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!
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!