Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Smokefire Updates - another letter from the Weber CEO

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Smokefire Updates - another letter from the Weber CEO

    Kudos to Weber, they are standing behind the Smokefire and making many updates. I’ve seen pictures of a new hopper that is black inside with welded seams. They’ve been pushing out many firmware and software updates. AND the CEO posted this on their website, it even talks about how lackluster their support has been lately and why. I totally believe his explanation: https://consumer-care.weber.com/hc/e...e-from-our-CEO

    I just sold the OKJ and I’m really thinking about giving the Smokefire another shot.
    Last edited by glitchy; October 28, 2020, 09:49 AM.

    #2
    Originally posted by glitchy View Post
    Kudos to Weber, they are standing behind the Smokefire and making many updates. I’ve seen pictures of a new hopper that is black inside with welded seams. They’ve been pushing out many firmware and software updates. AND the CEO posted this on their website, it even talks about how lackluster their support has been lately and why. I totally believe his explanation: https://consumer-care.weber.com/hc/e...e-from-our-CEO

    I just sold the OKJ and I’m really thinking about giving the Smokefire another shot.
    Addict.

    Comment


    • glitchy
      glitchy commented
      Editing a comment
      If only PGA hadn't been taken already I'd be the founder of Pellet Grills Anonymous.

    #3
    I have not chimed in on this topic much since I don't have any skin in the game. Weber and enthusiasts created a big hoopla over the release. An the product certainly stumbled. Weber's reaction seemed to me to be less than the greatest, I'm sure I would have handled it worst though. I hope they can recover and restore their reputation. He certainly admitted to and addressed problems and shortcomings better this time. Time will tell.

    Comment


    • glitchy
      glitchy commented
      Editing a comment
      I think a lot of the stumbles were from pellet grill die hards that know the convenience of all the other pellet grills, myself included. When it first launched, I expected it to behave as advertised and not need grease trays, etc. Cook wise, I was always ecstatic with the SmokeFire. However, buying on launch day it was hard to see the future to see if they'd get the kinks worked out or not, so I didn't want to be stuck with it after my return window closed if they didn't fix the big problems.

    #4
    I have to admit, I like this note from the CEO. Frankly, they should have opened with this when all the issues started to break online. I have never had a bad experience with my Weber products, so I was surprised they were so aggressive. I too think the Smokefire deserves a second look with these adjustments. Now if the global economy could calm down I could start saving for one!

    Comment


      #5
      Why not get R&D done before releasing it to the public, instead of involving the public in it? I’m a big fan of Weber products, but fast tracking this product was a bad idea.

      Comment


      • JCGrill
        JCGrill commented
        Editing a comment
        Not that I disagree, but name a company that doesn't rush to market and let the customer beta test?

      #6
      I was interested at the time, already have a gasser. Picked up smoke X4 and billows for the WSM and saved money and room on the patio. It still looks interesting but I don’t feel the need anymore.
      Attached Files

      Comment


        #7
        It's good that they have acknowledged the problems and appear to be fixing them. Still, if I was a Smokefire early adopter, this would just irritate me further. Apologize for dropping the ball and being defensive about it, tell me the issues have been addressed and spare me all the details.

        Comment


          #8
          So, I took the plunge and ordered SmokeFire part deux last night and hopefully it doesn't become SmokeFire part Doh! I tried to stop by my local Ace yesterday and their grills definitely had the dated parts and I couldn't get a clear answer from the kid working if they had any in boxes in the back to see if any recent build dates. He did say I could talk to the store manager today and see if he could track a newer build down for me. In the end, I decided that the CEO's promise would be easier to hold against Weber directly to take it back if there are still major issues rather than putting Ace in the middle of it. I also figured the odds of getting the most recent revisions would be higher through Weber directly. It did cost me an extra $40 for shipping though.

          When I ordered, I figured that the hauler would call me when it arrived at a local terminal, but found a page on Weber's site that said after you get your confirmation e-mail, call this number to setup delivery. I did and waited on hold for over an hour and a half before talking to someone. Good grief! Only to find out that the local company will call me to setup delivery. Luckily, I didn't have any meetings, so could just sit on hold while working this morning.

          Comment


            #9
            I can't believe you are this quick to spend all that cash again, with the Woodwind Wifi already on your back porch.... good luck though! You will certainly be the beta tester for the rest of us! I am very interested in your review when it comes in.

            Comment


            • glitchy
              glitchy commented
              Editing a comment
              If it doesn't work well, I will hold them to their statement that it can be returned. Following things on another forum it sounds like it's performing a lot better after all the updates. I have also had some time to digest the post product release addition of drip pans being required for LnS greasy cooks and have come to accept them if I decide to use it for low and slow cooking.
              Last edited by glitchy; June 29, 2020, 03:48 PM.

            • Andrrr
              Andrrr commented
              Editing a comment
              glitchy what camp chef do you have?

            • glitchy
              glitchy commented
              Editing a comment
              Andrrr the Woodwind WiFi. I really have zero complaints about it. It works as well or better as any pellet grill I’ve had with that uses that standard drip tray design. I just have had a taste of more smoke flavor with the SmokeFire and Memphis.

            #10
            I can vouch for the increase in the number of people cooking and what that means to manufacturers. Try ordering something from Lodge right now.

            Comment

            Announcement

            Collapse
            No announcement yet.
            Working...
            X
            false
            0
            Guest
            Guest
            500
            ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
            false
            false
            {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
            Yes
            ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
            /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here