@@mikebowerstv I had the same thing happen to me. Not enough hardware, and at first the lid wouldn't sit right, but i kept messing with it and got it to where it finally sits good now.
Thanks for the honest review. I have a Bullseye from last year. I really enjoy it. No issues so far. I don't move mine around much, so the old base set up is just fine. I hardly ever use my Webbers anymore. I still use my Kamado grill for longer cooks. If I upgrade, I will get the RT 590 with the heavy duty cart.
Took your advice and didn’t buy the recteq bullseye. 380x however after doing more reviews I wanted to pull the trigger and purchase this bad boy of grills what’s not to like. Fire flare ups , no grease cup , lid not fitting hinge problems. Stilll went ahead and pulled the trigger and purchased on. Assembly was great 45 min easy to do following the online video instructions I had enough bolts and washers to perform the assembly packaging’ was extremely exceptional and grill components were well protected. Did the burn in and is this machine sexy I absolutely love it Wi-Fi connection was flawless works program is user friendly and full of content now I know why they call it the recteq family. It’s full of helpful tools to make one successful. . For me this is the right choice I paid full price and am still excited to have many long cooking sessions with this grill. Since I wanted a fire up and cook type of everyday grill this hits the spot. I am so glad I did not take your advise or follow your lead and return it. I know others have already received their girls and had no issues if you watch Tom Horseman on RUclips. I am glad or proud to be a member of the recteq family and look forward to many more grilling days.
@@tinysafari1851 I’m glad you are happy with your purchase and everything is working great for you. Yes I watch Tom and even mention his positive reviews in this video. My experience was drastically different though.
I had the exact same experience. First they sent me wrong grill. Then they sent me the right grill, but the lid wouldn't shut. Also, the grate on the grill was busted. How in the heck does that get packaged up and sent? Blew my mind. Talked to someone and they said the drum on a run of them were warped and wasn't perfectly round which was causing the gap in the lid and they would send me a new one. Went through hell to try and get someone to finally send me another one. One guy told I talked told me the gap in the lid was for "better airflow". LOL! I couldn't believe it. Finally did get them to realize my grill was busted. Finally received my 3rd grill, and put it together. The lid shut and everything seems to be working properly. I will say, most of the people I spoke with were very helpful but there was a couple that took me on wild goose chases. I am hoping that the grill works out in the long run or its going to be bad news.
Thanks for this open and transparent review, very helpful. After much thought I went ahead and purchased the Bullseye 380X Deluxe a couple of weeks ago. My experience with assembly was positive, no issues at all. The unit started up without issue, and I've done a few cooks on it now with good experience. I agree with your point that the hinge setup seems a bit flimsy and the lid feels light. I'd like it to feel a bit more heavy duty. Also, I replaced the grate right away with a cast iron Aura grate as you had suggested in a previous video -- much better. But overall I'm happy with the Bulleye 380X so far and I'm looking forward to using some of your recipes and techniques as I learn to use my pellet grill. Thanks for the great content!
Man that sucks Mike! I just got the $500 bullseye and I noticed on the install that the hinge could use a little re-designing too. The lid closes but it is not very solid and the lid needs some reinforcement to stiffen it up some. Thanks for sharing this info brother!!
It seems like all the 380X grills have an issue with the lid closing all the way. It’s a simple fix. There are 3 screws on the upper hinge and 3 on the lower hinge. Tighten the two outer crews on both hinges. Just snug the middle screw on both hinges. It should work just fine then. I’m not sure why tightening all 6 screws is a problem. Especially on an $800 grill. But this fix seems to work.
I have the 380 and the 380x. I agree at $799 it’s overpriced. But I got the Black Friday price of $679 and I feel it’s worth the additional cost. You get a much taller grill which is great for my back. lol It’s a lot sturdier. Easier to move. A bigger hopper that acts as a side shelf. A front shelf. A bottom rack. WiFi connection and most importantly, an upgraded firepot that doesn’t allow grease to drain into it and cause a fire. But I respect your opinion. Everyone has different opinions, preferences and priorities. But the lid closing is a common issue with an easy fix. But like I said, for $800 you’d think the dang lid would close or they’d amend the instructions to reflect how to make it work. I think they’re not aware of the fix. I see so many people saying they got new hinges and new lids etc. Leaving the middle screws snug and the outer screws tight allows the lid to close perfectly. Enjoy your channel and content!! Keep up the good work!!
