Traeger vs Z Grills: Whose pellet grills are better?

Pellet grill brands are everywhere, and it can get hard to choose, so in this article, we’re going to look at the 2 most popular ones, Traeger vs Z Grills. We took a while in researching the grills, and Traeger came out on top. Unlike griddles, pellet grills take a little more into account.

Read on to find out why.

Overview of Z Grills Pellet Grills

Z Grills are a revolutionary addition to the pellet grills range. They have advanced wood-fire technology which gets you that smoky, wood-fired flavor without the inconvenience of gas or propane grills. You can cook with Z Grills for 20 hours per 20 pounds of pellets.

Their grills are amazingly versatile with a wide temperature range for all your grilling, smoking, roasting, baking, or BBQing needs. This range is from 180 to 450°F. Z Grills also designed their grills so it is easy to use, even if you’re new to grilling!

These pellet grills have a built-in, fan-forced convection system, which circulates the hot air throughout the grill for good airflow and even cooking. This gives you high-fuel cooking and efficiency.

Visit the linked page to compare all Zgrills products.

All their grills are stainless steel built, which gives them a high resistance to rust and corrosion. This allows you to have a long-lasting and good-looking grill. Most Z Grills models have leading PID technology that allows you to have ultimate temperature control.

Z Grills offer a 3-year warranty for your benefit too!

Z Grills models can have a grilling area of 19.2 x 26 inches and a total surface area of 700 square inches, giving you a lot of space for various foods.

What’s more, is that the Z Grills company has created a tight family where you can share your concerns and connect with avid grillers.

Overview of Traeger Pellet Grills

Having wood fire flavor without the wood fire sounds good, and that’s exactly what Traeger Pellet Grills provides. These grills were the blueprint for pellet grills, so it’s fair to claim that these grills have perfected the smoked grill technology.

Traeger grills require hardwood pellets that allow you to grill, smoke, bake, braise, roast, and BBQ food. You can execute various recipes, all at the same time with the power of the Traeger grill.

Traeger offers different flavored wood pellets for any and every type of food. This gives you so much creativity to give your food that smoked flavor. Oak and mesquite wood pellets are perfect for veggies, wild game, and beef, while fruit woods have a more subtle flavor for pork, seafood, chicken, and baked items.

Unlike most pellet grills, Traeger grills use indirect heat to cook your food. When you push the button or turn a dial (depending on the model), the wood pellet hopper will feed the pellet into a fire pit at the bottom middle of the grill, which cooks your food evenly.

With Traeger grills, you just feed your pellets in, set your desired temperature, and leave it. ‘Set-it and Forget-it’ is their slogan!

Traeger grills provide ultimate temperature control, which allows you to cook your food at precise temperatures. What’s attractive about this grill is that it has two meat probes that let you monitor your meat without letting that smokiness out. You can master your BBQing skills with the reliable Traeger.

Traeger also offers custom-fit covers for their pellet grills that protect them from all elements, from rain to snow and the strong rays of the sun. They fit perfectly and are secure to keep the elements out. This company also offers a 3-year warranty.

Now, let’s look at how you should go about choosing Z Grills or Traeger.

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Traeger vs Z Grills: Temperature Control

In the fight of Traeger vs Z Grills, temperature control is an important part. When choosing between Z Grills or Traeger, you want a grill that cooks your food without burning! Precise temperatures are key in making great food for your family.

Temperature control depends on the material and construction of the pellet grill. These two aspects determine how the grill retains heat and how it distributes it when you cook. The dial where you control heat is also important, as small increments are important too! This plays a part in precision.

Z Grills can be set to 25°F increments, which is good, but Traeger can be set in 15°F increments. So Traeger takes the cake in that aspect. However, Z Grills can be maxed out to 450°F, compared to Traeger pellet grills, which usually range between 180-400°F.

Traeger grills hardly have any complaints of the retention of heat. The grill has two stainless steel layers which is the insulation in the cooking chamber. Although the increments are only 10°F apart, it makes a big difference, therefore, Trager grills provide better temperature control.

Traeger vs Z Grills: Cooking performance

Both grills put out a good performance when it comes to cooking, grilling, and even baking. Most pellet grills don’t go over 500°F because the firepot is covered with a heat shield. They cannot match the performance of a charcoal grill, for example.

Most Traeger grills and Z Grills can reach high temperatures, contributing to good cooking performance. However, Traeger has a high-quality cooking chamber constriction and insulation, paired with better control over the temperature too.

So, you get a better experience cooking with the Traeger grill.

