- Nov 19, 2019
- 11
- 9
Hey everyone! Fairly new on here but have been lurking around reading a lot for quite some time. So today I ran into a HD to purchase some material and discovered they phasing out the Kingsford Professional series of smokers some of them carry. I'd been eyeballing the Rancher XL and the Ranchers Steer for well over a year. They had two Rancher XL's and two Steers left in stock. The XL was $330 and the Steer $325. However I was told it was supposed to be $330 as well. So I decided I'd be kicking myself down the road if I didn't buy this Steer. After eyeballing others like the Ok Joe, and the Old Country stuff I was much more impressed with the build quality of the Kingsford. It's much heavier steel than those and was very "straight". By that I mean every time I went by an Academy I'd check out the OC and would find doors with gaps and other issues that I just didn't think should be on a $400+ cooker. (I realize it's not a Lang or other high end but still worse than I would think) Looking at the Kingsford's I didn't see that. So nonetheless I bought it. I've not seen much written about these. So I'm hoping some more seasoned owners can chime in about their experiences. I did read where one fellow said it definitely needed tuning plates or baffle. And that he would suggest lowering the smoke intake to grate level. Both of which I will likely do. So if you have one ease chime in! I'd love to get some tips!