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[ylr]

I was in Sam's Club yesterday, and walked past the outdoor area; I was wondering if they had any of the $129 Masterbuilt pellet grills there. I wasn't going to buy one, I didn't need one. They did not, but they did have a Member's Mark grill with a 957 sq.in. cooking area, 25lb. hopper, and jacks for two probes, for $400. A quick check of the display model gave one impression: cheap. The shelves and hopper box is made of the powder coated thin gauge metal that rusts in a few months. The hinges on the pellet hopper are so thin that the lid flexed when I lifted it up!  The innards are standard Chinese Treager clone.

Mind you, I own a Pit Boss 820, which is probably one of the first Chinese Traeger clones that were widely marketed in big box stores. However, my PB is made from a heavier gauge steel, and aside from replacing the hot rod, has been issue free for over five years. Has a couple of tiny places of surface rust, but nothing that can't be fixed with a little bit of high heat paint.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that pellet grills, at least on the low end, are becoming mass marketed like their gas cousins to the point that they can be called "disposable". Run it a couple of years until something breaks, then go buy another one on discount for under $200. Is this a good thing? It'll bring a lot more people to pellet cooking, at least at first, but will their extra complexity and potential higher fail rates scare people from upgrading to a higher grade model? I'm a tightwad, but I would like to upgrade to a PG500 someday! 

[smokin soon]

Sure has been interesting to watch over the last couple of years. Some feel like beer cans. The Pit Boss has them all beat for look and feel. Lid is heavier than my Traeger. I even like the hammer finish. The Walmart where  my wife works does a brisk business on them. They keep 12-16 pieces of all 3 sizes in stock.

[reubenray]

I was in Sam's Club yesterday, and walked past the outdoor area; I was wondering if they had any of the $129 Masterbuilt pellet grills there. I wasn't going to buy one, I didn't need one. They did not, but they did have a Member's Mark grill with a 957 sq.in. cooking area, 25lb. hopper, and jacks for two probes, for $400. A quick check of the display model gave one impression: cheap. The shelves and hopper box is made of the powder coated thin gauge metal that rusts in a few months. The hinges on the pellet hopper are so thin that the lid flexed when I lifted it up!  The innards are standard Chinese Treager clone.

Mind you, I own a Pit Boss 820, which is probably one of the first Chinese Traeger clones that were widely marketed in big box stores. However, my PB is made from a heavier gauge steel, and aside from replacing the hot rod, has been issue free for over five years. Has a couple of tiny places of surface rust, but nothing that can't be fixed with a little bit of high heat paint.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that pellet grills, at least on the low end, are becoming mass marketed like their gas cousins to the point that they can be called "disposable". Run it a couple of years until something breaks, then go buy another one on discount for under $200. Is this a good thing? It'll bring a lot more people to pellet cooking, at least at first, but will their extra complexity and potential higher fail rates scare people from upgrading to a higher grade model? I'm a tightwad, but I would like to upgrade to a PG500 someday! 

This sounds like the one I saw at a Florida Sam's Club, but it  was over $550.00.

[jdmessner]

The other day when I was at Walmart, I saw a PB "Whiskey Still" vertical pellet grill for $149. I was tempted, but could not think of a good reason to get another grill.

[GatorDave]

Sam's Club has been getting rid of their stock of pellet grills.  They have been auctioning them off for the last month.  I lucked out and got one for $90, shipping included.  Mostly they have been going between $120 and $150.