Saw this on youtube then moseyed to HD website to take a closer look. Looks like a knockoff fusion of the Bronco 1 and 2. HD exclusive. Smaller charcoal basket, a little less hanging capacity but seemingly improved grate system. Quite a bit cheaper, I'm seeing $249 as of June 7, 2026.
J-Melt Unfortunately no. For whatever reason, a very significant percentage of products that are available in the US are not available at all here. It's kind of weird with respect to BBQ gear because people cook outside over live fire all day.
I mentioned this in another post, but I have a way of shipping stuff from the States down here. There are services that you sign up for that give you a US address like a PO Box which you ship to, then they manage the customs process and ship it on. It's expensive though, so if I'm going to do something like this it needs to be worth it. There are economies of scale if you aggregate packages together, but the savings is moderate and honestly I'm not in need of stuff that often.
There are positives to all of this though. First, there's a million products down here for those that grill. And if you can't find what you like you can get it made for surely no more than it would have cost to get it from a brand name. Second, since you have to add on a fairly heavy cost for importations, and that cost diminishes in percentage as you go up in price... might as well spend a bit more on something nice.
Regarding the first point, most of what's available or popular here is open air cooking. Santa Marias, planchas, comals, etc. I really like stuff with lids, so these aren't for me. But on the second point, I'm still on the road but think I've figured out what I want. In rebuilding my outdoor cooking setup I want three things - a charcoal/wood cooker (looking for something that will grill and smoke), an oven (primarily for pizza but also roasting meat and veg) and a gas grill (for the low energy days). For the gasser I just ordered a Weber Spirit 435, they were on sale down here last week. The pizza oven is where I'm going big and importing, I think I'm going with the new Gozney Dome to upgrade an Ooni that's been in service for about 5 years. The charcoal cooker's been a bit of a conundrum, I didn't realize how many choices there would be. First I was looking at a WSM, then the Bronco, then an SnS MasterKettle, now I might just kit out a standard Weber kettle with an SnS, Venom and some QoL upgrades like better wheels and handles. Been reading on here about the various issues with each and trying to balance that against the level of PITA it will be to deal with problems down here, since shipping and receiving means time and more money than it may be worth.
Anyway sorry for the diatribe there, but there you have it. I just posted this because in the process I uncovered this one and the positive review. I figure if it helps someone scratch the MCS itch, I've done my good deed for the day. Cheers
I both enjoy and sometimes shake my head at Horsman. I still watch his videos because he genuinely enjoys this outdoor cooker world and aspires to get a hands on view of each instead of relying on second hand opinion. That said, some of the mods he makes are real head shakers. He can come up with some real inelegant solutions to "problems" that he perceives. He tested one cooker that I also own and deemed it necessary to relocate the thermometer (that seems to be a personal peeve of his), neither of which had much meaning for grate temperature. He also complained about lid fitment. Clearly it had a bent hinge that in knowing hands could have been rectified with simple hand tools. His solution was to buy two clamps to pull the lid down to the flange. Stuff like that.
The Even Embers is probably a decent enough cooker, for the money, but I'm going to guess it's a bit flimsy. Tom didn't address that, the OJB weighs in at around 150 while the EE is 77. That may not matter to some, but to others it could be useful info. BTW, he did a follow-up on the EE where he added another thermometer () and changed out the wheels that he ends up not liking.
I'm keeping my eye on some of these barrel smokers. I love my PBC, but it isn't going to last forever.....and the replacement is $430 for what effectively is "just" a 30 gallon drum. That's a lot.
@LegoMySearwood You're close in that in essence the Roughneck is effectively a barrel smoker, but there's more. It is made from slightly thicker material on the body and lid. The lid has a fiber seal standard as well as on the fuel access door. It has stainless steel grates which will last much longer than the PB or Weber units. It has a hinged lid. It appears the latest versions have an ash catching tray under the fire box (my first gen version does not). It has an optional wheel kit that the other two don't offer. The biggest advantage I would note is that square shape gives quite a bit more functional real estate when compared to any round unit of similar diameter/width for both the grates and the fire box (ample fuel for long cooks). The deflector is removable which can assist in making it a direct fire cooker as well. With the optional second level grate there is a 15" distance from grate to fire which is common for other direct fire boxes (e.g. Chudd Box, but others too). The top grate would be about 20" from the fire, though there's room to raise the fire basket, say on fire bricks or steel blocks, and vary that distance as desired. My experience is it can regulate temps very well, though I'm sure you can find people who don't find it so. I would chalk that up to fire management experience rather than a design flaw. If someone is committed to a water pan the deflector plate is sturdy enough to hold one using whatever container would be functionally appropriate. With the fire basket being accessible from the front, lower door, refueling, if necessary, is not that difficult as long as you're prepared for ash and small fuel nuggets dropping through the expanded metal of the basket (I use one of those automotive drip pans, roughly 2' x 3' dimensionally). All in all, a highly functional unit.
) and changed out the wheels that he ends up not liking.
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