Recteq B380X Pellet Grill Review

BuffaloBadger

Member
Messages
11
Grill(s) owned
  1. Bull
  2. Bullseye
TL;DR In my experience, the Recteq B380X Pellet grill struggles to reach and maintain the set point temperature when the ambient temperature is below 40 degrees F. Recteq customer service says it is operating normally. I disagree. I would recommend looking for a different grill if you plan to cook regularly at temperatures below 40 degrees F.

I could write pages, but I'll try to keep it short.

I have had a Recteq 700 pellet smoker for a few years. I like it very much and have not had any problems with it.

I ordered a B380X and assembled the grill in late November or early December 2022. Since then I have attempted to ignite it 18 times.
- 7 of those 18 times it failed to ignite (I should point out that whenever the fire pot was empty I always added 10 to 15 pellets and made sure they were close to the igniter before trying to start it).
- 7 of those 18 times it took 40 to 65 minutes to reach the set point (400 degrees) and had temperature overshoots of 40 degrees or more and temperature drops by as much as 100 degrees.
- In 3 of those 18 attempts the temperature rose to 400 degrees in 15 minutes and was stable thereafter.

On those 3 days the ambient temperature was 52, 50 and 39 degrees F. On all of the days it either did not ignite or took a long time and oscillated about the set point, the ambient temperature was between 26 and 38 degrees. Some of those days were windy, others were not.

A total of 33 emails have been exchanged with Recteq customer service representatives along with at least 4 phone calls. From the start, they made it clear that they were not going to replace the grill, noting that I had had it more than 30 days.

On the phone they walked me through the troubleshooting steps on two different occasions. Both times they concluded that the grill was working properly.

Through the process they have had me do the following things, none of which has solved the problems:
- stir the pellets (they were Recteq ultimate blend) to break them up.
- use fresh Recteq pellets that they sent me.
- adjust the auger setting.
- look to make sure there were 6 small holes around the bottom of the firepot (there are).
- reposition the igniter (at first this seemed to help with the failure to ignite, but the grill again failed to ignite the last two times I tried to start it).
- make sure I had the flame deflector and grill grates installed (I did).
- make sure I wasn't opening and closing the grill as it tried to reach temperature (I wasn't).
- "trudge onward and attempt a few cooks on the grill."

They have said that the temperature profiles "do not look perfect," that one of the charts "looks like an entirely different grill," that "~40 minutes to an hour is quite a while for the 380X to dial in," and that "your climate could have some significant play in the situation." Yet they continue to maintain that the grill is working normally, that they "feel confident that a replacement unit would likely have no impact on this situation," and that "we could consider swapping out a piece of hardware, like your unit’s controller and/or an RTD probe." (If it is operating normally, why do that?) In response to the latter I replied that I bought the grill so I could cook on it, not do repairs on it.

In a 2/9/23 email, the rep said he'd like to call me that day to discuss. I replied at 1 pm that I'd be available until 5 pm. He never called, and he never sent another email.

So I "trudged onward," and had the three good cooks mentioned above. Then I had one where the system didn't hit 400, but bounced up and down around 350, followed by the two back-to-back ignition failures. The failures were on March 7th. I sent an admittedly snarky email that day. Still haven't heard a word back since 2/9.

So, according to Recteq, 3 good cooks (all at temperatures above 40 degrees), 8 cooks where reaching temperature took 40 to 60 minutes and then was not very stable, and 7 attempted cooks where the grill did not ignite is "completely normal." As such, I would recommend that anyone thinking of purchasing a Recteq B380X to use regularly at temperatures below 40 degrees think twice. (I don't have sufficient data to make a recommendation on cooking above 40 degrees.)

Also, if you do buy a grill from Recteq, be sure to thoroughly test it before 30 days are up.

As for me, if I had flushed $782.02 down my toilet, I would be just as satisfied as I am having used it instead to buy a Recteq B380X. I've now given up on the B380X and pulled out my Weber kettle grill - it has never failed to light, in most cases it gets to temperature faster, and it holds temperature as steadily as the B380X. I'm thinking I can fill the B380X kettle and hopper with soil and grow herbs in it.
 
