Flameboss vs Smobot

Ragtop99

the one nice advantage of a blower is the ability to quickly raise the temp.  When I finish a rack of ribs the last few minutes I like to raise the temp and glaze the sauce.  I'll crank the pit setting to 400 and it pushes the fan a high rate and my XL heats up much faster then if I were to merely open the draft door and top and wait for the fire to naturally build.

I also use a battery with my FB as I don't have power nearby.  Probably need a slightly larger battery compared to Smobot.

I do like the passive nature of Smobot and my older FB had to be manually controlled on thanksgiving.  Most of the time I don't use it and cook manually.

reinhart36

Ragtop99 said:

the one nice advantage of a blower is the ability to quickly raise the temp.  When I finish a rack of ribs the last few minutes I like to raise the temp and glaze the sauce.  I'll crank the pit setting to 400 and it pushes the fan a high rate and my XL heats up much faster then if I were to merely open the draft door and top and wait for the fire to naturally build.

@ragtop99, what's the time differential you noted with a blower vs with passive climb up (with vents wide open) for a change of 250 - 400?  Somehow, in detailed testing, I didn't see a hint of this after careful comparisons.  Not on the BGE (L).

GrillSgt

Leaving your egg open for a few minutes is the fastest way to heat up no matter which device you use. 

reinhart36

GrillSgt said:

Leaving your egg open for a few minutes is the fastest way to heat up no matter which device you use. 

That's spot on, @grillsgt, at least per my measurements.

Ragtop99

reinhart36 said:

Ragtop99 said:

the one nice advantage of a blower is the ability to quickly raise the temp.  When I finish a rack of ribs the last few minutes I like to raise the temp and glaze the sauce.  I'll crank the pit setting to 400 and it pushes the fan a high rate and my XL heats up much faster then if I were to merely open the draft door and top and wait for the fire to naturally build.

@ragtop99, what's the time differential you noted with a blower vs with passive climb up (with vents wide open) for a change of 250 - 400?  Somehow, in detailed testing, I didn't see a hint of this after careful comparisons.  Not on the BGE (L).

Eric,
I haven't put a stop watch on it, but I'd estimate at least 3, and close to 5 minutes with a my 18" pizza stone in place, which I use in lieu of a plate setter.  When the blower kicks on, the needle really starts to move.  Much faster than when the unit is passive. 

Most of us have experienced using forced air on a fire and seeing it grow.  Whether using a a fan like the BBQ Dragon, a hair drier (without added heat) or old fashion bellows, the fire grows faster than if no forced air is used. Yet your results find a Flame Boss fan running at 80%+ has no effect on the fire compared to passive?  

The L and M have a slightly different shape than the XL and may respond differently.  Without a stopwatch, I can confidently state that my medium will go from 250* to 500* before my XL will go from 250* to 400* on a passive basis.  So maybe that explains the results on the large, but it still doesn't make 100% sense to me that a fan would have no effect over a passive system, especially when starting at a low temp like 250*.

reinhart36

When the blower kicks on, the needle really starts to move.  Much faster than when the unit is passive. 

Right.  But had you opened up all the airflow passages fully?  Cap off, lower vent fully open?  Apples and oranges.

You're still offering conjecture not applicable to the circumstances.  "At least 3 minutes"  You didn't consult a watch or clock, but you can state that.  My god man, get a life.

I am truly sorry I couldn't get your son a job, though I tried very hard.  Your kid, while being a nice guy in my opinion, simply didn't posses a resume that was impressive to any of the technical folks I know.

HeavyG

Ragtop99 said:

reinhart36 said:

Ragtop99 said:

the one nice advantage of a blower is the ability to quickly raise the temp.  When I finish a rack of ribs the last few minutes I like to raise the temp and glaze the sauce.  I'll crank the pit setting to 400 and it pushes the fan a high rate and my XL heats up much faster then if I were to merely open the draft door and top and wait for the fire to naturally build.

@ragtop99, what's the time differential you noted with a blower vs with passive climb up (with vents wide open) for a change of 250 - 400?  Somehow, in detailed testing, I didn't see a hint of this after careful comparisons.  Not on the BGE (L).

Eric,
I haven't put a stop watch on it, but I'd estimate at least 3, and close to 5 minutes with a my 18" pizza stone in place, which I use in lieu of a plate setter.  When the blower kicks on, the needle really starts to move.  Much faster than when the unit is passive. 

Most of us have experienced using forced air on a fire and seeing it grow.  Whether using a a fan like the BBQ Dragon, a hair drier (without added heat) or old fashion bellows, the fire grows faster than if no forced air is used. Yet your results find a Flame Boss fan running at 80%+ has no effect on the fire compared to passive?  

The L and M have a slightly different shape than the XL and may respond differently.  Without a stopwatch, I can confidently state that my medium will go from 250* to 500* before my XL will go from 250* to 400* on a passive basis.  So maybe that explains the results on the large, but it still doesn't make 100% sense to me that a fan would have no effect over a passive system, especially when starting at a low temp like 250*.

