Difference between Memphis Advantage and Advantage Plus?

[Big_Jake]

Hey guys I have a few questions about Memphis grills.I hope y'all don't mind me asking them here.

1.What is the difference between the Advantage and the Plus?
2.Is it worth upgrading to the Memphis Pro for any reason?
3.What is the warranty like ont hese things.After all the issues I have had with my current smoker forgive me if I seem a little gun shy jumping into bed with another pellet company.Basically I am asking cuz if it shows up and does not preform as stated it sould,I want to send it back.Oh and yes I would be buying it from Big Poppa.

 

[sparky]

between the pro and advantage i would get the advantage. the advantage plus is a cabinets underneath it i believe.

 

[Big_Jake]

Yeah I remember seeing you and a few others saying go for the Advantage.And if the only difference between the two is space on the bottom I will just go for the regular one.
Also what upgrades should I get if I decide to go with it?

 

[muebe]

Get the probe and the upper racks

 

[Kite]

You apparently live in CA so I would think the Advantage would work fine for you. I just purchased a Pro, but I live in the Seattle area. The big difference as far as I can tell is double wall all the way around the oven and a gasket seal on the hood (which I thought was a good idea for smoking a turkey in Washington in November.. bbbrrrrrrrrrr!). I would suggest that you call Greg at Memphis grills and chat him up. He can tell you everything you need to know about the differences. One last note - my Pro is built REALLY well. I am very impressed with the fit and finish of the thing.

 

[Big_Jake]

The main two things I am looking for is
1.Space:And I am talking SMOKING space.Not sections where you can smoke in one spot,sear in another,and grill in another.I have other means of grilling/searing.
2.Consistent temp:If I am going to pay $1,000 plus I want a machine that works as the factory states it does. + - 10 degree temp swings are no problem.I just want the ting to work.

PS. I would maybe spend up to $2,000 but I want tight temps and lots of smoking space.

 

[muebe]

The Memphis can grill and sear very well. I had a Traeger before with a PID and I could not sear like I can with my Memphis. Directly on the grates. It gets real hot.

The temps are very stable. I usually see swings of about 3 to 4 degrees. The controller does not show the periodic swings but my Maverick does at the grates. But they are not even consistent swings. I can watch the Maverick for 10 minutes straight and not see a one degree change. I was amazed at that.

And I have the select so only the hood is insulated.I found that pellet consumption at smoking temps is very low. I did a overnight smoke with two butts totaling 15lbs at 230F setpoint. In the morning I kicked the setpoint up to 260F to get through the stall. During the total 14 hour cook I averaged 0.53lbs an hour. The overnight temps were in the low 50s and it was windy. With a fully insulated Memphis you will see even less pellet usage than that.

The fit and finish of my Memphis grill was top notch. Almost everything is stainless steel. A very well made grill that is built to last.

The grease tray is a slide out container. No more dogs tipping over the pail like with my old Traeger. The drain system works like it should.

The hot rod is a really nice design. Much better quality than the Traeger style hot rod that gets exposed to ash. That ash eats away at the igniter. The Memphis igniter is located just outside of the burn pot. The heat reaches the pellets for ignition but the igniter does not get buried in ash.

The auger is completely separated from the burn pot. The pellets are carried up and slide down into the burn pot. IMHO this greatly reduces the chance for a hopper fire.

The system controller is very easy to operate. You do not have the control like the Pellet Boss on a MAK but I like the simplicity of the system. When running temps from 180F to 300F it runs in smoke mode. The variable speed fan will control the bursts of air to create smoke while keeping stable temps. It does not bellow smoke out but releases a constant stream of light smoke. At temps above 300F the fan will kick up into high speed to get that grill hot. I think this system works really well. And then there is the "prime" button like on the Rec Tec grills. This button will force the auger to run while depressed allowing you to avoid swings before opening the hood. I like to use it to really bring those grill temps up for searing

 

[TentHunter]

Muebe, I think that is some of the best info I have ever seen written for the Memphis select!

 

[Big_Jake]

Wow thanks for all the info.It might be time to call Big Papa here soon and get some warranty info from him.

