Side by Side Comparison of: Dyna-Glo vs Masterbuilt

I'm new to smoking, but so far I'm pretty happy with this grill. If you are looking for a top of the line grill, you probably won't like it, but if you think of it as a basis for a great smoker you will like it. It isn't really heavy sheet metal, but it's sturdy if you don't abuse it. The handles and clasps are actually pretty nice. And the fact that it's not really heavy steel makes it easy to move by yourself.If you want to make a really great grill, then, buy some nomex tape for the doors. This one from BBQgaskets.com works great, and there is enough extra to make a mistake or two. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TAJW0QE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. You also will want to run to your local car parts store and buy some high-temp RTV silicon to seal up ALL joints. The red silicon actually adds a nice accent, and it's usually rated much higher than you should ever get the grill up to. Wipe off any excess before it dries and it's not hard to make it look pretty good.I also recommend buying 1 or 2 rolls of aluminum foil tape and completely lining both boxes and doors with at least two layers of foil. The foil really helps with heat retention. You absolutely must do this before you use the grill the first time though. If you apply it while the inside is still clean, it sticks great and should last for years. If you wait until after you have used it once, you will always be fussing with it. I covered everything, even where the rack holders go. You just poke the holes out after you are done and the rack holders fit still without any problem.The last thing I did was buy a few 13.5 x 9.5 x 3 inch aluminum foil pans. I don't really get why they put a water pan under the firebox, and made it out of steel. I use the factory water pan as an ash try, and put one of the foil pans at the bottom of the larger smoker box to both old water, and catch drippings. I've been experimenting with putting the foil pan on the first shelf to get a little more moister in the main grill box, but it works pretty well in the bottom, the only catch is you have to keep the heat up to at least 220-240 for it to do much.This grill will hold a lot of meat, and is a great choice if you have been wanting to try smoking with charcoal.

We bought this to smoke a turkey for Christmas. It was easy to assemble even though there was quite a bit to assemble. It looks just like the picture, which is really nice. We easily and successfully smoked a 12 lbs turkey in it. I do recommend removing all the arms and tray inserts that you don't need when using the smoker. This makes clean-up much quicker. Be sure to follow the cleaning instrructions, too!

I have wanted to get into smoking for some time, I looked at smokers from all over, priced from about $80 up to $1500. I was going to start out smaller than this but for the difference in price why not get the bigger one? well I'm now glad that I did. This thing works grate and is easy to use. It also looks good setting on my patio. The only thing I did to mine after using it the first 3 or 4 times was to put 2 more temperature gauges on it and a gasket on the door. It did loose a lot of smoke but the gasket material I got on amazon worked out very good. This box is easy to use and I would recommend it to my friends.

Delivered quickly and with no damage-not a scratch. Very easy to assemble. It is already mostly assembled in the box. You just have to put large parts together and add handles and legs. I did get a tube of the black silicone to seal it up at the joints and was glad I did. Very impressed with quality and fitment of components.Used it for the first time yesterday for pork butt and chickens and very impressed with the final product. I did preseason the smoker before use as recommended in the instructions. Easy to maintain temp using mix of charcoal briquettes and chunks of hardwood. Better than my old horizontal offset box smoker. This smokes better and takes up much less room. I will be buying some of the tape sealant to seal the doors. They really don't leak much smoke but I would like to have full control over temp on colder months. I also got an aluminum drip pan and placed it in the bottom of the unit when using.Highly recommended.

For a starter smoker this is GREAT! Very easy to put together, took about 45mins. One of the pictures in the instructions was a little hard to follow because I couldn't tell what angle was pictured. The firebox is very easy to use and clean. My only two complaints about this product so far is that the smoke stack doesn't tell you which position is technically closed/open. From use I can say the up position is open while down is closed. The other complaint would be it does need some a little extra love to seal around the doors. Particularly where the firebox attaches to the smoker.This smoker is about 70lbs empty and feels very sturdy. Overall I'm extremely happy with this smoker and have plenty of parties/cookouts to put this to use.

So far so good. Waiting for the weather to warm up a bit to try this puppy out.**NOTE if you get this I highly recommend getting some SMOKER TAPE AND SILICON For better sealing

This is a fantastic smoker! It arrived 3 weeks ago and I have smoked, ribs, brisket, butt, shoulder, duck, sausage, pork loin and pork belly and they all were wonderful. It is easy to use and easy to clean. The temperature stays on point, the wood chips are easy to load and the rack hold a lot of whatever you are smoking!

I highly recommend - in fact a great friend of mine ordered one the day after i did and loves it too! Your smoker friends will give you grief because it is not "real" smoking and all I have to say is I am not staying up all night trying to maintain the temp and load wood and when it's time to eat all I hear is compliments.

