Lot's of problems?

[4given]

I am still waiting on my Bradley BTSIS1 to be delivered. I ordered it from Amazon Wed. night and they have yet to ship it.  :(

In the mean time I have been reading lots of posts here on the forum and have been getting second thoughts. Did I  make the right decision purchasing a Bradley? :-\

Most of the posts have been about problems; my pucks won't advance, my pucks won't stop advancing. My Bradley won't get hot enough, my Bradly caught on fire!  My element burnt out, recovey time is too slow & etc.

Then I read that nobody is satisfied with thier Bradley the way it came from the factory. I need to invest a few hundred bucks more in bubba pucks, dual heating elemements, dual probe thermometers, PID's and etc to get it to work well and be the "sweet smoker" I thought I was buying in the first place.  Oh yeah i had better build an isulated shack or something for it to live in if I expect to be able to use it in the winter.

Does anybody just use thier Bradley the way it came from the factory, love it and get good results? Does anybody have one  that has not broken down or come out of adjustment and needed repair?  I understand that everything needs a little maintenance but gee wiz..........

When I made the desision to buy one, all the advertizing made it look so "plug & play" ..... is it or was I decived or just mistaken?

[Jim O]

Welcome 4given!

I've had my BD4 rack for about 3 years and it's "right out of the box" !

I love the results tha I get and the only thing I've added are 2 Bubba pucks (I use a puck for the third).

I,ve had no element problems (so far) and I'm satisfied with the performance of my Bradley.

As far as recovery times,I'm retired so have plenty of time to wait LOL.

I do use my smoker in an unheated garage,and vent it thru' a window,both winter and summer.

I for one,are happy with my Breadley.

Jim O

[mikecorn.1]

Hey there. I used my dbs4 for almost 3 years without doing anything to it. No problem other than a micro switch that was causing my pucks to keep advancing. That was after over two years of flawless service. I replaced it myself. I also went ahead and got a couple more things to change out and I believe I paid less than $15 shipping included. No problems after that.
I recently put another element just because. Not that it was needed. I got a PID to control the temp swings just because. :), along with a fan, just because :D. Like any other smoker /BBQ/grill. You will get temp swings. The PID just makes it a lot easier.
To start I would just recommend some bubba pucks, and some type of remote thermometer. To keep track of the IT smoker and meat.
Most here use the maverick et73 or et732. Yes there are other choices.
THATS WHAT I STARTED OUT WITH AND WAS HAPPY WITH ALL RESULTS.
The longer you hang round these  parts, the more $$$$ your gonna spend. ;) :D :(.


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[Wildcat]

I have no problems with mine. I added a PID for the hell of it. Not really needed - just wanted to for tighter temp controls.

As for the other stuff (bubba pucks, maverick, etc.) it is kind of like this - If you buy a grill, you normally go ahead and buy grill accessories like, tongs, fork, etc. There is no difference here. You can grill without special accessories, but most get them anyway.

[Rad Rich]

Hello 4given,
I agree first time you look at the forum it seems as if there are so many problems.  Don't worry, you made the right decision!  You will love your bradley.  I have had my obs for a little over a year, and I do alot of smoking.  Almost every weekend.  I have done no modifications to my smoker, and I get just about perfect results.  I have had three of my friends buy bradley's after they have eaten my food, and they are all happy.  Like was said earlier, some people make modifications to it because they love it and smoking is a hobby.  I bought bubba pucks, you don't have too  it just saves some pucks every time you smoke.  I bought a digital thermometer cause I want perfect results.  I put my smoker inside a suncast utility cabinet to protect it from my garage.  I live in Chicagoland and I smoke all winter long.  The bradley is the fourth smoker I own and it is by far my favorite.  I have a charcoal cooking cajun, lots of work keeping it up to temp.  I have a Mecco stainless steel electric smoker,  good results as long as there is no wind (its blown over on me a few times, and wind sucks all the heat out.  I have a vertical gas smoker gets real hot, but true smoking is never really done at a higher temp that 220.  The greatest thing about the Bradley is the way it produces smoke.  Clean smoke not bitter.  Look further down the forum and start getting into the recipe posts.  You wont see any complaints there.  New customers always stop at the top.  Dig a little deeper in the forum.  In the event that you do have a problem, Bradley will stand behind their product.  Have no worries, your gonna love it.