Traeger vs Z Grills: Weight and hopper capacity

Traeger is about 103 pounds, whereas the Z Grills are a bit heavier at 113 pounds. Of course, this weight will vary according to the range of grills you buy.

Both brands have a wide range of sizes, so the pellet hopper sizes will vary to match the size of the grill.

Z Grills’ hopper can hold about 20 pounds of pellets each time. This is an exception of the series called L6002, which can hold 8 pounds of pellets. Traegers can hold 18 to 24 pellets on their largest grills.

This means that you get about 1 hour of cook time per pound of pellets. With either grill, you’re able to do slow cooking without a hassle. Z Grills doesn’t have a big pellet system, which means you’re going to have to scoop unused pellets for safekeeping.

Traegers does have a small door to empty pellets, but you still have to do scooping to get all of them out. This is just a part of using a pellet grill.

So, Z Grills and Traeger are pretty much the same in the hopper capacity.

READ ALSO: An enthusiast’s ultimate guide to griddles

Traeger vs Z Grills: Pricing

Traeger and Z Grills come from two different prices. Z Grills are much more affordable than Traeger. The smaller models of Z Grills start at $400, while their bigger models come at $900, paired with an insulating cover.

Traeger grills start at $800 for its main range. This is a smaller grill with fewer features. Higher up on the list, with all the best features and size, you’re looking at $2000 or so.

If you’re on a budget, Z Grills is a better choice. However, you will get a lot more with a Traeger if you have the dollars to spare.

Verdict: Z Grills

Traeger vs Z Grills: Warranty

Both are more or less the same in this aspect of the Traeger vs Z Grills fight. They both come with a 3-year warranty and have a good reputation among consumers with impeccable service. None of them are known to give any problems.

Z Grills provides a 30-day money-back guarantee when you buy directly through their official website. If it’s your first time buying a pellet grill, then you’d find comfort in this guarantee.

Both grills have the same timeframe for warranties, however, the money-back guarantee given by Z Grills is attractive.

Verdict: Z Grills

Traeger vs Z Grills: Cooking area

Both grills have a good size of cooking area. It depends on what you want out of a pellet grill.

Z Grills’ smallest grill is about 452 inches, which is split over 2 grates. The mid-sized is about 700 square inches, and their largest is 1060 square inches over 3 tiers. This is a good cooking area for the price you pay.

Traeger grills give you more choice in terms of the cooking area. Unlike Z Grills, whose size changes with the different models, Traeger’s larger grills are only available in the higher-end ranges. So, if you’re on a budget, Traeger is not the first choice!

With Traeger, their larger grills are 1300 square inches over 3 grates. Although it may be expensive, you’re paying for the extra features it comes with, apart from the cooking area. It’s an up if you can buy it.

Verdict: Draw – Z Grills or Traeger.

Traeger vs Z Grills overall winner

Now, it’s time to declare a winner!

Z Grills is a great pellet grill as it provides good features at a low price. They’re reliable, solid, and have consistent results each time you’re responsible for the food! The basics are there.

However, if you’re looking for WIFI and other features, you’re looking at Traeger. Their grills provide full control from your phone, which allows you to cook your food with the click of a button. They also have other nice-to-have features.

Traeger grills also consume fewer wood pellets because they retain heat better than Z Grills. They have good quality powder-coated steel, which is very durable. Stainless steel parts and components can be found in both grills, though.

And in the case of Traeger vs Z Grills…

Traeger takes the cake! The price is well worth it because they take extra care and pay attention to small details in the construction of their grills.

However, you get a wood-fired flavor and grilled goodness with both grills. So, if you’re on a budget, you’d be satisfied with Z Grills too.

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3 Best Z Grills Pellet Grills

Let’s compare some Z Grills favorites now. This will give you a better look into the overall Traeger vs Z Grills debate.

Note that these are not the absolute best products from Z Grills, but in our opinion, they are the best value for money. You may even find a grill that’s exactly suited to your needs!

1. Z Grills 7002B

2. Z Grills Pioneer 450 Series

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3. Z Grills 1000E (BBQ Legend)

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3 Best Traeger Pellet Grills

Here are the best-picked Traeger pellet grills. Note that these are not the very best of Traeger, but in terms of durability and value for money, they are our choices.

1. Traeger Pro Series 575

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2. Traeger Grills Ironwood Series 885

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3. Traeger Grills Pro Series 22

Conclusion

There is a clear divide between the Z Grills and Traeger grills. Z Grills are more of a budget option. However, some models of the Z Grills also have WIFI and features of PID.

Traeger is widely preferred because they have cool features such as PID and WIFI inclusions. So, it’s worth the price you pay.

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