Can I get some input ASAP gonna buy tonight on Amazon.

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topfuel

Fire Starter
Original poster
Sep 28, 2015
32
10
I'm gonna spend around 400 for a MES and an Amazen product off Amazon before midnight. lol

Basically should I buy the newer 30 model with the sun shield on the controls or buy an older Gen 1 model for less money and spend the extra on amazen/pellets and a maverick ?

I'm not sure what I should do.

The Gen 1 is 177.00 for 30in model

The Gen 2.5 is about 310.00 for the 30 in

Also will buy either a tube or tray with the 8lbs of pellets.  I read both ways, but is the Tube to only way to go for the MES?

I'll only be making meat and things for my wife and our little one. Should I buy a 40 or buy something down the road ? 

.
 
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I have the Gen. 1 and am happy with it... It's about 4 years old...

Todd has a sale going on right now for the AMNPS/AMNTS pellets etc.. see his ad on the headers...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/235873/fall-sale-at-a-maze-n-products

I did the mail box mod and am very happy with it... I did some other stuff that works well... most of the mods were cheap or free...

I think Todd recommends not buying the tube for the 30 as it puts out too much smoke for the small smoker....
 
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I have the Gen. 1 and am happy with it... It's about 4 years old...

Todd has a sale going on right now for the AMNPS/AMNTS pellets etc.. see his ad on the headers...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/235873/fall-sale-at-a-maze-n-products

I did the mail box mod and am very happy with it... I did some other stuff that works well... most of the mods were cheap or free...

I think Todd recommends not buying the tube for the 30 as it puts out too much smoke for the small smoker....


Also may I add... The tray will also work for a finer cold smoke when sawdust is used ... your gonna wish you had bought the 40 after 6 months or so... meaning although the 30 is good but once you get the hang of it, getting better results, you want to start putting more and more in the smoker at one time...
 
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There are days I wished I had the 40... I'm just adjusting my stuff so I smoke for several days instead of one.... It is a PITA at times...
 
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So buy a GEN 1 40 inch ?? The Tube and pellets instead of getting the newer 30 Bluetooth you are saying ?

Looks like the only 40 inch models on amazon are the GEN 2 crappy ones that say discontinued. and are all over 400 bucks.

Can anyone link me to a GEN 1 40 or one that isn't a GEN 2. I searched amazon to no avail.

I have a amazon gift card that's why I need to buy from Amazon.

So Tray over Tube also ???
 
BOTH THE 30 and 40 have their place. I have to say that the 30 cooks more even bc of the smaller chamber, however I find myself using the 40 with the mail box mod most of the time now since adding the mail box..The tray from Todd is all you need to be consistent with the TBS.  Dave they need to take your modification and just incorporate it into their smokers. Since I converted mine I have never looked back. It rocks !

By the way, the 30 is easier to take with you for camping or whatever. We run ours off a generator sometimes if we have to when we camp or go to BBQ cook offs.Good luck and good smokin.

Hoity T
 
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So the best deal is The 30 for 177.00 ?  5x8 a-maze-n, pellets, Maverick 73 or 733 ?
 
I have one model MES30 Gen 1, it works perfect every time. I liked it so much I bought the MES40. Masterbuilt stands behind their  units. I had 4 MES40 Gen 1 replacements and 1 MES40 Gen 2, and out of all five in one year, the one I have now is 50 degrees off and they offered my money back. All I want is a MES40 that works as good as my MES30. So for me, I say get the Gen 1 MES30 and I hope its as good as mine is, for 2 years now its been rock solid.

Just sorta suxs having to cut a brisket in 1/2 or a full rack of ribs. Guessing a small turkey now.

BUT ya gotta hand it to Masterbuilt, who else ya know would have done swapped out 4 smokers before giving up? That's good customer service.
 
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So the best deal is The 30 for 177.00 ?  5x8 a-maze-n, pellets, Maverick 73 or 733 ?
Not sure if you already pulled the trigger on your purchases but my set up is how you have it written above: MES 30 Gen 1, 5x8 AMNPS, and the Maverick ET-733. You also wrote "73" but that's an early, obsolete model. I bought the MES 30 because it was under $200 and it was my first smoker. The thing is incredible for the quality of smoked food it puts out. But every time I have trouble squeezing a long rack of pork ribs or a long beef brisket onto a wire rack I wish I had a MES 40. Guys advice to just cut the meats in half and place it in two rows or on two racks but I don't like to cut meat before cooking. But because the MES 30 is so small it's easy to move around and also doesn't have the drastic differences in heat on the right and left sides that the MES 40 Gen 1 has.

Let us know what you bought.
 
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If someone were in the market for a MES 40 Gen 1 I'd jump on the one that Icyhot posted about. I haven't seen any MES 40 Gen 1 smokers in months on Amazon. I just looked at the listing and it's a great deal.
 
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Well, I pulled the trigger on the MES 30 Gen 1, 5x8 AMNS, and the Maverick 733.  Smoker came to today I unboxed and unpacked it, and there was NO screws to attach the control unit. Would I be better off buying some from local hardware, Contact Amazon, or Contact Masterbuilt, or all three ?

Rest of my order will arrive tomorrow and I"ll be looking forward to smoking something this weekend for sure.
 
Well, I pulled the trigger on the MES 30 Gen 1, 5x8 AMNS, and the Maverick 733.  Smoker came to today I unboxed and unpacked it, and there was NO screws to attach the control unit. Would I be better off buying some from local hardware, Contact Amazon, or Contact Masterbuilt, or all three ?

Rest of my order will arrive tomorrow and I"ll be looking forward to smoking something this weekend for sure.


First, I'd look in the drawer where I put stuff instead of throwing it away... a jar full of screws... then the hardware store... then Masterbuilt... Dave
 
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Well, I pulled the trigger on the MES 30 Gen 1, 5x8 AMNS, and the Maverick 733.  Smoker came to today I unboxed and unpacked it, and there was NO screws to attach the control unit. Would I be better off buying some from local hardware, Contact Amazon, or Contact Masterbuilt, or all three ?

Rest of my order will arrive tomorrow and I"ll be looking forward to smoking something this weekend for sure.
Call MB customer service and they'll ship the screws out to you. But what a factory quality control lapse. By the same token if the owners manual describes the screws you need you can also find them at a hardware store. I'd still have MB send them to you, though.
 
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Its an Omen! Cosmic Karma! All your smoked foods now will be full of cancer creating carcinogens!
I've heard the latest negative hype on nitrates/nitrites.  There are no definite results just maybe, what ifs, could be.   The standard reply from the ignorant media.  The highest use of nitrates is in high explosives and fertilizer.  If you eat a lunch meat sandwich a day you'll get most of your nitrates from that.  If you don't,  then you'll get it from vegetables.  They totally skipped the high levels of nitrates in celery.   As well as carrots, radishes, cabbage, beets and other root vegetables.  The antioxidants in vegetables counter act the negative effects of nitrates in vegetables so eat an apple with your Q or take a vitamin C pill.  I have no concerns with Pop's extremely diluted nitrite wet cure compared to the industry standard.  It's one sixth the maximum allowable amount. 

-Kurt 
 
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