RT-1250 Not happy with what I am seeing

[Raiderspy1]

Really thought I wanted to purchase a Rt-1250, but not so sure right now. Tried doing research about this grill and until I found this forum, I wanted one. Are the REAL RT-1250 owners here and everything else is fake? I don’t want buy a grill the paint peels off and they don’t care. Or a controller that seems to never connect. Please tell me the truth. I have never had a grill that cost this much and wanted to treat myself. I have been very discouraged, should I be? Please help me.

 

[Gonefishin]

Can you find a better grill at this price point? I could not when I was looking.

 

[Pacman]

Well, this real 1250 owner couldn't be happier. Knock on wood, but I have had absolutely zero issues with the grill. I have had the grill from the moment they were first announced in mid-2021 as I was kicking tires on a 700 for a couple of years.

I keep the grill outside year round under a cover because my wife insists that garages are meant for parking cars. I sealed the lid and the hopper lid with LavaLock tape so I have never found a drop of water/dampness in my pellets or firepot. No issues with paint, connectivity, temperature stability, etc. I haven't ever messed with feed rates, had a "lid pop" (detonation), or ever not been able to connect. The thing just works and has dramatically improved my work product over other outdoor contraptions I've tried through the years. I would've never attempted an unattended overnight cook on any other grill. I do it all of the time now.

I sound like a "fan boy" as someone here once accused me of, but the thing just does everything I've thrown at it from long slow cooks to hot and fast pizzas. I don't do a ton of grilling on it as I have other toys/tools for that, but when I have it's worked out fine (I just prefer open flame for grilling).

I really wanted a Yoder, but the price point and a buddy that has one constantly complaining about rust issues brought me here.

 

[SmokeOCD]

Go with a 1070 - the paint won't peel.

 

[BigDan]

Had my 1250 for almost two years. In fact just got up to check on a brisket going on an overnight cook right now. I’ve had ZERO issues since day one other than the fact that I should have assembled on my back deck rather than my buddy and myself killing ourselves getting it up on my back deck It stays on my covered back deck with a cover year round. Used in single digit temps, and holds its own.
It’s only used for low temp cooks, if I need to go high I use my Weber 4 burner or my RT-B380X if I want a little smoke flavor.

Some folks say they don’t get enough smoke… mine is like a chimney. Could be pellets but I only use RT pellets and the Competition blend(my fav) that you can get in Evans.

2 years used damn near every weekend mostly long cooks and no paint peel here.

Customer service has been spot on the two times I’ve reached out. The things a tank and solid compared to the big box pellet smokers out there. As with anything else, you get what you pay for.

Would I prefer it be made in the USA… Absofrigginglutely but I’ll give that one a pass.

 

[Motodad1776]

More than a few ex Traeger owners here.......just sayin. My 590 has been flawless as well in my year of ownership, and I use it to death. Have 2 pals who recently got a 590 and they are tickled to death with it, and RT is pretty good overall dealing with any issues......good luck with the direct competition in that regard.

 

[BNeal]

2-years with my 1250 and no issues with paint or anything else. Having said that, I don't use my RT in Riot mode. Only use is low and slow - I have a Kamado for the hot and fast stuff.

 

[gkal1964]

Really thought I wanted to purchase a Rt-1250, but not so sure right now. Tried doing research about this grill and until I found this forum, I wanted one. Are the REAL RT-1250 owners here and everything else is fake? I don’t want buy a grill the paint peels off and they don’t care. Or a controller that seems to never connect. Please tell me the truth. I have never had a grill that cost this much and wanted to treat myself. I have been very discouraged, should I be? Please help me.

For what it’s worth people tend to post things when you’re having issues, rather than when things are going perfect. I’ve had my 590 for a little over a year now. I’ve used it several times a week, in all seasons and it has performed flawlessly. For the money, I believe Recteq is a pretty good value but you have to make your own decisions. Best of luck.

 

[Chevys10zr2003]

I ordered my 1250 the day that orders went live on them. Like @Pacman I was kicking the tires on the 700 but didn't want to as it wasn't big enough for me.

The paint on my firepot inside the grill did peel off but that doesn't really bother me as it is inside the grill. If it was the lid, would have been a different story. Also, I had had my grill up to 650 or 750, I can't remember exactly so that may have been when the paint peeled on the firepot.