I bought this for my mom, as she was not so subtley dropping hints this was what she wanted at Christmas time. I surprised her with it as she came home. She immediately went out and bought meat and wood and has smoked something in it every Sunday since she got it. It is VERY easy to use and understand. It is a great size for a small family. She's a single mother so she cooks a whole weeks worth of food in there at one time. I'm considering getting my boyfriend and I one as he is EXTREMELY jealous when I get some of her cooking and he doesn't, it's just that good. She has it down pack and the meat just melts in your mouth.

A friend told us that you only use fruit woods, and stick an open can of beer in there for the moisture. It has worked every time!

I cannot say enough good things about this unit. It is consistent, it is simple, it is easy to use, and practically worry free. This is not even mentioning the glorious smoked foods it can produce.

This in mind, there is a small learning curve involved. Electric Smokers are like Convective Crock Pots, so getting foods to 'bark' (That crust we all think about when doing barbecue) properly can be a little bit of a challenge. The key to it is the Vent and Water Pan. With the vent fully open, it allows full heat, airflow, and smoke to create the charring; it creates a delicate smoke flavor that is earmarked by that earmark red smoke ring about a 1/16th of an inch below the surface of the food. This also means the water evaporates a little more quickly. This also necessitates one to pre-soak wood chips in water for 30 minutes, then drain and pat dry before using. Doing this extends the time it takes between loads to roughly one hopper-full (which equates to about a cup!) every 2 hours. Also, do not fill the water pan with too much water - about half full beneath particularly savory meats will do. Add more for meats that may dry out quickly. Less for extremely fatty meats.

It is efficient, consistent, and simple to upkeep - a good machine for the novice smoker to start with, or for old pros looking to not spend every hour or two peeking under the hood. :>

Assembly wasn't difficult. The adjustable screw legs on the bottom could use some improving, but that's a small gripe. As for operation this smoker makes life very easy. The digital display on top gives you a great idea of your current temperature, especially for those of us who start our smoking before the sun comes up. The setup for inserting more wood chips is fantastic. You get a nice consistent smoke. I've cooked 4 chickens, 3 pork roasts, a brisket and 4 racks of ribs in this smoker and everything came out perfect.

I purchased this unit when it was on sale for just under $140 and man I can honestly say I would pay $250 or more for this unit. First of all I am not new to smoking, I actually have a horizontal charcoal smoker that I have been using for the past 3 or 4 years.

The charcoal smoker is great and I love it but I wanted something that I could cold smoke cheese and salmon in so when I saw this bad boy on sale for $139 I bit the bullet and bought it along with the cold smoke attachment. I figured I was just going to use this for cold smoking and the charcoal for hot smoking, but one day I found myself wanting to smoke some ribs and forgot to pick up some charcoal when I was at the store so I decided to use the masterbuilt instead. Turns out the electric smoker is SO MUCH easier to maintain a constant temperature, no more lighting more charcoal and dumping it into the smoke box every few hours. All I had to do is turn it on and set a temp and thats it. The only thing I have to do is feed wood chips into it when i start seeing the smoke die down and thats it!

I have not touched the charcoal smoker since because the electric masterbuilt is some much less of a hassle to work with and the outcome taste just as good as charcoal. The only downside to electric is when you cook chicken I cant seem to get it as crispy as I like it with just the smoker alone. Its not a big deal because what I end up doing is after I'm done cooking the chicken in the smoker I fire up my small propane grill and crisp up the chicken and its good as gold.

The build quality of this unit is great and if you are on the edge and thinking of pulling the trigger, I would urge you to bite the bullet and add this sucker to your cart and checkout. Nothing beats the taste of smoked ribs or chicken or brisket and this smoker will give you that satisfying taste you are craving with you meats (and cheese if you buy the cold smoke attachment).

Considering the price, a very good product. Definitely a good smoker for a first-timer. Go ahead and buy the fireproof caulk and smoker seal tape to help seal everything up. It leaks around the thermometer (shown on the front), cooking chamber door, and firebox door. Also, it's made out of very light gauge steel, but after modifications it will make some great BBQ and other foods. After you get through learning curve of how to use it, holding a constant temperature is easy. We use it regularly.

I am impressed with the smoker. For the price you cant beat it. Took a total of 30-45 min to assemble everything. One thing that did make me a little unhappy was the dents in the door to the meat box. They are 1/2 inch in size. One at the top left of the door and one at the bottom right of the door. They did effect the way the door seals but with some smoker gasket it will be remedied. Also the temp gauge that came with mine was very accurate. I used my oven temp gauge and put it in the smoke to see any discrepancy and there were none.

