Do NOT Buy a Traeger

[Piper]

After several recommendations from friends, I pulled the trigger on a 575 Pro.

After several cooks, it's been a HUGE disappointment. This thing is nothing but a way overpriced oven. This thing is NOT a smoker. YES, you can achieve a "smoke ring," the food will be tender and it will look good, but you will NOT get the smoked flavor that you are hoping for. You also do not get a true bark like you do from other pit smokers. I've got better flavor in ribs in a cheap $150 electric box smoker from Lowes.

If you are looking to cook food with that true pit smoked flavor. DO NOT by this product. You will be extremely disappointed. If you are looking for an easy "set it and forget it" road to bland tasting meats, then by all means, spend $1000 on one of these things. Traeger rubs aren't very good either. They aren't much different than store brand seasonings, they just have a fancy tin container.

I came to the forum and browsed for info on how to add smoke flavor... A smoke tube? Lol. I can put those on my propane grill and get the same results. I was expecting much better after spending almost a grand on this product. Not worth the money. Not even a little bit.

Junk... I guess I should have done more research before purchasing. My bad. This is one example of, "you don't always get what you pay for."

I'm going to try to make a return.

 

[RustyJake]

You make some valid points, and while I may agree or disagree with some of them on different levels, it comes down to what you need and wanted.
While some of the blame resides of Traeger and how they market this pellet grill, part of the blame may be on us, as consumers. We purchase something with a level of expectation, but it is up to us to research what that product is actually capable of.
This would kind of be like wanting a motorcycle and purchasing a Vespa. Does it get you out on two wheels, is it fun, yes. But if your expectation was a Harley experience, you would be sorely disappointed. Is that Vespa's fault? They market it to be a motorcycle and to be fun to ride. It does those things. Again, us as consumers have to bare the brunt of making sure what we buy will do what we want.
I came from using a Weber kettle, Bradley smoker and a Kamado. I went into the Traeger purchase looking for the convenience and knowing from my research that pellet grills in general do not impart the same smoke flavor I was used to. Different pellet brands and wood types as well as smoke tube will never give you the same experience as a stick burner or Kamado. They just don't work the same. But overall, even with the bubbling paint I am pleased with my Traeger. Would I purchase another one, no, most likely not. I like the pellet grill option, so I would look at other brands, but realizing that it is still a pellet grill and the smoke effects will be similar.
I feel bad for you and your experience with your grill and hope you can get your money back and get something that will meet your expectations.

 

[Jim G]

I switched from a SmokeFire to an Ironwood 885. I looked around and frankly I'm tired of dealing with out of state or country service organizations. So I bought my IW885 from a platinum dealer near my home. We couldn't be happier.

Dirty Harry said " A man must know his limitations".

I am satisfied with my Traeger's limitations.

 

[Puertex]

My last smoker was electrical and would hardly cook beyond 225 F.
I decided I needed something better but I know I dont have much experience smoking meats.
I evaluated the pros and cons and decided what I could live without.
I decided to go with the Traeger because of their warranty and customer support.
So I evaluated the pros and cons and compromised with what I could do without.
No option comes without pros & cons...
If you find one item that does not have cons, consider how much it costs to have the perfect gadget.
I am happy with my Pro 780. Working flawlessly.

 

[GrillMeister]

I understand you are peeved, but the forum is full of people who enjoy their Traegers and enjoy helping folks.

I got my first Traeger due to a burn ban as they are much safer in that regard compared to my Big Green Eggs. I have over time, mastered many cooks on the Traeger that I used to do on the Ceramic Big Green Egg and folks love what I cook.

If you decide to keep it, please stick around and ask question and you'll get many answers.

In the mean time, consider this rant closed though.