Customer reviews from weber.com
Weber - SmokeFire EX4 (2nd Gen) Wood Fired Pellet Grill - Black
Average customer rating
4.1
(684 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 684 reviews
5 Stars
401
4 Stars
136
3 Stars
43
2 Stars
40
1 Star
64
81%of customers recommend this product.
(
486 out of
599)
Customer Reviews for Weber - SmokeFire EX4 (2nd Gen) Wood Fired Pellet Grill - Black
Posted by: GrizzlyAdams
from Illinois
Expertise:Intermediate
Verified Purchase:Yes
Just like everyone else, I read the reviews and studied all the specs in an effort to make sure that I was making the right purchase. I have not regretted my decision to go with the SmokeFire EX4. Are there a couple of things that I would like to see get improved in future designs, for sure. You will have that with anything. The bottom line is that it works, and works very will.
So far, there have not been any issues with performance. The SmokeFire EX4 lights quickly, and gets to temp fast and stays at a reliable level the whole cook time. I will note here, I take very good care of the equipment. That means I vacuum out the fire box after every use, even if it is just a couple of burgers and wasn't in use for a long period of time. It is probably overkill, but in my mind, those few minutes to vacuum it out is probably less time then I would spend if I had a failed light due to some ash that may not have exited the burn pot during cooking. It is a quality grill, take care of it and it will perform great.
Don't let the rear hopper shake you. I have realized since owning this SmokeFire EX4 with the rear hopper, I enjoy that design. It does add a little depth to grill, but it also helps provide the buffer distance away from items (that we already should have) to maintain safe spacing. What that does mean though, is now you have a grill that does not have a large hopper hanging off to one side, making the unit super long.
One call out about the hopper that I would like to see improved in future designs, the emptying of the hopper to switch out pellets could help from quality of life improvements. I like to switch flavors depending on what I am cooking. The gate design restricts the outgoing flow of pellets and seems to be placed a little high. If there was something like a tip down spout the width of the underside of the hopper like the spout on a salt container that could be released to empty the quickly into a bucket or some other container, that would be awesome! Regardless, the current set up is manageable, and not everyone is constantly switching to different pellets.
If you have made it this far in my review, then we both know you are seriously considering this Weber SmokeFire EX4 or the EX6. It is a great grill and performs very well, so you should go for it and get to cooking! Your family and friends will thank you.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting weber.com
Customer Rating
5
Just get it
on October 20, 2021
Posted by: Scoop1P
from Fresno, CA
Gender:Male
I've used pellet grills for years and I'm beyond impressed with Weber's offering in this very competitive category. The #1 drawback of a pellet grill is they are more "oven" than grill and lack access to direct radiant heat. The SmokeFire addresses this by discarding the traditional heat baffle/drip plate and replacing it with the familiar Weber Flavorizer bars, allowing the flame to peek through on high-temp cooks. It also has a novel pellet delivery system that uses an inclined auger to drops pellets into the firepot to avoid the dereaded auger/hopper burnback. I admit I was skeptical how this would work as grease would undoubtedly mingle with ash in the bottom of the cooker.
So did Weber engineers pull it off? After a few months of use, I can emphatically say that they did. The gas grill no longer gets touched. The food that comes off of the SmokeFire is astonishingly good. The reverse-sear technique for steak is a must-try with this cooker.
You'll be good to go if you keep it clean, use Weber pellets (or at least the Lumberjack ones that have a smaller diameter), mix up the pellets in the hopper every now and then during a long cook to avoid tunneling, and place a drip/water pan below fatty foods like briskets or pork butts.
Weber could have just copied other manufacturers' time-tested designs. Instead it created a truly innovative cooker that is a step forward for the pellet grill category. I know there have been some very high-profile negative reviews by YouTube boobs but I don't think they're on point with the updated Gen2. You're getting all the bells and whistles with this thing at a great price ... plus you're buying from a company that will stand behind its product. If you're on the fence, just go for it.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting weber.com
Customer Rating
1
Buyer Beware !
on November 19, 2023
Posted by: Frustrated 2
from Greenville SC
Please consider my experience with this grill before you buy. The auger clogs up time after time. I have ruined numerous expensive foods when the auger cuts out in the middle of grilling. I have had to disassemble the auger so many times I do not need instructions. I have nothing but Weber pellets .
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from weber.comBy Weber grills, December 3, 2023
Your feedback is very important to us. We are very sorry to hear you are having an issue with the auger getting clogged. We want to know more and offer our assistance. Please look for an outreach email from us soon. Thank you!
Written by a customer while visiting weber.com
Customer Rating
1
Absoluter Utter Garbage.
on September 20, 2023
Posted by: TMatt2
from Ankeny, IA
Just over a year now and still, this piece of junk NEVER works as its supposed to. It burns through glow plugs like crazy and they go out at the WORST times. I have had to replace at least 5 glow plugs, the actual glow plug assembly (socket, wire, bracket), and the fan motor, and am STILL stuck with an inoperable pile of garbage. Three days ago I was promised a response within 24 to 48 hours. I reached out after 48 hours. Radio silence. Just reached again after three days. What a fool I am for buying this.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from weber.comBy Weber Grills, Consumer Care , October 2, 2023
We appreciate your feedback and we apologize for the disappointment you are experiencing. That is not the normal performance that we expect from our products, and we value the opportunity to help.