Just put together the Dyna-Glo wide vertical offset smoker. Smoker had a few small dings and scratches, but nothing major. Super easy to put together. Used the high temp silicone where recommend and so far no leaks. I've only seasoned it, no meat yet. A couple notes:1. Mine came with a gasket installed on the big main door. Seems to be a good one. I added a high temp gasket to the fire box door. Because, well, I'm a man.2. The wide version comes with a fixed handle on the front and two small latches to secure the door. One on the side towards the top and one on the bottom (see photo). They work fine but the bottom one is a little awkward to use. My face is all close to the hot door. And I'm curious if these little latches will last long with use and heat.3. When I was putting it together one of the small screws that holds the fire box sliding damper fell out. They come loose so watch for that.4. Speaking of the fire box damper, yeah it won't close. Screws are loose and it won't budge. Any ideas?5. I use a chimney to start my coal fires and it was awkward dumping the coals into the fire grate with it pulled out some. I may try starting the coals directly in the box next time, but that's so 1990.I'll try to update once I smoke a few butts and ribs and cats. Just kidding. I don't smoke cats. They taste funny.

My first smoker, smoked a salmon and a Pork shoulder last weekend and they both came out excellent. It was easy to use, simple to put together, and has a lot of room for food. I did buy the heat silicone and door seal to go with it and glad I did, very little smoke leakage. (small amount around thermometer and door handle) It seems to run hot to me.. I couldn't get it under about 250 except when I let the coals die out which is really cooking instead of smoking on the salmon, but I think it is my lack of experience that drove this. Some cooking instructions including how to control the heat would be nice to have included. I went online a lot for some ideas. Also I would like to see it come with a water pan, I am using throw away aluminum pans for the water. Just smoked a 14 lb Turkey, I have learned to control the heat better and the Turkey came out great.

This smoker is ok would be great if it was made with better care. at the top of the back of the fire box there are no bolts holding it together. Mine had a 3/8 inch gap even after trying to straighten it and using the lava lock sealing strips I got. Thankfully there was space for me to drill a hole through the smoking chamber and the fire box and bolted it together and the gap was gone. Also like others my temp gauge was installed with the needle in backwards on the high side. When I put the gauge in the freezer the needle moved counter clockwise. I took apart the gauge and moved the needle back to the correct side. I bumped the gauge and it jumped back the high side "just like it did during shipping these do come from China" so to correct this put needle to low side and bend down slightly now when bumped it wont jump to the high side. If you are serious about buying this know that you will have to make mods to it to make it better once you do it is a decent smoker without breaking the bank even with the mods costing extra $20

Awesome smoker for the price. With a few modification, this smoker is a champ! I recently started taking this bbq thing seriously and decided low and slow was the way to go. So, after doing some research, I decided to go with the Dyna Glo Vertical Smoker. If you don't want to be a Hank Hill, this charcoal smoker is for you. If you like diy projects, get ready for some fun. This smoker is great, BUT. ..it was made in China! With that being said, you might not get it in prefect condition. Mines with a little ding up. But, with commonsense and a hammer, that problem was no more. You might come across some negative reviews about smoke leakage. THAT'S NOT A LIE! !!! But, a simple fix. Be prepared to spend a little extra. You'll need high heat silicone and smoker gasket. Apply in all the right places and you can't lose. Turn off lights and place a flashlight behind smoker to see all cracks (use silicon to seal). To keep smoke from escaping from around door, use the gasket. Very simple and amazon sells everything you need. I uploaded some photos of my smoker. Hopefully, amazon will let you see it. If not, i have a video of my MOD on YouTube. .. Enjoy and don't forget to like,share and vote on my review and video!

I would consider myself a beginner to intermediate when it comes to smoking. I've owned Brinkmann water smokers in the past and they are OK for small loads of meat. I wanted an insulated electric smoker so that I could still smoke meats during an Iowa winter. This unit satisfies that need.

When it arrived very little assembly was required, I had it up and ready for seasoning in 15 minutes.

The first thing I smoked was a 12 pound pork butt. It was a snowy day, but the smoker got up to temp inside of 20 minutes. At 12 pounds this roast was huge as a first try on a new smoker, but it was what i had. It took over 14 hours for the roast to hit 200+ degrees. Given the humidity and the size of the roast I'm not surprised.

The first butt was a success as were both of the next roasts that I've smoked. While the smoker can handle almost any size, I prefer to keep the starting weight at around 7 to 9 pounds in order to keep the cooking time reasonable.

The smoker's digital thermostat isn't particularly accurate since it is located at the top of the box rather than beside the smoking rack. I found it to be reading about 12 to 15 degrees high compared to a digital thermometer probe right of the rack. I strongly recommend a remote digital like the Maverick ET-733 ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P2RDIFK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ).

I also purchased the smoker stand to get the unit up off the ground and at a more convenient height.