I have also had an issue with a bent/bad pivoting caster but they sent out new ones right away. Could have also been my fault as the hopper was completely full and I had the GMG pizza oven in so there was quite a bit of weight.

Those are the only issues I have had. I haven't had any connection/wifi issues on either wifi network I have had in the last two years.

The grill does smoke the whole time but it doesn't seem to reach the meat as much or maybe it's just a different smoke flavor but I can definitely taste the difference between my pellet grill and my vertical propane smoker or my offset. I truly think that the drip tray does prevent some of the smoke from getting to the meat with all pellet grills but on long 8+ hour smokes I'll sacrifice some flavor for not babysitting it.

Been rock solid on low and slow and hot and fast cooks. It's not perfect but I love it.

 

[Dragonscout]

Not a 1250 owner, ended up with only a 590. I live a couple hours away from the plant/showroom in Augusta, GA. The wife and I took a short road trip last Christmas Eve morning and walked into the showroom around 1 pm. Got a tour of the cooking school downstairs where the weekly cooking shows are sometimes shot and part of the plant. We went back upstairs to the showroom and asked questions for about 20 minutes and decided that even the 700 was over what we needed. They didn't treat us any different. We got the 590 and 3 bags of Ultimate Blend pellets with the Christmas discount and they had us loaded in about 5 minutes with the cover as well. Got home, did the burn-in and had questions, leaving a voicemail figuring that they'd call me back after Christmas...FIVE PM CHRISTMAS EVE NIGHT I get a phone call from a tech asking if he could help me cause they didn't want me not to be able to use my new RecTeq over the holiday weekend!!! That's over and above Brother. If you get or have a problem, believe me these folks are who you want helping. You won't be sorry!

 

[Dubs]

1250 owner here. Basically trouble free since I’ve had it. Couple of minor issues, mostly due to crappy pellets. No trouble with the paint, I use for all types of food, have had it above 600 quite a few times for reversed sear steak. so far Lumber Jack pellets have worked the best in mine.

 

[Bull1250]

Really thought I wanted to purchase a Rt-1250, but not so sure right now. Tried doing research about this grill and until I found this forum, I wanted one. Are the REAL RT-1250 owners here and everything else is fake? I don’t want buy a grill the paint peels off and they don’t care. Or a controller that seems to never connect. Please tell me the truth. I have never had a grill that cost this much and wanted to treat myself. I have been very discouraged, should I be? Please help me.

I've only had mine for a few months. I did have a bad probe from the factory. It was replaced free of charge. So far it's been flawless. otherwise.

 

[Pete6737]

I have a 1250 and a 340 I got at the same time with the deal I could not pass up. I got them last year in march. I use the 340 for most of needs with just two of us in the house but I use the 1250 for large cooks and multiple meats etc. when the kids and grandkids are over.

The 340 has been flawless with no issues. The 1250 has been a bit temperamental. Initially I was having fires, and the nasty explosion on start up. You can find my threads about that. Once those issues got resolved I’ve enjoyed constant temps and reliable cooks. Sometimes I get real smoky start ups. Eventually everything fires up and I cook with no other issues. So with all that said, the grills fit my needs; convenience, easier cleanup, consistency with temps and cooking , and overall versatility to sear burgers down to low and slow. I do miss the kiss of flames on steak and burgers at times. That’s when I break out the charcoal grill.

 

[PamzerOfDoom]

Really thought I wanted to purchase a Rt-1250, but not so sure right now. Tried doing research about this grill and until I found this forum, I wanted one. Are the REAL RT-1250 owners here and everything else is fake? I don’t want buy a grill the paint peels off and they don’t care. Or a controller that seems to never connect. Please tell me the truth. I have never had a grill that cost this much and wanted to treat myself. I have been very discouraged, should I be? Please help me.

1250 owner here, no issues. Added a competition cart and smoke box.

 

[Greg Jones]

1250 owner here, no issues. Added a competition cart and smoke box.

View attachment 19098

Nice setup! What’s under the cover?

