Bradley 4 and 6 rack bad reviews

[meed9]

Why are there so many bad reviews on the 4 and 6 rack smoker. For example not holding temp,heating element too small.. Is Bradley listening to these comments

[KyNola]

Isn't this essentially the same question you asked on 6/8/15 in the "Introduce Yourself" section of the Forum?

[TedEbear]

Technically, he only asked about the 4 rack Bradley back then.   ;D

Whats with all the bad reviews on the 4 rack digital smokers

[meed9]

Yes it is somewhat the same question and I am not getting the answers I am looking for. I don't want to spend 500 plus dollars on something that does not perform. I am also disappointed with Bradley for not responding to this.

[TMB]

Well just tossing in my 2 cents.   I couldn't be happier With my OBS    Going on four years  now and haven't had issues but one element and that could have been my fault due to grease getting on it

[meed9]

That's all I am looking for is two cent reviews to help me make the right decision

[Orion]

Meed9, I think your questions in this and the other thread are legitimate. As a consumer you have every right to ask pointed questions. It won't do you much good if you don't ask the right party though.

Have you put your questions directly to Bradley? If so, have they responded?

[meed9]

I was hoping to get some consumer reviews because usually that is the real truth. I will be contacting Bradley but looking at this site,,the last time Bradley posted was January 2015. I

[beefmann]

we need to look at the reviews as they are stated,,, the  good and  the  bad,,, with all the  facts,,, grant you the  500 watt element  does not put out a  lot  of  heat, though it  will slow cook a 10 lb roast in several  hours generally making it  tender in the  process,,,

as for the smoker not holding  temps,, you  do have a good  point there, and there are some variables there as well...  wind, outside temps... cold temperatures,  heavy meat loads, the smoker could better insulated,,, larger element,,,

only thing i can say,,, nothing is really perfect just have to  adjust to how the unit is built....we can always  do a  cold  smoke and  move the meat into the oven  inside the house to  complete,,, or  into crock pots to complete,,,

[Grouperman941]

I was going to chime on, but then checked that old thread. I would say exactly the same thing again.  :o

I think the Bradley smoker is a great product. It is not always capable of doing exactly what users want it to do, but that is the users pushing the limits and not a flaw in the product, IMO.

But the smoker is modified fairly easily to accommodate these other uses, so that is a plus in my book.

I am not sure what you would want Bradley to say. If you have been reading the forum for six months, you can see that stock Bradleys put out a ton of great food.
And you can see the issues people have had and how they addressed them.

[TedEbear]

That's all I am looking for is two cent reviews to help me make the right decision

Have you looked at the Bradleys selling on Amazon?  The digital 4-rack has close to 300 reviews and the 6-rack has over 100.  Both are rated 4 out of 5 stars.

I have a non-digital OBS.  In its stock form, it could probably do what I want.  I modified mine with a second 500W element and a PID controller, mainly because I like to tinker.  It was a big improvement.  Unless you need the larger 6-rack, my suggestion would be to go with the less expensive non-digital 4-rack and add an Auber plug-n-play PID controller.  It will give you much better temp control.

[Wildcat]

Bradley is great for what is was designed for. If you want to cook fast or at higher temps, then I recommend getting a pellet grill. If you want the real benefit of cold smoking, low and slow hot smoking, and pure smoke flavor then I recommend the Bradley. I have both. Of the Bradey line, I recommend the OBS. IMHO it has less that can go wrong. If you need tight temp control for things like sausage then add a PID. Do they sometimes have issues? Yes. Show me a product that does not. Bradley has great customer service. Most companies do not.

[GusRobin]

Regarding your post about Bradley not posting---This is not a Bradley customer service forum. It is true that Bradley sponsors it but its main purpose is to be a user forum, a place where Bradley owners could exchange experiences and ideas.

[meed9]

Thank you for taking the time for your replies...now I will wait for the Bradley to go on sale....thanks again people