With the popularity of the wood pellet grills quickly rising in the last years and probably continuing to become even more popular in the future, chances are very high that you have heard from a friend or have seen an advertisement about Traeger grills and all the goods of their pellet grills.
But what are the advantages and disadvantages of these grills? Which are the best models to consider buying?
If you are looking for a complete guide with Traeger Grills Reviews then I got you covered. Down below you will find a few things to have in mind, advantages and disadvantages of such grills and a few products to consider buying from these series.
Table of Contents
- 1 Why Pellet Grills?
- 2 Quick Introduction on Traeger Grills
- 3 Is Traeger a Trustworthy Company?
- 4 How do Traeger Pellet Grills work?
- 5 Traeger Grills Construction and Build Quality
- 6 Traeger Grills Features Reviews
- 7 Traeger Grills Warranty & Customer Service Review
- 8 Traeger Grills Product Line
- 9 Traeger Grills Comparison Table
- 10 Traeger Grill Product Line Reviews
- 11 Final Thoughts
Why Pellet Grills?
With so many different types of grills in the market today, sometimes it can be confusing to choose what is the best option for you.
Here are a couple of advantages of pellet grills over other kind of grills:
The Cooking Flavor
Precise Temperature Control & Even Cooking
The Versatility
The Ease of Use
Quick Introduction on Traeger Grills
Is Traeger a Trustworthy Company?
Traeger is a premium grilling products manufacturer founded in the 1988s in Oregon, USA. The company is known for premium and high-quality grills, especially the wood pellet grills. They held the original patent on wood pellet technology which allowed them to become a major authority in the market.
During the years, with the increasing of the competition, they have improved and upgraded their products with different features and technology. Their products are reputed for their multi-functional abilities, long lasting materials, and unique cooked food due to the usage of wood pellets. They have a very loyal customer fan base, an excellent customer service and most of their products come with a 3-year warranty.
They have a couple of product series, based on different features and capabilities but the most popular ones are the Elite and Pro series.
Overall, they have a very high rating review from customers and are known for high-quality products.
So, is Traeger trustworthy and a good company to buy products from? The short answer is ‘Yes’, they are a good company with worth having products.
How do Traeger Pellet Grills work?
As a company with a very long history on pellet grill manufacturing, Traeger has continuously improved and innovated their products. On their latest series, Timberline, they have recently implemented WiFire Control, which basically allows you to access your grill on the go from your smartphone.
But, behind the recent technological developments, their products still function and provide the classical pellet fire flavor for your food. Here it's how a pellet grill works:
Image Credits: Traeger: How Do Pellet Grills Work?
Each Traeger grill has a three position switch which is electronically controlled. When you turn on the switch, the grill releases wood pellets from the storage hopper and the auger rotates them around, from the hopper to the fire pot, under the grilling grates. The pellets are ignited by a hot rod and then, a small fan stokes the fire continuously to send the heat into the belly of the grill.
The combination of regular wood pellets and their unique flavor coming into the fire, the gentle fan and the even temperature, cooks and grills your food perfectly.
Here it’s a quick video explaining how Traeger Pellet Grills works:
Traeger Grills Construction and Build Quality
As one of the first companies to build pellet grills and the original patent holder for pellet grills, you can expect a durable and high-build quality product from Traeger.
All their models are made of high-quality steel and the Elite, Pro and Timberline series come with a all-around powder-coated finish. On two of their most popular series, Elite and Pro, you can choose between two color options for the upper-lid, Bronze and Light Blue.
The unique lid color and the all around powder-coated finish, give these grills a very clean and stylish look.
Their products have a pill-shaped barrel, airtight lid gasket to keep an even cooking temperature and steady legs with two or four wheels, based on the model.
Traeger Grills Features Reviews
Just like any other pellet grill manufacture out there, Traeger features all the basic functions required to cook on such grills. What makes the difference are the special and unique features which allow you to do advanced controlling and cooking.
All Traeger's full-size grilling products come with an integrated Digital Elite Controller, which allow you to easily set the temperature and cooking mode with just a switch of a dial. The chosen temperature can be easily read on the LED display next to the switch.
Other worth-mentioning features are the electronic auto-start feature and the capability of cooking on six different cooking methods.
As I mentioned in the previous section, Traeger is always looking to improve their product by adding and trying new innovative things.
