The 590 just came out so you won't find much on it.  I think only one member here has received one.

I'm not sure why they went with 18g steel but it is stainless so it shouldn't rust through.  You'll likely have an issue with one of the other components; fan, auger, electronics before the stainless steel becomes a problem. 

I can't imagine many will be hauling this around in a vehicle.  They have the Trailblazer model for that.  Odd answer.

I would say the 700 is certainly a better built smoker if only due to the thicker steel.

There are lots of options out there now so it makes for a tough decision. 

I see the RT-700's chamber is made with 14 gauge SS and would like to know if you pros think that it will hold heat and perform noticeably better than the RT-590 would.  I asked REC TEC why only a 2-year warranty and was told it was because people will be hauling the RT-590 around in their vehicles.  I didn't like that answer, but it is what they said via the phone conversation.  I now believe I know the truth and it is due to the thin steel chamber.


I really don't see any other grill in this $900 price range that looks better to me, but I welcome all input here for sure.  My wife doesn't really want a 54" grill added to the deck TBH, but if the RT-700 is much better then I well have to consider it over the RT-590.  I do Briskets, Pork shoulders, and everything in-between for mainly just the two of us.

I got my Rec Tec RT-700 about 1-1/2 weeks ago. I am extremely happy with it. I've cooked on stick burners and gassers. When my oldest son told me about pellet grills, I was intrigued with not spending all day/night minding the fire. I paid the extra for the RT-700 because of what I read about the build quality. It's well deserved praise. All that thick stainless is well placed. In the past week I've done tri-tip, chicken thighs, chicken legs, sweet potatoes, and Friday night I smoked two boneless pork shoulders. I cooked them low and slow @ 225 and they came out FANTASTIC! No trouble holding temp. The right side appears to cook a little hotter, so half way through I swapped the meat. It evened out things nicely.

I've had a couple of minor problems. 1. The app puts out a wifi disconnected message every once in a while. I called them at 10 am PST on Saturday. They picked right up. I spoke with a gentleman that definitely knew what he was talking about. He said this was an app problem when it sleeps. He said they're working on changing the app to make it work correctly. No biggie. 2. Both probes read 10° high compared to my ThermaPen. Easy math to correct that in my head. I told the gentleman that I could find calibration for the temp sensor, but not the meat probes. Is there any way to calibrate those? He walked me though checking the board version in my grill. He determined that it wasn't the latest version of firmware. With no coaching, he offered to cross ship me the latest board with instructions for install and probe calibration. Included is return shipping. Two bolts to install. The latest version has meat probe calibration. Excellent, top-of-the-line customer service, excellent grill with superb customer service. I am extemely happy with my purchase.

Grilltreats,

I have the RT-590 and used it yesterday for the first time.  I will post a recap and pics a little later but here are my thoughts for you.

- The warranty:  I had a conversation with a Rec Tec rep maybe 2 months ago and he told me they felt the 2 year warranty was on par with the industry norm for a unit in this price range and size.  He also explained that the RT-700 Bull is now their flagship product so they want to sell as many as possible both for market share and for revenue since it's more expensive.  Therefore, he said the 6 year warranty is merely an inducement/perk to sell more of them.

- Components:  I was nervous about the stainless steel gauge of the body (mostly due to ignorance) but after knocking around it and feeling it out, I'm perfectly satisfied.  The internal components like the fire pot, deflector, drip pan, hardware, etc are thick 304 SS and feel like they could withstand anything.  I'm not worried about deterioration, although I keep mine uncovered in the garage.

- Size:  I could feed a party with this thing.  It's bigger than my 3 burner Weber Genesis gasser.

- After putting it through test runs yesterday I can say that I'm happier than I ever expected.  My prior grilling/smoking experience is with gassers, eggs, and stick burners.  But this was an eye opening experience and I already know I'm hooked for life. 

Many thanks for the comments so far!  I basically have approval from the wife for either one, but the RT-590 fits my space better and I don't think I really need the 36" cooking width of the RT-700.  However, the RT-700 has the front shelf option and the thicker steel and the towel ring and hooks for my implements.  I know the electronics will be the biggest issue being exposed to outdoor humidity, but am willing to gamble on that for the built-in probes and Wi-Fi over the 680.  I am glad to hear that RT is working on the probe calibration and App woes.  The six year warranty is a plus on the RT-700 for sure if it covers the electronics too.


I am really curious if the sear plates will work well for searing steaks and such.  I figure I may have to remove the steaks and turn up the temp before searing them.  I think I read somewhere where the sear plates run 100 degrees hotter than the grid does.  I would like some comments on this part.  My egg has no issues with searing, but don't plan on running both to cook a steak.


I am ready to order today, but am just hung up on the thinner steel of the RT-590 with no front shelf and only a 2-year warranty.  Also the big size of the RT-700 so kinda stuck right now on which way to swing.  I do like the price of the RT-590, but long-term, I am thinking the RT-700 is a better choice.

I bet they will have a 2nd shelf at some point.

As for searing. You can get a good sear with Grill Grates. For steaks I smoke at 200 until the internal temp hits 115 then pull and turn the temp up to 500. Then sear until your desired doneness.

You can also just fire it up to 500 and cook them as you would on a gas grill. The grill grates get very hot.

I chose the 590 for the price.  If I were you, I would get the 700 Bull if price isn't the primary hold up.  Based on what you have written, my gut tells me that if you get the 700 Bull, you will never look back at the 590.  But if you get the 590, you will always keep your eye on the 700 Bull.   

