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.

Weber SmokeFire on Amazon - reviews reset to zero

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

    Weber SmokeFire on Amazon - reviews reset to zero

    All of their poor reviews on Amazon for the Weber SmokeFire suddenly disappeared when Weber changed the model number and now call their grills Gen 2. Wonder what the differences are, if any? Maybe Huskee or Max Good can find out.

    #2
    I don’t think the differences are anything new, just firmware, hopper insert and welded auger chute. As I understand they recalled inventory to make sure all these were installed on unsold units. Will be interested to hear if Huskee or Max hear differently.

    I do think these updates are fair enough to reset reviews though. It’s a pretty decent do everything grill with the updates so far.
    Last edited by glitchy; November 19, 2020, 12:54 AM.

    Comment


      #3
      From what I've read glitchy is right- improved firmware and app, hopper chute, new single-piece auger and extra glow plugs (starters) shipped w/ the units. I can't confirm they're recalling & retrofitting unsold units, perhaps Max Good can comment on that.

      Comment


      • zinfella
        zinfella commented
        Editing a comment
        Gen 1 EX 4 models still seen online at Lowes and BBQGuys for the same $999 sales price., perhaps other sites as well. The Lowes close to me has the EX 4 Gen 1 assembled on the sales floor.
        Last edited by zinfella; November 19, 2020, 07:18 AM.

      • Max Good
        Max Good commented
        Editing a comment
        The "2nd Gen" Models have not been redesigned. The firmware and software are current, the hopper insert is pre-installed, the single piece auger which replaced the original two piece auger is now standard, and Weber is including additional glow plugs with the new units. If you want to upgrade your original model with the new auger, hopper insert and extra glow plugs, contact Weber customer service.
        Last edited by Max Good; November 19, 2020, 11:41 AM.

      • zinfella
        zinfella commented
        Editing a comment
        Not redesigned, but upgraded with current parts and firmware/software already installed by Weber at no extra cost or labor on the buyer's part. The Gen 2 models even have different model numbers than the Gen 1 models. This is more of an issue for buyers of new SF's, like me.
        Last edited by zinfella; November 19, 2020, 03:09 PM.

      #4
      I don’t think that’s unfair. You wouldn’t read PS3 reviews for a PS5.

      Comment


        #5
        I'm curious to know why Home Depot sells everything Weber except the SmokeFire.

        Comment


        • glitchy
          glitchy commented
          Editing a comment
          Weber had a sort of exclusivity deal with Lowe's and Amazon for the SmokeFire launch. So, either that deal is still in place or Home Depot saw the drama that unfolded at launch and haven't picked it up yet. I'm guessing they are in no rush until SmokeFires selling at Lowes start taking away from their Traeger sales.
          Last edited by glitchy; November 19, 2020, 09:15 AM. Reason: typo

        • zinfella
          zinfella commented
          Editing a comment
          Thanks, that explains it. Under those conditions, you'd think they would have SF Gen 2 available in Lowes. but that is not yet the case.
          Last edited by zinfella; November 19, 2020, 10:58 AM.

        #6
        The Amazon reviews for Gen 2 models started showing up a couple of days ago, but. The but is that those reviews were all done by Amazon Vine members. Vine members are people who Amazon rates as the most helpful reviewers, who are given free product (supplied by a vendor) to review.

        I might add that if they gave me an SF to review I'd probably like it more than one that I had to pay for.
        Last edited by zinfella; November 19, 2020, 06:00 PM.

        Comment


          #7
          To fine tune this a bit more, some links to the SF at Lowes show the EX 4 Gen 1 still available, and other links show the EX 4 & EX 6 Gen 1 models as no longer sold. No links, that I saw, showed
          Ge 2 models available t Lowes. Ace hardware does have Gen 2 models w/free assembly & delivery.

          Comment


            #8
            Can any one provide info re "The Gen 2 models even have different model numbers than the Gen 1 models. " -- Id love to go out to my favorite Ace hardware in Walnut Creek (Mgaretz land ) and know from looking at the serial number and model number that I'm looking at the newest

            Comment


            • zinfella
              zinfella commented
              Editing a comment
              Gen 1 EX 4 model # 22510001
              Gen 1 EX 6 model # 23510001
              Gen 2 EX 4 model # 22510201
              Gen 2 EX 6 model # 23510201
              Last edited by zinfella; November 19, 2020, 05:25 PM.

            #9
            Beware of the fake reviews and the deleted. I do agree that a true new version is a, well, true new version. I do not agree that all of the reviews should be deleted for the previous (if indeed it is a previous) version. Some folks still have the previous 'version', and that was a physical item which was sold, for profit.

            I do not pretend to know much about law, but I am pretty certain there are laws regarding versioning a product. I confess I am more knowledgeable of such things regarding software.

            If this were a truly new version, why would they feel it necessary to delete the reviews? One answer might be that Amazon does not do a good job of forcing reviews to the correct model/version/year of whatever product. I have seen this personally.

            Here is a link to pc magazine which may help, but I have not checked nor reviewed their source(s).
            Amazon and other e-commerce websites are flooded with bogus reviews. These online tools will help you identify a fake review and save you from choosing a product that's not worth your money.

            Comment


            #10
            Folks should seek out more than one source for reviews of products. Reading Consumer Reports review of SF pretty much convinced me that their reviewer was not at all well versed about the grill. Other reviews instill more confidence that the reviewer is credible. Having read many reviews, from various sources, I can say that without a doubt that our own Max Good has wrung out the SF to a degree unmatched by other reviewers. When you combine hat with posts from folks like Glitchy, who have been to the wall with F, you can see that AR has no peers when it comes to grill info.

            In the words of my hero, Slip Mahoney, "Leave us not forget", the first older than dirt rule when looking to purchase is, caveat emptor!
            Last edited by zinfella; November 20, 2020, 10:37 AM.

            Comment


            • jfmorris
              jfmorris commented
              Editing a comment
              I think Consumer Reports is fine for standard stuff, but I think they know little about grilling or smoking. I mostly subscribe to see reliability and repair ratings on appliances
              I might buy. And they were spot on for the poor rating on some paint my daughter unfortunately bought at Lowe's for her baby nursery (I helped painting - poor coverage and took 3 coats).

            • zinfella
              zinfella commented
              Editing a comment
              Yeah, I too still subscribe, but IMO, they're not what they once were. Nowadays, it's quite common to see user opinions that do not support CR's ratings.

            #11
            I saw a Smoke Fire at a local Lowe's just a week or so ago, and looked at it - no upgrade to the hopper chute that I could spot, pretty sure it was still the original model.

            Comment


              #12
              The new reviews are more appropriate than we might have thought, as there are more changes between Gen 1 and Gen 2 than we thought. The link below from the Weber Pellet Grills Forum explains it.

              Comment


              • glitchy
                glitchy commented
                Editing a comment
                I couldn’t find anything else in that thread identifying other changes except the user manual having a couple updates in it. The other mentions I saw were custom mods some people have been doing. Larger wheels (I did that one), hose clamp on glow plug connector, and plastic bushings added to a couple places. What additional Weber provided changes besides the already noted did you see there?

              • zinfella
                zinfella commented
                Editing a comment
                From tjhe [ost:


                "There are two changes that I noticed right away (there could be more), one to do with the initial burn-in and one clarifying the fuse language that was so confusing.

                The initial burn has been reduced to 450F from the original 600F:"

                Since I don't have an SF, I am not as familiar with it as those who do.

            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