Cookshack or Cabelas or are they the same?

Can't give a direct answer,but CS has made for other folks,even in different colors.

Cabelas has been a long time seller of CS.

I know one of their past sellers went to China and started getting knockoffs that were cheaper.

I guess you could check to see if the Cabelas are made in Ponca City,OK

That is definitely NOT a CS OEM product! I don't know who makes it and I'm not saying anything bad about it, but it's not made by CS.

I want a CS 150, but I don't like the price, and I don't like the "optional" probe for $240. I think it's cheap of CS to call this probe optional on a $3700 smoker. And I think $3700 is too much for the 150 too. So I went looking. Smokin' Tex has a new smoker that is in the same league as the SM150 size wise. I looked. I looked. I looked some more. I like the shelf size. Plus 1 for ST, but then my momentum stopped. I've seen Smokin Tex smokers and the quality ain't there. The ST is sub $3,000, but based on quality needs to be sub $2,200 before I'd see the value. Actually, the ST at $3,000 makes the CS 150 look like a better deal at $3700. How the h*ll did that happen? So heck, I'm either waiting until I can get the 150, or I'll do a couple of Ameriques, which come WITH a probe and which I can buy one unit at a time as needed. I'll spend less on two Ameriques, have more capacity than 1 SM150, have all stainless, and have my probes, and be able to go to 300*. This would give me an impressive, though non-symmetrical 3 Ameriques and 1 Smokette in my smoking arsenal. If CS thought like the American car manufacturers, they'd discontinue the Amerique on Monday.

I liked this quote: "There is scarcely anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey."

Look at these links, which like me, are not exactly on point, but close, and interesting.

Smokin Tex Vs. Cookshack
http://www.charcoalstore.com/kb/article.php?id=014

Smokin Tex Vs. Cookshack II
http://www.charcoalstore.com/kb/article.php?id=015

Smokin Tex Vs. Cookshack III
http://www.charcoalstore.com/kb/article.php?id=016

Smokin Tex Vs. Cookshack IV
http://www.charcoalstore.com/kb/article.php?id=017

Smokin Tex Vs. Cookshack V
http://www.charcoalstore.com/kb/article.php?id=018

He also loves the FEC. People thinking about an FEC should read this.

http://www.charcoalstore.com/kb/article.php?id=003

http://www.charcoalstore.com/kb/article.php?id=005

Poor Bradley
http://www.charcoalstore.com/kb/article.php?id=008

Oh, and the point of this rant is that the Smokin Tex is likely the closest in quality to the Cookshack where they have similar product offerings, but they are still far from CS in quality IMO. Most other readily available smokers in this 100# class are either ginormous commercial units or really cheap metal boxes with a hot plate in the bottom.

And hey you Cookshack folks, you'all are great, but the pricing on the 150 is a little weird. I can't exactly say why, but it is, and I wish you'd mark it down like they do everything at Wal-Mart.

In summary, I can only think of the old cliche "You get what you pay for". In the case of a CS smoker, it is absolutely true.

On pricing the 150 without a probe, I can see why they do that. Not everyone that gets a 150 will want or use the probe. So from CS's point of view, it would be better to price the probe separately and try to accomodate both types of buyers for the CS. At least that is what I would do.

On a different note, have you talked to CS to see if they have any refurbished 150s for sale. Sometimes they get one in when someone trades up for a larger model. They refurbish the old unit and sell it a lower price but with a full warranty if I am correct.

My wife thinks I spend too much money on "gadgets". I have this 53" stainless steel Viking grill in an outdoor kitchen. She just couldn't understand why I wanted a Cookshack.

And if I had to have a smoker, what was wrong with the previous two water smokers, which lasted 5.5 years total? Get it? After seeing the Cookshack quality and eating the product from that little beauty, she's a happy camper. Sometimes, I make dumb purchases, but this wasn't one of them. Before my purchase, I went to the sites comparing the Cookshack to Smokin Tex and the review of the Bradley. Spend money on something that will last.

Think she'll be pissed in a couple years when I want to trade up to a larger smoker?

quote:

Originally posted by RibDog:

On a different note, have you talked to CS to see if they have any refurbished 150s for sale. Sometimes they get one in when someone trades up for a larger model. They refurbish the old unit and sell it a lower price but with a full warranty if I am correct.

I'm on their list, but it's like waiting for an organ transplant. They don't know when they'll have one. But that aside, I really don't have a problem going with another(or 2) Amerique. I'll have more space, greater redundancy, and I'll cook more often with a full load. All good things in my book.

