moelkhuntr
New member
Been in hay field all day and just checked web site and ordered #2.
How did you find out about Smokin-It?
- Thread starter DivotMaker
- Start date
DivotMaker
New member
moelkhuntr said:
Congrats! Oh, on the hay, too!
Looking forward to having you around!
restorick2378
New member
From the looks of this thread I was in the same boat as many others. Not sure about electric smokers, my only experience was a friend's MES and he was hot/cold with how it performed. Another friend got a Traeger for Father's day and raves about it. The food was good, but not really "smoked" if you know what I mean. And I wasn't keen on the combo grill/smoker idea. I already have a well broken in Weber for my grilling, so I really wanted a good smoker.
My brother is into smoking anything, and he knows his way around a charcoal/wood smoker. But quite frankly, while I was learning how to use it, I became frustrated because I'd have to hang around and tend the smoker for 6-10 hours straight. The idea of being able to "set and forget" using the #3 with the Auber PID really got me shifting my preference from wood to electric smokers.
My first real exposure to Smokin-It was like this:
It sounds like a lot of steps, but in reality, it maybe took me 2 search sessions to find this place. That said, I'm a much more patient and determined searcher than the typical consumer.
If Steve is looking to grow the company, my suggestion would be to invest in organic search and not do pay-per-click. PPC is very expensive and can erode cash flow quickly. Organic means getting more videos on YT, doing some site work to get better rankings for keyword searches, maybe even being more visible on some other forums. Maybe even a referral program for existing customers? (hint, hint...)
Not knowing his growth tolerance, he would definitely need to research the options to determine the best option, as nothing would be worse than for him to get a ton of great visibility and not be able to deliver.
For the record, I'm not a web guy, but I do consult with companies on sales, marketing and customer service operations. Also for the record, I'm gonna be on top of the watch tower telling everyone I can about Steve's support, responsiveness, and of course, his product quality (as soon as I get it next Monday! ;D)
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it... Have a great weekend!
Rick
My brother is into smoking anything, and he knows his way around a charcoal/wood smoker. But quite frankly, while I was learning how to use it, I became frustrated because I'd have to hang around and tend the smoker for 6-10 hours straight. The idea of being able to "set and forget" using the #3 with the Auber PID really got me shifting my preference from wood to electric smokers.
My first real exposure to Smokin-It was like this:
- I googled "Traeger alternative" and found some sites for other grills/smokers
- I visited those sites and they pointed me to smoker specific forums
- Cookshack got my attention first, but soon I found Smokin-Tex
- Searching for reviews on that company, I found Smokin-It and liked what I saw
It sounds like a lot of steps, but in reality, it maybe took me 2 search sessions to find this place. That said, I'm a much more patient and determined searcher than the typical consumer.
If Steve is looking to grow the company, my suggestion would be to invest in organic search and not do pay-per-click. PPC is very expensive and can erode cash flow quickly. Organic means getting more videos on YT, doing some site work to get better rankings for keyword searches, maybe even being more visible on some other forums. Maybe even a referral program for existing customers? (hint, hint...)
Not knowing his growth tolerance, he would definitely need to research the options to determine the best option, as nothing would be worse than for him to get a ton of great visibility and not be able to deliver.
For the record, I'm not a web guy, but I do consult with companies on sales, marketing and customer service operations. Also for the record, I'm gonna be on top of the watch tower telling everyone I can about Steve's support, responsiveness, and of course, his product quality (as soon as I get it next Monday! ;D)
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it... Have a great weekend!
Rick
DivotMaker
New member
Thanks for the comments, Rick! Those are things we're actually working on. As you know, it takes a little time in a competitive market to get good ranking. Ben, the IT Guy, is heading that way. One thing that really builds organic results is good content! We're fortunate to be ranking pretty well in searches for recipes and smoking techniques. But yes, I agree that the product website is a little more difficult to find than it should be. Bear with us, and keep those suggestions coming!
Really interesting to see how others made their decision on Smokin-it. For me it wasn't too different. I have been smoking using the Weber 22 inch kettle for a long time. I would throw in the charcoal briquettes a bunch of wood and smoke. Lots of billowing white smoke. It always tasted good, but not like real smoking. It was always a hot smoke, fast. Had to watch it at all times.
