Anyone have any info on this smoker?

[aquam]

Saw a smoker at sams by a company called "smokey hollow" model sh36188. Looks pretty good. Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with these or this company. My current barrell is about rusted out. So I'm ready to buy.

 

[garyt]

I have Smoke Hollow #5 Gas smoker 3 year old and I am very happy with it, but now I see the new ones of the same model in stores and notice the changes they have made to save money, and I am not impressed. You need to look at the smoker and gauge metal thickness and how well the doors all work and if they close evenly to help reduce leakage.

Too bad manufactures don't realize the gap in the price and quality of an entry model smoker and the rest of the up scale models, there has to be some middle ground, but I haven't seen it yet

 

[aquam]

I agree. The only options available seem to be either thin gauged metal or smokers that are just too small. Prices on starter smokers range from 200 to 300 dollars, but the next step up seems to jump up to 1000 to 2000. If anyone knows of any alternatives, please let me know.

 

[bassman]

I don't know about the one you're looking at, but I have the Smoke Vault made by Camp Chef. It's not top of the line I'm sure, but overall it has been great for what I do. The 24" model is anywhere from $259.00 to $300.00.
Good luck.

 

[aquam]

not really looking for an upright smoker , but a barrell type with offset firebox. Thanks though

 

[azrocker]

My 100 dollar craigslist special. She's my second fav-o-rite gal!

 

[aquam]

shes a beaut.....i like how the firebox sits low and waayyyy off set. Hope craigslist is as kind to me.

 

[bman62526]

I'm one week away from getting my Bell Fab unit from Tulsa. You can't beat that price for the quality of materials he uses! Google "Bell Fab" and you can see the picture of the 24 x 36" unit that I got for $450. It's one of the very bottom pictures...1/4" steel pipe, with a 5/16" steel pipe firebox.

The Klose model that is 20 x 36" sells for $1,350...I'll take $450 any day
:-)

He's even making it with my requested mods...

 

[aquam]

thanks for all the info guys, i passed on the smoker at sams after going over it a litlle more carefully. The appearance and build are perfect, but the quality of this unit looks terrible. The steel appears to be less or the equivalent to an eighth of an inch, as well as after checking the hinges and hardware, its very flimsy. No sense in starting a thousand degree fire in something you cant trust. Moving on to more research.

 

[aquam]

Alright im in, just checked out the website and this guy is definitely pro. Gonna give him a call tomorrow. Im competing in the next month so Ill have to see how quickly he can work.

 

[jdt]

sure like my bellfab

 

[aquam]

is that the unit!!!! you seriously payed 450 for that in the pic????

 

[jdt]

no this is not the $450 one, I was going to do that one but winter was nasty so I didn't go out much and saved more money so I ordered a 24 x 48, as luck would have it the day he was cutting the pipe there was a little extra left over so he left it on the end of my pit, basically an extra six inches free. The $450 is the patio style shown on his website, he will do left and right hand fireboxes depending on what you prefer, a couple guys got him to move the stack and the various other mods they wanted so he is pretty easy to work with. I had seen one of his trailer pits before and was pleased with what I saw, he likes to say "its just little old me" and things like that but he is far from a backyard hack, the welds are all good, not a perfect row of nickles but well done and certainly not ugly. I actually like the "character" of a non mass produced pit, mine has a few spots where you can see his numbers under the paint, a spot here or there where the grinder skipped and brushed a spot, you can tell its handmade, its 10 times nicer than I could have done at home and cost about 1/3 what it was going to cost me for a klose or horizon of this size here at home.