TL;DR In my experience, the Recteq B380X Pellet grill struggles to reach and maintain the set point temperature when the ambient temperature is below 40 degrees F. Recteq customer service says it is operating normally. I disagree. I would recommend looking for a different grill if you plan to cook regularly at temperatures below 40 degrees F.

I could write pages, but I'll try to keep it short.

I have had a Recteq 700 pellet smoker for a few years. I like it very much and have not had any problems with it.

I ordered a B380X and assembled the grill in late November or early December 2022. Since then I have attempted to ignite it 18 times.
- 7 of those 18 times it failed to ignite (I should point out that whenever the fire pot was empty I always added 10 to 15 pellets and made sure they were close to the igniter before trying to start it).
- 7 of those 18 times it took 40 to 65 minutes to reach the set point (400 degrees) and had temperature overshoots of 40 degrees or more and temperature drops by as much as 100 degrees.
- In 3 of those 18 attempts the temperature rose to 400 degrees in 15 minutes and was stable thereafter.

On those 3 days the ambient temperature was 52, 50 and 39 degrees F. On all of the days it either did not ignite or took a long time and oscillated about the set point, the ambient temperature was between 26 and 38 degrees. Some of those days were windy, others were not.

A total of 33 emails have been exchanged with Recteq customer service representatives along with at least 4 phone calls. From the start, they made it clear that they were not going to replace the grill, noting that I had had it more than 30 days.

On the phone they walked me through the troubleshooting steps on two different occasions. Both times they concluded that the grill was working properly.

Through the process they have had me do the following things, none of which has solved the problems:
- stir the pellets (they were Recteq ultimate blend) to break them up.
- use fresh Recteq pellets that they sent me.
- adjust the auger setting.
- look to make sure there were 6 small holes around the bottom of the firepot (there are).
- reposition the igniter (at first this seemed to help with the failure to ignite, but the grill again failed to ignite the last two times I tried to start it).
- make sure I had the flame deflector and grill grates installed (I did).
- make sure I wasn't opening and closing the grill as it tried to reach temperature (I wasn't).
- "trudge onward and attempt a few cooks on the grill."

They have said that the temperature profiles "do not look perfect," that one of the charts "looks like an entirely different grill," that "~40 minutes to an hour is quite a while for the 380X to dial in," and that "your climate could have some significant play in the situation." Yet they continue to maintain that the grill is working normally, that they "feel confident that a replacement unit would likely have no impact on this situation," and that "we could consider swapping out a piece of hardware, like your unit’s controller and/or an RTD probe." (If it is operating normally, why do that?) In response to the latter I replied that I bought the grill so I could cook on it, not do repairs on it.

In a 2/9/23 email, the rep said he'd like to call me that day to discuss. I replied at 1 pm that I'd be available until 5 pm. He never called, and he never sent another email.

So I "trudged onward," and had the three good cooks mentioned above. Then I had one where the system didn't hit 400, but bounced up and down around 350, followed by the two back-to-back ignition failures. The failures were on March 7th. I sent an admittedly snarky email that day. Still haven't heard a word back since 2/9.

So, according to Recteq, 3 good cooks (all at temperatures above 40 degrees), 8 cooks where reaching temperature took 40 to 60 minutes and then was not very stable, and 7 attempted cooks where the grill did not ignite is "completely normal." As such, I would recommend that anyone thinking of purchasing a Recteq B380X to use regularly at temperatures below 40 degrees think twice. (I don't have sufficient data to make a recommendation on cooking above 40 degrees.)

Also, if you do buy a grill from Recteq, be sure to thoroughly test it before 30 days are up.

