After ordering this z grills pellet smoker this morning and seeing this comparison I'm glad I still went with the z grills!!! The wheels was no big deal and I already have the 700d from z grills!!! And even though the new one doesn't have the bottom cabinet I'm glad it doesn't. My 700d has one and I never kept nothing down there cuz it always got so hot under there it be more like keeping food warm instead of storing stuff!!! The seer plate would have been great but I can do without that too!!! Great video and I appreciate it thank!!!
Hey Tommy, thanks for taking the time to do this comparison. 😀 Especially when you have your Friday night simulcast (which was cool)👍to do yet. Never seen you talk less. Lol. It was obvious you were hugging the grill to stay warm. Everyone else was in T-shirts...Best of health & Best 👌 Regards...ff 😎
Cool comparison video Tommy! That z grill hits the ground running and gets that temp up quickly, both look like soild cookers 👍 thanks for sharing brother, have a great weekend, you all stay safe!👍🍻👊🍺
What about temp differences on the inside of the pit? I’ve seen 50 degree differences on the Pitboss from left to right, and that frightens me as my old old OLD Traeger is very even across the pit.. Thanks for doing these detailed breakdowns! Appreciate it
Thanks Tommy, great and honest review. I have a Green Mountain Davy Crockett Model which is for me, an entry level but not nearly enough room as I thought it would have. I really like it though. Would the Pit Boss be good step up as it’s a lot less money? Keep up the good work.
1:46 so when the video came on and he starts talking i was like. Hes doing a macho man rabdy savage thing. Then at 1:46 he drops an "oh yeah" and now no matter what he has my attention 😂😂
@The Gallery Backyard BBQ & Griddle i am looking at my first pellet smoker, and was wondering if you have tried the 1600 elite, it looks like it has all the upgrades you like about the z grill.
Hey Tommy, After hearing your thoughts on the PB Pro and ZGrill over the past few weeks, I have sold my PB Austin XL and purchased the ZGrill 11002B. Excited for it to be delivered.
purchased zgrill 11002b and it broke after one use control board died come to find out they have that problem and now the control ,boards are back orders..one cook and dead what a wast of money
Please add price as a comparison category for these. It would help with understanding the differences in amount of features versus overall value. Otherwise great video!
That was an awesome comparison Tommy! Obviously each unit has it's pros and cons - too bad tou couldn't combine the best of both! 😉 I hope you continue to compare even more smokers to these. - Thanks for mentioning the Smoke-Fire, which would be in 3rd place I guess?
They have just come out with a Pitt Boss Pro V3, with new 4+" touch screen controller, back to the straight bar type bottom rack, and a few others. I'm wondering if these new version 3 will tip the scales to the Pitt Boss? I haven't found any comparison of the new version.
Nice thorough review Tommy! I've heard that the 1600 takes a long time to heat up and that's one reason I have not bought one. My brother in-law has one and the lid seems to be a little on the heavy side? Not sure that's the best descriptive, but the lid seems a little cumbersome to open. I have a PB PS1100 and I absolutely love the sear option! One thing Z Grills could have done to really up it's game on the 1200! I think both fail on the front shelves, as both are too narrow in the front! All in all an awesome review!👍👊
hard to beat the pit boss. i love mine. my smoke fire is ready to go. Z grill has weber smoking chamber. all pits have grease fire. why true pit masters use drip pans.. great video. nice job both pits are tanks for sure..
I want the Pit Boss 1600 but can't decide between the Pro or the Elite series. $400 difference and only a small amount of feature differences. Can you help me decide?
I like the Z grill double wall- price and construction after 20 plus years of smoking meat I now have a 450 A for 6 years and the new multitasker. 11002B. Just did 30 plus lbs of country style on the 11002 then I did 9 racks of ribs at once. Thanks for doing the comparison 👍
I have owned that z grills for just over a year it is far superior to my pit boss 1100 pro if I could give any advice stay away from pit boss in general I have the 1100 pro right out the gate it could not hold a steady temp it would be set at 225 and would be up to 350 most of the time one could argue I had a defect but a buddy bought the Austin xl and another bought the 700 all had exact same problems another big issue is that sear plate box what not that’s a big problem for flare ups hosting 4th of July cooking up burgers and when I opened the lid to flip because you can’t close off to direct flame the whole pit went up in a grease fire that the only thing I could do is let it burn itself out
Good honest side by side brother, I looked at them both when shopping for mine and was impressed, but ended up doing a 360* and purchased a Green Mountain Grills Daniel Boone Choice which was super easy to put together ... did the burn-in yesterday and put a butt on it this morning.
I'm going from my first smoker, Mastercraft electric, to a pellet and I appreciate your time and effort on this video. So far I have seen good reviews and such for zGrill and I'm no pro so I'll go with the Z and save a little money! Thank you!
When I first saw the photo, I thought I was looking at the Tommy Twins, LOL. No side shelf, more room for more pits. A 1 inch piece of metal beside the grates for the Pit Boss. The Cons are small and the Pros are big, Just my thoughts.
Hi Tommy, really appreciate all the in depth reviews you do. I'm sure its a ton of work. I decided to move from a vertical to either a pellet or a gravity grill. For me its between the MB gravity 800 series and the Zgrills 11002b. Couple questions if you dont mind. I live in a somewhat colder climate and love smoking in the winter even when its below zero outside and I am admittedly lazy. Between the two which one in your opinion would be the best set and forget for longer smokes? and also in your opinion which makes better bbq food? Thanks really appreciate your opinion.
