Long live the Pellet Grill, or Not

[bbqLuv]

During a quarry with BBQGUYS, it was revealed to me the like expectancy of a pellet grill is 5-7 years.
I find that interesting. That may have to do with the electronics.

[rwalters]

Perhaps the cheaper Chinese built units. I can tell you with certainty that a solid US built unit will serve a person for many many years! Heck, I have a buddy who’s mom still cooks numerous times each week on her late 90’s US made Traeger. They have had to perform basic routine maintenance to it over the years, but that would be no different than driving a 90’s car. Take care of your stuff and it’ll take care of you

[Troutman]

I have a $2200 Pitts and Spits unit that built like a tank. All American made parts including the electronics. The cooker itself carries a 10 year warranty, the electronics not so much. Alas over the last roughly 4 years I did have to replace a hot rod (cheap, no big deal) and I think I'm about to lose one of my fan motors (again not a major expensive, like $35). They are electronic and eventually all electronics that are exposed to the elements and of course heat will have a shelf life. You will eventually pay for the convenience of the things.

[glitchy]

If I ever keep one that long to find out, I’ll let you know. Ping me in 8 years and see if I still have my SmokeFire.

A lot of that may have to do with how much advancement has been made in them over the last decade where the parts for these older models are not available? Before Traeger’s patent expired it was only Traeger and Cookshack FEC you could buy. If I had a 7 year old Traeger that needed a few new parts that cost say $200-300, I’d just buy a new grill because they are so much better now than 7 years ago.

[Jfrosty27]

They are machines. Machines need maintenance and on occasion, repair.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

MAK just changed their warranty to a lifetime one. They already had lifetime replacement for the ignitor which is the most common failure point for all brands. So I would guess that they and a few other companies disagree on what lifespan should be After further thought I wonder if some of the brands just no longer have parts available after a few years. MAK has the same fan, auger, and controller since year 1.

[Troutman]

Actually I got a new ceramic hot rod which does pretty much last a life time (whatever that really means). I'm guessing MAK will still charge you for the electronics if the were to fail, don't they? If not that's a good reason to go MAK, they are great cookers !!

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

So the ceramic "flashfire" that MAK offers is similar to what a lot of manufacturers are moving to. I'm on my 3rd one, but haven't had to pay a dime for them. Only one failed, the other one had a nick in the wire and got wet somehow. My understanding is the new warranty is pretty solid. But I haven't dug into it fully.

[lostclusters]

I fully expect my mak to out live me. And at 64 that will be a while. Much longer than 5-7 years! Thanks for the heads up on the warranty change ItsAllGoneToTheDogs !

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I believe it's only for 2019 and newer models, I barely missed the cutoff, but not too worried about it I would suspect other quality manufacturers to follow suit, it's the only thing they can do to compete with these "cheaper" competitors.

[dahcopilot]

bought a gmg daiel boone (bottom of the line) six or seven years ago and outside of cleaning it, touch up paint this past weekend is the only thing i have done to it. if it quits the next cook, it owes me nothing

[Clark]

I have had two Traegers and got only 4 and 3 years out of them. I now have a 4 y.o. Camp Chef and it does better than the Traegers ever did. When it conks out, I will just stick to my new SnS Grill and my Weber gasser.

[tpobst]

I had a Smokin Brothers pellet grill that is made in Missouri for 6 years and gave it to my dad so I could upgrade to a bigger Smokin Brothers Grill and he has had is for 2 years for a total of 8 years now and we have not had to replace anything on it yet.

[jfmorris]

The electronics and parts that will need replacing are one thing that have held me back from a pellet smoker. I'm still using an offset made in 1985, and a Weber Performer made in 2007, and just sent a Weber Genesis made in 2002 to live at my daughter's house. And all those cookers work off the grid, without me running an orange extension cord across the yard...

That said, I still WANT (but don't NEED) a Grilla (original) some day... when the budget allows. Right now, it's not in the cards.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Grilla I believe has maintained the same internals on each model regardless of improvements (other than the new controller, which I believe they made an upgrade kit for). So unless they go out of business it's unlikely you wouldn't be able to source replacement parts. I think the ones with the least longevity would be brands like the big box store offerings that do significant changes to mechanical parts as well as body panels with each new model. At some point you won't be able to source parts.

[Razor]

Don’t forget to add a simple WSM first!. 😁

[rickgregory]

So much of this is dependent on price point (and therefore materials and build quality) and on the conditions in which the grill is used. Is it humid all the time? Do you leave it out in the rain and snow in winter or is it under cover? Do you clean it and in general take decent care? Or neglect it?

I completely understand the attraction of these. I've felt the pull myself when contemplating long brisket cooks etc. But the reality is that I don't do those often or really at all now, so spending $1500+ on a pellet grill would be silly. I might buy a $5-700 one next season but even that is hard to justify when I have a very good BBQ place a half mile from me.

[cgrover60]

My Green Mountain Davey Crockett pellet grill died after 14 months. My '75 Weber kettle is still functional with the original wood lid handle and plastic wheels. Just an observation.

[rickgregory]

Also, it's not that the parts might not be available (though that's also an issue) it's that you need to replace them because they fail. Frankly, if the electronics are failing with any regularity, its crap engineering. There are electronics that sit out in tough conditions for long long periods without failing because the housing is designed for the conditions in which the electronics will live.

Now, at $400? Eh, I get it. Price point, etc. But at $1000 or so and above, the electronics housing (including wiring) should be designed and built to ensure longevity.