I am thinking also that the 700 will gobble up more pellets than the 590 per cook and cost me more in the long run due to the difference in air space/size.  Also, that the 700 with the thicker steel may take longer to get to temp, but once going will payoff over the thinner steel of the 590 which will have to work harder to keep the temp as it looses more heat from the thinner steel given the same ambient temps.  So basically it would be a wash between the two there, but the 700 would retain the heat better and cook more evenly on the long, overnight cooks.



I do plan on ordering the package that includes the 200lbs of pellets, sear kit, cover and shelf.  It also comes with two mats which brings me to the question of does these grills drip stuff onto the floor requiring a mat?


P.S.  My bad, I see now that it is two "cooking" mats and not the pad underneath.  I would still like to know if these type grills drip stuff on the floor and need a matt under them.  Thanks!

All the seams in my 680 are caulked so I haven’t had any drips. I assume the other models are the same.

Thanks to everyone for the input!  I couldn't take it any longer and pulled the trigger on the RT-700 with the Backyard bundle.  $1600 is a lot of money for me, but I think it will be a good investment in the long run.  My brother-in-law just bought a Traeger which set me in motion on this pellet grill journey.  In my search for a pellet grill, I kept coming back to the REC TEC over the other options available.  I did go up the ladder to even more expensive grills, but they just didn't have the SS or the PID controller I wanted.  Mostly they are controlled by time which is not as smart of a pellet feeding method and are more prone to have temp swings and flare ups.  I saw one where it really flared up because the end user didn't keep enough pellets in the hopper and it literally burnt the paint off of the grill from overheating.


I first thought I wanted one with the easy hopper cleanout so I could swap wood flavors, but soon realized that moisture/humidity could get in from that cleanout opening too and so I moved away from that thought.  Also, the easy cleanout of the ash from the removable burner cup or with a pull rod for an easy dump option.  After watching some videos, I soon realized that I would need to clean the rest of the inside ash out too so another bee and insect opening eliminated with the REC TEC.


I am happy about getting the thicker stainless steel, the extra hopper capacity (I will never fill completely) the added shelf space and above all the two built-in probes and the Wi-Fi.  Oh yes the light, lol.


I will stay subscribed to this thread and offer any help to newbs like me when I can talk with some experience behind me.


 

Nice!  Best to just go with what you really want without breaking the bank. You’ll enjoy it more in the long run.

Looking forward to all the great food pictures.

Nice!  Best to just go with what you really want without breaking the bank. You’ll enjoy it more in the long run.

Looking forward to all the great food pictures.

Thanks!  I do have a 6lb brisket on stand-by

For what it's worth, I bought a RT700 which was delivered last week. That thing is definitely stout, very heavy and seems well constructed.

When I was unpacking it, I noticed the porcelain coating was missing in a few places, like it had rubbed off by hitting high-spots on the barrel during transit. I wouldn't have normally even bothered about it but it had left some rust on the nearby stainless and I live in a very humid environment so I figured i'd get ahead of it. I called Rec Tec just to let them know (so I wasn't calling 3 years later with a "It was always like this!" call) and expected to get some touch up paint. Without hesitation, they offered to ship me a brand new lid. That's impressive CS!

One thing I did notice, however, which disappointed me a bit - the stainless on the barrel and exterior is 430, not 304. I found this out accidentally because my Smoke fell off its stand and stuck to the side shelf, which I thought was going to be non-magnetic. that prompted me to test a few other places. Basically, the bull horns, the pull handle, grates, drip pan and deflector are 304. The rest (side shelf, barrel, smokestack lid) are 430. I don't need to have 304 just so I can brag about the quality of my stainless, but I do hope that the 430 holds up well.

I called RecTec about it and they said not to worry about it, that barrels and side shelves never go bad, it's the internals that matter. Of course they're biased on that front, so we'll have to see. I only mention it as I thought the stainless steel barrel was going to guarantee longevity when I ordered it and I'm now wondering a little bit. I'm sure it'll probably be fine though.

Interestingly enough, according to the product description page, the 680's side shelf and smokestack lid are 304 stainless. I asked Rec Tec if they changed it recently and they said they weren't aware of a change and that they didn't think they'd ever used 304 for the side shelves.

Thanks, No I never thought that the barrel was 304 SS.  Just thicker steel than the 590 model.  It would be nice if everything was 304 SS, but then they would be out of my reach price wise.  I do wish the lid was.  I am not sold on the lid coating as I have seen some of the older 680's that look pretty bad and faded now.


These reps on the line are clearly salesmen and with all sales reps you have to understand their position and weed through the "white lies" or the info they leave out.  I drilled one of them fairly hard but didn't get very far as he was just trying to make a sale and all potential negative points I brought up were simple distilled so I didn't really get any straight answers from him like I wanted.  I wished he had been honest and more straightforward, but that ain't happening with a sales rep anywhere.  They could not have run me off either way as I was going to get one anyway.  I just wanted to know what to watch out for.  Thanks to this forum and some videos, I got the answers REC TEC tried to hide.


Hopefully my RT-700 will arrive in good shape.  If it doesn't then I will see firsthand just how good the REC TEC name really is.  Either way, You can be sure that everyone will know the outcome of my experience on many media sites.  I prefer to brag about them, but am not shy about warning others either.

The Grill

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The Burn In, Bacon, Tri Tip, Wings

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