anyone upgrade there wsm door?

[Marinehead]

I'd pick up the phone and call them. To your point however, when I called about a month ago to tell them they sent me an incorrect part and to resend the right one , I think I got a message that said they were affected by covid-19 and to just post what I needed. I did, and I got it right away. Regarding the WSM regular doors, maybe I don't know what I don't know , but I've done both a 10 and 11 hour brisket cook (the 11 hour included a pork butt ) on my 22" , and we killed it. I think you leave them alone and just focus on your fire management and your are good

[PaulstheRibList]

I bought one for one of my 22" WSM's, and I don't remember noticing any difference. I wouldn't buy it, but I confess I don't use the WSM's at the moment. Too much love for my stickburners!

[Mr. Bones]

Thus far, I've jus rolled with th OEM door, flimsy shite though it might be, an smoked on...ymmv

[JP7794]

Try a gasket first. I don't have this upgrade, but putting a gasket around the door worked fine for me.

[ecowper]

I don't think the Cajun Bandit door makes much difference from an airflow and fire management perspective. I just hate the damn door that Weber shipped with the WSM. Have never had any issues with the paint getting chipped due to the CB door.

[scottdware]

I did buy the Cajun Bandit door for mine last year when I got it. Seems to fit a bit more snug that the default one...definitely more sturdy.

[synodog]

Still have factory doors on both the 18” and 22”. My 18” seals just fine probably due to buildup. Haven’t seen smoke from there and when I close all vents, seems like the fire goes out quick. The 22” is a bit different though. I ended up putting a gasket on the door and it’s helped a lot. I just did a pork shoulder last weekend at 225 on it with a digiQ and fan and it ran great again. That’s just my experience.

[Marinehead]

So here’s what I plan on doing : I have both the CB door and the original for the 22 WSM. I am going to do a cook where I will use the CB , and then the regular door . Everything else will be the same . I will take copious notes . I will monitor everything , then submit it for review.

That will settle it once and for all .

[ecowper]

Cool, can’t wait to see the results. Although I don’t think the original door will ever look as nice as the CB door :-)

[Marinehead]

Some of you mention gaskets to help seal a door .

I have no clue what they look like , where you get them , or how they attach.

I did not take shop class in HS .

Please advise .

[Steve R.]

Here is an overview, but not specific to the WSM: https://youtu.be/uXlTOUVxj1M . The Lavalock gasket material I have comes with adhesive. It definitely seals the WSM up tighter. I can close down all the vents and smother any remaining charcoal in no time.

YouTube > HS shop class.

[Hulagn1971]

Here is the gasket.

https://www.amazon.com/LavaLock-Performance-gasket-smoker-STICK/dp/B01F9FE60K

I just sealed my door with metal HVAC tape and never looked back. Good luck!

[Marinehead]

CB door is sexier and sleeker— no doubt . But , this is one of those rare instances where sleek and sexy may not win the prize …..quality tasting food is on the line here.

[ecowper]

I’m down …. If the original door cooks better …..

[Marinehead]

And thanks to those who gave me gasket info— I appreciate !!!

[jsaniga]

I got my door Cajun Bandit door on Friday and tried it out on a smoke on Saturday. I love the compression handle. That is a great idea and it really does bring the door together with the the skin of my WSM 18.8"...in most places. The upper right corner of the CB seems to be flatter/twisted and definitely does not have the same curve as the left side. The left side fits perfectly. Right corner leaked smoke. It looks tight, but visually I can see a gap and when I lift the drum to the sky I can see daylight through the gap.


So, I put the original door back on (that I had gasket earlier in the week) and worked the door some on a paint can. Got it to fit better, but still not happy. By the way, no smoke from my original door with gasket...hmm...

Then, I put the CB back on and it seemed to fit better up top. Not sure it that is because the WSM was hotter and had expanded some or whether I knew what I was doing on my bend. BUT, then I noticed the bottom of the door:


The bottom doesn't fit. It is really tight. Again, I can get the left side to fit better than the right side. Not sure if I now need to bend the bottom right side. Haven't checked yet whether I chipped any enamel while wiggling it into place. I'll let you know, Hate to think I wasted $60, especially when the $17 gasket kit worked great on the door and okay on the lid (small amount of smoke from one side of the lid if not centered perfectly).

I had to change up my order with them and had a guy respond to my emails then. I will see what, if any, response I get from him on this.

Net net - great idea, very sturdy, and I am sure effective with a good fit. But, I wish I had not been impatient and tried a smoke with the WSM door including the gasket. May not be pretty, but it works just fine. Heck, check out Harry Soo's YouTube video where he shows you all of his WSMs...not a pretty door in the bunch. Hate wasting money...

[Steve R.]

That has pretty much been my experience with the Cajun Bandit door. 1,000% better looking, but I'm not sure it functions any better than the cheap, ugly original door + gasket. The wheel kit has definitely been worth it, though.

[radiodome21]

This is interesting. I was looking at getting one of these doors but I kind of held off because I wasn’t sure if it was worth it. The only accessory that I’m actually seriously considering buying is the Bellows by thermal works. Waiting for the next 20% coupon.

[Razor]

Early on I had problems with ThermoWorks’ app, but they did a major overhaul of it a while back and haven’t had problems since. I’m back to being a ThermoWorks/Bellows fan. (Pun intended).

[radiodome21]

I’ve been surprised by the negative experiences people have been having with their Billows. I have the Signals X4 so I wouldn’t use the app. When I bought it in over the summer I never took into consideration that it would work with a fan. I just realized it did last week. Kind of like an added bonus. We’ll see. I also have my pellet smoker too which will be the primary long cook and winter smoker.

[ecowper]

The door is worth it for appearance reasons. It probably doesn’t make a huge difference from an airflow, temp maintenance, etc perspective.

[Mr. Bones]

Nope. Jus learnt me th cooker, an rolled forwards...

[Mr. Bones]

No good, no bad, jus how I done it. many options were not available, at that time..

[jsaniga]

Update. I have been in communicatin with Chris at CB; he even called me. We are trying to work this out. He said that he has only ever received complaints about the 18.5" door and that he receives very few complaints bout them. I was able to get the top door shaped pretty decently but the bottom is so tight it feels like it is pinching, So, I did some research. The WSM original door is flatter at the bottom and more curves at the top.




(first it a shot of the bottoms, second is a shot of the WSM bottom and top of the CB)

I looked that the door hole and, sure enough, it is flatter at the bottom. I don't know when Weber sits the hole, but it isn't perfect. So I flattened out the bottom of my CB door a bit and it slides in much easier, but it still pinches. The crimp at the bottom of the CB door is a lot less than the original WSM. Okay, so let's measure. I took out a micrometer and measured. The WSM is 7.9mm deep and the CB door drip is only a whopping 0.65mm deep. I think I got a door that wasn't properly formed at the bottom.



CB said they'd would either send me a new door or refund me if we cannot make it right. I am going to send the same pics to them and let them decide. If the crimp is "normal" then I will ask for a refund. If the one I have is hosed, I will ask for a replacement door. I really want to help them make this work not just for me but for everyone who buys these doors. By the way, and this runs along the lines of those who have posted here, he never gets complaints about the 22" door. He said he rarely got complaints about the door fit with the old WSM design (rounded opening). It has only been since the last design update. Personally, I can tell you the bottom of the WSM is not as rounded as the top...which to me means that the top could also be not as round as the rest of the unit as well.