 

[sparky]

i do believe that the mak 2 star will smoke more than the advantage. why you looking for another pellet grill? yoder's not blowing your skirt up anymore? well, i can't say anything. if i had more money there is a pellet grill i would like to try. don't ask what it is. i'm not going to tell ya. if i win the lottery i will. if i do win the lottery there is really 2 pellet grills i would buy. always want to try something different.

 

[muebe]

Here are some pictures in case your not "sold" yet... LoL

The interior brand new. You can see how the pellets actually slide into the burn pot. The grease tray is to the right and slides out. 8x8 foil disposable containers fit standard....

Right under the hopper in front is the location of the auger and fan. Very easy to reach. Nothing to remove. Mine has a plastic fan because it is a 2011 model. I believe the new ones have a all metal fan...

View with drain pan in...

Grill...

Thermocouple for controller. Located directly in the middle at the back. Protected from impact. I found that once the cooker has been running over 30 minutes the actual grill temps and controller are within 10 degrees...

12lb hopper. I took out the grid protector. It is there to protect your hands from the auger. At first I kinda worried about only having a 12 lb hopper until I started using it. It uses very little pellets. No worries about overnight cooks...

The controller. It works really well. Has a jack for one meat probe. You can set the temp for the meat probe to display done. When the meat reaches the set temp it drops to the lowest temp available. I found the meat probe to be dead on with my Maverick. I am very jealous of the MAK owners with their pellet boss though...

And the slide out grease tray from the outside...

If you have other questions let me know

 

[sparky]

the advantage is the same as muebe's select except it has two grease trays. one on each side. and the new memphis grills are better now than they were back when they started. the advantage is a great grill. 200 - 600°. perfect. dual walls on the advantage too. will work good in cold weather also.

 

[Big Poppa]

Hmm Sparky...there are only a few and you have owned three of them....

Here is my two bits....

Memphis and MAK were designed as pellet grills from the ground up. MAK Developed its own controller...Memphis uses a very similar controller as Country Smoker, Yoder, and Woodmaster.

The MAK is a better smoker. The room for smoking is actual. The shelves on the Memphis are cantilevered and nifty but really not easy to get the totatl usable.

The memphis is probably a better searing grill.....

The MAK continues to offer additional features and tools making it fun and versitlie....

I like my advantage alot....I think the Select is just fine too....

 

[Big_Jake]

Wow thanks for all the info guys,you rock!
My only issue with the MAK's are that it seems like there is not much "smoking" space on them.Sometimes I cook for 30 plus people so I need all the room I can get.As far as "smoking" space which company offers the most space for units that are around 2 g's or less?

 

[Swineisdevine]

Wow thanks for all the info guys,you rock!
My only issue with the MAK's are that it seems like there is not much "smoking" space on them.Sometimes I cook for 30 plus people so I need all the room I can get.As far as "smoking" space which company offers the most space for units that are around 2 g's or less?

2 Star has 429 square inches but expands to 858 square inches with the double rack.

Memphis lists the pro at 562 square inches stock and 834 with the additional rack.

Steve

 

[Big_Jake]

Now can you "smoke" on every part of the MAK?I thought for some reason part of that was a "searing/grilling" only section.

 

[Swineisdevine]

Nope, if you remove your flame zone and crank up the heat then you might have some temperature differences from left to right, but you should be able to keep a pretty consistent temperature throughout the pit with the cover in place and at lower temperatures. I guess the exception would be if you used a rack where you might see some higher temps (hot air rising).

As an aside, on your video I think that I heard an Odeed at the beginning, are/were you on Ratebeer?

 

[muebe]

Now can you "smoke" on every part of the MAK?I thought for some reason part of that was a "searing/grilling" only section.

Your thinking of a FEC. There is a optional flame zone insert that is removable. It has a full drip pan as does the Memphis.

 

[Big_Jake]

Ah ok thanks.And I do understand that the top shelves may be a bit difference in temp.But I want even temps across the main cooking grate.Especially if it is that small.

Oh and yes I would be the Odeed from ratebeer.