Got a 380x 2 weeks ago. It took 3 different hinges and a new lid before we got it to shut like it should. Mine was a shipping damage issue also. I was getting frustrated like you until we finally got the issue resolved. They sent me a free seasoning rub for my troubles. Can't wait to grill now. RecTEQ customer service was easy to work with but I hated I had to call in 3 different times.
My Bullseye arrived over the weekend and my lid sits flush after loosening the bolts by a 1/4 turn or so. Initially, I screwed them in fairly tight, which created a slight gap between the lid and the grill body. Backing off just a bit did the trick.
I love my original Bullseye however my issue is yeah they have a great warranty and they send the parts quickly but I have had to replace a number of components in 1 year
I was skeptical about the bullseye when it come out. I waited quiet while before buying one. It come with a controller that just wouldn’t work in cold climates. They sent me a new one told me to burn hickory pellets. I could not be happier with it. I used it 3 to 4 times a week. I really like to get the new one for the main reason it got a ash dump.
I'm having similar issues with my bullseye deluxe today. So excited to cook on it today and the hardware is cheap and won't even keep the lid on the hing. Don't know why they didn't have nuts to attach the lid. It's a shame because it looks so good but they skimped on the hardware
I had none of those problems with mine. Got it two weeks ago) the only problem I had was there were only half of the lock washers I needed. So far, it’s been great!
Thing about this grill, is it gets to a very high temperature. That is very useful for pizza. Mine is still on the way but I look forward to trying it.
Got the 380x last week. Did brisket and ribs every bit as good as stick unit. Did burgers for my son’s baseball team. Got it up to 978 degrees. Just wow. Cooked burger at 650 and got rave reviews. The 380x is where it’s at.
Yeah they didn’t advertise it being thicker but I just thought it wouldn’t be a hack to get to work right. Since posting this video on a Bullseye FB group it sounds like a lot of folks had the same issue.
i bought my bullseye 2 years ago and I found the lid and hinges did not work well. I determined that the screws and threaded set up was flawed. I went out and bought new USA stainless steel screws and washers and drilled out the holes to get the new screws to work an wow what a difference. the hardware package is crap and there is not much room to make it better. When I put QUALITY hardware on the grill it became everything I had hoped for. My favorite grill. toss the crap Chinese screws and get good quality hardware.
I had the same issue with our bullseye. I also cut myself pretty bad on the lid. The entire edge was extremely sharp. I ended up sanding the whole edge and screwing around quite a bit with the hinge to get it to close correctly.
Hey Mike I have the original bullseye and love it! My deflector plate is starting to rust and flake off. I wish Recteq would sale the new deflector plate for the original bullseye. Any solutions?
I'm curious about your "most important one to me was the wi-fi." This is one of the features that has become almost a requirement over time. Do you really depend on that to be successful with the grill?
That stinks! I was hoping for a better build with thicker steel for that price jump. Thanks for throwing an honest review out there for us! I like that pecos I see back there 😎
FYI, this is a super incomplete review…the build is much better…and the tech added more than justifies the price…and the lid not closing is actually user assembly error, loosen and adjust a few bolts to correct position and the lid closes fine. Not as intuitive as it should be, but not complex at all. Here is the actual list of improvements over the original, I don’t know why Mike says it’s the same because it’s not, details matter: 1. Bigger beefier cart with caster wheels 2. Sits quite a bit taller off the ground 3. Folding front shelf 4. Raised jet engine-looking firepot that allows 1000+ temps (for even better searing and pizza making) also is better for grease management 5. Vents all the way around the lid 6. Larger capacity pellet hopper 7. Ash dump system (no more vacuuming!) 8. Dual band wifi, monitor and control grill from the app on your phone 9. Cast iron heat deflector (MUCH heavier duty than the original) 10. Stainless steel cooking grate 11. Storage shelf on the bottom
Rewatch the video. I state these upgrades and discuss the main cook chamber is the same and it is. I also indicate this isn’t a review as I didn’t even cook on it.
