First used Smoke Fire?

[HoosierKettle]

Observation by me is they designed this as a grill first even when they did their demos they were grilling not smoking


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Maybe that's true but it sure looks like a genesis would be a hell of a lot easier and better for grilling. Weber does such a great job with charcoal and gas. I think they should stay in their wheel house.


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[michaelmilitello]

In watched about an hour of Smokefire YouTube videos last night......yikes. 

Many problems.  Some very frustrated and vocal customers.  Hard to hear being such a Weber fan. 

I hope Weber's response is strong and swift. 




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[LightningBoldtz]

So I wanted to address the comments that I have seen saying Weber should stick to their bread and butter or what they know meaning propane and charcoal grills.  This is the worst thing for a company to do is to sit high on the hog and only do what they do best.  If you are a grilling company you have to adjust with the times.  Think of where Weber would be if in 1985 they only stuck with charcoal grills and didn't recognize that propane was the future of backyard grilling.  This is a good move by Weber, pellet grills are not going away, as one who uses them I have seen the most basic grilling novice turn out some really good BBQ.  Convenience is king in a busy world.

[michaelmilitello]

So I wanted to address the comments that I have seen saying Weber should stick to their bread and butter or what they know meaning propane and charcoal grills.  This is the worst thing for a company to do is to sit high on the hog and only do what they do best.  If you are a grilling company you have to adjust with the times.  Think of where Weber would be if in 1985 they only stuck with charcoal grills and didn't recognize that propane was the future of backyard grilling.  This is a good move by Weber, pellet grills are not going away, as one who uses them I have seen the most basic grilling novice turn out some really good BBQ.  Convenience is king in a busy world.

I agree.  You cannot claim to be  a premier manufacturer of grills and not compete in the pellet space.  They are late to the game.  I have little doubt they will fix these issues.  They've invested too much. 


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[HoosierKettle]

I don't think that's true at all as long as there will always be demand for the products that you do make. There will always be demand for charcoal and gas grills. I personally don't see pellet grills directly competing with gas grills. Two different products for two different customers.

This is just my opinion but if you continue to make quality timeless designs that are durable and better than your competition in that category, then the future of a business should be sound. Take lodge cast iron for example. At their price point, they are the best.


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[HoosierKettle]

I'm guessing people thought charcoal grills would vanish from backyards when gas grills came out

Just my opinions. I'm not saying I'm right

Fun discussion though.

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[jhagestad]

I'm guessing people thought charcoal grills would vanish from backyards when gas grills came out

Just my opinions. I'm not saying I'm right

Fun discussion though.

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Agreed!

[michaelmilitello]

In fact, not only has charcoal not gone away, I'd say it's having a renaissance.   Between WKC, the grillgiant fb page and other social media, interest appears to be growing. 


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[nitis]

Also when you (Weber) make a superior product that you don't have to throw away and replace every year you have to come up with new things to maintain your sales volume right?

The more and more I read posts on FB and watch YouTube videos I see people who refuse to read between the lines and adapt and not many using common sense either. Yeah there's some lemons out there but I'm seeing more and more that people haven't even updated the controller properly and are bashing the product

Also to say it was rushed to the market I'm pretty sure they didn't start working on this last September this has likely been in development for a few years


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[LightningBoldtz]

My point is, Weber is not a nitch company, it is one of the tops in the BBQ industry.  Weber like Band-aid, like Q-tips is the name in the industry of BBQ for the normal everyday person.  So while none of us know what the next 5 to 10 years will look like for them to stand on the sideline and not dip their toes in a market that has grown exponentially since Traeger lost it's patent, would be foolish.......IMO

I will say while charcoal has not gone away, if you look at the currently layout of Gas Grills vs Charcoal grills in the backyards of the USA Had Weber not gotten into the gas grill market it would be a entirely different company.

[LightningBoldtz]

Also when you (Weber) make a superior product that you don't have to throw away and replace every year you have to come up with new things to maintain your sales volume right?

The more and more I read posts on FB and watch YouTube videos I see people who refuse to read between the lines and adapt and not many using common sense either. Yeah there's some lemons out there but I'm seeing more and more that people haven't even updated the controller properly and are bashing the product

Also to say it was rushed to the market I'm pretty sure they didn't start working on this last September this has likely been in development for a few years


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I agree, I think the controller issues are really overblown and unfair considering the tech they have in the grill and this is the first revision of them. 

[jhagestad]

If you purchase the first generation of anything, you should expect there to be some bugs. Having said that, if I bought a $1,000 grill from the #1 grill manufacturer in the U.S., I would have expected them to have already identified and addressed the issues being raised before bringing it to market.  The most egregious of these aren't issues of wear and tear - they appear to be design flaws.  I don't doubt that Weber's been working on this for a few years, which makes it even more baffling/disappointing.  I absolutely love my Weber kettles and I fully support Weber's branching out into this space, but if you want me to part with a grand for something new because it has your name on it, it had better work as advertised.

[PotsieWeber]

I agree.  At one point, Schwinn was actually credited with the biggest innovation in off-road cycling, but that was their introduction of balloon tires.  I think "off-road" may have also meant something other than what we think of it now, perhaps riding across the park or on a reasonably well-groomed forest preserve trail.  By the time moutain bikes came along, Schwinn thought it was a niche market & they just kept making what they had been making. 

My point is, Weber is not a nitch company, it is one of the tops in the BBQ industry.  Weber like Band-aid, like Q-tips is the name in the industry of BBQ for the normal everyday person.  So while none of us know what the next 5 to 10 years will look like for them to stand on the sideline and not dip their toes in a market that has grown exponentially since Traeger lost it's patent, would be foolish.......IMO

I will say while charcoal has not gone away, if you look at the currently layout of Gas Grills vs Charcoal grills in the backyards of the USA Had Weber not gotten into the gas grill market it would be a entirely different company.

[pbe gummi bear]

Idk what it is about this SmokeFire but it seems to have attracted a pretty toxic demographic online.

I also find it interesting that Weber outsourced the controller to the startup June, especially considering their acquisition of iGrill. Designing a pid bbq controller is not hard. This leads me to believe that Weber, as a private equity owned company, was trying to increase their valuation by working with an up   and coming venture capital backed startup.

[LightningBoldtz]

So Justin from BabyBack Manic is taking his back, another Youtuber EverydayBBQ is taking his back.  I watched a long video from Harry Soo where he demoed the grill on someone elses, because Harry is still waiting for his.  If you read the comments people are not happy with his review as he did Brisket and Pork butt hot and fast for only 2 hours, then finished with foil in the persons oven.  One thing I did notice if you watch the video, the bottom of the brisket looked like it was getting pretty dark.

I had not planned on getting a Weber pellet grill as I have mentioned, I love what I have currently but I was hoping for a better rollout than this.