Stampede Stampede vs Bull

[jasonvr]

I'm looking to step into the world of Rec Tec soon and quite torn on the Stampede vs the Bull. I have one friend who has a bull and another that has a 680 and they both love their smokers. I believe the Stampede is more than big enough for me and there is only about 6 extra inches of grill space on the Bull. And considering I'm coming from the Masterbuilt 30" electric I've been using for the past few years (heavily modified to use pellets for smoke via a mailbox mod), either one will be like stepping up from a studio apartment to a 4 bedroom house.

The things that are nagging at me are:
1) Rear fed hopper and shorter auger. This seemed to be a hyped feature on the Bull. Is is that much of an advantage over the Stampede?
2) Longer warranty on the Bull. Always nice to have that safety blanket
3) Availability of the front shelf. I know one is coming for the Stampede, but it's just something to have to wait for

I'm considering one of the bundles available on Amazon as it seems to be a good bang for the buck considering what is included, though the Stampede bundle has things in it I just don't need (mats and thermo since I already have a Thermapen Mk4)

Thoughts on any of the above would be appreciated

 

[Uncle Bob]

I've done a few posts on here regarding size differences and making my own front shelf, as have a couple other guys. It's really just what you can justify for yourself. Me, I only wanted to put it in one spot so that didn't have room for the Bull, especially the depth that the rear hopper added. The two additional years of warrantee are nice to have, but the most likely to fail ones are the same on both machines so it's more a marketing edge for RT than a likely risk for the buyer. Never heard the auger story. I agree on the thermal pen not being an incentive, but the grill mat I've used more than I thought I would. If the package sways you for the savings, give the thermometer as a gift and you'll feel better about it.

 

[jasonvr]

Thanks @Uncle Bob. Your size posts are what convinced me the Stampede was plenty large enough

As far as the auger, I actually heard it in their Traeger vs 680 comparison video. Interesting that by posting that video a couple of years ago they've essentially cast doubt on one of their own products (Stampede) that is set up in the same way as the Traeger

I have no problem making mods to the grill to add a shelf (as evidenced by all the work I've done on my Masterbuilt). The brackets are easy enough to find due to your link, but I'd still have to find cabinet pieces like you had. It'll probably still come out cheaper than the $100 or so that RT will end up charging for their shelf when it comes out.

 

[Mike]

@jasonvr I personally would go with the Rec Tec Bull if it was me. In fact I have and don't regret getting it and looking forward to using here in just a few hours.

Sure the shorter auger means less wear and tear but just exactly how much less I don't know. I'm going to say very very little in the grand scheme of things, but who knows.

The longer warranty is a huge plus in my opinion. The customer service at RecTec is unheard of, so having an extra 2 years of coverage from them is certainly reassuring.

The RecTec Stampede is getting a front shelf but you'll have to wait for a few more months as it's due late July or early August.

When I got into pellet grilling I was coming from a Weber 18" charcoal grill so really anything from RecTec would have been larger than what I had. I went with the Bull knowing it would be overkill for 80-90% of my cooks but knowing I HAVE the space in case I needed it has been well worth it. It sure is nice throwing down 20-30 hamburgers all at once or a bunch of rack of ribs when we're having people over.

Speaking of size @Uncle Bob has a good thread talking about the Stampede - Worried that the Stampede is too small?

For me the little extra room and the longer warranty was my selling point over the Stampede.

 

[SmokeShow]

I think most have been through this very same debate, myself included. I actually ordered a Stampede but called Rec Tec and spoke to their customer service and changed to a Bull before they had shipped the Stampede. You can see my thread on this Just clicked buy on a new Stampede should I have gotten a Bull?

 

[jasonvr]

Thanks all for the advice and thread pointers (though I think I had read them all, but it forced me to re-read). Clicked buy on the Amazon package for the Bull today. Now I need to find a way to get 30 of my closest friends to all come here on the same day so I can mentally justify it

 

[SmokeShow]

If you smoke it they will come. If you smoke it they will come.

 

[CopperDoc]

The Bull is my first Rec Tec but I've had several other pellet smokers. The bigger size is well worth it. No one has ever said "I wish my smoker was smaller". As someone who is dealing with a grill that has an auger problem right now (it's why I'm switching to Rec Tec), I think the shorter auger tube is an advantage. Less to get stuck in the tube.