I originally looked at the "Woodwind" smoker with the attached sear box. They were running $1,000.00 at the time, just couldn't swing it. There's another brand that's a player in the field...."Grilla" Grills out of Holland MI. My brother lives nearby and drove over on my request and said they were heavy duty smokers! Only problem was, they were so busy, they didn't have time to return my call.....so went and purchased my PIT Boss at Tractor Supply, and they even reduced the price by $100. So at $399, I ended up with the better deal I believe.
My PIT Boss 1000 has a slotted area over the firepot, and when you slide the heavy steel cover back out of the way, you can use it to sear steaks! Works very well!
As others have stated, keep your firepot clean, and don't leave pellets in your pellet hopper if there's a chance they can get wet! They will disintegrate in there!
