Traeger Initial Thoughts

ebark23

New member
Been looking for a pellet smoker to step up from the weber bullet smoker and since Traeger is all that have heard of the past few years they were the first ones I looked at. While researching I found others around the same price but when my local costco had the Texas for 799.99, I jumped on the deal. When originally thinking of spending $1100, there were a few other smokers I looked at, but for $799 nothing I felt could compare to the Traeger.

In scouring the forums and webpages I found this site and I have really liked the information found here, especially on the upper echelon smokers that Big Poppa sales. What I have found interesting in my research was all the negative comments directed towards Traeger because of their manufacturing move overseas. Thread after thread page after page, I started to get worried that my great deal was not such a great deal after all. I expected to open the box and find a tin can of a smoker sitting there.....but I didn't.

It is a very well built machine, the welds look excellent, the legs are good solid steel and the door fits really nice. After putting it together this morning and it sitting in my garage, I am more than impressed with it so far. Yeah it would be great if it was made in America, but why can't we get over the fact that it is made in China? Does it really matter anymore in this global economy?

Yeah Traegers have had a few problems these past few years, but quality of construction, from what I can see, it not one of them. So to those that are thinking of Traeger, I wouldn't shy away from it because of the Chinese manufacturing, it is an invalid point in my opinion. If you cant afford the Mak or Memphis, I think that you will be impressed with the Traeger, but to make Big Poppa happy, make sure you buy your pellets from him!!

Can we forget about the Chinese manufacturing from now on? Lets get back to what we all love and that is smoking!
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
EBark.. This all comes down to your point of reference. For the oldscoolers here that had a USA made Traeger it is not the same anymore.
If you like your Chinese one you would have loved your made in usa one. I do not bash traeger in any way shape or form...I thank Traeger for getting me into the pellet smoking world.
Having said that when asking for an evaluation on a product country of origin is important to some and for different reasons.

The test of time with an imported product is the key point your traeger Im sure is fine may still be fine in a year or two or you may have issues...who knows

the important thing is that you are now burning pellets
 

SilverBullet

New member
I will tell you my story, Please don't take it as being negative. Its just the way things happened. I own 2 Chinese made grills. My first being a Traeger & now a GMG.
I use my grills, probably 4 to 7 times a week. Sometimes twice a day.
After about the first year of owning my Traeger I started experiencing reliaibility issues. Five of them to be exact. Which led me to shopping around for a more reliable unit. I read a lot of positive things about GMG's so I purchased a GMG Jim Bowie last April. It to has had its share of reliability issues. Just goes to show you nothing in this world is perfect.
Both companies have had excellent customer service.
Traeger ended up sending me a whole new burn unit for mine. My Traeger now lives @ my daughter n law's. She loves it. Since they sent me the new burn unit it has been problem free. My daughter in law doesn't use it as much as I did.
Bottom line is this...........Our Traegers will cook just as fine meals as these folks with their MAK's, Memphis's etc.
If yours does experience any reliaibility issues. No worries Traeger has excellent customer service.
 

TentHunter

Moderator
Can we forget about the Chinese manufacturing from now on?

This is an important topic to me.

Being in the Computer industry and working for a local computer shop that builds the highest quality PC's we can possibly build, I am here to tell you that not everything built in China is junk. There is some good stuff coming from there. It goes back to that old saying, You get what you pay for.

Now having said that I am also here to tell you that if I can buy something made in the U.S.A. and support our own economy then that is exactly what I personally choose to do. As a matter of fact my wife and I looked at some traegers, but decided to hold off, save a little more money and get one made in the U.S.A. Again that's my personal choice but one I believe in wholeheartedly.



Now, fire that Traeger up and show us some pics of your cooks and Welcome to the forum :)!


Edit: I want to echo what Silver Bullet said - Please don't take this as being negative... just my opinion on the "Made in America" thing, that's all.
 
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sparky

New member
i own a lil tex and love it. i have made some of the best food i have every cook. it all about skill to make your food taste good (and bp's videos).
 

