# Yoder Smoker YS640s or new Broil King Regal or something else?!



## Pawn (Feb 4, 2020)

Hi everybody, 

First of all I'm sorry for my bad English. I'm not a native but really into us bbq! 

At this point I have a Napoleon gas grill and one basic Traeger Pro D2 which I both enjoy a lot. This is why I want to up my game with, my initial thought, a Yoder Smokers Ys640s. But yesterday I saw the new Broil King Pellet Smoker. I really like those cleaning features (I like it clean fast)! 

Does anyone have any experience with those? Is there a pellet smoker I didn't even consider yet? I'm really look for a great product. Money is not my focus but I'm also not doing competition (just for the family). 

What would you get? 

Thank you very much for your time and kindness. :) This is very much appreciated!


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## kawakx125 (Feb 4, 2020)

Yoder is king of the crop.  It'll outlast anything else out there by far and customer service is fantastic.


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## jcam222 (Feb 4, 2020)

No doubt in my mind that if cost isn’t an issue the Yoder is the best of the two. I’d also seriously consider the Rec Tec.


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## Alphonse (Feb 4, 2020)

Yoder YS640s comes with the FireBoard control system.   Combined with Yoder build quality and robustness, this puts Yoder in another league.


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## Pawn (Feb 4, 2020)

Thank you so much for all your answers! Interesting that no one would even consider a Broil King against a Yoder. But I like the idea that I don't have to vac clean. Well, but that shouldn't be my priority anyway. 

Also I'll have a look at Rec Tec. Any model in particular I should have a look at?


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## jcam222 (Feb 4, 2020)

Pawn said:


> Thank you so much for all your answers! Interesting that no one would even consider a Broil King against a Yoder. But I like the idea that I don't have to vac clean. Well, but that shouldn't be my priority anyway.
> 
> Also I'll have a look at Rec Tec. Any model in particular I should have a look at?


Based on the others you are looking at I’d say the RT 700. They are very popular. Quite a few folks here run them. Their customer service appears to be world class.


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## Alphonse (Feb 4, 2020)

Okay, I will comment on the Broil King.  It is your typical sheet metal pellet grill.  There is a lot of competition in this  market these days. 

The Yoder weighs in at 335 pounds and is built like a tank.   The Broil King is half that weight at 165 pounds.   

The RecTec Bulls are very nice grills.  They  weigh in at 195 pounds and have some nice features that put them in a class far above the Broil King.

At the end of the day it is all about your budget and what you want.  Nothing wrong with a more moderately priced grill if that is where you land.  

By the way, not sure what you  mean about vacuuming.  I think they all have to be cleaned out in some form or fashion.


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## sandyut (Feb 4, 2020)

I would buy another Rec Tec RT 700 Bull in a second!  I just love mine!


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## Pawn (Feb 4, 2020)

Alphonse said:


> Okay, I will comment on the Broil King.  It is your typical sheet metal pellet grill.  There is a lot of competition in this  market these days.
> 
> The Yoder weighs in at 335 pounds and is built like a tank.   The Broil King is half that weight at 165 pounds.
> 
> ...



It looks like that I can't get a Rec Tec in my country unless I'm willing to import it from the US. :( Hearing all your voices (considering that I can't get a rec tec) I should get a Yoder, right? 

Has anyone used a Broil King pellet smoker yet?


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## kawakx125 (Feb 4, 2020)

Yoder is american made and thick steel to hold heat and recover quickly.  everything is replaceable on it.  cleaning is not difficult with the 2 piece diffuser.  

Alot of people will tout the ''stainless'' rec tec.  Nice product, but its a 430 stainless that will rust and stain.  Also, just like most, their controller shows an average temp so you think it is holding temp perfectly.  I think they try to wow you with looks and marketing.  Just my opinion.  Look around the competition circuit, there are Yoders everywhere.


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## bregent (Feb 4, 2020)

Pawn said:


> But I like the idea that I don't have to vac clean.



From what I understand, the ash cleanout is just for the burn pot - similar to CampChef. You still need to clean the ash out of the body, either with a vac or some other method.  The ash accumulation in the burn pot of my CampChef was very low - it needed to be cleaned out about as often as the smoker body - so the cleanout feature was not very valuable.


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## bregent (Feb 4, 2020)

kawakx125 said:


> Yoder is american made and thick steel to hold heat and recover quickly.