On their latest series, Timberline, they have added a major features to conquer on the smart-cooking market; the WiFire system. This system will allow you to take control of your grill by using your smartphone. By using the Traeger app, the WiFire controller gives you the ability to change the cooking temperature, set timers or get insights about your cooking, directly from your smartphone, making grilling even easier, especially on-the-go.
Here it's a short 50 sec video showing how this new technology works:
Traeger Grills Warranty & Customer Service Review
Traeger is known for a large and loyal customer base, and that's for a reason.
They have a very good customer service, arguably the best out there. They have created community sections on their site for you to get suggestions and tips for any issue you have or just share your cooking histories.
They state that they will help you with any questions you may have, no matter if they are cooking questions or issues with the product itself.
As for warranty, they offer a 3 Year Warranty (USA only) for all their products and they will provide you with a replacement part if you find anything defective.
Even though the 3-year warranty is only available in the USA, we think that it isn't any big issue since the majority of their customers are from United States.
Traeger Grills Product Line
Traeger offer a huge variety of grills that will suit any of your outdoor cooking needs that you will ever need.
Versatility is a huge priority for Traeger, with almost all their products made to grill, smoke, barbecue, braise, roast, and bake using wood pellets for a better taste.
If you are having a hard time choosing a grill from Traeger, then we compiled a list with 5 most popular and best rated Traeger products and a few things to have in mind for each model, so you can easily find the product that you need.
Traeger Grills Comparison Table
| Name | Editor's Rating | Price Range | Cooking Space | Digital Elite Controller |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | (Editor's Choice) | $ | 300 Sq. Inches | Yes | |
 | $$ | 300 Sq. Inches | Yes | ||
 | $$$ | 646 Sq. Inches | Yes | ||
 | $$ | 418 Sq. Inches | Yes | ||
 | $$ | 380 Sq. Inches | Yes | ||
 | $$$ | 589 Sq. Inches | Yes |
Traeger Grill Product Line Reviews
The first option we featured in this list is the Traeger Junior Elite Grill.
It is a very popular model among pellet grills and overall it is built for durability using steel with a nice powder-coated finish, packed with tons of useful features.
This model is a wood-pellet fueled model which has the ability to grill, smoke, barbecue, braise, roast, and bake, all with one single product.
With a hopper capacity of eight pounds of wood pellets, you will easily finish the cooking without needing to continuously refill the hopper.
Wood pellets are drawn from the hopper into the firepot by an auger and then they get ignited by a hot rod. The barrel helps circulate the smoke and heat, and the fire is continuously stoked by the induction fan.
This model provides 300 square inches of cooking capacity that can handle 12 hamburgers, 18 hot dogs, three racks of ribs, or two chickens.
The barbecuing feature offers fast cooking on a high setting up to 450° degrees, or slow cooking on low heat. The electronic auto-start ignition makes starting the fire very easy and the Integrated Digital Elite Controller allows you to sets the temperature with a turn of a dial. You can check the temperature by using the LED display and the advanced controller is capable of maintaining a temperature within +/- 20° Fahrenheit from the set temperature.
As for cleaning, you can remove the grease by using the drip tray and the porcelain grates with a non-stick surface make the cleaning process very easy.
At 36" high x 37" wide x 18" deep and 60 pounds, the reasonably-priced Junior Elite can be used at home, but is portable enough to take tailgating or camping.
Things We Liked
Things We Didn't Like
Like other Traeger models in this list, with the Bronson 20 you can grill your favorite steaks, smoke a brisket, barbecue ribs, braise a roast, roast chicken, and even bake a pie. Hungry yet?
The Bronson 20 uses wood pellets instead of gas or charcoal, providing better tasting food. For your barbecued foods, there are two choices -- high temperature and fast cooking or low temperature and slow cooking.
To cook more accurately, the Bronson 20 has an LED Digital Elite Controller display that shows the internal temperature and ensures that the temperature stays consistent.
For those who need their grills approved by a home owners association, there is no open flame.
Measuring 38" high x 35" wide x 22" deep and weighing 72 pounds, the Bronson 20 will hold 12 hamburgers, 18 hot dogs, three racks of ribs, or two chickens on its 300-square-inch grill rack.
This grill has a side handle, sawhorse-style legs for better stability, and all-terrain wheels for easier mobility on unpaved surfaces and over rocks.
Things We Liked
Things We Didn't Like
The Traeger Grills Texas Elite 34 features the same grilling, smoking, barbecuing, braising, roasting, and baking capabilities as the other grills that we have covered in this list.