I talked to a CS sales rep last week and asked if there was some flaw in this equation I just wasn't seeing. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he had nothing. He pretty much agreed with me. Oh well.

Oh, about the probe. You see, I think of the controller and the probe as working together. Without the probe, you just paid (I'm guessing) $700 for a digital readout vs the rotary knob on a Smokette for instance. Without the probe, I can't use the hold features and I've still got to have a therm anyway, so I'd rather have a $3000, no electronics version of the 150(that won't reset if the power blinks I might add), than a $3700 dollar version with a fancy readout and timer, that only becomes fully functional for another $240. I don't disagree with your approach, I just look at it a little differently.

ST could shut down production of their 1500CXLD if CS did this. There'd be no way anyone would choose ST over CS if the prices were close.

My only complaint about any CS digital smoker is the lack of a battery backup. As a former electronic engineer, I can assure you that the parts to allow for a 9v battery backup for the controller electronics would cost no more than $.50 per unit if they asked for it on their next production run.

Not sure why this is in the Pros forum, I'll move it to the "which smoker" area

quote:

They also have their own brand of smokers the smokehouse Pro series. These look nice and I thought I heard somewhere that they were made by cookshack.

From what I know CS doesn't make that for them. Looking at the photos there are enough similarities,my guess it's a chinese made knockoff of several CS models.

From what I can see, it has a heatplate in the bottom and you have to fill it with pellets, etc. You'll have to manually monitor that as I don't see an auto feed.

I don't know anyone who has one, can't really speak to it.

Check out the size of the latches compared to the Cookshack's.

Smokin Okie,

Sorry I put this in here because I am a caterer, and I will be usning this exclusively for catering... guess I should have made this more clear. I want/need NSF rating, and I thought that this section would be my best bet.

Also, do the cookshack models have autofeeders or only the FEC's?

Todd, thanks for the info.

I know that expensive is cheap and cheap is expensive in the long run, but if it was an OEM, I'd be fine with that... like buying a chevy instead of a pontiac. Same car, slightly different accessories, and lower price point.

Since it's not, I'm not very interested anymore.

I like the Amerique idea. I'll probably go that route. Is it NSF rated?

Thanks,
Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Woodys Pig Roasts:

Also, do the cookshack models have autofeeders or only the FEC's?

I like the Amerique idea. I'll probably go that route. Is it NSF rated?

The Cookshack models don't require an autofeeder since they are heated electrically and you just fill up the woodbox at the beginning of the smoke.

I think all of the CS smokers are NSF approved, but call CS and check for yourself because I'm not positive. I know that I've seen several delis and sandwich shops using the residential line of smokers here in NC without problems.

Todd,

I didn't see you are in Raleigh.

I learned to cook hogs down there from Ed Mitchell. My Brother in Law used to manage "The Pit"

Thanks for all the advice.

Mike

I don't have the time tonight to give great thought to this question,but:

My CS 160 is an 1996 model,and I'd take it on the pro circuit to cook my big meats,if I could.

I can't speak to the probe,but do cook on the time /temp controllers.

Yes, we have three models of FEC s,I love them,and DO take them on the pro circuit

Trust me,I could call a neighbor,that can barely operate a GM product pickup.

Over my cellphone,I could coach him thru loading and cooking a load of butts,and leave them for me to take out,when I came in ,12 hrs later.

He wouldn't be there.

Tropical storms,wind,rain,salt pour thru it.

I cleaned it a couple years ago,but I do foil areas that accumulate heavy grease/drippings.

If the probes work this much better,they must be something.

If not,they are still hard to beat-especially with min wage labor.

okay, if it's for catering

There are two basic lines for CS

The CS line is all electric and there are home and restaurant (restaurant #'s are 150, 200, 300) then there are the FE Pellet Smokers which run on 100% wood (pellets) and have the 150, 300, 500, 750 models (later three all are rotisserie)

The # on thing to consider is customer service. For me, if I'm buying professional, I want to know the company standing behind it. I'm not sure who in Cabela's services that line, but I do not CS.

Really depends on style of cooking and quanitity as to whether the FE or CS fits the bill. LOTS of both units in restuarants and catering

Trust me you cant go wrong with a CS or a FEC i went from a CS55 to a FEC100 in 3 months because i loved the product i turned out and i was born and raised in TX. Grew up on eating stick burners but the FEC is so easy the wife can do it (if i would let her)