True, but I prefer a lighter double-wall insulated stainless over heavy steel. Heats up faster and easier to handle. Not that I would mind owning a Yoder :)  
As for 430 rusting, it depends on the quality. I know someone with a 10 year old 430 Memphis Advantage that leaves it uncovered in the snow and there's not a spec of rust on it.


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## Pawn (Feb 5, 2020)

It looks like that I won't do anything wrong with a Yoder. I'll have a look at it this on Saturday for the first time. If we fall in love I'll get that ys640s. :D

Thanks for all you advices! Y'all are great!


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## ofelles (Feb 5, 2020)

Go with the Yoder.  I have an older non s model (non Fireboard controller).  It has preformed perfectly in the 2 years I have owned it.  And as mentioned already it built like a tank.


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## mike243 (Feb 6, 2020)

my .02 if you already own 1 pellet smoker the food off of another will probably taste about the same,  Mac has a big following you might be able to get 1 of those, lot of good choices , Weber is releasing a new unit but no real world info yet from the masses lol


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## sweetride95 (Feb 6, 2020)

Before spending Yoder or Mac type money, you gotta be happy with pellet grilled food. It's all gonna taste about the same, but come at a cost that's thousands of dollars different.


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## bregent (Feb 6, 2020)

mike243 said:


> Weber is releasing a new unit but no real world info yet from the masses



Right.
If it were me, I'd hold off on purchasing a pellet grill and wait for some real reviews for the Weber. Their new grill has several innovative features that make me very interested, but need to wait to hear some real world stories.


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## Alphonse (Feb 6, 2020)

I am very interested in seeing more detail on the Weber.  Lots of tease reviews thus far but no substance.  

For example,  I want to see how big of a grease mess it makes in terms of being able to clean it up.   A charcoal grill is somewhat self cleaning but a pellet grill not.    The layout appears to be somewhat "weber gas grill like" with flavorizing bars, etc.   Looks like an enormous mess to me?


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## kawakx125 (Feb 7, 2020)

Looks like not much room and a pain to clean


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## sweetride95 (Feb 7, 2020)

kawakx125 said:


> Looks like not much room and a pain to clean


That was my first thought as well. A couple juicy pork butts on there and it's grease city.


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## bregent (Feb 7, 2020)

Alphonse said:


> Looks like an enormous mess to me?





kawakx125 said:


> Looks like not much room and a pain to clean



Don't know why you think that. I've never needed to clean the flavorizors on my Weber gas grill. Grease vaporizes when it hits them. All the excess grease and ash flows below into the catch pan.  Seems MUCH easier to clean than a standard pellet grill.


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## Chef Paulo (Feb 7, 2020)

kawakx125 said:


> Yoder is american made and thick steel to hold heat and recover quickly.  everything is replaceable on it.  cleaning is not difficult with the 2 piece diffuser.
> 
> Alot of people will tout the ''stainless'' rec tec.  Nice product, but its a 430 stainless that will rust and stain.  Also, just like most, their controller shows an average temp so you think it is holding temp perfectly.  I think they try to wow you with looks and marketing.  Just my opinion.  Look around the competition circuit, there are Yoders everywhere.



This is simply not true about the Rec Tec controller. Both the controller and the app show the set temp and actual temp, not an average. Maybe you are used to a grill that fluctuates and saw a Rec Tec that held a precise temp and made that assumption but it’s false.

I looked into Yoders and although they look very nice, I live in Kentucky and they are not “everywhere”. I’ve never seen one live. So, on top of the premium price I couldn’t just pick one up and would have to pay an exorbitant shipping cost. Rec Tec shipping is included. My RT700 also has a full 6 year warranty and the best customer service going. Also incorrect about “340 SS”. Rec Tec uses 304 stainless which is much more corrosion resistant than regular steel. It’s my opinion that stainless is a superior material for this application.

I’m sure Yoders are awesome too but I wanted to just clear a couple things up.  The RT700 was an easy call for me and I’m very happy with my choice.


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## WeberBlackStoneYoder (Feb 7, 2020)

My Yoder has been good for me so far,


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## bregent (Feb 7, 2020)

Chef Paulo said:


> This is simply not true about the Rec Tec controller. Both the controller and the app show the set temp and actual temp, not an average.



The RecTec does maintain accurate temps, but it definitely displays a moving average.  The controller is made by Roanoke and they make similar ones for my Memphis.  Nothing wrong with displaying an average - I would bet that nearly all PID controllers do.


