# Wrangler vs Pecos



## bbqnerd (Jul 20, 2016)

Anybody ever owned both smokers? Obviously the wrangler is higher quality, but does the thicker steel make that drastic of a difference in heat maintenance?  According to the other threads, people seem to have the same issues with both smokers (heat maintenance/retention). Only reason I ask is I think the wrangler may prove to be too small, but I COULD do more than one smoke if I thought the difference in quality was that significant.  The difference between the Pecos and the Brazos is pretty huge, but between the Pecos and wrangler?  I dunno.  This is my first post, but I've been lurking in these forums for a while!  Anyway, I'd love to hear what y'all think...


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## joe black (Jul 20, 2016)

About 2 years ago, I did a lot of research on the Old Country smokers.  I really thought that the Wrangler was the best in that price range.  The thicker steel will make a considerable difference in heat management.  Some folks think that the Pecos is larger.  However the Wrangler has a second cooking grate that will make up the difference.  That's my $0.02.


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## bbqnerd (Jul 20, 2016)

Thanks for the $.02!  Yeah, I did consider the extra grate, but when I actually looked at it, it didn't seem very practical.  What can you use that narrow space for?  Maybe just sausage?  Plus, that's a whole new area to worry about temp.  But, if the steel thickness would make a considerable difference, it may be worth the extra cook I'd have to do for big family events.


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## hardcookin (Jul 20, 2016)

Did you look at the Old Country over & under? It has some good reviews and weights a few pounds more than the Wrangler.


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## bbqnerd (Jul 21, 2016)

Cool.  Thanks, I'll check it out!


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## glocksrock (Jul 21, 2016)

When I had my Wrangler, I found that it was too small for my liking, even though I could fit pretty much everything I needed on it. I also had a hard time keeping the temps low enough, and the upper grate was pretty much useless for most things. If I were to do it over again, I would have gotten the pecos, assuming I weren't going to go straight to a much higher end smoker. The thinner steel may actually be a slight advantage as far as keeping temps down a bit, plus it costs $100 less.


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## bbqnerd (Jul 21, 2016)

Thanks for the info!  From what I've read, it's only the doors that are thicker anyway.  I'm wondering if the Pecos may be a little harder to control vs the wrangler just because of the size difference and not as much the door thickness.  At first, I was hardcore after the wrangler, now it just seems more expensive and smaller.   The over and under seems nice, too, but the wrangler was already at the top of my price point.  I think I may get the Pecos, then maybe put a little $ into some mods.  Some novex and maybe a convection plate.


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## sethm (Jul 29, 2016)

It really wouldn't take much to add a rack to the pecos.  I picked one up last week and plan on adding a rack.  It's just angle tacked in.


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