So you compared Z Grills biggest smoker to Reqteq’s smallest portable smoker? As far as the shutdown process goes, I never shutdown either of my grills (BFG & Bullseye) at a high temperature setting. All you need to do to avoid a hopper fire is turn the temperature down and let the unit cool down before shutting it off.
As a Recteq owner, whose never had an issue, this was more than fair. And the longer blow out, and perhaps to prime the pot on startup instead of shut down, would make a lot of sense. Being on several RT forums, this is a rare occurrence, but I've seen it several times. Hopefully RT will address it with a firmware update.
I agree with Derek. I have never had this issue myself, but have read about it. I own both 700 and the 340 for about 3 years. I always make sure my cover is closed during cool down. I don't know if that makes a difference. But with the PID and the app you can also lower it to low temp for a bit before shutting it down as you suggested
I have a rt-700 bull. It had a cracked ceramic rod they replaced it. I also warped the drip pan they replaced under warranty. Best customer service I have ever seen. A buddy of mine bought a rt- 590 could not get it to heat right. Sent back,and the gave him another with accessories. He has had no problems with his replacement. As far fan mode. Had no problems at all. It is not a inconvenience for me cleaning out the ash from the inside. Love my grill
I HAD a bfg ,worst piece of junk I ever owned. It had too many problems to list here. The thing that irritated me most was how the owner would brag about how tough it was ,and nothing could be further from the truth. I had parts warping after 1 cook ,had a weld pop on a grill grate and to my astonishment, the replacement grill grate wasn't even square. Like not even close. It was so bad I couldn't get it in the grill. Rec tecs Facebook group is insane as well. Just mention ANY issue at all ,no matter how nice you say it and you get instantly banned. I'll end with a positive. The customer service was amazing!
He did a blog post about this as well, with an updated 2022 portion on it which is not mentioned here. For those who do not know about his blog post, I'll post the updated bit here, as a RecTeq rep reached out to him about the shut down cycle to explain a few things: "The 300 sec fan cycle is a standard on all our recteqs as it is plenty of time to cool the recteq which is all it is for. It isn’t to extinguish the fire. The 30 seconds of the auger turning after the fan cuts off is not to prime the pot for the next cook but to ensure that there are no burning pellets inside of the auger tube and thus prevents burn back and a hopper fire. The pellets are going to smolder after the shut down cycle, that is something that is unavoidable which is why in the user manual it states that once the shut down cycle is done it is best to leave the lid closed and give the recteq 10-15 minutes or the fire to completely extinguish. When the recteq is first turned on, that is when it primes the pot. The auger turns for 30 secs at start up putting pellets into the pot before ignition. We have used the same shutdown sequence since the very first recteq we sold and have no issues with how it preforms. I hope this clears things up a bit.”
I let the Rec Tec rep have post a response out of a courtesy to the brand. Regardless of what the Sales Rep has to say it doesn't change the fact that my grill caught on fire multiple times due to what I believe is a flawed shutdown sequence.
@@TheDavidSomerville And I never indicated your problem wasn't real. You updated your blog post, but not here, which still omits valuable information. As in... A RecTeq rep reached out to you on why it does what it does, but you still had issues, regardless of them stating they *never* had issues... and them stating *all* their grills comes with this shut down sequence. This isn't against you. Believe me. It's more me pointing out what you're pointing out on your blog. Regardless of what they said, it does not nullify the issue you had. The cut and paste also serves another way... it's to also show people that this is what the rep said to you, yet you still had issues, and *could be seen on other models* . The info you updated on your blog post may actually help people further in maybe considering other options.
You are aware that the tray coming out does not clean the hot pot right? You still have to take the zgrill apart to clean the hot pot or you might get ash built up around the ceramic rod and not get fire
@@TheDavidSomerville oh so that ash clean out system isn’t cleaning out the ash out of the burn put?? Only what gets blown out and around ath the bottom of the grill there?
Comparing the Z1000 to the RT-340 isn't a fair comparison for the amount of cooking surface. You mentioned the RT-340 will get hotter than the Z1000 so that's a plus for those that want to cook at higher temps. I have owned the RT-680, RT-340, RT-1250, and RT-B380 and have never had the burn-down issue you showed in your video...but I'm not saying it's user error. My technique is to set the temperature to 225 or LO when I'm done cooking, let the internal temperature drop down to less than 250, then start the shut-down cycle. I burn thru some extra pellets, but I don't have to babysit the smokers while eating my meal. I couldn't help but notice your RT-340 is quite dented in the bottom shelf and on the back of the cooking drum. Just curious how that damage happened. Having never researched a Z1000, what is their warranty and is it "bumper to bumper" like Recteq's?