As for me, if I had flushed $782.02 down my toilet, I would be just as satisfied as I am having used it instead to buy a Recteq B380X. I've now given up on the B380X and pulled out my Weber kettle grill - it has never failed to light, in most cases it gets to temperature faster, and it holds temperature as steadily as the B380X. I'm thinking I can fill the B380X kettle and hopper with soil and grow herbs in it.
What kind of herbs? I'm kind of fond of sativa myself
 
I agree, the bullseyes are not worth the cost or the hassle. I trashed mine after owning it for 4 months
I've had very good luck with the previous Bullseye and would not be without it. Just make sure you clean the firebox occasionally. Sorry to hear about this one. Could never justify the price for the B380X. Wonder if others are having the same luck?
 
I like my Bull@#$&, but it’s not as easy to use and consistent as my trailblazer. It had to be kept cleaner (fire pot and vents) and takes longer to warm up. It also is more sensitive to older pellets.

That being said it has its place and in the summer I use it a lot.
 
TL;DR In my experience, the Recteq B380X Pellet grill struggles to reach and maintain the set point temperature when the ambient temperature is below 40 degrees F. Recteq customer service says it is operating normally. I disagree. I would recommend looking for a different grill if you plan to cook regularly at temperatures below 40 degrees F.

I could write pages, but I'll try to keep it short.

I have had a Recteq 700 pellet smoker for a few years. I like it very much and have not had any problems with it.

I ordered a B380X and assembled the grill in late November or early December 2022. Since then I have attempted to ignite it 18 times.
- 7 of those 18 times it failed to ignite (I should point out that whenever the fire pot was empty I always added 10 to 15 pellets and made sure they were close to the igniter before trying to start it).
- 7 of those 18 times it took 40 to 65 minutes to reach the set point (400 degrees) and had temperature overshoots of 40 degrees or more and temperature drops by as much as 100 degrees.
- In 3 of those 18 attempts the temperature rose to 400 degrees in 15 minutes and was stable thereafter.

On those 3 days the ambient temperature was 52, 50 and 39 degrees F. On all of the days it either did not ignite or took a long time and oscillated about the set point, the ambient temperature was between 26 and 38 degrees. Some of those days were windy, others were not.

A total of 33 emails have been exchanged with Recteq customer service representatives along with at least 4 phone calls. From the start, they made it clear that they were not going to replace the grill, noting that I had had it more than 30 days.

On the phone they walked me through the troubleshooting steps on two different occasions. Both times they concluded that the grill was working properly.

Through the process they have had me do the following things, none of which has solved the problems:
- stir the pellets (they were Recteq ultimate blend) to break them up.
- use fresh Recteq pellets that they sent me.
- adjust the auger setting.
- look to make sure there were 6 small holes around the bottom of the firepot (there are).
- reposition the igniter (at first this seemed to help with the failure to ignite, but the grill again failed to ignite the last two times I tried to start it).
- make sure I had the flame deflector and grill grates installed (I did).
- make sure I wasn't opening and closing the grill as it tried to reach temperature (I wasn't).
- "trudge onward and attempt a few cooks on the grill."

They have said that the temperature profiles "do not look perfect," that one of the charts "looks like an entirely different grill," that "~40 minutes to an hour is quite a while for the 380X to dial in," and that "your climate could have some significant play in the situation." Yet they continue to maintain that the grill is working normally, that they "feel confident that a replacement unit would likely have no impact on this situation," and that "we could consider swapping out a piece of hardware, like your unit’s controller and/or an RTD probe." (If it is operating normally, why do that?) In response to the latter I replied that I bought the grill so I could cook on it, not do repairs on it.

In a 2/9/23 email, the rep said he'd like to call me that day to discuss. I replied at 1 pm that I'd be available until 5 pm. He never called, and he never sent another email.

So I "trudged onward," and had the three good cooks mentioned above. Then I had one where the system didn't hit 400, but bounced up and down around 350, followed by the two back-to-back ignition failures. The failures were on March 7th. I sent an admittedly snarky email that day. Still haven't heard a word back since 2/9.

