Z Grills pellet smokers are solid, quality units. They are backed by a 30 day money back guarantee and 3 years parts warranty.
Metal material and thickness
Z Grills are made from suitable thickness steel sheets to make the grill strong and durable, but not so heavy that they are impossible to lift the boxes out of the car or move around your back-yard.
Nobody gets a Z Grills smoker and thinks “wow this is so light and flimsy”! Quite the opposite in fact, as they are solid, heavy units.
For example the Z Grills 700E-XL:
Grill drum and sides = 1mm powder coated carbon steel.
Grill Lid = 2mm 430 Stainless Steel
Hopper Lid = 1mm 430 Stainless Steel
Cabinet = 1mm powder coated carbon steel.
Screws are made from A3 grade tool steel
An empty 700E-XL smoker weighs 66kg.
I was told that thicker metal insulates better?
We often hear this, but it really isn’t true. Heat loss is primarily related to the grill’s hot surface area that is exposed to the outside air.
Thicker metal means more “thermal mass” resulting in the grill taking longer to heat up, and longer to cool down which may be beneficial for offset style smokers to help keep a more stable temperature. The temperature can still fluctuate, but it just does so a bit more slowly. Thicker metal will not noticeably reduce the heat loss (or fuel usage) of the grill.
Z Grills pellet smokers don’t need to rely on a large thermal mass to maintain a stable temperature as they have a PID digital controller monitoring the temperature and modulating the fuel supply to the fire.
Click here to learn how Z Grills controllers work.
Stainless steel vs powder coated steel
Q: Which is better for cooking and temperature stability?
A: The same. They just look different, no difference in terms of the heat loss or insulation properties.
If you like the look of the stainless steel lids, the 700E-XL is the way to go.
If you can’t stand silver and want all black, then choose the 7002B.
PID digital controllers
Z Grills models in Australia all have digital controllers with PID software logic that reacts more quickly to maintain the set temperature.
Click here to learn how Z Grills controllers work.
Electronic components
All Z Grills pellets smoker models feature the same controller design and internal key electronic components:
– Auger motor that rotates the auger shaft to feed wood pellets into the hopper
– Fan to blow air into the fire-put, through the grill chamber and out the chimney
– Ignition rod that gets red hot to ignite the wood pellets during startup.
Click here to learn more about how they work.
Click here to learn how much electricity Z Grills use.
Construction quality
Z Grills pellet smokers are made from heavy duty material and design to last.
Most people are pleasantly surprised by the heavy duty weight, quality and overall fit and finish of their Z Grill!
All grills come with a 3 years parts warranty and the best customer service you will find for any BBQ or smoker in Australia!
Stainless steel corrosion resistance
There are many different grades of stainless steel and even marine grade 316 stainless steel can suffer from surface corrosion in coastal environments.
Z Grills 700E-XL smokers using 430 grade stainless steel for balance of corrosion resistance, strength, machinability and of course affordable cost.
The best way to keep stainless steel looking good is to polish it periodically with a product metal polish that cleans and protects. Click here for cleaning information.
By doing a periodic polish of the outside of the stainless steel grill lid, the 700E-XL will maintain a nice rust free finish even in costal locations.