newbie here. Does anyone know anything about z grills? I brought my first pellet grill last Aug. Not sure if got a good one. thanks.
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Last edited by Clawbear57; April 4, 2022, 06:59 PM. -
They are a scummy company in my opinion, they knocked off Grilla, Traeger, Camp Chef, I think Weber and other products, made them with inferior materials and used to charge half the price, but now they charge almost as much as the models they knock off.
To me, part of the pellet grill experience is the customer service (and almost every brand has above average to amazing service), and from what I've seen ZG is hit or miss. If you look at any of their comments on social media, it's obvious they have a non-native English speaker running the show, and I suspect if you had to call them, it would be the same. Heck I saw a comment they made the other day about their own product saying their grills don't produce smoke above 150 degrees...
Having said that, depending on the model you got, they either swing 50+ degrees or a respectable 5-10 degree swing. Lots of people are quite happy with the ones they have, and quite a few have had them a few years. Also seen more than a few folks contemplating the grill they are going to replace their ZG with.
What's your experience with it been? Have you had to contact customer service? If so how was that experience?Last edited by ItsAllGoneToTheDogs; April 4, 2022, 07:31 PM.-
I haven't contacted them but i have notice a big swing in degrees. I had it on smoke and the readout was up to 300f. I later used an ink-bird to check temp on inside and the ink-bird was constantly lower then the grill. -
Clawbear57 what temp is smoke mode supposed to run on those? Most brands is 215 or lower. There is a chance your thermocouple is bad, run your inkbird right next to that and if they read out way different I'd contact customer service if it's still under warranty. Assuming your inkbird is reading correct as well, you can always check it with the ice water test.Last edited by ItsAllGoneToTheDogs; April 4, 2022, 08:31 PM. -
ItsAllGoneToTheDogs After the smoke setting 180f is the next setting. I will have to calibrate the thermometer next. Thanks
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My neighbor has a Z-Grill and seems to like it ok. I’m kinda with ItsAllGoneToWhateverHisLongNameIs in that I think they’re a POS company (not the products themselves, the practice of blatantly copying of others IP). My understanding is they’re a Chinese factory that used to make Treager grills. When they lost their contract, they just started making their own grills using the specs they got from Traeger and later copied all the other popular brands. They possibly had contacts with multiple companies over the years and stole their designs.
That all aside, you already have one and there’s nothing wrong with that. The reality is plus or minus 25° doesn’t really that matter much. Does your controller have P-Settings? If so, you might have to tune that for the seasons. If not, try the temp settings vs smoke to see if they stay closer to expectations. If that all fails and you just want to make what you already have work, you might be able to replace the controller. Smoke Daddy, Ortech, Savannah Stoker, and others (at least used to) make aftermarket controllers.Last edited by glitchy; April 5, 2022, 08:02 PM.Comment
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When I was shopping for a pellet grill, I looked at the Z Grill, and the only thing attractive was the cheap price. The old saying stands true "You get what you pay for".
Perhaps, Z Grill might be a good try, and if you like it, you can upgrade later.
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Just so we're clear, I don't begrudge anyone buying a zgrill. Whatever a person can get that allows them to learn and or enjoy making BBQ is fine in my book. My problems are with the company itself.Comment
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Aren't they all copies of one another really? Like any product we use, from cups to cars to thermometers to grills.Comment
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Maybe, but go looks at their grills. Every model seems to look exactly like another company’s product. Everything from Weber to Traeger to CampChef to Pit Boss. Nothing looks like they designed it. It’s kinda the way of the world since China became a manufacturing hub. Look at tools, electronics, everything I guess, but doesn’t mean we have to like it.
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I have one, bought it slightly used for $100. As a second kinda portable grill. It works, cannot complain, took it to FL as I wintered down there did just fine. Yes it is cheep made, How long will it last ???? I got what I paid for.Comment
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Yeah, I am also not a fan of the company’s practices (along with Traeger). At comparable price points to typical pellet grills versus several hundred dollars cheaper, they are a poor value too.
However, as a owner, I think you can certainly make great food with them so just learn your cooker! 👍Last edited by STEbbq; April 6, 2022, 08:41 AM.Comment
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Thanks for the feedback. This is my first pellet grill. I have to do more experimenting with it.
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On a lot of less advanced controllers, the smoke setting and even 180° settings are not very reliable as far as steady temps. It looks like they might have several different controllers too. It setup your probes spaced around on the grate and run a while (30 mins) at a few different settings and note the results. It may dial in closer at 225. The (low) smoke and 180 (or high smoke on some) are sometimes purely timed algorithms. Some of the timed ones had a setting you could adjust the timing by changing to keep it closer summer vs winter.Last edited by glitchy; April 6, 2022, 11:58 PM.Comment
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If it works, you can cook food you like out of it, and enjoy the experience then IMHO the rest doesn't matter.Comment
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