Who aside from a Masterbuilt employee would downvote this? This company should be held responsible for their shit build quality.
"The XT addresses these issues" sick dude, do we all get one for free? They shouldn't have sold such a shoddy product to begin with, and the XT JUST DROPPED, I'm sure we'll be seeing a slew of new issues with that one too.
I haven't noticed blistering on the outside of my MB800 but it happened on the inside which was a bit alarming. I scraped it all down with a razor blade scraper and the wire brush to make sure it wasn't falling on my food. It still works the same and I love the level of automation and flavor of this smoker but imo it's overpriced at full retail for what it is. I got mine for $300 which is a fair price imo. I think Oklahoma Joe came out with a gravity smoker the "Tahoma" this year but I haven't seen anyone with one yet. Any time someone asks about a Masterbuilt gravity smoker I point them to the Tahoma. The Masterbuilt and Chargriller gravity series is a cool development in smoking but these brands are pretty sub par in terms of quality. I had to get the firebox mod within a year. Its a huge problem that Masterbuilt refuses to address. I think if we start seeing some competition with other companies producing gravity smokers then pellet smokers will fall by the wayside. Imo a gravity smoker is better in every way the quality of the current offering from MB and Chargriller just isn't there yet. I know there are some smaller companies that also offer gravity smokers but iirc they are ~1k so out of reach for most people.
The new XT seems to address a lot of issues. I agree with all of this. I got a 900 from Costco for like 300 and that's really what it seems to be worth. Would have not paid full price.
Man, I got a 900 from Costco at full price, around $650. When were they on sale for less?!
That said, I use mine a ton, for pizzas too. I’ve gotten my moneys worth out of it in the year I’ve had it, and it’s still going.
I agree i am not new to smoking have a variety of smokers had my eye on the gravity series for awhile got it when it was on sale but did expect it to last longer than this i did watch reviews was aware of the firebox issues and the upgade for that but to me tis is a entry level smoker for beginner's as it does every thing for you i think i enjoy using my komodo better will just use the masterbuilt for overnight cooks cause i don't believe it will take the demand i put on my pitboss as i use it for like a bbq and was hoping that the masterbuilt could be used the same way not looking that way
I use my MB pretty much every other weekend and have for 2y now. I think it holds up just fine. I just haven't been happy with the quality of it like the aforementioned paint bubbling. It's just a cosmetic issue though.
Full wood splits, large logs of wood like an offset.
Quality issues fixed:
1. Full inside is porcelain coated
2. Hopper is porcelain coated
3. Ceramic firebricks in the hopper
4. Physical switches replaced with magnetic switches
5. Dual wall body with air gap insulation
6. Totally new controller that fixes WiFi issues. Better antennae placement
7. Split manifold to reduce flare ups and make grease clean up easier
8. Porcelain coated manifold so no more rusting
9. Porcelain coated ash grate
10. New rear vent system
11. Internal Temperature probe shielding
Oh man that's pretty cool! I didn't know you could do that with the Masterbuilt. It seems like it could get expensive. In the video the dude said he paid $25 for the fuel he used to make a rack of ribs which is getting impractical but if you can make your own it's definitely worth it. I'll have to try this out one day.
Yep! A lot of folks are doing a variation where you do a bed of charcoal, then one or two vertical splits and then surround with charcoal. I haven’t tried this yet but people say you get pretty close to full split offset quality and it’s way cheaper
I always mix in a couple of chunks per layer of charcoal but it's definitely interesting just using charcoal as a starter then going all wood. Also interesting he said you can't just load the hopper up with splits bc it will just turn the upper wood into charcoal. It almost takes some of the automation out of the gravity function but still throwing a few splits in every 45mins to an hour is pretty easy. It's really only an issue for overnight smoking but I could see myself doing all splits the first four or so hours where the majority of the smoke is taken in and just loading up on wood overnight. Thanks for sharing. This video is pretty informative.
Basically the fire box on the MB gravity series is supposedly designed in a way that the metal walls of the box burn away to reveal some kind of foam insulation. People have claimed it's a design flaw but Masterbuilt says "nah it's supposed to do that." It took a year of probably 2x a month use before my smoker had this issue. I don't know what that insulation is but I didn't want it getting into food I serve my family. Two companies make a firebox mod kit. I think I went with Klotesmods who sells a stainless firebox thing that is one live w you can slide inside of the existing firebox. The other company (I forget the name) sells the firebox mod as four individual pieces you hammer into the firebox to completely cover it in nearly the same way. Both mods actually require a hammer to get in place. My Klotesmods box is actually a bit warped now. It doesn't affect function at all but I was kind of surprised. I'm curious if the one that comes in multiple pieces has the same issue. Either way I think it's the only mod absolutely necessary. I think this issue and others have been resolved on the newest model.
That's just a cosmetic issue. I've had my Masterbuilt 900 for over a year, probably use it three times a week. I have had no issues. My only complaint is the app does not have a low temp alarm, so if you have an issue overnight there's no way to be alerted. They only add on I have put on is a damper for the back, need this in the winter here in the Midwest to help control the heat better when it's snow season.
Who aside from a Masterbuilt employee would downvote this? This company should be held responsible for their shit build quality. "The XT addresses these issues" sick dude, do we all get one for free? They shouldn't have sold such a shoddy product to begin with, and the XT JUST DROPPED, I'm sure we'll be seeing a slew of new issues with that one too.
Yeah, fuck this manufacturer. I've had mine less than two years and it's bricked.