I've only used it once so far, but the results have been excellent. The cooking and flavor is up to you, so I'll just review the hardware.

It's lighter than I expected, but certainly durable. You can adjust to seal the door tighter if you like. It didn't get as hot to the touch on the outside as I thought it would. So, accidental burns shouldn't be a worry from the outside. Read the safety precautions and instructions. They are very clear on what you should and should not do. (Especially on how to set time and temp because you must do both at the same time.)

The racks and internal stuff are a bit thinner/more lightweight than I expected, but not flimsy. It's still durable, but light enough to help with the overall weight of the unit.

Cleaning is a bit dirty, but it is what it is. Don't hose the unit, but you can take the drip pans and stuff out and hose that off.

Honestly, the biggest negative is the digital display is super hard to read in daylight. You have to block the sun to read it. It's certainly not a deal breaker, but it is what makes this unit only 4 out of 5 stars.

I find it regulates temp well. It'll go high and low depending on opening and steaming, etc. But, it recovers just fine. It takes 20-30 mins to preheat.

I cooked 2 different meats on it on one day and I am very satisfied. I have only used it once, so take this review for what it's worth.

So I know there are durability questions about this smoker, I cannot address that yet as I first used it this last weekend. What I can say is that it smoked some amazing ribs with almost no trouble. I don't get ribs this good at any local place. Putting wood chips in the housing is a little tedious. They have to fit all the way in so that compartment will close fully. Adding chips is easy. The temp is pretty close on the digital LED compared to my calibrated thermometer. Heat is fairly consistent top to bottom. Lined the bottom drip pan with foil and it cleaned right up. Water pan stayed full with drippings and water for the 6 hours at 220 I used for the ribs. Made lots of smoke with just a few chips. Don't soak them. If it lasts I will use this smoker a lot since it is so easy.

In general the smoker works well. I've smoke ribs, brisket, and chicken so far. The design for loading wood chips is excellent. It comes up to temperature quickly and holds it real well. The window, light, and meat thermometer are nice features but if I were to buy another unit I'd look at just the basic design, including the analog temp control. The digital control and remote were very "temperamental" right out of the box. The digital control constantly shuts off if you do things like toggle the temperature up/down to fast, try to view the heat thermometer, or turn the light on/off. Its good once you final get the temp and time set but its frustrating to unplug and plug it back in several times before you get there. I have it plugged directly into a 15amp GFI. The GFI never trips, its the controller that shorts. Its to bad the digital control real sucks because the units pretty good.

I followed up masterbuilt customer service and they were very helpful. They said the problem I was experiencing was not the controller but a wiring problem and offered to replace the unit since it was still under warranty. The customer service rep (Tiffany) did a great job handling my problem. I'll buy another from them just because of the customer service experience.

I had a Bradley electric smoker for about 7 years and I had dropped it and broke the control panel. I chose this to replace it and have only used it once but seems to do the job. I do prefer the interior of the Bradley (shelves etc.)...maybe because I am used to it. With the latch on the Masterbuilt it is more difficult to open the smoker with only one free hand. I preferred the automatic wood pucks in the Bradley since I could leave it overnight without having to add wood. But It does seem that the MB is smokier. I also think the Masterbuilt heats better (may just be that it is newer) and I like the digital readout. With the Bradly you set the temp from low to high and then monitor the thermometer adjusting higher or lower until it gets where you want it and leave it there (of course if it gets colder overnight outside, for instance, you may need to adjust again). With the MB you set to the digital temp you want and it will strive to keep smoker at that temperature. In that sense the Bradley is like a car A\C (you constantly adjust the fan speed/temp if you get too hot or cold) and MB is like the Thermometer for your house A/C...set it to the temp you want and it will try to ensure it stays at that temp.

I was debating between three and two stars for a long time on this one. I modded the hell out of it, sealed every conceivable gap, and it still leaked like a colander. The paint on the firebox bubbled up - and yep, I did wait until flames died down and I had nothing but glowing embers. The metal is insanely thin - even for a 'cheap' smoker. The thermometer was wonky as hell - but the provided ones usually are, so I expect that.On the positive side, the assembly is something one person can do pretty quickly. Once I got most of the leaks worked out, temperature control was a lot easier - and yeah, I have been smoking and grilling with charcoal for a long, long time, so I am far from a novice. The price is reasonable if you are willing to invest a LOT of time and effort correcting issues the design team should have taken care of when they engineered the smoker.I've been doing some thinking and I will use this - but I have had it with cheap smokers that end up being a pain and are fragile. The next one will be a Kamado Joe - you can buy six or seven of these for the price of one of the KJ's, but I know that it will likely outlast me.I wonder if I am going to get two years out of this one.