Thats a tough one. The MB is amazing but may struggle a tad in colder climates. Do you or the family like smoky food? My wife prefers the z for a more mild smoke and its built like a tank. If you like heavy smoke the MB is a good choice. For a tad less try that Z... The Z will be more set it and forget it.
Thanks Tommy, appreciate your reply. I'm going to give the Zgrills a shot. Seems like I might run into less issues with it especially when it's really cold. I do love a lot of smoke flavor but if it's just a tad less the rest of my family would probably like the flavor of the Z more. Thanks again man, I do appreciate it.
Bottom line is the turnout of the food. It’s nice to have all the bells and whistle‘s but the bottom line is the food, and from what I can tell from the video the Z grill will produce better smoke, has better temperature control, and likely as a result- better food at the end. Would you agree or disagree with that statement? Thx Tommy
The control panel on the 1600 could definitely be better but mine gets to temp faster than yours does but I also leave the lid open when I fire it up until all smoke is clear don’t know if that makes a difference or not I’m also. Using knotty wood pellets they are much better than what I was using before
Thanks for taking the time to produce all these videos Tommy! I just purchased a Z Grill 1000d3 and have found that there is a 40 degree difference in the temp setting on the controller versus what my own ambient bbq probe shows regardless of what temp I set it to. Did you experience that in your testing in this video? I contacted customer service and they said it's normal, which I disagree with.
There is always a difference in temps from the control panel. That goes for any pit including the Masterbuilt. Z, Pit Boss, makes no difference. That said. Give it a few cooks to settle down as these PID controllers have a little AI built in.
Hey Tommy, Sam's Club has the Z 11002b on sale for 499. I just bought a Z 7002c2e this past April. My wife is gonna kill me if I do what I'm thinking about doing. But seriously the 11002b for 499...I don't think I can pass that up!
GREAT BREAKDOWN TOMMY ,I LIKE THE HONEST COMPARISON , I GOT THE PITBOSS 1100 NOW BUT IN 8 WEEKS MY LOANSTAR PELLET WILL BE HERE , I BELIEVE IT WILL MEET ALL MY NEEDS
Thank you this is what I was looking for. I have the Pit Boss 1150 Pro Series and I agree the wheels when moving on soft surfaces are great, however my Pit also lollygags its way to temp (with the new controller), I actually don't like the sear section or the diamond grates, so I use my Gravity Series 800 for steaks and burgers (it also has a griddle). I really wanted to know how well the 11002B smoked and you helped me with my choice of purchase, as I don't like the vertical smokers. I think I might move to purchase the Z-Grill, I do feel if you have one grill then the Pit Boss is the best in price and class as it has multiple features.
Thanks for the comparison Tommy and including the speed to temp! I agree that the Pit Boss has a lot of bells and whistles but I do like the simplicity of the Z Grills. As you know I’m trying to move on from a small vertical smoker and a gas grill to a combo unit. It sounds like the Z Grills might be better to do quick grills when I want that. And of course the wife is questioning whether I need this large of a pit. Lol. Do they both have ash clean outs? Anyways great review.
I just bought that zgrill 1102b and I love how heat up fast and the Smoker work great. I bought at Rural King for$899 and I don’t think anything can beat it for money.
Patrick, welcome to the Z family! Thats an awesome price for this Tank of a machine. Ill have another video out this Wednesday. I hope to see you there!
*Bells n Whistles, performance this or that, really at the end of the day, it is the “Feeling” that you described that it comes down to and the food it produces.* I for one don’t care for the bells n whistles, my brushes don’t hang on my grills, I don’t use the sear feature, the bottle opener, the griddle (got a 36”), I don’t like the diamond shaped grates, generally I don’t need more than 2 probes and if I do, I have wireless ones, I definitely never use the bottom shelf under the grill and I always have a stainless Cart next to me for extra counter space and cutting board etc.. I also don’t move my grills around much, and ever since owning a pitboss I’m no longer a fan of folding shelves either haha.. So needless to say, I am now looking at potentially investing in a new ZGrills 🤣 Not for the bells and whistles, but for the experience and results that others are getting from theirs, and then sharing it.. I am also looking at getting a proper Sear Box like an Otto Wilde or a Blazing Bulls, and then my outdoor kitchen should be fairly complete with charcoal, pellets, propane, 36” griddle, Airfryer and happy wife! Let’s goooo 🙌🙌
Need to try it vs the 1600 elite now, it has all the stainless, brushless motors for auger and fan, new controller, the new pit boss VST(smoke setting) Mine just came in today. So I’m excited to get it together and get a cook going on it.
I really thing if the Z-Grill had a sear zone, then there would be a no brainer! I have the OG Z-Grill 700 and what a nice pit for the price. I think MSRP between the two should play a factor as well. Good video as usual!
I have had the 1600 for over a year and have cooked on it almost weekly. It is a great pit. I have the updated controller which is much better than the old. The heat up time greatly depends on the pellets. Pure hickory gets the hottest and heats up the quickest. Taking out that flimsy pan that goes in the bottom also helps heat time and air flow. It is not needed. I am still in love with the size of it. It is perfect. The racks slide and tilt to check meat. They also have enough spacing to not burn you hands while cooking if you don't want to slide them out.
