So if I got my stuff narrowed to 3, thoughts on these?

Rec Tec Stampede (another $200, 1st gen wifi/Bluetooth untested in the 680)

Woodwind (sale, grill sear box, probably thinnest steel of the bunch)

Grilla Silverbac (thicker again, dbl-wall on bottom, seem to hear relatively little about them)

Which would you pic?  Or is there another sub-$900 you'd recommend if I want a solid grill and solid temp control)

thanks, all....

there is a one day sale on the woodwind at home depot today...act fast

Very tricky question... 

 As near as I know, no one who might have a Stampede is talking about them yet... Based on the specs and photos, I think it's a interesting looking option... may very well become Rec Tec's biggest seller.  It's extensive uses of stainless inside and out is a good thing... It's octagon shape is intriguing.   The new controller on the Rec Tec grills adds some nice features such as dual food probes and WiFi, I personally really like the WiFi option, and of course having a food probe or two is also nice.

 Silverbac ... Seems to have a pretty good following, for the short amount of time they've been selling these.  I think it's biggest selling point is that it's a modestly priced grill that is made with some fairly stout components... No WiFi, no food probes... it's basically a sort of old school pellet grill that's built reasonably well and sold at a moderate/fair price. It's still got the basic 20" barrel design, which I personally find somewhat limiting in terms of efficiently using the interior space.  Other then possibly protecting the bottom of the barrel , I don't think the 'double' wall at the bottom really does much for efficiency or anything related to how it will actually cook food.

  Woodwind... well, it's main selling point I think is the ability to empty ash from the firepot without taking the grill's internal components out ( cooking grates, drip tray, and heat shield ).  I'm not one to put a whole lot of 'value' in it's optional sear box... if I wanted to cook with propane, I'd have a propane grill around too, but then someone with limited space in their outdoor area might find that sear box very handy to have.

   None have any 'direct grill' option that utilizes the wood pellet fire... unless you consider 'grill grates' as a solution to that, but grill grates can be used on anything, if you do see those as a solution.  Rec Tec is the only one that has a PID controller... Don't hear too many complaints about the ability to control temps with the other grills, so PID itself might not be a deal breaker...

   Personally.... I like convenience of WiFi and the probes with the Rec Tec... and it's octagon shape may prove to yield a tiny bit more extra space inside... so for me, the Stampede gets a slight edge over the other two... but that's just me.   I'm sure I could cook fine food on any of these three ( or just about any other pellet grill ).

   Ultimately it's up to you to figure out which features are most important to  you.

Just based on my experience dealing with the company, Rec Tec.  If anything goes wrong with that unit, they'll make it right. Anytime I had an issue with my 680, I'd log into my account and give them the part I needed (ex: wheels, hot rod ) and would have a shipping confirmation e-mail within a half hour if it was during business hours.

Silverbac ... Seems to have a pretty good following, for the short amount of time they've been selling these.  I think it's biggest selling point is that it's a modestly priced grill that is made with some fairly stout components... No WiFi, no food probes... it's basically a sort of old school pellet grill that's built reasonably well and sold at a moderate/fair price. It's still got the basic 20" barrel design, which I personally find somewhat limiting in terms of efficiently using the interior space.  Other then possibly protecting the bottom of the barrel , I don't think the 'double' wall at the bottom really does much for efficiency or anything related to how it will actually cook food.

The Silverbac does come with a single food probe standard.  You're correct in that it is built with stout components, it weighs in at roughly 180lbs.  The double-walled bottom seems to act as more of a heat shield, keeping some heat from reaching the outer walls and radiating away.  That in and of itself would help with fuel efficiency.  Admittedly, the efficiency increase at that level is probably imperceptible and relatively negligible.  It does help with extreme cold-weather cooking though, as no blanket is needed.

Interesting. I’ve never heard of the silverbac and am about to pull the trigger on the stampede myself. Waiting for a review or two from a new owner. Like the WiFi, like the customer service reputation.

Still don’t understand why RecTec doesn’t include a quick dump pellet hopper trapdoor and an easy way to clean the firebox, but those are minor features that appear to be more than made up for by the remaining features and build quality.

Any other comparable smokers were not thinking about?

- Dan

I can’t speak to the WiFi but customer service has been great. The all stainless cooking chamber is nice although the gauge of the metal on the Stampede is thinner than the other RecTec models.

What about the Firecraft Q-450? It's a little over $900.

If I didn't have a dealer for a brand of pellet grill I would be ordering a Grilla Grills Silver Bac and especially withe new improvements for only $749 shipped to my door.  I think bang for the buck and what I read about them that they seem to be a great buy.  If I was to get a pellet grill all over again I 99% sure I would buy the Silver Bac.

Ugh.  Now I have two more grills added to my list that I'm supposed to be shortening.  I've never heard of the Grilla before and they actually have two grills that I find interesting.  Especially the original Grilla.

What about the Green Mountain Grills?  What do you hear about them?

Stampede for me (of those 3).  PID control, SS grates, 30 lb hopper, ceramic starter(probably never burn out), SS barrel and inner parts including burn pot. Hx of great customer service.  It has no sear station, but with GrillGrates added, you won't need that. 

Saw this on the Rec Tec Facebook site a week or two back... Hopefully my pic attaches correctly

Saw this on the Rec Tec Facebook site a week or two back... Hopefully my pic attaches correctly

There you go.  That's a pleasant surprise.  Price for the gasser?

He used the Camp Chef sear box, apparently a couple of the holes line up perfectly. I dont know enough about facebook to find all of the posts about it but I did find the unit he added.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DTLYUZW/ref=asc_df_B01DTLYUZW5501523/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B01DTLYUZW&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198061703654&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18233790325556706631&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019472&hvtargid=pla-349841180600