[rigstar]

welcome 4given,
i also have a 4 rack dbs, and can't be happier!
mine is also right out of the box, except for the blanket i put around it.
when i first opened it up in the morning got it seasoned and smoked ribs
the first night.
2 weeks ago i smoked all week in -5 to -12*C weather with no mods,except blankie,
just takes a little longer, smoker was outside.
i have had a couple of problems, but nothing to complain about, and
bradley customer service is excellent!!!
i have recently bought a digital thermometer and bubba pucks( as i was just using other pucks, and finally got mad at having to use so many it was wasteful)
i will be looking at adding some other mods, but it has been working
EXCELLENT right out of the box for 10 months now.
hope this helps in calming your fears

[3rensho]

I've had an OBS for over five years and the only problem I ever had was that the puck advance button stuck once and I wasted two pucks before I got it stopped.  I've got a PID too.  Read some car forums and you'll get the impression they are all junk because it's mainly problems that people post to try to get help.  99.9% are generally well satisfied and say nothing.

[4given]

Thank you all for your words of encouragement! I feel better about it all now and am excited to give it a try. amazon shipped the smoker yesterday so I hope to see it arrive this weekend. Maybe I can smoke something Sunday!

[Jim O]

I'm sure you'll be pleased with your purchase!
If you need help,these are a great bunch of guys (and gals ) !

Jim O

[dman4505]

Thank you all for your words of encouragement! I feel better about it all now and am excited to give it a try. amazon shipped the smoker yesterday so I hope to see it arrive this weekend. Maybe I can smoke something Sunday!

Good to hear she's on the way, you'll be happy you got the Bradley.
As was mentioned before "if" you do have any issues Bradley customer service is top notch.
I have the OBS, bought mine couple years ago out of the Cabelas Bargain Cave (when I worked there) it was suppose to be a floor model but had some minor, all cosmetic, damage to it so they couldn't put it out on the floor. Element went out within 6 months, replaced free of charge and no trouble since. I don't use mine as much as some folks on here but I'm very happy with the results I have gotten. And the response from relatives who supposedly "don't like smoked foods" has been incredible.

Welcome to the forum, ask questions if you got 'em and be sure to post pictures we love pictures here.

Don

[bille]

As has already been stated I have had a BDS 4 rack for going on 4 years now and it is also right out of the box, everything is still original. Since coming on the forums a short time ago my use of my smoker has tripled. There are alot of good folks here that will help you in any smoking problem you may encounter and don't be afraid to ask questions.       Bill

[Pike227]

OK.  It sounds like there are plenty of dedicated Bradley owners out there.  But can you tell me what there is about the Braldey that makes it heads over any other insulated smoker, other than the auto puck feed?

[10.5 Mobile]

OK.  It sounds like there are plenty of dedicated Bradley owners out there.  But can you tell me what there is about the Braldey that makes it heads over any other insulated smoker, other than the auto puck feed?

That is really simple. This Forum and the People that make it what it is. You can find faults with any piece of equipment but the people on this forum will do everything they can to minimize any downtime and make sure you have the most enjoyable experience that you can have.

10.5

[ghost9mm]

OK.  It sounds like there are plenty of dedicated Bradley owners out there.  But can you tell me what there is about the Braldey that makes it heads over any other insulated smoker, other than the auto puck feed?

That is really simple. This Forum and the People that make it what it is. You can find faults with any piece of equipment but the people on this forum will do everything they can to minimize any downtime and make sure you have the most enjoyable experience that you can have.

10.5

Ditto...

[dman4505]

OK.  It sounds like there are plenty of dedicated Bradley owners out there.  But can you tell me what there is about the Braldey that makes it heads over any other insulated smoker, other than the auto puck feed?

That is really simple. This Forum and the People that make it what it is. You can find faults with any piece of equipment but the people on this forum will do everything they can to minimize any downtime and make sure you have the most enjoyable experience that you can have.

10.5

Ditto...

x3
and their customer service department is the best there is