With the Digital Elite Controller, all of the cooking gets much easier. You can use your favorite recipes and the digital controller becomes your assistant. The precision of the controller keeps the interior temperature only +/- 20° Fahrenheit away from your chosen temperature setting.
The Texas Elite 34 is large enough that you can handle a large party and impress all of your friends. It measures 49" high x 54" wide x 22" deep and weighs 125 pounds. So you can cook 30 of your juiciest hamburgers with all the trimmings, five racks of ribs with your secret BBQ sauce, or eight chickens along with corn on the cob for a traditional picnic on the 646 square inch cooking area.
The hopper holds 18 pounds of wood pellets that provide a better taste than charcoal or gas. The legs and four wheels on the sturdy frame have been upgraded for stability.
Things We Liked
Things We Didn't Like
Next, we have the Traeger Grills Lil Text Elite 22.
It is a good option if you are looking for a good family size grill.
The Lil Tex 22 uses wood pellets for cooking and is capable of providing you with up to six different cooking/grilling methods, just like any other Traeger grills products in this list, including barbecue, grill, smoke, braise, roast and bake.
It comes with electronic start-up, integrated digital elite controller for easy and accurate temperature control and porcelain grill grates.
It is capable of different temperature levels, from 450°F to low and slow barbecue option.
It has dimensions of 49” high x 42” wide x 22” deep, weighs about 98 pounds and its 418 square inch cooking area and 18 pounds of wood pellet hooper capacity, is enough to cook the whole family without them feeling hungry again.
You will be able to cook up to 16 hamburgers, 24 hot dogs, four rack of ribs or 4 chickens at the same time.
The overall construction is made of steel and has a powder coat finish and comes with sturdier legs and two wheels for easy moving around.
Things We Liked
Things We Didn't Like
Next, we have the Traeger Grills Renegade Elite Grill.
It is a higher-end-priced grill that provides you with six different cooking functions, just like any other Traeger product.
For a better taste food, it uses wood pellets that are stored in the 18-pound-capacity hopper. It can provide you with fast barbecuing option at up to 450 degrees or slow cooking at a very low temperature.
The Renegade Elite simplifies grilling with the electronic auto-start ignition, the Integrated Digital Elite Controller for consistent temperature, the temperature-setting dial, and the LED display.
The 50" high x 39" wide x 27" deep, 109-pound Renegade Elite provides 380 square inches of cooking capacity for a maximum of 16 hamburgers, three racks of ribs, or three chickens.
This model adds a handy tool caddy rack and wire front prep rack for a better grilling experience. As for construction, the Renegade Elite is made from durable steel with a powder-coated finish, with upgraded legs from previous versions for more stability.
Things We Liked
Things We Didn't Like
Traeger Select Elite is the upper high-end model of the Elite series from Traeger Grills.
It is a full-size model, good for your home or other places where you don't need to move it often.
On the outside, it has a steel construction, with a nice and sleek bronze powder-coated finish, with overall dimensions measuring 46 x 57 x 25 in and weighting about 170 lb.
The Select Elite boasts enough room to prepare food for the whole family with its 586 square inches of cooking space. It can fit comfortably up to 20 burgers, 5 whole chickens, 28 hot dogs or 6 racks of smoked ribs.
The temperature is controlled with the Digital Elite Controller Unit, which can maintain precise +/- 20°F temperatures, also allowing you to cook low and slow on a 'Smoke' settings or Hot and fast at up to 450°F. You can read the set temperature by using the built-in LED display.
As I mentioned before, versatility is a priority for Traeger, allowing you to smoke, barbecue, grill, roast, braise or roast all in one grill. This model also features a 3 piece porcelain grate with a non-stick surface, making the after-cooking cleaning very easy.
On the side of the cooking area, you have two stainless steel side shelves for food preparation or resting your food after grilling.
Down the cooking area, you have enclosed storage space to keep your grilling gears, pellets or any other material close to you.
Other worth mentioning points are the wheels with locking casters for mobility and the 18 lb hopper capacity.
Things We Liked
Things We Didn't Like
Final Thoughts
After getting a deep review of almost every aspect of Traeger as a manufacturer and as a pellet grill, then we are very confident to say that Traeger is one of the best and most popular grill product manufacturer on the market today.
All their products are decent built, have tons of useful features and come with several years of warranty.
And if you feel like the Traeger still are not the best option for your preferences, then there are several other alternative manufacturers which are still worth considering:
Some please recommend which product I should pick among the ones listed on this site.