I became a pellet owner this year and have a Traeger Pro 22.  I have a lot of experience using Kamado's (BGE), Kettles (Weber - all sizes), Stick Burners (Custom), Bullets (WSM), Cabinets (Humphrey's) and use them all frequently.  My Traeger has done nothing but reliably cook really great tasting food.  On average it holds consistent temps and puffs out sweet smelling smoke. 

Maybe I'm the exception, but I love cooking on it.  Let me know your thoughts.

They were the only game in town for a long time, and also the Standard.  For me it was not a matter of dislike, I won two Grand Championships with mine.  They just got passed over in technology and performance.  They are starting to close that gap somewhat!

My neighbor has a Traeger & I have a Memphis Elite. I cannot taste the difference in the food.

I have had a love/hate relationship with my Tailgater.  I haven't figured out how to do low and slow on it, so I use my GMG DB for that.  When I'm cooking beef or pork low and slow for the girls and I, I'll use the Traeger for a couple of chicken breasts for the wife.  275 for an hour and they are perfect.  And I've never ruined anything on it, unlike my old abandoned stick burner.  I'm beginning to love it the more I use it, but still prefer the GMG.

My issue stemmed from the lack of temperature control early on. That has been solved. I have ate a lot of great food off a Traeger. My father-in-laws has always grilled food much better than anything I have had.

I use a Traeger and the cooker does just fine with anything I've tried. My main issue is that I paid much more for the Traeger than I d1d for a GMG DB. The DB sports a PID while it cost me an extra $200 to equip the Traeger with a similar controller (I was unhappy with the stock controller and the wide temperature swings).

At the end, I paid $300 more for the Traeger than the DB, and although the Traeger is an older model, it just feels lesser in quality than the GMG - kind of like the difference between a Yugo and a Toyota.

I have a 2008 USA made 075 Texas which I love.  The only thing I did was put an Ortech 100 controller in and I’m 100% satisfied with its performance both at home and competitions.  It all depends on what a person is looking for ie PID’s, WiFi , ash dumps, pellet dumps and other things they have come up with.  You have to be your own judge.

I have a 2008 USA made 075 Texas which I love.  The only thing I did was put an Ortech 100 controller in and I’m 100% satisfied with its performance both at home and competitions.  It all depends on what a person is looking for ie PID’s, WiFi , ash dumps, pellet dumps and other things they have come up with.  You have to be your own judge.

2009 China Made 075 Texas that I love here.  Added Ortech.  The main reason I haven't upgraded is that I can (ambient temps do play a factor) hold 130 to 275.  Those are the display temps on the Ortech, but lower than other pits I've seen and read about. 

Still can't quite justify an upgrade.  I too over paid for my Traeger pz, but that was 7 and a half years ago.  The Texas has more than made up for that initial mistake on my part.

DK

I think you're not seeing the issues others have had to live with, because you have the Pro 22.  (I have the Pro 34.) I had an issue with an air leak when it was new earlier this year, but Traeger was great in helping me resolve it.  However, that said, It's possible the Traegers now being made in China has allowed the quality to slip some compared to USA-made pits.  My guess is that the pro series, not withstanding my experience, is better-inspected than the cheaper models in their line.  They also make a point of the Pro series having a better controller. So, the comparison between the *average* Traeger and other USA-made pits is not as favorable as comparing the pro to those same pits.

After 3 months of fighting with my Jr Elite (and Traeger), I was ready to toss it of the 2 story balcony. 

The factory finally relented and sent me a new controller. It was a 'bit' better (swings went from 120+ degrees to more like 80-90). After another 6 months, things really settled down.

Was it the controller? Me? Required a good deal of break in? I've no idea, but it works well enough for me now.

I have limited room for a pit, and the only other one close to its size is the GMG Davy Crocket. The DC is hung way to low for putting on a deck. That's a no go for me.

Thanks for the replies!  I picked up a pork butt today and going to cook it up on the Traeger tomorrow.

I had a Traeger Lil Tex Elite for years and I loved it, but I finally got tired of peeling paint and powder coat so I bought a FireCraft Q450 stainless steel grill for less than I originally paid for the Traeger.

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I think that Traeger sells a lot more grills than the other manufacturers as well so there are alot more people out there with issues than other manufacturers. When I was looking for mine I made sure to do my research which is why I also have a Pro 22. That thing is awesome. I can start cooks and go to bed without worrying about it.

It finally hit me last night.   I watch Misfit Garage, Gas Monkey, xxxx'n Rides, FantomWorks.  All the car restoration shows for those of us that don't know jack about cars.   This whole anti Traeger thing.  It's just like MOPAR vs Ford or any other make for that matter.

MOPAR = Traeger.   Original, ubiquitous, inter-operable, accessible.  One can easily find a better vehicle, another brand.   But it's impossible to dismiss (or diss) Traeger all together.   The rest of the conversation is just emotion. 

DK

I am not qualified to reply but, oh well. I don't even own a pellet grill but there is one in my near future. Having burned out more charcoal grills than I care to remember I decided to either go with a ceramic or a pellet grill. I have since narrowed it to pellets. My issue with Traeger is the controller and the lack of a stainless option. If that were to change before I purchase a Memphis or Cookshack I'd reconsider.