923614 Vertical Propane Smoker, Black

All in all a very well built smoker. Assemble was easy especially with the help of the video!

This is my third propane smoker, and first of this brand. This is the most absurd customer experience of my life. The product is dinged in multiple places; the door latch was warped and broke off before I even put it together; the doors do not close evenly because the hinges are bent there they insert, so there is an air gap to the top door; the screws that created a border between top and bottom door sections are too weak to make it through the sheet metal before stripping out. And I don't even have it together yet. I'm dumbfounded. I went to the company website, and the page to register my product will not pull up. Amazon helped defray the cost some, but this is a real lemon.

Technically I received this as a Christmas present (though I provided the link to this product after various levels of research). To start, I unpacked it and as seems to be somewhat common, there were some dents and dings in the outer sheet metal (which appeared to me to be the result of shipping handling). Since the smoker is a multi-wall design, these outer dents (in my case, on the rear main back panel) were minimal, did not impact the integrity, did not impact the internal workings of the smoker. The assembly was pretty straight forward and simple. Instructions were so-so, but it was all pretty obvious to me. It took a relaxing 90 minutes to assemble (I was in no rush - as that's when I end up having to undo skipping steps in the proper order). I did it without any help, if would probably be nice to have a second pair of hands around for a couple of the steps, but not really necessary. Overall, the quality is so-so. In my first use (actually pre-use, when running/burning off any chemical residue on the smoker interior), the door clamping mechanism broke completely off. Since it was cheaply riveted on, there was no fixing it. I simply used a piece of picture frame metal wire to hold the door shut. After a few uses now, I actually prefer the wire approach over the door clamp approach that is part of this smoker - the door clamps are cheap, don't really work very well, aren't very well aligned, and I suspect the second one will break soon enough too. By sealing the door shut with wire, it takes just a second to open and another second to secure closed - but it does require two hands for the closing and securing process. Okay, the important part: Does this smoker hold a steady, even controllable temperature? #1: It runs hotter than what the included/installed thermometer shows (and to add insult, the installed thermometer is located at the top front of the smoker - not where it should be! at meat level). So the thermometer under reports the real temperature (the worse possible flaw of a thermometer) and is located at the hottest point of the smoker. The installed thermometer appears to be under-reporting the real temperature by about 30-50 degrees - which really makes the thermometer pretty useless. But we all know that you are not going to get a real, properly working thermometer with a smoker that costs just a few hundred dollars. If you are buying this smoker, plan on replacing the included thermometer with one or more after market good quality ones that you can calibrate and know are accurate. I would suggest installing 3, each at different levels of the smoker - vertically. #2: Does it hold heat and temperature? I have used mine for smoking twice now - both times during winter in Michigan. This smoker holds heat well, even in moderate to windy conditions - thanks to it's double walled design and semi-sealed door gasket (there is only smoke escaping the door at the hinges - which is pretty good for this price range). #3: Temperature control: I was not able to get my smoker to a low enough temperature just by the use of the flame control knob and the adjustable vents. Using just these two methods, I could get the temperature down to about 275-300 (again, during winter in Michigan). For me to get the temperature down to where I like to smoke (250 ish), I also needed to use the gas controller on my propane tanks. By turning that down from full open to about 50% open, I was able to achieve my desired temps, and did not find in moderately windy conditions that there were any signs that the unit's flame was going to get blown out by the wind. It will be interesting to see if during the warm summer months if I can get or keep my temperatures low enough, will the flame stay lit when the propane tank is turned on to only 1/4? By my second use, after getting a feel for the system during the first cooking/smoking. I had the confidence to put my ribs on and let them go straight for 2 hours (no peaking). The temp was probably a bit too high, about 325-335 vs. my preferred 285-315 range for ribs, but I did not get burned by not checking and being over concerned. For ribs, I simply put them in the smoker for 1.5 to 2 hours, then finish them in the oven (wrapped) at 225-235 for a few hours, then finish on the grill for serving. This method gives me all the smoke flavor they are going to get (in that 1.5 to 2 hours of smoker time), but all the complete control that only an oven can give. Overall, I am pleased with this smoker. Coming from a charcoal smoker to this gas smoker, I can say that I love the ease and convenience. Knowing the temperature can be controlled so much better than with my last charcoal smoker, allows me to plan by smoking times in a much tighter time window. Gone are the days of planning on smoking a brisket in 9-10 hours, only to find after 14-15 hours that it still isn't up to temp (not good when it's for a party). So it works, it's quality is so-so (expect the thermometer to be useless and the door clamps to fail). It's not bad quality by any means (like one see's with Chinese made junk typically), but it certainly doesn't meet the historical standards of Made in the USA either - somewhere between the two. For the price, it's quality is maybe a little disappointing - but not majorly disappointing. Compared to the Green Egg (for example), the quality of this smoker is NO WHERE close to that build quality. Compared to the cheap chinese made smokers found at Menards and Home Depot in the $150-$250 price range - the quality of this smoker is moderately better, but includes some important features that those typically don't. The double walled construction, stainless steel racks and pans, and the gasketed door is what really sets this smoker apart. My anticipated life expectancy: I expect this smoker to last about 5 years with proper operating performance, kept outdoors (all seasons) with it's cover on and being used on average 6-9 times per year. I suspect it will likely be able to limp along for a few years after that, but will become less reliable . . . until the point that it will become too much of a hassle and simply need to be replaced in the range of 7-10 years. But, only time will tell.

Like many of the complaints, my first one arrives smashed up. I sent it back right away. UPS came and picked it up the next day. A week later I had another one. It was mostly in tact, had a small dent on the back corner. Decide to keep it since it was pretty minor. Assembly was pretty straightforward, took an hour. I used if once so far, it a big improvement over my last propane smoker. Chips smoke easily and the temperature control is easier once you figure it out and get it dialed in. There was a lot less monkeying around with it. I had to tweak it maybe every hour or so as the sunlight moved around and the water pan emptied. I really like that I can refill the water pan or chip tray without opening the main section. My neighbors agreed the ribs were good enough I should keep it.

This is a great product it was delivered within the specified time and performs very well and very sturdy. I did purchase the cover and that was a great idea, the only challenge that I am having is regulating the gage based on degrees the only option is between high and low.

Received the first one with a crack top and received the second one with a cracked top. Now have to send them back to get a refund. what a waste of time.

Overall great product however there are a couple of things that keep me from giving 5 stars. 1. The drop down shelf is nice but awkward when trying to access meat and it is hot so closing is a challenge. 2. It is very challenging keeping the temp controlled. I had the dial at the lowest setting and still had to almost completely close my tank regulator and mess with the vents to keep it from going over the set temp. Not ideal to be able to leave alone. 3. The clamped door is nice, but it only has one. Recommend 2 or 3 to make sure the door is sealed well.

Arrived missing pieces and NO INSTRUCTIONS. Not even a QR code to download. Some poor build quality visible right out of the box. Will search for assembly manual online and then determine each missing part and if can be assembled from what was delivered.

It runs to hot!! The built in thermostat is garbage, to maintain a low level heat I have to restrict the propane level to acquire a low enough heat not to dry out and over cook your meat however that then baffles the smoke, after much trial and dammit moments I've been able to produce some quality meats but with maximum effort.