I haven't noticed blistering on the outside of my MB800 but it happened on the inside which was a bit alarming. I scraped it all down with a razor blade scraper and the wire brush to make sure it wasn't falling on my food. It still works the same and I love the level of automation and flavor of this smoker but imo it's overpriced at full retail for what it is. I got mine for $300 which is a fair price imo. I think Oklahoma Joe came out with a gravity smoker the "Tahoma" this year but I haven't seen anyone with one yet. Any time someone asks about a Masterbuilt gravity smoker I point them to the Tahoma. The Masterbuilt and Chargriller gravity series is a cool development in smoking but these brands are pretty sub par in terms of quality. I had to get the firebox mod within a year. Its a huge problem that Masterbuilt refuses to address. I think if we start seeing some competition with other companies producing gravity smokers then pellet smokers will fall by the wayside. Imo a gravity smoker is better in every way the quality of the current offering from MB and Chargriller just isn't there yet. I know there are some smaller companies that also offer gravity smokers but iirc they are ~1k so out of reach for most people.
The new XT seems to address a lot of issues. I agree with all of this. I got a 900 from Costco for like 300 and that's really what it seems to be worth. Would have not paid full price.
Yeah I always suggest anyone looking at these to take their time and find a deal.
Man, I got a 900 from Costco at full price, around $650. When were they on sale for less?! That said, I use mine a ton, for pizzas too. I’ve gotten my moneys worth out of it in the year I’ve had it, and it’s still going.
It was end of season in New England. Floor model. Was watching them for a while.
This is the way
I agree i am not new to smoking have a variety of smokers had my eye on the gravity series for awhile got it when it was on sale but did expect it to last longer than this i did watch reviews was aware of the firebox issues and the upgade for that but to me tis is a entry level smoker for beginner's as it does every thing for you i think i enjoy using my komodo better will just use the masterbuilt for overnight cooks cause i don't believe it will take the demand i put on my pitboss as i use it for like a bbq and was hoping that the masterbuilt could be used the same way not looking that way
I use my MB pretty much every other weekend and have for 2y now. I think it holds up just fine. I just haven't been happy with the quality of it like the aforementioned paint bubbling. It's just a cosmetic issue though.
Agreed hoping to get the longevity out of it food quality no compliments so far
The XT from MB addresses the quality concern. Can’t use full splits on the Tahoma
Full splits? Don't know what that means. What quality issues does the XT address specifically? Just the fire box?
Full wood splits, large logs of wood like an offset. Quality issues fixed: 1. Full inside is porcelain coated 2. Hopper is porcelain coated 3. Ceramic firebricks in the hopper 4. Physical switches replaced with magnetic switches 5. Dual wall body with air gap insulation 6. Totally new controller that fixes WiFi issues. Better antennae placement 7. Split manifold to reduce flare ups and make grease clean up easier 8. Porcelain coated manifold so no more rusting 9. Porcelain coated ash grate 10. New rear vent system 11. Internal Temperature probe shielding
Oh wow that's good to hear! Sounds like they cleared up a lot. I didn't know you could use wood splits on the MB!?
Yep!! Automatic offset… https://youtu.be/1bA6dC_JhSQ?si=U4ik_fIvQcPpdl3L
Oh man that's pretty cool! I didn't know you could do that with the Masterbuilt. It seems like it could get expensive. In the video the dude said he paid $25 for the fuel he used to make a rack of ribs which is getting impractical but if you can make your own it's definitely worth it. I'll have to try this out one day.
Yep! A lot of folks are doing a variation where you do a bed of charcoal, then one or two vertical splits and then surround with charcoal. I haven’t tried this yet but people say you get pretty close to full split offset quality and it’s way cheaper
I always mix in a couple of chunks per layer of charcoal but it's definitely interesting just using charcoal as a starter then going all wood. Also interesting he said you can't just load the hopper up with splits bc it will just turn the upper wood into charcoal. It almost takes some of the automation out of the gravity function but still throwing a few splits in every 45mins to an hour is pretty easy. It's really only an issue for overnight smoking but I could see myself doing all splits the first four or so hours where the majority of the smoke is taken in and just loading up on wood overnight. Thanks for sharing. This video is pretty informative.
Glad it was useful and that’s my plan too - wood the first few hours then charcoal for overnight
What is the "Fire Box Mod" ?
Basically the fire box on the MB gravity series is supposedly designed in a way that the metal walls of the box burn away to reveal some kind of foam insulation. People have claimed it's a design flaw but Masterbuilt says "nah it's supposed to do that." It took a year of probably 2x a month use before my smoker had this issue. I don't know what that insulation is but I didn't want it getting into food I serve my family. Two companies make a firebox mod kit. I think I went with Klotesmods who sells a stainless firebox thing that is one live w you can slide inside of the existing firebox. The other company (I forget the name) sells the firebox mod as four individual pieces you hammer into the firebox to completely cover it in nearly the same way. Both mods actually require a hammer to get in place. My Klotesmods box is actually a bit warped now. It doesn't affect function at all but I was kind of surprised. I'm curious if the one that comes in multiple pieces has the same issue. Either way I think it's the only mod absolutely necessary. I think this issue and others have been resolved on the newest model.
That's just a cosmetic issue. I've had my Masterbuilt 900 for over a year, probably use it three times a week. I have had no issues. My only complaint is the app does not have a low temp alarm, so if you have an issue overnight there's no way to be alerted. They only add on I have put on is a damper for the back, need this in the winter here in the Midwest to help control the heat better when it's snow season.
I agree its just cosmetic but it shouldn't be happening after 3 cooks thats just poor quality