TentHunter

Moderator
Squirt, We've seen you run the heck outa that Lil Tex, especially when you did all that cooking for the charity prizes. That's a testament to Traegers if I ever saw one!
 

sparky

New member
as a matter of fact right now, i have 4 five rib racks with different rubs on each one. the old rib rub taste off for some snacks while we watching some college football games on tv now. 3eyz, honey rub, hasty bake and rib rub. cooked bear's way. i like to narrow down what rubs the family likes. my wife thinks i am crazy. there coming off in 15 minutes. FT's all around. can't wait till dinner. honey baked ham, scalloped potatos and green beans with smoked silvered almonds on them. ummmm. love the holidays. football and family (FT too). :cool:
 

sparky

New member
welp, the wife and daughter both picked the 3eyz rub ribs. i liked them too. got my daughter making ABT's for the grill. alittle after dinner treat. my wife is making lava cakes in muffin pans for the grill for some dessert. went to trader joes and got some good vanilla ice cream. i think i have gained 5 pounds or more lately. it's all ya'll fault. wasn't that tenthunter a while back who said i wasn't good lookin. he might be right. in my mind i am 6'4" and 250 pounds of muscle. oh, that's my wife's fantasy. :cool:
 

sparky

New member
oh, almost forgot. got a 12 pound pork butt going on later tonight. not wanting to use my FT. i found a root beer in the fridg for injection w/ a straight hasty bake rub. not to tired. the mrs and i are having some nice espresso w/ dark rum and home made vanilla whip cream on top. to good....
 
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Big Poppa

Administrator
Sprky you should start this as its own thread! too funny....I am fasting on Weds through friday and then on a real strict diet. aaarrrggghhhh
 

KGriller

New member
Hmm this is a tough one for me. I have a Traeger that is American Made and was very disappointed when I heard they were going China. I will readily admit when something was made in China 15 or 20 years ago it was most likely a piece of junk but today things have changed. The bigger issue for me is tyring to support American Made Products, Business, and workers. That being said too (sounds like I am riding the fence) you must live within your finances and therefore must some times buy foreign made products instead of American. Now that I have changed this to be about economics instead of BBQ. I buy American as much as possible but I also want to purchase the highest quality product for my dollar........and that is why I drive a Toyota.
 

BigKev

New member
I love my Lil' Tex. Smoked the best Thanksgiving turkey me or my family have ever eaten this last year.
It is a shame that they've taken production offshore, but to stay price point competitive you do what you
have to.
 

MAK DADDY

Moderator
Yeah it would be great if it was made in America, but why can't we get over the fact that it is made in China? Does it really matter anymore in this global economy?
Can we forget about the Chinese manufacturing from now on? Lets get back to what we all love and that is smoking!

This is a sensitive subject for some, for me it's easy "Support American jobs if at all possible"! We will never take our production off shore, not because of the lack of quality but because of our employees! Everyone seems to forget how bad it hurts the local economy when jobs get outsourced not just products... We see it in our business all the time and it's very frustrating.

I would bet money that if the Treager family still owned Treager Grills they would be made right here in Oregon employing the hundreds of workers they had. I don't fault the new owners it is a business decision for them, but it does have an impact whether you want to admit it or not.

So yes, you can buy good products made off shore but I believe the best solutions are made right here in the USA!
 

Utah Jake

New member
OK, here's my 2 cents as far as old Traeger vs new Traeger. I started cooking on Traegers the first year they came into business 23 years ago. My first grill looked like a converted gas BBQ with a bed of lava rock in a tray. Since then I have owned 075, 070, Pink Pig, SMK200, and a COM200. (those are the big trailers). I have cut down to just one unit, a Fast Eddie FEC100. Last week I came across the Traeger booth at our local Costco and before I left, I bought the little 055 "Junior". This is perfect for camping and it is so light I can carry it on a trailer hitch rack on the back of my 5th wheel trailer.
As far as quality I couldn't be happier and the best part is it only costs $300.00. There is no way that this model would have been in the old company and if it were, the cost would be double.
Some say that it was worth the extra money to have a good American built label on the side but let me tell you about what I found. My last old Traeger cooker was a $9000.00 COM200. The first thing I had to do was file off the sharp edges left on the drain tubes after I cut my finger bad. I've worked in steel fabrication and no way would we sent out this out the door. The next job was to seal the box so it didn't leak grease all over the ground. Next was to reposition the pellet box lid so rain wouldn't run into it. Finally put locks on the pellet box lid and tool box lid so they wouldn't fly open going down the road.
When I called Traeger about the rain running into the pellets, their fix? Put a tarp over the unit. $9000.00 and that's the support? A tarp? Putting the lid flat and weather stripping under it cured the problem.
I guess what I'm saying is better to have the thousands of new pellet users out there than the hundreds of old "my Traeger costs more than yours" users.
 
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