@@gabester1having a RT-700 and a Bullseye I feel no need to upgrade. I mainly use the Bullseye for hotter and faster cooks and the 700 for low and slow cooks.
I have the Bulleye Deluxe and had the same issue with the hinge. After adjusting it several times 2 of the screws stripped and won't get tight anymore. Surprisingly this looseness allows the lid to close a whole lot better. Still not perfect though. I left a review on recteqs website and they never posted it. I'm close to telling them to come get it.
I had the same problem with the lid, I tried re-aligning it to see if that was a problem. I figured it was by design so that it had better air flow 🙂. The has been my only problem with the grill, everything else has been awesome.
I greatly appreciate this video and information. I’ve been on the fence for some time about pellet grills for a long time. When I discovered this grill I almost jumped, but thought I should do some research first. I believe I have decided, once again, to just wait and do more research. Thanks for sharing your info. 👍
Sounds like Rec Tec needs to work on QC issues with their made in China grill. I appreciate they stand behind their product, but it's absurd what you had to go through.
You are over tightening the lid. Probably used a screw gun? Back the screws off a half turn and it will sit flush. Had the same issue and it resolved my issue.
For $800 there shouldn’t be any disappointments. The original is only $399 so maybe I’ll go with that. Sometimes it takes them a few versions to work out the bugs. They’ll figure it out. Great video thx!
THIS is the video I've been waiting for. When you said you were going to buy it, I was worried. $800 is a LOT for a grill like this. 100% with you on the value of the original Bullseye. Bummed to hear this didn't work for you but love that you're an honest guy with your feedback. The fire is out, indeed!
I’m very unsatisfied as well. With no box unable to return. And too far away. Just completely bummed. Junk. And a $2 Weber grill handle. Just let down.
Skip on the Wi-Fi - Most of these grills all made in China - would really want to hook up a Chinese Internet Of Things to your Home Wifi? If you have access to the grill from anywhere - so does everyone else!
![Best Pellet Grills 2025 [don’t buy one before watching this]](/img/1.gif)
For a positive review check out this one from Tom Horsman.
ruclips.net/video/SalVV5ET3rQ/видео.html
Another positive review.
ruclips.net/video/WpPrZ2zP8pU/видео.html
@@mikebowerstv I had the same thing happen to me. Not enough hardware, and at first the lid wouldn't sit right, but i kept messing with it and got it to where it finally sits good now.
Glad it worked out for you!
Thanks for the honest review. I have a Bullseye from last year. I really enjoy it. No issues so far. I don't move mine around much, so the old base set up is just fine. I hardly ever use my Webbers anymore. I still use my Kamado grill for longer cooks. If I upgrade, I will get the RT 590 with the heavy duty cart.
Glad you are enjoying your Bullseye!!
Took your advice and didn’t buy the recteq bullseye. 380x however after doing more reviews I wanted to pull the trigger and purchase this bad boy of grills what’s not to like. Fire flare ups , no grease cup , lid not fitting hinge problems. Stilll went ahead and pulled the trigger and purchased on. Assembly was great 45 min easy to do following the online video instructions I had enough bolts and washers to perform the assembly packaging’ was extremely exceptional and grill components were well protected. Did the burn in and is this machine sexy I absolutely love it Wi-Fi connection was flawless works program is user friendly and full of content now I know why they call it the recteq family. It’s full of helpful tools to make one successful. . For me this is the right choice I paid full price and am still excited to have many long cooking sessions with this grill. Since I wanted a fire up and cook type of everyday grill this hits the spot. I am so glad I did not take your advise or follow your lead and return it. I know others have already received their girls and had no issues if you watch Tom Horseman on RUclips. I am glad or proud to be a member of the recteq family and look forward to many more grilling days.
@@tinysafari1851 I’m glad you are happy with your purchase and everything is working great for you. Yes I watch Tom and even mention his positive reviews in this video. My experience was drastically different though.
