I have used pellets from Expert Grill (Walmart brand), LumberJack (Farm and Fleet), Bear Mountain (Lowe's), PitBoss and Traeger.
My least favorite were Traeger, Although some Traeger pellets are a blend of hardwoods, a couple of their blends are sold as "Naturally Flavored Hardwood" which means they are a base wood flavored with extracts of the flavoring wood. The Hickory and Mesquite pellets are sold as naturally flavored.
I understand that LumberJack and Bear Mountain are from the same Wisconsin producer (at least that is the source here in Northern Illinois). One reason is that when you purchase pellets from these companies, they are 100% cherry, oak, pecan, hickory, etc. Most of the other companies sell blends of chips that might have a base wood like alder or oak with a small percentage of the flavoring wood added. Of course, you they also sell blends of various woods. The LumberJack competition blend combines maple, oak and cherry, a very nice blend. Bear Mountain sells individual hardwoods, but you local store might not carry all of them. They also have a Savory blend (oak, hickory, and maple), a Bold blend (oak, mesquite, and hickory), and a Gourmet blend with oak, hickory, maple and cherry.
Some of the blends can be used for nearly any type of protein. Others are better suited for specific types. You can find charts that tell you which hardwoods work best for a specific cook. If in doubt, use one of the blends.
When I first got my Ironwood, I purchased a bag of the inexpensive Expert Grill Sweet Blend pellets from Walmart. I figured I would use cheaper pellets for seasoning the grill. However, I found that I liked the pellets and have since purchase a couple of additional bags. The blend of apple and cherry is great for ham and pork. The Bold blend combines hickory and pecan. The Five Star blends hickory and oak. They are all decent pellets, especially for the price.