First, let me start by saying that the smoker did not come with the 32 required M6-12mm screws required to assemble it, the additional cost to purchase them from Home Depot and Lowes was about $12.60. Assembly is relatively simple and took about 30 minutes with the proper tools on hand. The meat box itself is made of thin material but seems to hold up well, the fire box is somewhat stronger. Lastly, if your serious about smoking then you are going to need to apply gasket material around the door to create a better seal.

For the price, it's one of the best smokers on the market. Yes, it leaks (RTV and Nomex tape are not optional), but it holds a stable temperature for four or more hours and it holds a boatload of meat. I fit two half briskets, three racks of ribs, six steaks and a lamb leg in it.The area between the firebox and the smokebox should have a baffle, and my included thermometer is off by as much as 20f. Assembly was straightforward, and mine arrived undamaged, though the locking handle for the smokebox did not fit, I needed to file the bolt holes to get it to latch. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat, but expect to put in a little extra time and money tweaking the assembly.

I did a lot of reading before buying this smoker, anticipating that it would need modifications. This is a hobby for me and I like to tinker with stuff so from that standpoint it seemed perfect. Before looking into this product I had considered building and ugly drum smoker, but decided I did not want to mess with trying to obtain a suitable drum through shady craigslist ads. Plus, I liked the idea of a vertical offset smoker. It has a generous capacity, a small footprint, and I can tend the fire without opening the smoking cabinet and wasting precious smoke or heat.Upon unpacking the smoker I found many of the same issues that others have expressed. The sheet metal is thin. As a result it doesn't hold up well to the rough treatment it gets during shipping, and min arrived with two dents and a crease in the top of the smoking cabinet. I was able to fix these with a rubber mallet. As many others also experienced it also arrived with a thermometer that was assembled improperly. I took it apart and assembled it correctly, but it seems likely that it will still be inaccurate. I plan to test it in boiling water but I have also made sure to purchase a remote thermometer for monitoring ambient temperature. Without reading carefully I bought the food-grade high-temp RTV that Amazon listed under "Others Also Buy..." That was a mistake. The stuff I got was only rated for constant temps up to 350F. While I will be smoking at temps well below that, the parts where that sealant would be used (between the smoking cabinet and firebox) will likely reach temps higher than that. I had to buy different stuff rated for higher temps, which has delayed assembly of the smoker. Also, I'm pretty much stuck with the original RTV I got since it costs more to ship it back than what I paid for it.Assembly was easy and the instructions were straightforward. Be careful though - the hardware attaching the slider to the damper on the firebox was assembled loosely and I nearly lost one of the screw/nut combos that apparently came apart during shipping.I seasoned it per the instructions. Despite that, when I did my first smoke the following day I found that some of the paint on the inside of each door has cracked and peeled. Looks like I'll need to scrape and sand and paint with some high-heat spray paint. That's disappointing. Also, even after assembling the thermometer correctly it was inaccurate. I would suggest in investing in a good remote thermometer with multiple probes. Also, temperatures within the smoking cabinet were wildly inconsistent during my first smoke. It's going to take some time to learn this thing's quirks, but it's probably worth playing around with some additional mods to try to even things out - heat sinks, deflectors, etc.All in all, I'm happy with the price, and the capacity and the barbecue I was able to produce. It is not a plug-and-play (so to speak) smoker. It's going to take some tinkering and experimenting to run it easily and efficiently. Some of this is good and enjoyable because it's part of the fun of the hobby. Other parts of it I think could be improved upon by the manufacturer while still being able to offer it at a budget price point. I realize that you get what you pay for, but there is room for improvement here.

The smoker has to many gaps around the doors. I recommend you buy some wood stove door seal rope and either screw it on, or use a high heat silicone. And seal everything. The handle for the main for has a c-clip that holds it on that had popped off three times. I finally gave up trying to fix it. The fire box is to small. You have to constantly feed wood to it to keep the temperature where it needs to be. The hole that allows heat and smoke to get to the food is right next to the fire tray. So burning wood will fall inside and onto the floor of the cooking area. The hole could be up higher. I placed a piece of wire mesh over mine to keep that from happening. My plan is to build a bigger wood box for mine. Because it would be nice to add enough wood to it so I can get a beer from the fridge or better yet go to the bathroom when I'm cooking...

this is adequate. better than a horizontal smoker (heat moves up, not horizontally). lots of room inside and plenty of racks. Used high-temp silicone to attach firebox to smoker cabinet. first time I used it, the intake damper got stuck. I think maybe the paint melted or it was painted after it was assembled. Loosened the nuts to end of bolts and used the silicone to keep the nuts from working off. works fine now. Overall, this has a sturdy design but the legs seem too flimsy to add wheels to (don't know why it doesn't have wheels). I love the charcoal box. it is designed like a chimney and has an ash pan that is easy to empty for long smokes. Door leaks smoke, but nomex fixed that. Temp gauge is a joke; just looks nice. Took 6 hours for it to reach a reading of 150 degrees although the electronic thermometer read 200-250 for the entire 10 hr smoke

Disappointed! Not only did the item take longer than advertised to arrive (even as a Prime member) when the smoker did finally arrive, the box showed signs of significant damage. Didn't see any damage to the actual box, but after plugging it in, the display didn't display the temp correctly. It appears that "some" of the numbers are missing sections. Overall, I like the smoker but I am disappointed with the quality controls at the company.