I had the exact same experience. First they sent me wrong grill. Then they sent me the right grill, but the lid wouldn't shut. Also, the grate on the grill was busted. How in the heck does that get packaged up and sent? Blew my mind. Talked to someone and they said the drum on a run of them were warped and wasn't perfectly round which was causing the gap in the lid and they would send me a new one. Went through hell to try and get someone to finally send me another one. One guy told I talked told me the gap in the lid was for "better airflow". LOL! I couldn't believe it. Finally did get them to realize my grill was busted. Finally received my 3rd grill, and put it together. The lid shut and everything seems to be working properly. I will say, most of the people I spoke with were very helpful but there was a couple that took me on wild goose chases. I am hoping that the grill works out in the long run or its going to be bad news.
Good luck, and I hope it works out!
Thanks for this open and transparent review, very helpful. After much thought I went ahead and purchased the Bullseye 380X Deluxe a couple of weeks ago. My experience with assembly was positive, no issues at all. The unit started up without issue, and I've done a few cooks on it now with good experience. I agree with your point that the hinge setup seems a bit flimsy and the lid feels light. I'd like it to feel a bit more heavy duty. Also, I replaced the grate right away with a cast iron Aura grate as you had suggested in a previous video -- much better. But overall I'm happy with the Bulleye 380X so far and I'm looking forward to using some of your recipes and techniques as I learn to use my pellet grill. Thanks for the great content!
I’m glad your grill is working out for you! Yeah that cast iron grate is awesome!
Thank you. I’ve been trying to decide between this and the Weber performer. This made my choice easier.
Thanks for the mention! For me the Bullseye is working very well. Sorry you had a bad experience.
Thanks for watching
@@mikebowerstv lol! Thanks for responding! FYI, I am not sponsored by recteq
Man that sucks Mike! I just got the $500 bullseye and I noticed on the install that the hinge could use a little re-designing too. The lid closes but it is not very solid and the lid needs some reinforcement to stiffen it up some. Thanks for sharing this info brother!!
Appreciate you watching. Yes the kid has issues and is forgivable on the cheaper version but not the Deluxe version. You’re gonna love that grill.
It seems like all the 380X grills have an issue with the lid closing all the way. It’s a simple fix. There are 3 screws on the upper hinge and 3 on the lower hinge. Tighten the two outer crews on both hinges. Just snug the middle screw on both hinges. It should work just fine then. I’m not sure why tightening all 6 screws is a problem. Especially on an $800 grill. But this fix seems to work.
In the end the quality is not worth the price.
I have the 380 and the 380x. I agree at $799 it’s overpriced. But I got the Black Friday price of $679 and I feel it’s worth the additional cost. You get a much taller grill which is great for my back. lol It’s a lot sturdier. Easier to move. A bigger hopper that acts as a side shelf. A front shelf. A bottom rack. WiFi connection and most importantly, an upgraded firepot that doesn’t allow grease to drain into it and cause a fire. But I respect your opinion. Everyone has different opinions, preferences and priorities. But the lid closing is a common issue with an easy fix. But like I said, for $800 you’d think the dang lid would close or they’d amend the instructions to reflect how to make it work. I think they’re not aware of the fix. I see so many people saying they got new hinges and new lids etc. Leaving the middle screws snug and the outer screws tight allows the lid to close perfectly. Enjoy your channel and content!! Keep up the good work!!
Got a 380x 2 weeks ago. It took 3 different hinges and a new lid before we got it to shut like it should. Mine was a shipping damage issue also. I was getting frustrated like you until we finally got the issue resolved. They sent me a free seasoning rub for my troubles. Can't wait to grill now. RecTEQ customer service was easy to work with but I hated I had to call in 3 different times.
It sucks you had so many issues but I’m glad they got you taken care of!! Thanks for watching.
My Bullseye arrived over the weekend and my lid sits flush after loosening the bolts by a 1/4 turn or so. Initially, I screwed them in fairly tight, which created a slight gap between the lid and the grill body. Backing off just a bit did the trick.
Yeah I tried that without luck! I’m glad you got yours taken care of!
That’s what I had to do to get the lid to shut. Loosen the screws after an hour of messing with it
I love my original Bullseye however my issue is yeah they have a great warranty and they send the parts quickly but I have had to replace a number of components in 1 year
Yes the best warranty is the one you don’t have to use!
Great review. Thanks
I was skeptical about the bullseye when it come out. I waited quiet while before buying one. It come with a controller that just wouldn’t work in cold climates. They sent me a new one told me to burn hickory pellets. I could not be happier with it. I used it 3 to 4 times a week. I really like to get the new one for the main reason it got a ash dump.