Please look for a follow-up from our team very soon. Thank you!
Please look for a follow-up from our team very soon. Thank you!
Written by a customer while visiting weber.com
Posted by: zworm
from Salem OR
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
I love the cooker itself. It does a good job of holding temps across the cooking spectrum and produces good tasting food within an easy to operate environment. Since mine is the generation 2 model, I have not experienced issues the plagued first gen units. Disclosure: I have only cooked on it six times, keep it well cleaned and only use Weber brand pellets. I purchased and used water pans to provide better heat control, provide cooking chamber moisture and reduce uncontrolled grease-to-heat-source exposure. So far so good.
I did find the unit arrived scratched and dented in a few spots. Further, a screw attaching a leg had a misaligned insert so it didn't fully seat. It's too bad that Weber allowed their quality control to miss these obvious oversights, as I consider Weber to be a premium product and usually worthy of the cost. Weber fell miserably short here.
By biggest issue has been with the Weber Connect app and how it interfaces with the cooker. It's a weird combo of bluetooth and wifi which is needed to properly marry your phone with the cooker. Please be sure to have a good wifi signal for your cooker or frequent disconnects will occur. Also, the app is sluggish and unresponsive at times. For instance the Cook Program and Recipes are cool, if lacking somewhat in content, but they are slow to load and if the phone to grill connection is not good, it won't operate properly.
Since it is an app, it can, and should be frequently upgraded, so there is promise here. But right now, it just doesn't seem ready for prime time as I have experienced only mixed results with using it to control my cooker.
Since it is an app, it can, and should be frequently upgraded, so there is promise here. But right now, it just doesn't seem ready for prime time as I have experienced only mixed results with using it to control my cooker.
Overall, I am cautiously optimistic about this purchase. Early cooking results are good, but the promise of a smooth, remotely operated cooking experience has yet to be fully realized. Hopefully better software updates will address many of my concerns.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Response from weber.comBy Weber Grills, Weber Grills, January 18, 2021
Hello, we are very sorry to hear about this issue. We have passed your information and our support team will reach out via email. Thanks!
Written by a customer while visiting weber.com
Posted by: Pks5986
from Massachusetts
Gender:Female
Verified Purchase:Yes
Grill was fantastic when it worked…2 months after purchase and approx 15 uses, grill failed to reach temperature and no longer worked.
When I called for support I was shipped replacement parts with no support offered to have it repaired or replaced.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from weber.comBy Weber Grills, Consumer Care, October 11, 2021
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to learn that you are having issues with your grill. With proper maintenance, your grill should be easy to use and long-lasting. Our warranty will replace any defective part, but assembly is not included. We would like to know more about what happens when you start your grill so we can help get things working again. Please look for an email outreach from our Support team. Thank you for your patience, we look forward to helping you soon!
Written by a customer while visiting weber.com
Customer Rating
1
nice grill when it works
on November 27, 2021
Posted by: ma mark
from holyoke,ma
Gender:Male
I purchased this grill in late April 2021,and while it produces great results, I have gone thru 6 glow plugs, a fan, a thermocouple and a control panel.Upon replacing the thermocouple I notice the screw /pin that secures the auger to the motor is sheared. This grill will not make it through the warranty period. POOR build quality look elsewhere for a pellet grill
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from weber.comBy Weber Grills, Consumer Care, November 27, 2021
Thank you for being a long time Weber fan! We greatly appreciate your feedback regarding the Smokefire EX4 grill. This is an unusual occurrence and not the quality we would expect from our products. The glow plug should last around 100 cooks. Our team would advise to be sure the glow plug is properly connected to the adapter. Regarding the fan and thermocouple we are happy to hear one of our reps has sent new parts to get you back up and running. Keep in mind Weber will always stand behind its products. Our team has reached out via email to assist you with the auger hardware. Thank you!
Written by a customer while visiting weber.com
Posted by: Sent back
from Colorado Springs
Gender:Male
Expertise:Intermediate
Verified Purchase:Yes
Really wanted to like it, ended up sending it back after about 6 weeks. Wouldn’t hold temp very well at all, with the temp set at 225 it would go anywhere from 175 to 450. Also frequent flameouts. Weber stood behind their product though, sent a truck to pick it up and gave me a full refund.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from weber.comBy Weber Grills, Consumer Care, October 4, 2021
Hello, we are sorry to hear that you had trouble cooking on your SmokeFire grill. We care deeply about your experience and we would like to know more. Please look for an email from our Support team soon. Thanks for your patience and for being a Weber fan.
Written by a customer while visiting weber.com