I've had this smoker for 2 years, it worked great up until this year in which it kept shorting out. Unforunately it seems it happens to many others who have used this model. It seems to be a problem with the heating element causing it to short and tripping the fuse. I am already out of the warranty period as I am told (1 year) so I will be looking at moving on from an electrical smoker to a more manual charcoal smoker.

I wish I had known then what I know now. Be VERY careful if you order one of these. Unpack it and check it THOROUGHLY... IMMEDIATELY. I let mine sit a few weeks and then unpacked it. I immediately smoked some pork butts, some trays of chicken wings, some ribs, some salmon... all done to perfection.

HOWEVER... the first two times, there was a small ring of residue around one of the feet. I wiped it up and thought "I must have slopped some dirty water out when I was wiping the inside down". The third time... I knew I hadn't - and the ring was more pronounced. So I elevated the unit and looked at the bottom. It appears the leg got slightly bent in transit - and leaks a little. It also does not turn (I would have realized that if the unit had come out of whack... but it was so perfectly level I didn't have to mess with the feet). So I went back to Amazon - and the unit was only covered for 30 days. Now I have to go back to the manufacturer... and most likely that will require me shipping the unit back and forth. The cost of that will wipe out the savings I got by ordering it from Amazon. I should have bought this locally so I had a local dealer to work with on the issue.

So - my rating would be a 4 or a 5 (probably should have gone propane... but that is my fault) for the smoker itself, but as is - when you average in the negative aspect of the vendor experience (although to be honest - only my second issue ever with Amazon fulfillment... and I have ordered HUNDREDS of things from them... so still not a bad track record) - I will give it a 3.

The three stars are because the unit only lasted three years before failing to report for duty this morning in time for a big family gathering. Further, the firebox is rusted out. I found the racks too narrow for full ribs. It should be about four inches wider. Other than that, with just occasional use, it worked okay. I liked the digital controls, set it and forget it. I will upgrade to a larger and sturdier unit after shopping for the next week.

I've been smoking with this model for about two years now and finally decided to post a review. For the money, it's been great. It keeps a pretty steady temp and I've not had any problems with it** (see update below). There is just one drawback - there is an area in the back right corner of all of the racks where you can't put anything or it gets turned to charcoal. The smoker box is in the bottom right and the smoke vent in the top right. I am guessing the smoke travels this path and is what's causing this phenomenon. It's unfortunate because about 1/4 of your rack space is unusable. I had never smoked anything before buying this smoker so it was a low cost way for me to experiment and dial in recipes and technique. I've outgrown this little guy and will start looking for a larger and more sophisticated smoker, but this was a great starter box.

****Update literally 30 minutes after I wrote the original review*****
I had jerky in marinade which made me think to write the review in the first place. I'll be danged if I didn't go out to turn the smoker on and it wouldn't turn on. It kept blowing the GFI. I checked all the obvious/easy things (plug, cord, control box) for exposed/shorted wires and no such luck. I looked online and have found it's pretty common for the wires inside to corrode over time. Unfortunately, my afternoon plans just became very different. The back is riveted on, so the only way to remove it is to drill the rivets out and track down the shorted wires. Reduced my review by a star.

Half decent smoker but there are problems. Requesting return.Pros: accurate thermometer, easy to assemble, great cooking space, handles on the side make easy to move for storage.Cons: the welds are bad and can break, there are small pins on the door latches that may (or will in my case fall off) making you unable to close the door for cooking. No avoiding this you will have to repaint with high temp rust resistant paint sooner or later. The racks to put the meat are kind of annoying to remove since they tend to come out at an angle and get stuck....not that bad.

It's a low budget smoker and needs a lot of high-temp sealant to make it work at all. Each metal seam is folded metal with only a few spot welds, so there are lots of air gaps. The air dampers are also not sufficient to do low temp smoker (too drafty) so you'll have a hard time keeping low temps.

Just like outhers have said. Their packaging is horrible and results in a dented smoker... Fortunatly mine wasnt too bad so i decided not to send it back. Decent smoker just poor product packaging that results in damages durring shipping.