I'm having similar issues with my bullseye deluxe today. So excited to cook on it today and the hardware is cheap and won't even keep the lid on the hing. Don't know why they didn't have nuts to attach the lid. It's a shame because it looks so good but they skimped on the hardware
I had none of those problems with mine. Got it two weeks ago) the only problem I had was there were only half of the lock washers I needed. So far, it’s been great!
Congrats on the new grill.
Thing about this grill, is it gets to a very high temperature. That is very useful for pizza. Mine is still on the way but I look forward to trying it.
Congrats on the new grill.
I have the original bullseye and my fan now constantly runs during my cooks. Any ideas why or how to fix???
Got the 380x last week. Did brisket and ribs every bit as good as stick unit. Did burgers for my son’s baseball team. Got it up to 978 degrees. Just wow. Cooked burger at 650 and got rave reviews. The 380x is where it’s at.
I’m glad you are enjoying your new grill!
Sorry that grill didn't work out for you Mike. I would have thought they would have used at least a little thicker gage material with the new grill.
Yeah they didn’t advertise it being thicker but I just thought it wouldn’t be a hack to get to work right. Since posting this video on a Bullseye FB group it sounds like a lot of folks had the same issue.
I have this grille (380X) sitting on my kitchen floor right now waiting for me to put it together in the morning. Hope I have better luck.🤞
I hope so too!
@@mikebowerstv FYI, no issues.👍
Excellent!!
Mine did not shut completely either. I bent the hinge and bowl till it submitted!
Haha! Show that grill who’s boss! I hope you enjoy the grill!
@@mikebowerstv I love it! Just finished a New York steak @ 700 degrees.
i bought my bullseye 2 years ago and I found the lid and hinges did not work well. I determined that the screws and threaded set up was flawed. I went out and bought new USA stainless steel screws and washers and drilled out the holes to get the new screws to work an wow what a difference. the hardware package is crap and there is not much room to make it better. When I put QUALITY hardware on the grill it became everything I had hoped for. My favorite grill. toss the crap Chinese screws and get good quality hardware.
My rt1250 was damaged in shipping also!
I had the same issue with our bullseye. I also cut myself pretty bad on the lid. The entire edge was extremely sharp. I ended up sanding the whole edge and screwing around quite a bit with the hinge to get it to close correctly.
Man that stinks you cut yourself. I hope it’s healing well.
Hey Mike I have the original bullseye and love it! My deflector plate is starting to rust and flake off. I wish Recteq would sale the new deflector plate for the original bullseye. Any solutions?
Call them. I had the same issue and they replaced it.
I'm curious about your "most important one to me was the wi-fi." This is one of the features that has become almost a requirement over time. Do you really depend on that to be successful with the grill?
No not at all it’s just convenient. My original Bullseye doesn’t have it, but I still love it. Thanks for watching!
That stinks! I was hoping for a better build with thicker steel for that price jump. Thanks for throwing an honest review out there for us! I like that pecos I see back there 😎
I was cooking up a wild hog a friend shot and wanted smoked.
FYI, this is a super incomplete review…the build is much better…and the tech added more than justifies the price…and the lid not closing is actually user assembly error, loosen and adjust a few bolts to correct position and the lid closes fine. Not as intuitive as it should be, but not complex at all.
Here is the actual list of improvements over the original, I don’t know why Mike says it’s the same because it’s not, details matter:
1. Bigger beefier cart with caster wheels
2. Sits quite a bit taller off the ground
3. Folding front shelf
4. Raised jet engine-looking firepot that allows 1000+ temps (for even better searing and pizza making) also is better for grease management
5. Vents all the way around the lid
6. Larger capacity pellet hopper
7. Ash dump system (no more vacuuming!)
8. Dual band wifi, monitor and control grill from the app on your phone
9. Cast iron heat deflector (MUCH heavier duty than the original)
10. Stainless steel cooking grate
11. Storage shelf on the bottom
Rewatch the video. I state these upgrades and discuss the main cook chamber is the same and it is. I also indicate this isn’t a review as I didn’t even cook on it.