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## Chef Paulo (Feb 7, 2020)

bregent said:


> The RecTec does maintain accurate temps, but it definitely displays a moving average.  The controller is made by Roanoke and they make similar ones for my Memphis.  Nothing wrong with displaying an average - I would bet that nearly all PID controllers do.


No it does not  do a rolling average.   The only averaging is done by the company in setting up the controller when it is being developed.  Rec Tec uses 32 probes for this purpose. My grill at my house has one probe. And it shows the current temp (or what the grill thinks the actual temp is if the calibration is a bit off). It may sometimes fluctuate a degree or two during a cook at times but it lists the current temp, not an average over the cook.


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## mike243 (Feb 7, 2020)

They have 2 sizes I think and what smoker stays clean?  seen some funky cookers on every forum I have looked at lol , at least you can crank the heat up and burn it off unlike a lot of others. We will get some reviews from real users soon . Its easy to pick on something without any evidence lol


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## Pawn (Feb 9, 2020)

So I was about to buy a Yoder yesterday. I drove to that shop for two hours to have a look at it first. Well, I'm really disappointed that it wasn't a s-series although I asked them specifically (because I had to drive so far)... They didn't even know the differences and tried to sell me an old model. No I don't have a Yoder but I was still impressed by that quality (funnily they had a gmg beside it). 

At least I've got some time to check the new Weber but I think I'll try to look for a Yoder anyway.


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## ofelles (Feb 9, 2020)

To bad you had to dive so far to be disappointed.  In the long run you'll be much happier.  You'll get what you what and hopefully buy from an honest dealer.  
Either they don't know what they're selling or don't care.  Either way buyer beware.
I'm starting to hear some reviews of the new Weber and would still go with a Yoder myself.


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## mike243 (Feb 9, 2020)

so where are you finding reviews, haven't heard the first 1 past the show weber had?  nobody has received 1 though some say have shipped , maybe there's a forum I have missed


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## ofelles (Feb 9, 2020)

mike243 said:


> so where are you finding reviews, haven't heard the first 1 past the show weber had?  nobody has received 1 though some say have shipped , maybe there's a forum I have missed



On a couple of other forums.  Actually the same person,  different forums (not sure I'm allowed to mention names).  The reviews are good his biggest con is no probe port. 
My response comes from; so far it look like it doesn't do anything better than the Yoder, including searing.  Also in my thinking, the cost difference is worth it from build standpoint.  just IMHO

To be fair, he said, and I quote 
" So far, I feel like Weber has really one-upped the mainstream pellet grill competition. You can get some equal or better pellet grills, but nothing I've seen at the $1000-1200 range like this. "


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## kawakx125 (Feb 10, 2020)

Chef Paulo said:


> No it does not  do a rolling average.   The only averaging is done by the company in setting up the controller when it is being developed.  Rec Tec uses 32 probes for this purpose. My grill at my house has one probe. And it shows the current temp (or what the grill thinks the actual temp is if the calibration is a bit off). It may sometimes fluctuate a degree or two during a cook at times but it lists the current temp, not an average over the cook.



have you verified this with an external probe placed in the cooker?  It is a wood fire, and it is not counting the number of pellets dropped, and pellets are not all exactly the same size.  there will be fluctuations larger than 1 degree.


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## Chef Paulo (Feb 10, 2020)

kawakx125 said:


> have you verified this with an external probe placed in the cooker?  It is a wood fire, and it is not counting the number of pellets dropped, and pellets are not all exactly the same size.  there will be fluctuations larger than 1 degree.


I haven't sat and watched it to see if it fluctuates more than that but I have seen it one or two degrees  from the set point. I suspect dropping a couple pellets does not change the temp more than that.  My point was not that it does not ever fluctuate, all grills and convection ovens will, just that the Rec Tec does not display a rolling average, it displays the current temp. Which it holds as good as or better than anything else out there. The averaging people talk about is when they configure the controller. The way I understand it is because it is convection they place probes throughout the grill and average the temps to get the average reading throughout the whole grill and then configure the temp probe with that data. Some people use 2 or 3 or 5. Rec Tec goes to way more time and trouble. They use 32.  But the temp displayed is the current temp.  

And with a 40 pound capacity hopper, it will do it for a long time. That also makes it more convenient because you can always dump a whole 20 pound bag of pellets in it. With a 20 pound hopper you would have to let it run dry or pour in partial bags.


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## Chef Paulo (Feb 10, 2020)

kawakx125 said:


> have you verified this with an external probe placed in the cooker?  It is a wood fire, and it is not counting the number of pellets dropped, and pellets are not all exactly the same size.  there will be fluctuations larger than 1 degree.