The smoker arrived with one of the main door hinges broken off and a bent and torn corner at the bottom of the main smoking chamber. Having read other reviews of damaged goods this didn't really shock me. I am returning it for replacement. Having said that...I have, because of limitations placed on me by my homeowners association, done pretty well cooking in competition with cheaper, lighter cookers such as this one. Having seen it now, I am sure it will do the trick (and I can make it run with the big boys) should I ever get one that isn't defective beyond reasonable repair.Update: Amazon shipped the replacement withing 4 hours. It should be in today...that's good. What is NOT good is that, while preparing the busted one for return, I noticed the item's point of origin was "Returns Center, Amazon.com." Does this mean they shipped me something they already KNEW was broken? Sounds like it to me. Next one needs to be perfect.

Somewhat pleased. I didn't expect a great product for the price. It worked as advertised. I was upset the temp gauge didnt work out of the box. It leaks a little where it shouldnt. Other than that it works as advertised. Wish I knew how to get a replacement temp guage

The smoker is a decent smoker but don't expect to hear back from manufacturer about any problems or suggestions. Expect to spend extra for high heat gasket set and high heat silicone to seal all of the places that smoke leaks out (heat loss) and heat control issues. If the seal kit works as I have read in previous reviews I will consider giving 3 stars. They just need to address some very minor design flaws and this would be a top rate entry level smoker (because of their use of such light gauge metal for especially the firebox and the upright smoker to firebox interface.

I have had this for four years and two months, worked very well. I found that the stainless steel drip pan was a poor quality stainless, it developed a rust hole in it within six months. To me that wasn't a big deal. It worked very well for another three and half years. On thanksgiving it was exactly four wears old I was smoking a turkey. I checked on it a few times and after about an hour into smoking I noticed the temperature went way over what I had set it. I also found that I could not turn it off or reset it, I opened the door and the turkey was burned up on the outer part.

I found out the part that went out is in the bottom on the smoker and is not replaceable. This is a shame, mechanically it's well built but I can't believe they put the hart of the thing in the bottom and filled it with glue so it can't be replaced.

This is the second of their products I've owned, and they all share the same problem. Their electronics just are not made for being outside.

The rubber cover the use over the buttons will shrink and in the first weather simply detach and blow away. A cover just slows the eventual failure. Heat shrinks it, I don't store my grills in an A/C space.

Considering this is supposed to be the product for "lazy smokers" (I gladly admit I wanted a buy, use, and forget product) it's just not worth the trouble. I'm now looking at the much simpler products that use fifty year old thermostat technology and you can buy a probe to go with it.

With today's smartphones why bother with something that takes five steps to pairs on wifi and forgets every third use. Why two stars instead of one? Because the product is fine if you put it in a completely enclosed area with screened wind walls. But if you are in that world you're not buying something like this to begin with, and you still get the same benefit just setting your smartphone timer to remind you when to change the chips.

"Siri set timer to 45 minutes". Done.

Replacement policy is you go outside and write down serial numbers, call in to some very young men, and they waste the next thirty minutes of your time explaining why you cannot just order a replacement electronic monitor. This is the most insulting part. The monitor is completed bolted on, you connect the sensor threw a standard hole in the wall. Making me call a teenager when I just wanted a replacement unit is absurd, and don't pretend your bolt-on unit is unique from month to month. The one on my 40" was exactly the same shape and fit as the same device on my 30" I bought years ago.

Won't get fooled again. So much for buying American. By the way, not manufactured in America.

It's pretty crazy that a device that needs to be used outdoors tells you that it can't get wet! You can buy a custom cover for it, but after a local shower I found water on top of the smoker under the cover!

The nicest thing about the smoker is the insulation, so I can cook in chilly weather. The insulation has a downside though; once up to temperature the heating element doesn't run much. The element only generates smoke from wood chips when it's running for reasonable periods.

I also like the thermostatic control. On the other hand, it's real work to clean this thing. Overall, my old Brinkman cylinder smoker worked just as well.

First of let me say that say that when it works its great. With that said, I did contact masterbuilt about 40ish days after i received the item. The smoker was two major flaws. One the built in temperature sensor is completely wrong (which is what I contacted masterbuilt regarding). When I set the Smoker at 220, my first smoke was done very quickly (over cooked) I then went out and purchased a Maverick ET-733 and also used my buddies to ensure the heat readings on both were accurate. At 220 on the MES my and my buddies ET-733 where at 256 and 259 respectively. Way to hot for smoking low and slow.

The second major issue that I have is my unit powers on and off at times (usually right when I plug it in), I store it in my attached garage out of the weather, with a cover (though I don't need the cover), I have had it turn off in the middle of two smokes, luckily there were both small cuts of meat/appetizers and I was able to unplug and plug it back in. Like I said I have most issues when I first plug it in. It flickers on and off and then I have to unplug it usually 2-3 times and its good after that. I've had it less than a year and I am not 100% happy at all, hopefully I just had a defective unit, but the customer support rep I spoke to was not very helpful either. When it totally breaks and im sure it will I dont know if I will purchase another Masterbuilt, even though it has pretty solid reviews I would like to stay away from a second unit with issues.

