Big Brother or Big Daddy!

[gathumper]

OK, James.  But, when using either, you won't know, or care, what kind of stainless it is - trust me!  Getting a little too detailed on this one, I'm afraid.  I've never heard anyone say "I really like the #3, but I sure wish it was made out of 304 stainless!"  Not to make light of your concern/opinion, but I think you're splitting hairs.  You won't see, or tell the difference.

Agreed! That's why I said "Not a show stopper for the SI3" and "I wouldn't let the type of stainless sway my decision"!

What could probably move me from the SI3 to the SI4 is the extra height, extra shelves, and maybe the heating element and smoke box.

I'm pretty well sold on the SI smoker, and would probably be happy with either SI3 or SI4.

[DiggingDogFarm]

The extra height is the main reason I bought the #4.

[NDKoze]

OK, James.  But, when using either, you won't know, or care, what kind of stainless it is - trust me!  Getting a little too detailed on this one, I'm afraid.  I've never heard anyone say "I really like the #3, but I sure wish it was made out of 304 stainless!"  Not to make light of your concern/opinion, but I think you're splitting hairs.  You won't see, or tell the difference.

Agreed! That's why I said "Not a show stopper for the SI3" and "I wouldn't let the type of stainless sway my decision"!

What could probably move me from the SI3 to the SI4 is the extra height, extra shelves, and maybe the heating element and smoke box.

I'm pretty well sold on the SI smoker, and would probably be happy with either SI3 or SI4.

It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on things and just need to figure out which one is right for you.

[Three Sons BBQ]

It is a compelling story. Let's see how this story ends. 

[PhatterMike]

James,
Here's my pitch for the #4, you can put a ton of meat on and have good spacing from the heat source, I cooked 9 racks of pork today almost 70 lbs and still had 15 inches or so from the bottom rack to the heat.... I love this thing. Had room for another 50 lbs if I needed it, didn't have to move or turn racks.... Cooked it perfect. Good luck.
Merry Christmas to all! 🌴🌲

[PhatterMike]

Finished

[NDKoze]

Wow!!! Nice job Mike. That is a spec of money sitting on the table there isn't it?

[DivotMaker]

Wow!  That's a whole lota ribs there, Mike!  Looking good!

[gathumper]

Just wanted to take moment to check in and say "THANK YOU" to all who have shared their wisdom on this subject. It has ALL been truly appreciated.

My mind is pretty well made up, I really WANT the SI4. But I still might end up with the SI3 and I believe I would be happy with it.

I'm still looking for the weight on SI3 and SI4 if anyone could help out.

I'll check back in with any developments, I'll be talking to Steve again next week and planning to meet him and pick it up when he comes to Nashville in February. I may not make my final decision until I see both units.

Merry Christmas!

[old sarge]

Jim,  Just go with they weights shown. They are either actual weights or shipping weights.  Either way, can't be more than 5 or 10 lbs = or - depending upon model.

[gathumper]

Jim,  Just go with they weights shown. They are either actual weights or shipping weights.  Either way, can't be more than 5 or 10 lbs = or - depending upon model.

I haven't seen any weights listed, let me look a little closer...

Edit: I found the SI3 listed at 135 pounds on Amazon. That's a beast!  Still looking for SI4 weight.

Found this in another thread, I still haven't found it on the site yet, but this is what I needed.

I was wondering if the 4 was a lot heavier than the 3. Not a lot at 15 pounds, but they are both too heavy for me to lift by myself.

Its on their sight if you dig deep enough.  Located under the FAQ section.
1- 62
2- 86
3- 135
4- 150

[DiggingDogFarm]

The 150 lb. weight on the #4 is the shipping weight...not the net weight of the smoker.

The #4 has definitely got to weigh more than 15 lbs. more than the #3.



=Martin=

[DiggingDogFarm]

Yeah...those weights are off...the shipping weight of my #1 was 57 lbs.

[gathumper]

Amazon has shipping weight for the #1 at 62 pounds, #2 at 96 pounds, and #3 at 135.

(not that that's the final word) 

I'll confirm the dimensions when I talk to Steve next week. Just watching the video on the #4 and it says 18x18 inside, so I guess at some point it changed?  (It also has only two latches in the video)

[DiggingDogFarm]

The weights I posted are from the Fedex tracking information and I think that they should be accurate because Fedex keeps a close eye on weights and measures. In fact...my #4 was sent back to Steve back in February and then resent because there was a discrepancy...I posted about it back then.