Actually if I placed an external probe it may not agree with the displayed temp because the temp will vary throughout the grill because it's convection and that probe would only display the temp at that particular point. So the displayed temp would be more useful and accurate for our purposes because it represents the temp throughout the grill. And Rec Tec does that better than anyone.


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## kawakx125 (Feb 10, 2020)

I'm not talking about agreeing with the probe, I want to know how much of temp swings there are on an external probe.  Given the nature of the cookers, with an auger feed and a couple of fans, you aren't controlling the temp to within 1 degree at all times.  My point is that rec tec's controller, like many others, is showing you an AVERAGE temp.  Same thing  your oven at home does.


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## Chef Paulo (Feb 10, 2020)

kawakx125 said:


> I'm not talking about agreeing with the probe, I want to know how much of temp swings there are on an external probe.  Given the nature of the cookers, with an auger feed and a couple of fans, you aren't controlling the temp to within 1 degree at all times.  My point is that rec tec's controller, like many others, is showing you an AVERAGE temp.  Same thing  your oven at home does.


Describe what you mean by average? What are you thinking is averaged? Do you think it is taking temps over a period of time and averaging them?


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## kawakx125 (Feb 11, 2020)

yep.  If  you put a quality external probe in there, I am betting you would see swings on the order of 10 degrees or so.


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## Chef Paulo (Feb 11, 2020)

kawakx125 said:


> yep.  If  you put a quality external probe in there, I am betting you would see swings on the order of 10 degrees or so.


What do you mean by averaging? What do you claim is being averaged?


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## kawakx125 (Feb 12, 2020)

I mean it isn't holding +/- 1 degree from set point at all times.  You would see temp swings on an external probe.  The display is just showing you a set point, not actual real-time probe temp.  It isn't like its a huge deal, +/- 20 degree swings even isn't a huge deal in BBQ none of it is going to make or break your BBQ


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## Chef Paulo (Feb 13, 2020)

kawakx125 said:


> I mean it isn't holding +/- 1 degree from set point at all times.  You would see temp swings on an external probe.  The display is just showing you a set point, not actual real-time probe temp.  It isn't like its a huge deal, +/- 20 degree swings even isn't a huge deal in BBQ none of it is going to make or break your BBQ


The  control panel does show the set point but also shows the actual temp. I asked what you meant by average because people who have Yoders and other grills that fluctuate by 20-30 degrees often think the RT does the same and shows an average over time. It does not. It shows an average over the whole area of the grill. RT's PID controller is more precise.

I appreciate your comment because it has allowed me to learn more about how it works. My Thermo Pro probe has actually  fluctuated Up or down about 6 or 7 degrees in that one spot while the average temp of the whole grill has only fluctuated a couple degrees in that time.


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## kawakx125 (Feb 14, 2020)

You just proved my point by stating that an external probe showed temp swings that the controller did not.  None of them count/weigh an exact amount of pellets.  No pellets are exactly uniform.  There is no way to shut the heat off.  All will swing to some degree.  To claim that any will hold +/-1 degree is asinine.  6 or 7 degrees is good.  I only see bigger swings when using Lumberjack pellets, and even then the food turns out the same.  There is a bigger temp difference between upper/lower grate, left/right than there are temp swings in any of them.  Anything directly above firepot will be hotter, and usually exhaust sides run hotter too.


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## Chef Paulo (Feb 14, 2020)

kawakx125 said:


> You just proved my point by stating that an external probe showed temp swings that the controller did not.  None of them count/weigh an exact amount of pellets.  No pellets are exactly uniform.  There is no way to shut the heat off.  All will swing to some degree.  To claim that any will hold +/-1 degree is asinine.  6 or 7 degrees is good.  I only see bigger swings when using Lumberjack pellets, and even then the food turns out the same.  There is a bigger temp difference between upper/lower grate, left/right than there are temp swings in any of them.  Anything directly above firepot will be hotter, and usually exhaust sides run hotter too.



Not exactly. The controller is showing the temp throughout the grill. As you said, the temp inside the grill is not exactly uniform and the average temp inside the grill is only fluctuating a degree or two. Any one particular spot is only fluctuating 3 or 4 degrees around the set point. 

This proves my point that the controller is not taking 20 and 30 degree swings like other grills and averaging those out over the cook to show the set point.  The RT is way better than my home oven.


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