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Flame Boss or Digi-Q

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KentuckyBoy
KentuckyBoy Posts: 28
in EggHead Forum
Does either have an advantage over the other?
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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    Flame Boss is stupid easy to use and customer service is over the top excellent.
    I have both and have not used my Digi-Q since getting Flame Boss.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • chuckytheegghead
    chuckytheegghead Posts: 1,201
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    Flameboss. 100%
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,373
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    Flame Boss.  Great hardware and their customer service is amazing.  Called with a few questions on Good Friday and talked to the owner.  Called again a week or so later on a Sunday and got the owner again.  He spent 20 minutes with me walking through menu settings.
    No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses. - Herman Melville
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  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,692
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    KentuckyBoy said:
    Does either have an advantage over the other?
    Flameboss all the way.  Guru is 5+ year old technology and doesn't even have a variable speed fan.

    Send me a an email if you want the login for mine.  You can play with the setting and see how it works.
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  • Hotch
    Hotch Posts: 3,564
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    Stoker
    Large BGE, MiniMAX BGE, 2 Mini BGE's, R&V Fryer, 36" Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Dual Burner 40K BTU Stove
    BGE Chiminea
    Prosper, TX
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  • SSQUAL612
    SSQUAL612 Posts: 1,186
    edited July 2017
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    FB 300...easy setup & friendly interface or APP for IPhone coupled with strong customer service support. Only one I've seen with variable speed fan. 
    Tyler, TX   XL BGE 2016, KJ Classic 2019,  MES, 18.5 WSM,  Akorn Jr,  36"&17" Black Stone, Adj Rig, Woo, Grill Grates, SS Smokeware Cap, KAB,  FB 300, Thermapen 
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  • Hungry Joe
    Hungry Joe Posts: 1,567
    edited July 2017
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    SSQUAL612 said:
    FB 300...easy setup & friendly interface or APP for IPhone coupled with strong customer service support. Only one I've seen with variable speed fan. 

    So can the variable speed fan be dampened off like the BBQ Guru? I've run a DigiQ  for over ten years and don't see the need for a variable speed fan. I would think dampened off would be better then a wide open hole and a variable speed fan.

    Or maybe I just need an education so I can spend more money!

    I have been thinking about going wireless lately and the fact the flame boss 300 can be used wireless without wifi is a plus for me. Also there is a new updated Cyber-Q that I plan to check out. It seems to do a lot of the things the FlameBoss does.

    And of coarse I plan on looking at the Stoker, which I think is king but a little pricier but can handle more probes.
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  • SSQUAL612
    SSQUAL612 Posts: 1,186
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    @Hungry Joe  They are various adapters for the different model grills so once installed you close the lower vent and the fan will adjust the airflow required to maintain your set temp.  The fan output will decrease to ensure you don't overshoot your set point and it will come on and off at various output to hold your temp and also senses when you open the dome and you set the time it will delay before starting the fan again.  The graph of your cook is visible and you can see how quick it reaches temp, fan output over time, meat temp over time so you see a stall if applicable & how long for it to push through.  You can edit settings remotely too so you don't have to get out of bed to push it up a little if needed.You can have up to 3 meat probes with the FB 300 by adding Y Cables.    Like other things on the forum everyone has a preference and this happens to be the one I went with and so far it's made long cooks real easy.

    Here's a quick video showing an overview...fast forward to where he does the installation.  FF to 2:12 for the Flame Boss portion.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuokni5TOL8&t=13s


    I like this video better though.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdtdoJWzTQo



    Tyler, TX   XL BGE 2016, KJ Classic 2019,  MES, 18.5 WSM,  Akorn Jr,  36"&17" Black Stone, Adj Rig, Woo, Grill Grates, SS Smokeware Cap, KAB,  FB 300, Thermapen 
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  • Gym
    Gym Posts: 366
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    I've been told the app for iPhone will soon also be for Android.
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  • mvnole
    mvnole Posts: 54
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    I like the flame boss, but damn sure this morning putting on a brisket, the meat temp probe crapped out. Only about a year old.  Went back to the old wireless green egg thermometer, which reads 9 degrees different on each side. Thank goodness for the thermopen. 
    LBGE 
    FWB, FL
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  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,692
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    Hungry Joe said:
    SSQUAL612 said:
    FB 300...easy setup & friendly interface or APP for IPhone coupled with strong customer service support. Only one I've seen with variable speed fan. 

    So can the variable speed fan be dampened off like the BBQ Guru? I've run a DigiQ  for over ten years and don't see the need for a variable speed fan. I would think dampened off would be better then a wide open hole and a variable speed fan.

    Or maybe I just need an education so I can spend more money!

    I have been thinking about going wireless lately and the fact the flame boss 300 can be used wireless without wifi is a plus for me. Also there is a new updated Cyber-Q that I plan to check out. It seems to do a lot of the things the FlameBoss does.

    And of coarse I plan on looking at the Stoker, which I think is king but a little pricier but can handle more probes.
    Different way of doing it with the FB.

    It has a variable speed fan, so you don't need a damper.  They experimented with it, but it just caused problems.  You close the daisy wheel all the way, so the "wide open hole" in the bottom doesn't really matter.  It's less than 1 sq-in, and there's no where for that air to go if the daisy wheel is closed.  The variable speed fan pushes it through the gaps in gasket or cap to stoke the fire.  Guru is either on or off, and you have to set the damper.  It's worked for 7-8 yrs now, but there's new technology.  The FB learns as it goes and adjusts the fan speed as it goes.  It also automatically downloads free firmware and can be serviced by FB remotely (that's rarely free in this world--$300 to update the software in my Valentine1 radar detector for instance.)

    Nothing wrong with the Guru, but you don't see many people out dropping $400-500 on an iPhone 4 when you could have a 7 for another couple hundred bucks.  Same scenario here.  Just newer technology and more functions for a few hundred more (and MUCH superior customers support on the off chance you need it.)
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  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,692
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    mvnole said:
    I like the flame boss, but damn sure this morning putting on a brisket, the meat temp probe crapped out. Only about a year old.  Went back to the old wireless green egg thermometer, which reads 9 degrees different on each side. Thank goodness for the thermopen. 

    I always recommend people get an extra meat & pit probe.  The probes are the sacrificial parts to ANY temp controller and go out without warning.  Sometimes they last a few months, mine have lasted 3 yrs.  They are covered under warranty, but you're SOL if the pit probe goes out.  Have an extra one on hand, you'll need it eventually.  And with the 300, you can use the extra meat probe for a second meat if/when you need to.
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  • SSQUAL612
    SSQUAL612 Posts: 1,186
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    stlcharcoal said:
    mvnole said:
    I like the flame boss, but damn sure this morning putting on a brisket, the meat temp probe crapped out. Only about a year old.  Went back to the old wireless green egg thermometer, which reads 9 degrees different on each side. Thank goodness for the thermopen. 

    I always recommend people get an extra meat & pit probe.  The probes are the sacrificial parts to ANY temp controller and go out without warning.  Sometimes they last a few months, mine have lasted 3 yrs.  They are covered under warranty, but you're SOL if the pit probe goes out.  Have an extra one on hand, you'll need it eventually.  And with the 300, you can use the extra meat probe for a second meat if/when you need to.
    If you have the BBQ Guru probe tree it has an adapter to accommodate a meat probe for monitoring pit temp. 
    Tyler, TX   XL BGE 2016, KJ Classic 2019,  MES, 18.5 WSM,  Akorn Jr,  36"&17" Black Stone, Adj Rig, Woo, Grill Grates, SS Smokeware Cap, KAB,  FB 300, Thermapen 
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