Discontinuing some models

Donna, that was very kind of you to give the forum an advance heads up. Thanks again for a wonderful residentual line of smokers!!!

any particular reason for discontinuing the black models?

I worked in distribution for 21 years and worked close to the manufacturing process so I'll take a shot at it cause I don't think Cookshack will respond to your question.

They must have been selling more of the stainless steel. Eliminating one type cuts down on raw material inventory by not having to carry both housing materials or paint. Production doesn't have to be changed to handle another material, and the paint process can be eliminated. It makes it simpler and more efficient to manufacture product, maintain inventories and process orders.

The good part is by Cookshack becoming more efficient, it will save us all money in the long run.

You are very welcome. We like to take care of our forum members.

Donna

Big Tub,

Pags had a very good answer. I'll elaborate a little: The cost of powder coating is so high that it brings our cost on the black models up to our cost on the stainless models. The perceived value of the black smokers is lower than the perceived value of stainless steel models so it just didn't make any sense to offer them at the same price. We anticipated that the demand for the black ones would drop sharply when people could get a stainless steel smoker for the same price. When the demand drops, our costs go up, making the black ones less profitable than ever.

As business people know, we have to keep the Cookshack profitable in order to stay in business. We want to keep offering people great smokers for a long time to come, so we have been making some hard decisions lately in order not to sacrifice quality. As Pags so clearly stated, we want to become as efficient as possible so we can continue to deliver high quality smokers at the lowest price, while making a fair profit.

Thanks, Pags. I appreciate your post.

Is the 009 the original with the 14X14 shelves?

Yes, that's right. It won't be available, I just learned, until early April, but if you are ready to order call Karen and place your order early. We won't bill your credit card until it ships.

Any idea what the price is on the stainless 009?

Hogbusguy,

The price of the SM009 is $595 which includes 5 lbs. of hickory wood; 10 oz. bottles of RibRub and Spicy Chicken Rub; an 18 oz. bottle of Cookshack Spicy Barbecue Sauce, and an Operator's Manual. Ships via UPS; shipping is not included in the price, but the price does include top-notch customer service, 24/7 barbecue forum, website with lots of smoking information, and the opportunity to deal with people who really do want you to be happy with your purchase and to become a great barbecue cook!

What type of controller will it have?

It's the same as the model SM009 that we sold up until January, 2009. It has a mechanical controller. It's on our website at http://store.cookshack.com/p-1...stainless-steel.aspx

We sold this model for many years and there are thousands of them still in use. It is a great little workhorse of a smoker.

One really great tip,that MOST new folks won't take advantage of ,is buy a bunch of extra supplies and have them shipped with the cooker.

Buy the cover!

Folks think" what if,or I don't know" but the supplies are excellent and shipping them on an individual basis really runs up the cost.

I'd think about a case of gallons of sauce,and at least a couple large containers of Brisket Rub.

As soon as you start,you'll go thru them fast.

Trust me,I have no connection with the company,but you will kick yourself-a bunch because you didn't listen.

If there is a deal on the 009 look at it.

You can feed two,or twenty,and it will be around when most of us are gone.

Nothing to ever fix,and you will NEVER regret the purchase.

Did Donna say,the forum operates 24/7?

Smokin's gettin' a mite old to stay up past 10 PM-at least I know I am.

Boy, oh boy it is Friday, getting close to lunch time. I would think if a person was going to buy a smoker this year, today would be the BEST day to do it,IMO.

Don't be afraid of that cs020, I have tried to tell people. It is a BARGAIN, I can put my magnetic probe readouts right on the sides of the smoker.

You lurkers will not be disappointed!!! And the owners know what your MISSING, better help yourself today and as Tom said throw on some more rubs. They go fast!

Another reason that the black powder coat was popular is that the magnets won't stick to the stainless,and fingerprints/smears don't show much on the black.

Another item to add to the shipping on your cooker is the big container of the chile mix.We've had threads on how great it is.

On woods,apple and cherry can be difficult to find locally ,so here are good mild fruitwoods that most cooks use.

Also ,one more rub,besides the truly great Brisket rub, is chicken.

For those that hotcook chicken,or do grilling,or frying,the chicken rub has no sugar-so it won't scorch.It is a cajun/creole style.

On stainless,another tip.

Get those rubber ,suction cup ,sponge holders from Bed,Bath,etc and stick to the stainless.

Holds multiple therm units and fits well around the exhaust on the FEc s.

true story on the 009...
its pretty much a lifetime purchase.
I was getting worried about parts cause mine is getting old...er
glad to see them bringing it back!!

another stainless tip-buy the stainless steel wipes made for stoves and refriderator they clean your unit up nice and quick and are throwaway.

I have a 08 and a 055, both are used every weekend, my question is, what about any repair parts and/or accessories for these models?

Thanks
Bud

Instant guess is that most single items come from other major parts suppliers,are so well tested out,and fit over 50 years' of sales units to individuals,restaurants,caterers that the family/ company will have a strong interest in maintaining that relationship.

budman,

Don't worry, we will continue to provide parts and service for older models. I don't know what the situation is with accessories, but many of them are interchangeable among models.

Thanks, Tom, you are absolutely right.

quote:

Originally posted by Tom:
... over 50 years' of sales ...

Now, Tom, let's don't exaggerate, Cookshack's 50th year does not start until May 1, 2011. :-) Just kidding you.

It hardly seems possible that we have been around that long. Wait, that's not quite accurate. It hardly seems possible that we have been around that long AND I can remember when the company started!

Nothing wrong with having the quality and reputation for so long that its hard to keep track of.

Before purchasing, what I believe is the perfect smoker for me (SM020), I read this thread. I later found a SM020 offered at Cabelas.com for sale. I assumed it was old stock and I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one before they were all gone. However, I was surprised to find a manfactured date of Aug 2010 on my smoker when it arrived in Sep 2010. This leads me to believe that Cookshack has an exclusive agreement with Cabelas to provide this model. I for one am very thankful that this unit is still being built and sold. It represents a fantastic value for a full featured quality smoker. You can not find a smoker with near this quality, 18" width racks, and digital controls for this price. Since there are cheap knockoffs which TRY to compete with the Cookshack name, it surprises me that Cookshack doesn't continue to offer this model for sale themselves, or at least provide a link to the Cabelas site to notify people of this offering. I would have prefered buying this unit through Cookshack if it would have been for sale. However, I guess Cookshack still benefits with their units being sold by other vendors. I almost didn't find this deal, and for a very brief moment almost considered going to the darkside and buying a cheap clone. Whoa, I am so glad that I didn't make that mistake. Thanks again Cookshack for making a wonderful product that is made in the good ole USA!!!