The bad:
The product turned on and off on its own. Even when plugged directly into an outlet.
The temperature button stopped working within the 4th time smoking.
It took over an hour to get on with customer service.

The good:
The built in meat thermometer was accurate (according to 2nd device).
The MES 40 (when it stayed on) actually kept its temperature.
The customer service was pretty helpful.

Overall, these smokers are hit and miss. Of the reviews I have read, if they work then they are pretty good...but when they don't they are nothing but problems.

When I am on the market again would be more likely to get a smoker with less bells and whistles (i.e. electronics) and buy a dual thermometer and a simple gas or electric smoker. Less things to go wrong and easier to fix.

One star is probably to much for this. Both doors do not seal and leak badly. Unit was bent in box and not from shipping but from cheap steal. Had to straighten the doors and smoke chamber. Sealed both compartments with high temp silicone, not included. Fire box damper does not slide properly and was missing screws. Damper on smoke chamber assembly is put together with an aluminum rivet and broke on seasoning of the unit. Temp control is impossible due to lack of air restriction. Do not recommend this unit for serious smokers.

This can be a great smoker if you want to take the time to modify it. If you were going to build one anyway, it is a great start... BUT, if you want one ready to go right out of the box it might not be for you. I have a full size smoker and was looking for a smaller one. The smaller version of this smoker has a single door latch that appears to work very well... this one does NOT. In stead, it has two latches with the lower one being on the bottom and very contrary to latch. I requested the latch from the smaller one, but customer service sent me the wrong parts, TWICE. I gave up on them and fixed it myself. It does need a damper between the fire box and smoker box to help control the flame. The door has a seal, but smoke leaks out between the smoker box and around the temp gauge. On the up side, it has a nice fire box with removable ash drawer and it seems to hold temp very well. Customer support is not much! I would highly recommend to purchase this from a local supplier and not from here, that way you can check it out for yourself... again, don't rely on customer support.

Thought this would be a great purchase... just opened the box to find a broken door... not very happy at all with that....

It came in broken and dented

Very flimsy metal, got it for my brother for Christmas and when he opened it up to put it together it was dented and scrached up the side. And the dents impair the offset charcoal box from being flush. Would really reconsider a different smoker.

Used this smoker for the second time to smoke a brisket for 12 hours. We smoked a chicken for 6 hours and had no problem. With the brisket all the paint on the inside started melting all over everything inside including the brisket and the juice we were collecting. Unfortunately the juice was tasted by my wife before we noticed anything wrong. Now I have to figure out who I get my money back from. We also prepped the smoker exactly as was recommended. Stay away from this one.

Last time I'll buy a Masterbuilt. They changed the warranty from 12 months to 90 days, and wouldn't you know it, it crapped out after 9 months.
Electric component shorted out and kicks the circuit breaker every time I try to turn it on.

This smoker has not fully functioned properly. I bought for a bday gift for my husband at the end of October and then we got busy with the holidays. We should have returned it sooner but with the warranty only being 90 days and its not something you use often we found out to late. Really disheartening when you buy a product that is shotty from the first use. It shuts off randomly and there are a ton of complaints of this same issue around the web. I wouldn't recommend it to friends or family.

Stopped working after about 10 uses. Bought Dec 22, 2014 it is now Sep 21, 2015. It keeps tripping the GFI breaker. Tried other outlets and it kept doing the same thing. Also kept under patio out of weather. DO NOT BUY.

Brand new out of box defective popped circuit breakers everytime i plugged it in. This seems to be a very common problem with this model once i search internet. Wish i had not have used reviews on amazon before purchase or i would not have bought this product. I am giving this product a second chance as i am exchanging for another one. If the second one is bad i will ask for refund. Factory that manufacturers this should plug units in prior to boxing and shipping out.

Update: Well like so many others here, my smoker stopped working last weekend after only 17 months. From reading other reviews here, I'd say it's the wiring that has burnt out as the control unit still works. Also before it died completely it was tripping the GFI outlet just as described by others here. Doesn't sound like it's worth repairing either as it will just burn out again due to poor design and construction. So disappointed as when it worked, I was able to produce some amazing product out of it. I was so happy with this smoker! I have had it since March 2012 & used it on a frequent basis and always stored it indoors when not in use. Everything that I have smoked in it has turned out amazing. It is extremely easy to use & consistent in it's results. Like wise, ribs are very easy to get perfect, as is pork shoulder.