The time had finally come. After making the decision to take the plunge into the world of pellet grills. After weeks of research, hours of debate, comparison and conversation I decided to go all in on the RT-700 Bull (the Yoder 640 was the runner up). Both grills are about the same price once the Bull has been brought up to speed. Tough call non-the-less. Purchased the cart, shelf, smoke box, extra interior shelf, new smoke box gauges (Tel-Tru), Thermapen Mk4, brining bins, 300 pounds of assorted pellets, sear plates etc.. Lets just say the entire shooting gallery. I have also made a home with a local BBQ shop. Getting to know and patronize an in town store is a warm feeling with benefits. Ron over @Pellet Grills Galore in El Cajon, CA. has handed me an olive branch that is as supportive as an oak! The time he has spent and advice he has given me has been amazing. He will be starting up his classes soon too, can't wait.
Out of the gate there were some challenges with the Recteq. While the packaging seemed more than adequate, there were opportunities. The first shipment had damaged parts (smoke box and competition cart were scuffed, scratched up and missing hardware) and the smoke box gauges were broken. The reasoning behind going with the Bull was the customer support, and it did not disappoint. Tess over at Recreq has treated me as if I had been a customer for years; hard to beat in this world. Two shipments later, everything is back to normal and the unit is ready to go (one of the two replaced gauges is still defective). Tess offered to replace the scratched parts but I thought that wasn’t the right thing to do and opted for some touch-up paint.
The assembly was easy, and done without instruction. Pretty much everything came together without a hitch. The controller isn't well thought out regarding how it is mounted into the shelf so this may induce modification at a later time. The angle and antenna position is weird and the fit is not crisp and clean. The smoke box mounting is less than desirable and lacks integrity (the cart pull handle is mounted to the smoke box and fatigues the mounting point of the box when you use the handle to move the unit around). Pretty much what I read and understood (this is all minor). Not sure there is a prefect unit without building one by hand.
The software for the most part works well and is easy for anyone to use. Connectivity has been solid and pairing to the app was simple. I like the convenience overall. I see this portion of the grill technology moving toward timed programmable software. We will see what the future holds. Cost is always an obstacle.
The break-in (seasoning) went well and the grill came up to 450º in less than 10 minutes. The shutdown from the app doesn't get any easier - pretty much awesome.
The unit is as advertised and after this experience I can understand why folks are so excited about the RT-700 as well as being loyal to Recteq as a company.
I thought I would share observations and apologize for being long winded – just wanted to express my thoughts on the experience - I made the right choice for me.
Out of the gate there were some challenges with the Recteq. While the packaging seemed more than adequate, there were opportunities. The first shipment had damaged parts (smoke box and competition cart were scuffed, scratched up and missing hardware) and the smoke box gauges were broken. The reasoning behind going with the Bull was the customer support, and it did not disappoint. Tess over at Recreq has treated me as if I had been a customer for years; hard to beat in this world. Two shipments later, everything is back to normal and the unit is ready to go (one of the two replaced gauges is still defective). Tess offered to replace the scratched parts but I thought that wasn’t the right thing to do and opted for some touch-up paint.
The assembly was easy, and done without instruction. Pretty much everything came together without a hitch. The controller isn't well thought out regarding how it is mounted into the shelf so this may induce modification at a later time. The angle and antenna position is weird and the fit is not crisp and clean. The smoke box mounting is less than desirable and lacks integrity (the cart pull handle is mounted to the smoke box and fatigues the mounting point of the box when you use the handle to move the unit around). Pretty much what I read and understood (this is all minor). Not sure there is a prefect unit without building one by hand.
The software for the most part works well and is easy for anyone to use. Connectivity has been solid and pairing to the app was simple. I like the convenience overall. I see this portion of the grill technology moving toward timed programmable software. We will see what the future holds. Cost is always an obstacle.
The break-in (seasoning) went well and the grill came up to 450º in less than 10 minutes. The shutdown from the app doesn't get any easier - pretty much awesome.
The unit is as advertised and after this experience I can understand why folks are so excited about the RT-700 as well as being loyal to Recteq as a company.
I thought I would share observations and apologize for being long winded – just wanted to express my thoughts on the experience - I made the right choice for me.