So, according to Recteq, 3 good cooks (all at temperatures above 40 degrees), 8 cooks where reaching temperature took 40 to 60 minutes and then was not very stable, and 7 attempted cooks where the grill did not ignite is "completely normal." As such, I would recommend that anyone thinking of purchasing a Recteq B380X to use regularly at temperatures below 40 degrees think twice. (I don't have sufficient data to make a recommendation on cooking above 40 degrees.)

Also, if you do buy a grill from Recteq, be sure to thoroughly test it before 30 days are up.

As for me, if I had flushed $782.02 down my toilet, I would be just as satisfied as I am having used it instead to buy a Recteq B380X. I've now given up on the B380X and pulled out my Weber kettle grill - it has never failed to light, in most cases it gets to temperature faster, and it holds temperature as steadily as the B380X. I'm thinking I can fill the B380X kettle and hopper with soil and grow herbs in it.
Hate hearing that even with a new controller and updated design the Bullseye is still a hot mess.
 
Ok, so let’s go over a few things. Knowing that you had owned a recteq before, are you following the shut down procedures, aka cooling the grill down in steps to it levels out at 225/250? Burn back in the auger can make starting a very long process. When I had my 590 very little issues with that, with my 1250 it is more sensitive to shutting down at a higher temp. When it doesn’t start, do you open it up and look at the fire pot, check for heat from the igniter? Maybe use a vacuum and tap the igniter to be sure the isn’t ash stuck in the tube. Also maybe check the grounds On the grill one may be loose etc.
 
Ok, so let’s go over a few things. Knowing that you had owned a recteq before, are you following the shut down procedures, aka cooling the grill down in steps to it levels out at 225/250? Burn back in the auger can make starting a very long process. When I had my 590 very little issues with that, with my 1250 it is more sensitive to shutting down at a higher temp. When it doesn’t start, do you open it up and look at the fire pot, check for heat from the igniter? Maybe use a vacuum and tap the igniter to be sure the isn’t ash stuck in the tube. Also maybe check the grounds On the grill one may be loose etc.
Thanks for the suggestions. This is the first I ever heard about cooling down in stages. I follow the manual and push the power button and leave the grill plugged into power until the auger and fan have stopped and the display panel has gone black. If I ever use the grill again, I'll try the cooling in stages. I have not taken out the grill and flame deflector while it is trying to ignite. I did when walking through the troubleshooting steps and it did glow red. I think it is working because the temperature reading does increase. For example if it is 34 degrees outside, when I try to ignite it will raise to ~38 which suggests the igniter is hot, but the pellets never ignite. Whenever I've cleaned the firepot I have examined the igniter, but haven't put a vacuum to it. It has always looked OK - no apparent ash buildup. Then I always put 10 to 15 pellets in and push them in front of the igniter - and it still doesn't ignite some times. I haven't checked the grounds, but will when/if I ever use it again. Thanks, again, for the suggestions.
 
I had to adjust the igniter in mine once, it was too far in the tube to light the pellets. There’s a video or instructions posted somewhere on the procedure, might be worth checking it.
 
I had to adjust the igniter in mine once, it was too far in the tube to light the pellets. There’s a video or instructions posted somewhere on the procedure, might be worth checking it.
Thanks for the suggestion. The Recteq customer service reps had me do this. Originally mine, too, was recessed in the tube, but I readjusted it so it protrudes by about 1/16 of an inch. It did seem to improve when I repositioned it, but like I said, the most recent time I tried to use it, it failed to ignite two times in a row (by which time we decided to go out to a restaurant).
 
Thanks for the suggestion. The Recteq customer service reps had me do this. Originally mine, too, was recessed in the tube, but I readjusted it so it protrudes by about 1/16 of an inch. It did seem to improve when I repositioned it, but like I said, the most recent time I tried to use it, it failed to ignite two times in a row (by which time we decided to go out to a restaurant).
Hope you had a great time at the restaurant, but you could have saved a bunch
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of money on dinner by using a culinary torch or a propane torch to just light the pellets in the firepot. The grill would function normally after that.
 

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