Which model?

[csg4005]

I'll be cooking for ~3 usually, but can have upwards of 10-12 over on weekends for games and what not. Originally looked at the Pro 550, but was concerned about the overall size when cooking for larger groups. Looked online at the IW's and noticed the IW 650 which is a nice step up but then talked to a sales guy who said the super smoke doesn't make much of a difference, so was curious why not buy the Pro 780 if the upgrades to the IW aren't as great as advertised, or more marketing.

Which size would you guys recommend and which model is best for the money spent?

 

[Murphy's Law]

My advice is to get the biggest model your budget can afford. I was gifted a Pro 780 and thought it would be way too big since it’s mostly just me and my wife. Man I really like that space now! It really comes in handy for me since I like to cook sides on the Traeger, too.

So I’d say either the IW 850 or Pro 780, which ever fits in the budget.

Re budget - keep in mind you’ll also need/want accessories such as the Firebord 2, a quality instaread thermometer, etc. You can easily spend $300 or $400 on accessories!

.

 

[midwest]

I have a Pro 780 and love it. You can go to0 small but hard to go too big

 

[csg4005]

Thank you for the feedback! Have you guys had experience with the super smoke mode before on other models? Can you tell a difference in the taste of the food? Also, how do your Pro's do with the single sidewall insulation versus the double on the IWs?

 

[Murphy's Law]

You can get add’l smoke with a smoke tube (less than $20 on Amazon). And I’ve cooked in temps below 20 w/o any real issue by draping a welders blanket over the grill (pretty cheap at Harbor Freight).

Do you have a hard budget? In making my selection I would first determine how much am I willing to spend (or allowed if you’re married!).

Subtract about $400 from that for extras like I mentioned above. A few other things to consider are pellets, storage for pellets, etc. you can blow through $400 in a hurry so add a few extra hundred to that if you can!!

Then get the biggest grill that fits into remainder.

IW is a great grill but you can’t go wrong with a Pro, or even the series below that. For me, I’d rather have a Pro 780, a FireBoard 2, a Thermapen ONE, high heat gloves, bunch of pellets and buckets, etc than a grill and no left over funds for the toys.

 

[Murphy's Law]

One other thing to add is don’t settle, either. You don’t want to buy something and then hate it because it’s not what you want.

So did I confuse the issue enough!?

 

[Timmy]

Just my 2 cents, I can smoke ,grill,roast,bake the heck outa just about anything with my Pro780. It’s a beast!

 

[CMTiger]

I was gift a pro575. The extra space and four wheels as opposed to two make the 780 well worn the extra $100 or so. No way id buy a 575 though she’s never let me down. I’ve even considered trying to sale it and upgrade to the 780 for the space.