Using a blower fan on a kamado is not the same thing as using a blower (like the Dragon) in a narrow stream directly onto an active spot of the coal bed. A pit controller is not going to, or even trying to, stoke a coal bed like you're trying to get a coal forge (for heating metal - think horseshoes or knifemaking) at peak heat.

A pit controller fan is forcing air into the entire interior of a kamado thus most of that moving air is not going directly to/thru the spot where your fire is. Certainly enough additional air is going thru it to have an effect but is that better than letting the natural draft of a fully open top and bottom vent (a la Smobot) do its thing?

reinhart36

eesh -  i bite my tongue.

reinhart36

eesh -  i bite my tongue.

Ragtop99

reinhart36 said:

When the blower kicks on, the needle really starts to move.  Much faster than when the unit is passive. 

I am truly sorry I couldn't get your son a job, though I tried very hard.  Your kid, while being a nice guy in my opinion, simply didn't posses a resume that was impressive to any of the technical folks I know.

Eric, this is really a disappointing response.   Why do think that has anything to do with this discussion?  It doesn't.  I thanked you for your effort and was appreciative of any guidance you provided to him. 

Since you brought him up, let me update you on his progress. He landed an internship that year.  He graduated with a 3.8 GPA in Mechanical Engineering this past spring. Upon graduation, he accepted an offer from his first choice.  He likes his job and his compensation is well above the average graduating mechanical engineer.  

stlcharcoal

reinhart36

I'm very happy that everything worked out for him! Clearly, I went to great lengths to help. 

My failure to land that job for him was the only motivation I could think of for  your making uninformed conjecture to the disadvantage of myself, as well as those seeking meaningful feedback. 

I'll just continue to be puzzled.  Anyway,  it's not realistic to expect people to be thoughtful and honest. I'm done spending time reading this stuff or commenting on it. 

Ragtop99

I apologize if you think there was any intent to impinge your character or your product.  I did not make any negative statements about you or Smobot in this thread nor have I made any negative comments in others. If anything, I think you'll find that I've praised the passive design in some of your older threads.  

My opinions on how my blower set-up performs on an XL are not uninformed conjecture, nor are they dishonest.  I have the blower and have cooked with and without it. It's my observation as how my XL behaves when set up for indirect cooking, which is the only time I use the blower.

I'm glad we're done with this too.   

ewyllins

Wow this thread has reminded me of the scene from Airplane with the white zone loading for passengers, no the red zone is for loading of passengers only....and so on and so on 

stlcharcoal

ewyllins said:

Wow this thread has reminded me of the scene from Airplane with the white zone loading for passengers, no the red zone is for loading of passengers only....and so on and so on 

"Oh really, Vernon? Why pretend, we both know perfectly well what this is about... "

ewyllins

stlcharcoal said:

ewyllins said:

Wow this thread has reminded me of the scene from Airplane with the white zone loading for passengers, no the red zone is for loading of passengers only....and so on and so on 

"Oh really, Vernon? Why pretend, we both know perfectly well what this is about... "

Haha wasn't it about some abortion???, Best movie ever. Maybe we can change this thread to Airplane vs Smoking Gun

alaskanassasin

Roger Roger

ewyllins

"Hospital what is it?" " Its a large white building with beds in it but thats not important"

lkapigian

alaskanassasin said:

Roger Roger

And stop calling me Shirley

ewyllins

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smokin
Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

alaskanassasin

Vector Victor

ewyllins

Joey, have you ever been in a turkish prison?

 

RajunCajun

I have owned a DigiQ for many years...long enough to have my first one crap out and get replaced by BBQ GURU.  It's a great little device and it served its purpose and had its challenges as far as I am concerned.  Some things I wont say here, PM me and I will be glad to share that info with you.  Aside from the fan, it also has a damper that requires finesse and finding the sweet spot for various temp setpoints.  I found that the DQ had a way of the temp running off by 50-60 degrees.  I don't get that with the Smobot.  Head-to-head, Smobot wins hands down.  The wifi connectivity feature is a bonus.  Smeauxbot!!

alaskanassasin

Clearance Clarence

ewyllins

Does anyone here speak jive?

HeavyG

ewyllins said:

Does anyone here speak jive?

"Golly".

Bertiebot

reinhart36 said:

BGEFORUM10

  

Hi reinhart36, is the code still valid? I just tried it in your online store and it didn't accept it. I am interested in getting a SMOBOT but am based in the UK so any help in offsetting the shipping and import duty I will have to pay is always welcome .

mEGG_My_Day

Bertiebot said:

reinhart36 said:

BGEFORUM10

  

Hi reinhart36, is the code still valid? I just tried it in your online store and it didn't accept it. I am interested in getting a SMOBOT but am based in the UK so any help in offsetting the shipping and import duty I will have to pay is always welcome .

I would contact them directly from their website ‘get in touch’ feature.  Those guys are really prompt at responding from there.  They are not always lurking around here. 

flexfusion

ewyllins said:

What say you guys? Was thinking of Smobot for some overnight cooks as smobot works more naturally with the design of the egg. I could be wrong.

I've had a SMOBOT now for two years and can't imagine ever using anything other than the SMOBOT.  It's very accurate and and an incredible engineered product. 

speed51133

fireboard here. It works with battery as well.