macabra11
Well-known member
- Messages
- 54
- Location
- Boise, Idaho
Hi everyone, I have been lurking for a little while, reading as much as I can about the Rec Tec grills. I follow RT on social media and am very close to pulling the trigger on an RT-700 Bull, but am starting to have second thoughts.
I've had the same Traeger Lil' Tex Elite for over 8 years now. Besides having the lid replaced under warranty a few years ago (great customer service at that time), it has been great. I've always been impressed by the quality of food I could put out with it, but lately I have really been wanting more space, better temp control and some modern bells/whistles like WiFi temp probes.
After doing a lot of research, I felt like a Rec Tec Bull would be a great upgrade, but after reading some reports of people having to modify the wheels, and recent complaints of warping heat deflectors/drip pans (note that my Traeger's heat shield and drip tray have been warped for years), I am starting to question the quality as of late. I know the customer service and warranty is going to be top notch, but if I am spending $1,200+ on something, I feel like it should be bomb proof. I shouldn't need to get an aftermarket heavy gauge diffuser or larger aftermarket wheels. For me, that is a ton of money and if I'm going to invest that much, then I want verifiable improvements over what I currently have, without spending even more money.
Another thing that is sort of irritating is that Rec Tec says that I shouldn't use real mesquite pellets in their grills because of "unacceptable amount of sand build up". What the heck? I've used Lumberjack pellets for years now, and their 100% mesquite is fantastic. Granted I don't use it all the time, but for some cooks (beef ribs) I DO use it.
I've had the same Traeger Lil' Tex Elite for over 8 years now. Besides having the lid replaced under warranty a few years ago (great customer service at that time), it has been great. I've always been impressed by the quality of food I could put out with it, but lately I have really been wanting more space, better temp control and some modern bells/whistles like WiFi temp probes.
After doing a lot of research, I felt like a Rec Tec Bull would be a great upgrade, but after reading some reports of people having to modify the wheels, and recent complaints of warping heat deflectors/drip pans (note that my Traeger's heat shield and drip tray have been warped for years), I am starting to question the quality as of late. I know the customer service and warranty is going to be top notch, but if I am spending $1,200+ on something, I feel like it should be bomb proof. I shouldn't need to get an aftermarket heavy gauge diffuser or larger aftermarket wheels. For me, that is a ton of money and if I'm going to invest that much, then I want verifiable improvements over what I currently have, without spending even more money.
Another thing that is sort of irritating is that Rec Tec says that I shouldn't use real mesquite pellets in their grills because of "unacceptable amount of sand build up". What the heck? I've used Lumberjack pellets for years now, and their 100% mesquite is fantastic. Granted I don't use it all the time, but for some cooks (beef ribs) I DO use it.