Then I got a Landmann vertical propane smoker. This changed everything for me. I was able to maintain a reasonably good and consistent temperature while using my Maverick. But, I had to watch things constantly. A pork butt took all day of watching and tending to the wood box and water pan. Here in South Florida that meant sitting by the pool all day, going in the water when it got too hot and having a few beers. Too tiring for me. Life is tough.
I recently saw an infomercial for the Masterbuilt MES that looked like it was real easy to use. I went online and found Sam's sells the 40 inch for $300 + shipping. I bought it. After trying it a few times and not liking the way the chips burned, I bought the Amazen pellet box. Smoke was better, but I did not like the machine and returned it.
Then I researched and was going to get a pellet smoker like the Rec Tec because it was the cheapest of the better machines, but not really what I wanted. Strictly a price consideration. More than $1000 was too much. I really did not want to spend more than $500. That led me to the Cookshack, high priced, and the SmokinTex a real consideration. Further research came up with the Smokin-it. I liked the price (shipping sucks), the size, the great reviews and the large racks for ribs so I purchased it.
That's my story.
Then I got a Landmann vertical propane smoker. This changed everything for me. I was able to maintain a reasonably good and consistent temperature while using my Maverick. But, I had to watch things constantly. A pork butt took all day of watching and tending to the wood box and water pan. Here in South Florida that meant sitting by the pool all day, going in the water when it got too hot and having a few beers. Too tiring for me. Life is tough.
I recently saw an infomercial for the Masterbuilt MES that looked like it was real easy to use. I went online and found Sam's sells the 40 inch for $300 + shipping. I bought it. After trying it a few times and not liking the way the chips burned, I bought the Amazen pellet box. Smoke was better, but I did not like the machine and returned it.
Then I researched and was going to get a pellet smoker like the Rec Tec because it was the cheapest of the better machines, but not really what I wanted. Strictly a price consideration. More than $1000 was too much. I really did not want to spend more than $500. That led me to the Cookshack, high priced, and the SmokinTex a real consideration. Further research came up with the Smokin-it. I liked the price (shipping sucks), the size, the great reviews and the large racks for ribs so I purchased it.
That's my story.
DivotMaker
New member
Thanks for your story, Arnie! Let me address the shipping, just so you know: SI packages the units well for shipping, but does not "upcharge" for the FedEx shipping. They set the rates, based on weight and distance. These are heavy, over-size packages, and FedEx does a good job getting them across the country undamaged. When you consider the cost savings of going SI over the 2 main competitors, you are still money ahead, even considering the shipping cost. Just my 2¢!
Tony, that was just my editorial comment on shipping...lol I don't like to paying shipping on anything. It didn't stop me or the rest of us from buying this great product. I really did appreciate getting it in less than a week and yes it was packed great. Good thing too because you could see that the box got beat up on the outside and even bent the metal supports inside the box.
I found Smokin-It via user reviews on several different sites for the Masterbuilt smokers. I decided I wanted an electric smoker since I was sick of trying to smoke in my grill and I wanted something that wasn't going to take a lot of hands on during the smoking process. I looked quite a few different ways, from charcoal to propane to pellet and finally electric. After decided I was going to go the electric route, I was getting ready to pull the trigger on an MES, but started more reviews and one common thing I started noticing. Many folks made comments that they wish they had spent the little extra and got a Smokin-It. At that time I had never heard of SI, so I looked them up and liked what I saw. Looks like a solid construction, nice design and reasonable price. So I pulled the trigger a few days later and now I am a happy owner of a #2.
DivotMaker
New member
Barrel99 said:
No worries, Arnie! I didn't see it as complaining, but as an opportunity to clarify, for others, the shipping policy. The question does come up about marking-up shipping and handling.
DivotMaker
New member
Barrel99 said:
Not a bad deal on a 1400, but it's about half the capacity of your #3! It's much more comparable to the #2. You made a great decision in the #3, Arnie!
I just want to give a shout-out to the mystery writer Lee Goldberg who said his Smokin-It #1 was the best birthday present he ever received. He said he would never have to go to a Los Angeles BBQ restaurant again. 8) That got me thinking that maybe I could try this way of cooking even though it looked so complicated and time consuming. Well, the Smokin-It made it a lot easier for a newbie like me and I've really enjoyed having a new appliance that reliably gives delicious results.
