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NEW Review - Z Grills 450B Wood Pellet Cooker

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    NEW Review - Z Grills 450B Wood Pellet Cooker

    Z Grills 450B Wood Pellet Cooker, by Spinaker
    Link:
    https://amazingribs.com/ratings-revi...z-grills-450b/

    The Z Grills 450B is part of their Basic Series and, true to the name, it is a straightforward, no frills, mid-size pellet smoker. This generic model looks like many other value priced pellet smokers and has similar features and performance. It competes with lower priced models from Camp Chef and Pit Boss and is worth a look if you're on a tight budget. Read our review at the link above to learn our rating.

    Click image for larger version  Name:	z-grills-450b-hero-1024x1024.jpg.png Views:	64 Size:	284.1 KB ID:	1088938

    #2
    No link showing for me

    Comment


    • ItsAllGoneToTheDogs
      ItsAllGoneToTheDogs commented
      Editing a comment
      yeah I had to go look for it on the free site.

    #3
    Sorry 'bout that, I added it above. ItsAllGoneToTheDogs Jfrosty27

    Comment


    #4
    Great review. Sounds like a decent unit for an intro into pellet cookers. It gets the job done but may not last as long as more robust cookers.

    Comment


    • Spinaker
      Spinaker commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks! It did just fine for the price point. I was pretty happy with it.

    #5
    Great review. Interesting tidbits about the large temperature difference from one side to the other - I have the same issue with my Yoder. But I've noticed stuff gets burned on the bottom on mine. I try to flip, rotate and move things to try to counteract this, but the last ribs I did, they got awful crispy on the bottom when on the lower rack.

    I dunno, wondering if maybe I should go back to putting a couple of layers of aluminum foil on my diffuser, I stopped doing that at Yoder's recommendation, but I'm just not getting good results.

    Comment


    • Spinaker
      Spinaker commented
      Editing a comment
      Maybe let your smoker heat soak more before adding the food. All the steel needs to really heat up and get comfy before the food is added. That might help.

    #6
    One thing I would suggest for reviews at least is not to foil the diffuser. I know you guys aren't sloppy and would never block airflow when using it, but IMO a review should be as is out of the box?

    And foil has led to first year severe rust problems on some grills, especially Zgrills and other budget box store brands when users aren't removing after each cook from what I've seen on reddit (I know Spinaker said he does remove it after each cook).

    Would just hate for some one to skim the review, see the award, remember seeing the foil, and having their grill not operate properly or worse rust away. Thus giving them a bad experience with a pellet smoker AND AmazingRibs.

    Comment


    • Spinaker
      Spinaker commented
      Editing a comment
      Thank you for the input. I appreciate it. I should make a point of mentioning the things above.

    #7
    Good point ItsAllGoneToTheDogs on the foil.

    Reading the review, my impression is that the performance is more Bronze rated, but bumped up to Silver mainly due to price.
    • Temp can't recover to 250
    • 100 degree variances
    • No attempt to grill anything
    • Instructions warn against flimsy construction

    Z-Grills is offering the same grill right now for $429.

    I'm not really a fan of of the brand, as they attempt to blatantly rip off GMG and Grilla designs using much lower-quality parts. With Napoleon/SNS, we mention Weber is the obvious inspiration, and the quality is at least similar if not better.

    My opinion is that if the smoker/grill can't control the temp across the grates well, it is going to destroy more food than not given the inconsistency in performance. It's not clear to me that most folks cook with a leave-in thermometer (outside of Pitmasters naturally) so they won't notice the hot spots or realize how to manage through them.


    Last edited by STEbbq; September 6, 2021, 09:24 AM.

    Comment


    • glitchy
      glitchy commented
      Editing a comment
      It's hard to say who copies or steals from who at this point. Traeger had a model that looked almost exactly like the Grilla does, not sure if Treagers was first or Grilla's, but check this out: https://www.cochaser.com/blog/wp-con...ellet-Gril.jpg. However, this Z-Grill looks more like a Traeger Pro 575 or Lil Tex than a Grilla to me.
      Last edited by glitchy; September 7, 2021, 01:42 PM.

    • glitchy
      glitchy commented
      Editing a comment
      However, I do agree that Z-Grills has all models that look exactly like someone else's. I wonder if they are Grilla's factory too or were at some point. The model you linked does look exactly like the Silverback.
      Last edited by glitchy; September 7, 2021, 02:00 PM.

    • ItsAllGoneToTheDogs
      ItsAllGoneToTheDogs commented
      Editing a comment
      glitchy I called them out on Reddit because one of their initial offerings was a part for part copy of the Silverbac. I hurt their feelings something fierce But really, who does a buy one get one free on a sub $300 grill. Just screams of quality

    #8

    z grills come in two stages. First, buy a budget z-grill and give pellet grilling a try. Next, upgrade to a "Real" pellet grill.

    Comment


    • ItsAllGoneToTheDogs
      ItsAllGoneToTheDogs commented
      Editing a comment
      I hate the brand, but they would make a decent cabin cooker. Just have to replace it every few years

    #9
    Spinaker On the butt cook when you never got back to 250, did the controller say 250 or was it reading similar to your FB. If it said 250, I’ve seen that on a lot of pellet grills where I’ve had to adjust controller temp up a bit to get what I want by the food. I apologize in advance if you already mentioned something about that in review that I missed.

    Comment


    • Spinaker
      Spinaker commented
      Editing a comment
      Yes, the controller was reading 250. I did not feel like the internal temp was recorded very well by the Z Grill. And having the temp probe on the left side makes it tough for a good reading. The air is being forced out the stack while the fire is in the middle of the grill. Making it tough for an accurate reading.

    • glitchy
      glitchy commented
      Editing a comment
      Spinaker that’s exactly what I’ve seen on a lot of pellet grills. The readings are fine when empty, but when you put food on (especially larger cuts) and change airflow, you have to use a third party thermometer and adjust controller until 3rd party therm reads your goal. Not that it doesn’t work without, you’re just really a little higher of lower than the grill thinks it is. Pretty hard to overcome without either multiple or roaming pit probes.
      Last edited by glitchy; September 7, 2021, 02:18 PM.

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