things anyway. So I did the only thing that made sense...

I'm sure there will be plenty of pushback from the cult of HASHTAGTRAEGERLYFE Instagram crowd who like to post pictures of their meat on Facebook and have all the Traeger baseball caps and T-shirts and kettle bells and stuff... But, yeah. The product is crap. Ditch it.

 

[JPSBBQ]

Spent three years dealing with this POS. Replaced all the guts. Finally, when it engulfed itself in flames (ruining a good piece of meat and nearly burning down my deck) I called it quits. As a former owner of a traditional, cast iron barrel smoker--and a Texan--I was always kind of ashamed to have one of these things anyway. So I did the only thing that made sense...

I'm sure there will be plenty of pushback from the cult of HASHTAGTRAEGERLYFE Instagram crowd who like to post pictures of their meat on Facebook and have all the Traeger baseball caps and T-shirts and kettle bells and stuff... But, yeah. The product is crap. Ditch it.

View attachment 7777

Troll. Please move along to a cast iron smoker forum. LOL!

Any pictures of that cast iron rig?

 

[CMTiger]

I’m convinced some people come here and think Traeger is hearing them. Like it’s an official Traeger forum for bad reviews or something.

Or the amount of the people who pay $2k for something and apparently have done zilch research beforehand.

 

[FieldMedic]

Spent three years dealing with this POS. Replaced all the guts. Finally, when it engulfed itself in flames (ruining a good piece of meat and nearly burning down my deck) I called it quits. As a former owner of a traditional, cast iron barrel smoker--and a Texan--I was always kind of ashamed to have one of these things anyway. So I did the only thing that made sense...

I'm sure there will be plenty of pushback from the cult of HASHTAGTRAEGERLYFE Instagram crowd who like to post pictures of their meat on Facebook and have all the Traeger baseball caps and T-shirts and kettle bells and stuff... But, yeah. The product is crap. Ditch it.

View attachment 7777

Address?

 

[putnamm]

I’m convinced some people come here and think Traeger is hearing them. Like it’s an official Traeger forum for bad reviews or something.

Or the amount of the people who pay $2k for something and apparently have done zilch research beforehand.

No, I emailed Jeremy Andrus, Dominic Blosil and Jim Hardy directly. And they responded. So Traeger already heard me.

I actually ended up here by searching for other people with similar experiences. Quite a few, it seems. I'm glad they're working for some people. Just not for me.

 

[miguelb]

@Frank289 as many mentioned prior, not a traeger sponsor forums. Case in point, it's through this forum that many people suggested ditching traeger wool pellets for other brands. I haven't turned back since. I hope all works out.

 

[CMTiger]

No, I emailed Jeremy Andrus, Dominic Blosil and Jim Hardy directly. And they responded. So Traeger already heard me.

I actually ended up here by searching for other people with similar experiences. Quite a few, it seems. I'm glad they're working for some people. Just not for me.

But you’re only two posts here contain a picture of you supposedly giving your Traeger away. What’s the point? Troll.

 

[RustyJake]

All of the posts chastising Traeger for it's lack of smoke can be duplicated on pretty much every pellet smoker forum. Some forums are more censored. so you don't see as many posts complaining about it.
I guess if i am asked if I am disappointed, I would say yes, but not with the Traeger. It would be disappointed with people that don't do their due diligence and researching their purchases prior to making a purchase. I do realize that until you've actually smoked something on it, you aren't fully aware of the level of smoke imparted. Seeing and tasting is believing.
There are numerous posts here as well as information online if one was to search for smoke level on pellet grills on any search engine.
If you are coming from a stick burner or Kamado or any grill capable of burning logs/real wood and you are expecting the same level of smoke flavor, you will be disappointed.
These grills/smokers exist out of our need for convenience. Set and forget mentality that we all strive for. Does the Traeger smoke foods, yes. But definitely not at a level equal to any stick burner or Kamado. I have a Kamado grill and have cooked two briskets at the same time, one on the Traeger and one on the Kamado as an experiment. Smoke was no comparison, Kamado won out. But overall, the Traeger brisket was done perfectly. I had family that chose it over the Kamado cooked brisket. Some people like less smoke flavor.
In fairness to Traeger, this lack of smoke issue is a common issue with all pellet grills. It is the nature of the pellets and how they are burned.
If you want to hold someone accountable for not getting the smoke you want, you may want to look at yourself first. The information is out there, one just need to take the time to research. We spend more money on these than we do on an oven inside the house for the most part.
I feel for those that aren't satisfied with the level of smoke, but please take some responsibility for your disappointment.

 

[Murphy's Law]

All of the posts chastising Traeger for it's lack of smoke can be duplicated on pretty much every pellet smoker forum. Some forums are more censored. so you don't see as many posts complaining about it.
I guess if i am asked if I am disappointed, I would say yes, but not with the Traeger. It would be disappointed with people that don't do their due diligence and researching their purchases prior to making a purchase. I do realize that until you've actually smoked something on it, you aren't fully aware of the level of smoke imparted. Seeing and tasting is believing.
There are numerous posts here as well as information online if one was to search for smoke level on pellet grills on any search engine.
If you are coming from a stick burner or Kamado or any grill capable of burning logs/real wood and you are expecting the same level of smoke flavor, you will be disappointed.
These grills/smokers exist out of our need for convenience. Set and forget mentality that we all strive for. Does the Traeger smoke foods, yes. But definitely not at a level equal to any stick burner or Kamado. I have a Kamado grill and have cooked two briskets at the same time, one on the Traeger and one on the Kamado as an experiment. Smoke was no comparison, Kamado won out. But overall, the Traeger brisket was done perfectly. I had family that chose it over the Kamado cooked brisket. Some people like less smoke flavor.
In fairness to Traeger, this lack of smoke issue is a common issue with all pellet grills. It is the nature of the pellets and how they are burned.
If you want to hold someone accountable for not getting the smoke you want, you may want to look at yourself first. The information is out there, one just need to take the time to research. We spend more money on these than we do on an oven inside the house for the most part.
I feel for those that aren't satisfied with the level of smoke, but please take some responsibility for your disappointment.

I would like this post twice if I could. I am not sure how Traeger used to market their grills but they are calling them "Wood Fired Grill" or "Wood Pellet Grill". They mention "smoke flavor" but I have never seen Traeger compare themselves to a smoker.

Sure, I wish the temp probes were better, but other than that the Traeger has met my expectations in every way. That is the key, I believe: I had the proper expectations for what this product actually promises and nothing more.