Bill, the warranty for the Z Grills is better. Rec Tec only warranties the 340 for two years. You have to buy the more expensive Rec Tecs to get the good warranty. Z Grills covers “bumper to bumper” for three years on all grills.
I think the z1000 is a better comparison to the 590. I do understand the 590 will cost a couple hundred more, but that's because they use 18 GA steel instead of the 16 GA used in the ZGrill (among other quality differences). You also get a 4 year warranty (compared to 3) and the best customer service in the business with the RecTeq. I bet whoever you gave the RecTeq to will still be grilling when the ZGrill is done. I do agree with that feeding the firepot on startup would be the safer option, I'm sure it is done on shutdown for faster startup time.
I have a rectec bull, bullseye, zgrills new 7002f and a barrel smoker. The new zgrills does just as well smokin. It does not have wifi. But as far as the quality cooking, I don’t see any differences honestly. Zgrills has been making grills for other manufacturers for a long time. Thick materials etc. where recteq is far superior is the stainless steel parts, the ceramic igniter, the wifi plus app and what he doesn’t touch on which to me is the biggest advantage. Recteq’s warranty destroys zgrills in years. Recteq definitely makes a higher quality product (thicker materials, better materials).
So you compared Z Grills biggest smoker to Reqteq’s smallest portable smoker? As far as the shutdown process goes, I never shutdown either of my grills (BFG & Bullseye) at a high temperature setting. All you need to do to avoid a hopper fire is turn the temperature down and let the unit cool down before shutting it off.
As a Recteq owner, whose never had an issue, this was more than fair.
And the longer blow out, and perhaps to prime the pot on startup instead of shut down, would make a lot of sense.
Being on several RT forums, this is a rare occurrence, but I've seen it several times.
Hopefully RT will address it with a firmware update.
Derek, I appreciate your kindness. I suspected this might upset some Rec Tec owners which was never the intention. Smoke on!
I agree with Derek. I have never had this issue myself, but have read about it. I own both 700 and the 340 for about 3 years. I always make sure my cover is closed during cool down. I don't know if that makes a difference. But with the PID and the app you can also lower it to low temp for a bit before shutting it down as you suggested
I have a rt-700 bull. It had a cracked ceramic rod they replaced it. I also warped the drip pan they replaced under warranty. Best customer service I have ever seen. A buddy of mine bought a rt- 590 could not get it to heat right. Sent back,and the gave him another with accessories. He has had no problems with his replacement. As far fan mode. Had no problems at all. It is not a inconvenience for me cleaning out the ash from the inside. Love my grill
There is a reason that RT has a massive, dedicated fan base. I just don’t count myself among them.
I HAD a bfg ,worst piece of junk I ever owned. It had too many problems to list here. The thing that irritated me most was how the owner would brag about how tough it was ,and nothing could be further from the truth. I had parts warping after 1 cook ,had a weld pop on a grill grate and to my astonishment, the replacement grill grate wasn't even square. Like not even close. It was so bad I couldn't get it in the grill. Rec tecs Facebook group is insane as well. Just mention ANY issue at all ,no matter how nice you say it and you get instantly banned. I'll end with a positive. The customer service was amazing!
He did a blog post about this as well, with an updated 2022 portion on it which is not mentioned here. For those who do not know about his blog post, I'll post the updated bit here, as a RecTeq rep reached out to him about the shut down cycle to explain a few things:
"The 300 sec fan cycle is a standard on all our recteqs as it is plenty of time to cool the recteq which is all it is for. It isn’t to extinguish the fire. The 30 seconds of the auger turning after the fan cuts off is not to prime the pot for the next cook but to ensure that there are no burning pellets inside of the auger tube and thus prevents burn back and a hopper fire. The pellets are going to smolder after the shut down cycle, that is something that is unavoidable which is why in the user manual it states that once the shut down cycle is done it is best to leave the lid closed and give the recteq 10-15 minutes or the fire to completely extinguish. When the recteq is first turned on, that is when it primes the pot. The auger turns for 30 secs at start up putting pellets into the pot before ignition. We have used the same shutdown sequence since the very first recteq we sold and have no issues with how it preforms. I hope this clears things up a bit.”
