Which of these grills is better? Is there a way to determine which of these brands are the best choice? That is what we’ve decided to investigate in our Camp Chef pellet grill vs Traeger comparison!
It’s safe to say that the pellet grills quickly become one of the most popular types of grills in America. And we can’t say that the fact that the sales of the pellet grills continue to rise by 9.1% annually, really surprises us. After all, these cooking devices are very convenient, versatile and provide you with only the juiciest and delicious food.
Pellet grills were invented in the 1970s after the use of wood pellets for generating heat. Jerry Whitfield and Joe Traeger invented stove works by burning small wood pieces for smoking, grilling, or cooking. And with years people have only improved these amazing devices – added more features, made the design a lot more sleek and elegant, allowed the process to be easier e.t.c.
Nowadays there are so many options in the market you can choose from, however, two of the most popular brands and best pellet grills brands, that provide only the highest quality for an affordable price are Camp Chef and Traeger. And these two have become quite the talk among the BBQ enthusiasts.
You see, while both of these brands offer the highest quality, there is always one brand that stands out, which sparked the Camp Chef pellet grill vs Traeger debate. Some claim that Camp Chef is the top choice, while others claim that Traeger offers the best pellet grills in the market.
Pellet Grills: A Brief Overview
Pellet grills are outdoor cooking devices that use little pieces of hardwood. These are put into a hopper and lead to the auger device which puts the pieces into the fire in the cooking chamber. Pellet grills allow you to control the cooking temperature and they are powered by electricity.
Now, some claim that cooking food in high heat with open fuel burning is a health risk, and that is true when you ignore the pellet grill safety rules. Otherwise, it’s no more dangerous than microwaving or deep frying your food.
So now that we’ve learned what a pellet grill is, let’s now take a closer look at the Camp Chef pellet grill vs Traeger and see what each of these offers.
Know the Brands: Camp Chef vs Traeger
Traeger
The Traeger pellet grill is the original brand and was first made in 1985 and it has quite an interesting history behind it: originally the founder of this brand, Joe Traeger decided to work on a grill that would use wood pellets, since the gas grill he previously owned was caught on fire. So a year after that he created the first Traeger grill patent, and in 1988 already sold the first model.
For years the company was working and improving their products so that nowadays they could provide only high-quality products, which are often named some of the best pellet grills under 1000.
Camp Chef
This Camp Chef brand was established in the 1990s and its major focus was to create portable and high-quality grills, perfect for campers. Although this brand is newer than Traeger, they’ve already been named one of the best pellet grills for the amazing design, good price, and supreme quality of their products.
Comparing the Two Brands
So now that we know a little more about the history of these 2 brands, let’s dive into the Camp Chef vs Traeger pellet grill comparison and see what these 2 brands can offer:
Models
Different models provide different grilling experiences and it’s important to understand what exactly Camp Chef vs Traeger pellet grill can provide.
This, when creating our pellet grill reviews, we’ve learned that Traeger provides 21 models. From portable to large commercial ones, this brand has all types you might need.
Meanwhile, Camp Chef has 10 models of this equipment of all sizes. This brand also focuses on charcoal and gas grills, so it makes sense why it has fewer pellet grills models.
Winner
The winner in this Traeger vs Camp Chef is the former since Traeger has a lot of models on offer.
Temperature Range
From the Traeger pellet grills review, it becomes clear that Traeger provides temperatures from 180F to 400F, while Camp Chef – 160F to 500F. Thus, the temperatures are the main differences in Camp Chef pellet grill vs Traeger, but all of them are within the optimal pellet grill cooking temperature norm.
Winner
Camp Chef is the best one in this category since it provides a temperature range where anything can be cooked perfectly.
Temperature Control
In this category for Camp Chef vs Traeger, Traeger provides a variety of temperature control equipment. You can take the temperature as low as 165F and as high as 400F to 500F. And when we created our Camp Chef pellet grill reviews we’ve noticed that it provides the temperature of the same range as Traeger. And also, you can increase or decrease the temperature by 10F on their dial setting.
Winner
Traeger wins by a slight margin because of their temperature control device.
Cooking Area
While both the Camp Chef Pellet Grill vs Traeger provide a nice cooking area. However, after further investigation in our pellet grill reviews, we’ve noticed that Camp Chef usually provides more cooking space than Traeger.
Winner
Here the winner is Camp Chef since it has more cooking space.
Hopper Capacity
This feature is very important for your overall experience. After all, if the hopper is small then you will have to constantly refuel it, which just too inconvenient. All the best Camp Chef pellet grills can hold from 18 pounds to 22 pounds of pellets. Whereas Traeger ones can hold up to 18 pounds of wood pieces.
Winner
Here the winner is Camp Chef because of their large hopper capacity.
Technological Advancements
The technology of Traeger grills constantly changes and improves, and you can definitely expect some novelty with every new model.
Meanwhile, Camp Chef doesn’t make many changes and sticks to their old models. They use the same technology on all the types and the temperate control can be done by 10 degrees.
Winner
Here the winner is Traeger since it constantly updates and improves its technology.
Additional Features
Both woodwind grill vs Traeger have plenty of models with additional features that enhance the entire cooking process of cooking.
These brands provide basic features like side shelves and others. However, Traeger is more technologically advanced and Camp Chef has side burners that use propane, which is a lot more convenient. Moreover, the latter brand has a lot more versatile grills and usually provides way more advanced features.
Winner
Camp Chef for more variety of features.
Overall Comparison Table
| Camp Chef | Traeger | |
| Pellet Models Available | 10 | 21 |
| Temperature Ranges | 160F – 500F /+-10F | 165F-500F /+-5 |
| Temperature Controls | Increase or decrease by 10F | Flexible temperature control within a range |
| Top Features | Sophisticated cooking space; High Hopper Capacity | Technologically Advanced; Flexible Temperature control |
| Warranty | 3 years | 3 years |
| Overall pros | Best quality grills | Variety of models; Affordable |
| Overall cons | Not making enough pellet grills | Making just pellet grills |
Verdict
So overall, what can be said about the Camp Chef pellet grill vs Traeger debate? Is there any clear winner here? Well, as you can see, they go pretty much neck to neck, however, the Camp Chef won by just one point.
While both the Traeger pellet grill vs Camp chef are amazing cooking devices, the choice is entirely up to your preferences – Traeger has a lot more advanced technology that allows better cooking control and has been around for longer than its competitor. Meanwhile, Camp Chef is a lot more affordable, accurate, and usually has more features.
So consider which is more important to you, and decide which pellet grill would be the best for you!
And if you have some experience with some of these models, don’t hesitate to share it with us in the comments! That way you’ll help more people make the right and good choice!