DivotMaker
New member
Great to hear, Suzie! Amazing how easy it really is!
Ohio1956
New member
I wore out a smoke hollow smoker. It was a good smoker however; it was hard to clean and I thought it would be nice to find one built with stainless steel. I was ready to buy a Bradley and then I did a search on SS Smokers.
That’s when I found the Smokin-It smokers. I compared the other two brands and I liked the size of the number 3. Like others I thought the shipping was overboard. Then with the weight and over size I decided to pull the trigger. I understand the shipping on the smoker however; it seems like all the shipping is high. Shipping for the Maverick was twice the price as Amazon.
Bottom line, I am only three smokes into this #3 and I would do the same thing again. I think this is what I was looking for. I was going to build one out of stainless and was drawing up plans, now I don’t have to. I will be buying the Auber soon to complete the deal.
That’s when I found the Smokin-It smokers. I compared the other two brands and I liked the size of the number 3. Like others I thought the shipping was overboard. Then with the weight and over size I decided to pull the trigger. I understand the shipping on the smoker however; it seems like all the shipping is high. Shipping for the Maverick was twice the price as Amazon.
Bottom line, I am only three smokes into this #3 and I would do the same thing again. I think this is what I was looking for. I was going to build one out of stainless and was drawing up plans, now I don’t have to. I will be buying the Auber soon to complete the deal.
Google was my friend. I was researching electric because I already knew that Lazy Q was the way for me. I'd never use a stick burner, especially for long smokes because of the fire maintenance required (I live alone) so I wanted to go electric. It quickly got down to Smokin Tex and SI after I read a few MES reviews. Though I couldn't with 100% certainty, I think it was these boards that tipped me towards SI rather than smokin tex.
DivotMaker
New member
Steven, glad to have you with us!! Google has definitely found us; hard not to, when we have such an incredibly active forum! I firmly believe you made the right decision, and it's great to have you in the family!
I'm on a motorcycle forum, where I've been a member for the better part of a decade. Our "Off Topic" section of the forum is one of the most active parts on the forum, and since many of us have been on the forum for quite a long time, we go there to pick "the collective's brain" on thing we're looking to purchase.
When I was moving into a new house earlier this month, I was looking to buy a smoker, and was actually about sold on a XL Big Green Egg. After talking with the guys on the motorcycle forum, a few members recommended going electric, and a couple members have the SI smokers. After hearing their first hand accounts, and seeing that I could get some awesome freebies for being a veteran, it was a no brainer. I liked the build quality and the community here (even though the forum isn't hugely active compared to many other smoking forums).
When I was moving into a new house earlier this month, I was looking to buy a smoker, and was actually about sold on a XL Big Green Egg. After talking with the guys on the motorcycle forum, a few members recommended going electric, and a couple members have the SI smokers. After hearing their first hand accounts, and seeing that I could get some awesome freebies for being a veteran, it was a no brainer. I liked the build quality and the community here (even though the forum isn't hugely active compared to many other smoking forums).
DivotMaker
New member
va_rider said:
Glad you're here, Aaron! I beg to differ, about "hugely active," though! Yes, there are other smoking forums that have more members and posts, but they tend to be "one size fits all" forums - not "one smoker fits all" forums. We are a manufacturer's forum, dedicated to promoting the SI brand of smokers. I challenge you to find another manufacturer's forum that is more active! As you can see, we don't have dozens of boards devoted to charcoal, stick burners, reverse-flow, blah, blah, blah. This is the Smokin-It forum, and we're pretty proud of how fast we've grown.
2 years ago, when I joined, we had 158 members with just over 600 posts. Today, we have 1600 members with almost 29,000 posts! Hang with us, as we grow, and you'll see why we're going to be THE premier upper-end electric smoker forum anyone has ever seen!
Let me just also add that I don't think you'll ever see a closer community of friends, than you will here. As you see, we all post our names and towns, and the discussions are civil and friendly. I spend time on some of the forums you are referring to, and get tired of the fighting and personal attacks. We don't have that here - fortunately! Family atmosphere, and folks that are like family! Stick around, and you'll see what I'm talking about!