I let the Rec Tec rep have post a response out of a courtesy to the brand. Regardless of what the Sales Rep has to say it doesn't change the fact that my grill caught on fire multiple times due to what I believe is a flawed shutdown sequence.
@@TheDavidSomerville And I never indicated your problem wasn't real. You updated your blog post, but not here, which still omits valuable information. As in... A RecTeq rep reached out to you on why it does what it does, but you still had issues, regardless of them stating they *never* had issues... and them stating *all* their grills comes with this shut down sequence.
This isn't against you. Believe me. It's more me pointing out what you're pointing out on your blog. Regardless of what they said, it does not nullify the issue you had. The cut and paste also serves another way... it's to also show people that this is what the rep said to you, yet you still had issues, and *could be seen on other models* . The info you updated on your blog post may actually help people further in maybe considering other options.
You are aware that the tray coming out does not clean the hot pot right? You still have to take the zgrill apart to clean the hot pot or you might get ash built up around the ceramic rod and not get fire
It takes less than three minutes to remove the grates and shields then clean the fire pot out with a kitchen spoon.
How often do you need to clean the firepot on the Z Grill?
About every week. I use a kitchen spoon to scoop the ashes out into the tray.
@@TheDavidSomerville oh so that ash clean out system isn’t cleaning out the ash out of the burn put?? Only what gets blown out and around ath the bottom of the grill there?
How do you clean out fire pot in the Zgrill
I use a kitchen spoon to scoop the ash onto the tray that slides out. Takes about two minutes :)
@@TheDavidSomerville I am sorry but you failed to mention how you accessed the fire pot for cleaning.
@@rdp4823 I lift up the great tray and scoop the ashes onto the removable tray with a kitchen spoon. Takes about two minutes and no shop vac.
Great comparison 👌👌
Comparing the Z1000 to the RT-340 isn't a fair comparison for the amount of cooking surface. You mentioned the RT-340 will get hotter than the Z1000 so that's a plus for those that want to cook at higher temps. I have owned the RT-680, RT-340, RT-1250, and RT-B380 and have never had the burn-down issue you showed in your video...but I'm not saying it's user error. My technique is to set the temperature to 225 or LO when I'm done cooking, let the internal temperature drop down to less than 250, then start the shut-down cycle. I burn thru some extra pellets, but I don't have to babysit the smokers while eating my meal. I couldn't help but notice your RT-340 is quite dented in the bottom shelf and on the back of the cooking drum. Just curious how that damage happened. Having never researched a Z1000, what is their warranty and is it "bumper to bumper" like Recteq's?
Bill, the warranty for the Z Grills is better. Rec Tec only warranties the 340 for two years. You have to buy the more expensive Rec Tecs to get the good warranty.
Z Grills covers “bumper to bumper” for three years on all grills.
Everyone seems to say the same thing about z grills....Lots of awesome features for the price, but the quality and structural design isn't all there
I think the z1000 is a better comparison to the 590. I do understand the 590 will cost a couple hundred more, but that's because they use 18 GA steel instead of the 16 GA used in the ZGrill (among other quality differences). You also get a 4 year warranty (compared to 3) and the best customer service in the business with the RecTeq. I bet whoever you gave the RecTeq to will still be grilling when the ZGrill is done. I do agree with that feeding the firepot on startup would be the safer option, I'm sure it is done on shutdown for faster startup time.
18 ga steel is thinner than 16 so that would make your price comparison a little irrelevant unless you have the numbers mixed up
Thanks for the video. Ill be getting a z
Ye that is odd
Substituting superior cooking execution for the ease of clean out? Pretty lazy review IMO. Thumbs down.
I have a rectec bull, bullseye, zgrills new 7002f and a barrel smoker. The new zgrills does just as well smokin. It does not have wifi. But as far as the quality cooking, I don’t see any differences honestly. Zgrills has been making grills for other manufacturers for a long time. Thick materials etc. where recteq is far superior is the stainless steel parts, the ceramic igniter, the wifi plus app and what he doesn’t touch on which to me is the biggest advantage. Recteq’s warranty destroys zgrills in years.
Recteq definitely makes a higher quality product (thicker materials, better materials).
Superior cooking. That's funny right there. You should have your own show on comedy central.
Im with ya on that one man.
@@davez5941 PID dude, PID controller. Any day you can grill with a beer is a good day. Hope you have many.