@@gabester1having a RT-700 and a Bullseye I feel no need to upgrade. I mainly use the Bullseye for hotter and faster cooks and the 700 for low and slow cooks.
I have the Bulleye Deluxe and had the same issue with the hinge. After adjusting it several times 2 of the screws stripped and won't get tight anymore. Surprisingly this looseness allows the lid to close a whole lot better. Still not perfect though. I left a review on recteqs website and they never posted it. I'm close to telling them to come get it.
I had the same problem with the lid, I tried re-aligning it to see if that was a problem. I figured it was by design so that it had better air flow 🙂. The has been my only problem with the grill, everything else has been awesome.
That’s a bummer. Good reason to return. 😊
Get the 590 I got it 4 months ago and it’s amazing
That’s kinda what I’m leaning toward. Thanks for the feedback!
You can get it for $809.99 around a holiday. Just a tip
I would love to know your tip for a great brisket on the pellet smoker I haven’t tried one yet.
@@jodyantley6994 check out my video for overnight brisket. Wry similar to that. I’ll be making a new video soon with a few tweaks.
I greatly appreciate this video and information. I’ve been on the fence for some time about pellet grills for a long time. When I discovered this grill I almost jumped, but thought I should do some research first. I believe I have decided, once again, to just wait and do more research. Thanks for sharing your info. 👍
I think the original Bullseye is well worth the price at $399.
Sounds like Rec Tec needs to work on QC issues with their made in China grill. I appreciate they stand behind their product, but it's absurd what you had to go through.
No arguments here.
I saw one in store today and the lid definitely seems cheap.
Too expensive for the lack of quality.
You are over tightening the lid. Probably used a screw gun? Back the screws off a half turn and it will sit flush. Had the same issue and it resolved my issue.
Loosening the screws was one of the first things I tried.
Worked on mine
Man, thats not cool at all... but glad you were able to return it and get a KJ!
For $800 there shouldn’t be any disappointments. The original is only $399 so maybe I’ll go with that. Sometimes it takes them a few versions to work out the bugs. They’ll figure it out. Great video thx!
Thanks for the review, guess I'll be sticking with my Traeger.
I just upgraded from my traeger to the bullseye both are great machines I grill more than smoke
THIS is the video I've been waiting for. When you said you were going to buy it, I was worried. $800 is a LOT for a grill like this. 100% with you on the value of the original Bullseye. Bummed to hear this didn't work for you but love that you're an honest guy with your feedback. The fire is out, indeed!
I’m bummed too as I was looking forward to the WiFi.
I’m very unsatisfied as well. With no box unable to return. And too far away. Just completely bummed. Junk. And a $2 Weber grill handle. Just let down.
Hate you aren’t happy with it. Too much money spent to be disappointed.
Ray Carnes probably already blocked this guy from the forums 😂
Haha!! I left on my own as my posts were never approved. I personally think I do a great job of being honest while still focusing on the positives.
Reqtec is good at ripping folks off 😱
I’m hearing that more often these days. I haven’t personally experienced that though.
Tom likes everything companies send him lol Honest reviews 🙄
I must have missed the part where Recteq sent him the grill. I’ve paid for all of mine.
@@mikebowerstv Not sure bout that one, but he has lost my trust a long time ago
Why say, “Sorry” 🤷♂️ That is Wreck Teks fault because they failed to meet your customer service
Oversize the hole and go with a bigger washer. 5 bucks
For $800 I shouldn’t have to do a thing.
Skip on the Wi-Fi - Most of these grills all made in China - would really want to hook up a Chinese Internet Of Things to your Home Wifi? If you have access to the grill from anywhere - so does everyone else!
Tell us you don't have a clue without telling us...
The Chinese are not interested in the temp of your Boston butt.
Wreck 'Em
Guns Up!
Disappointed...
Yeah me too.
Let’s see the grill less chatting
Why even post the video ffs waste of time for a customer complaint video
So only positive reviews should be posted? I had a TON of requests to buy and review this grill so I did, sadly it didn’t work out.
This was the biggest waste of time to watch….
But thanks for watching! Haha!
Hoping they take mine back and give me a refund. I don't want this thing even if it works properly.
They have a good return policy.