 

[RTFfan]

Well, this real 1250 owner couldn't be happier. Knock on wood, but I have had absolutely zero issues with the grill. I have had the grill from the moment they were first announced in mid-2021 as I was kicking tires on a 700 for a couple of years.

I keep the grill outside year round under a cover because my wife insists that garages are meant for parking cars. I sealed the lid and the hopper lid with LavaLock tape so I have never found a drop of water/dampness in my pellets or firepot. No issues with paint, connectivity, temperature stability, etc. I haven't ever messed with feed rates, had a "lid pop" (detonation), or ever not been able to connect. The thing just works and has dramatically improved my work product over other outdoor contraptions I've tried through the years. I would've never attempted an unattended overnight cook on any other grill. I do it all of the time now.

I sound like a "fan boy" as someone here once accused me of, but the thing just does everything I've thrown at it from long slow cooks to hot and fast pizzas. I don't do a ton of grilling on it as I have other toys/tools for that, but when I have it's worked out fine (I just prefer open flame for grilling).

I really wanted a Yoder, but the price point and a buddy that has one constantly complaining about rust issues brought me here.

Had mine since August 2021 and no peeling paint and I have a netgear orbi for wifi. Always connected. Even my 340 stays connected. I love mine. Tbh the biggest issue with recteq is the shipping service they use. But if something comes damaged they will fix it for you. Atleast they did for me. It's better built than a traeger and cheaper so that's why I went with it. I'm not a fan boy either. I also own a weber performer and summit. Maybe it's the newer ones that have a paint peeling issue? If you can afford it I would go for the lone star grillz pellet smoker. Havnt seen anything bad about that beast. But overall I'm very happy with my 1250.

 

[Roger]

I have had mine as soon as they came out. Like previous person, was looking at a 700 and told my wife I wish they would ha ve model with a second shelf and poof there it was. No problems, no paint peeling. (If their paint is peeling how bad a grease fire did they manage to start in it. I had 1 of these and it was operator error, NOT they grills fault.) You are good to go with this grill.

 

[okie]

Had mine since August 2021 and no peeling paint and I have a netgear orbi for wifi. Always connected. Even my 340 stays connected. I love mine. Tbh the biggest issue with recteq is the shipping service they use. But if something comes damaged they will fix it for you. Atleast they did for me. It's better built than a traeger and cheaper so that's why I went with it. I'm not a fan boy either. I also own a weber performer and summit. Maybe it's the newer ones that have a paint peeling issue? If you can afford it I would go for the lone star grillz pellet smoker. Havnt seen anything bad about that beast. But overall I'm very happy with my 1250.

Best advice above is to use lava lock on hopper to prevent any back flow of air or flame, No flow, no backburn, no back burn, no hopper fire. I do not use it on the lid, but I see no problem with that if desired. Go for it!

 

[ringosmoke]

I've had a 1250 since April 2023 (sits on my deck... covered when not in use).

28 trouble free cooks in on it so far. Better than half low & slow and a few high temp. Still miss the sizzle of open flame a bit... quick sear or oven broil before serving comes close enough. A few if my friends have cheap tailgate gas grills lurking near their pellet grill to get the sizzle finish.

 

[RexTeqJoe]

Really thought I wanted to purchase a Rt-1250, but not so sure right now. Tried doing research about this grill and until I found this forum, I wanted one. Are the REAL RT-1250 owners here and everything else is fake? I don’t want buy a grill the paint peels off and they don’t care. Or a controller that seems to never connect. Please tell me the truth. I have never had a grill that cost this much and wanted to treat myself. I have been very discouraged, should I be? Please help me.

I'm relatively new to the club as a RT-1250 owner; however. I have 3 friends who have convinced be over the years to finally spend the money and purchase. I have been smoker shamed by them for over 4 years now and none of them have had any issues with theirs. I can not say the same for me and my Traeger or 2 of my other running buddies with their units. All of us take care of ours and cover when not in use, but there has not been any paint, temperature, or feed issues using the 1250. I'm not saying other users have not had issues, only speaking for myself (new) and my other 3 friends (long time) users. Hope this helps to answer your ask and provide some reassurance on the outlay of $$$$. Believe me, I am a tight wad on spending money and it took a long time for me to get there on being willing to pull the trigger on my purchase. (I understand)