Head-to-head · Best Pellet Grills Under $1000

Pit Boss 440D2 Wood Pellet Grill vs Weber Searwood 600 Pellet Grill

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Weber Searwood 600 Pellet Grill comes out ahead by a clear margin (5.0 vs 4.2). Weber Searwood 600 Pellet Grill is best for: cooks who want one pellet grill that can both smoke low and slow and sear steaks. Read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #4 in Best Pellet Grills Under $1000

Pit Boss 440D2 Wood Pellet Grill

4.2

1 sourceall derived$411as of Aug 1

Portability meets a large 518 sq. in. cooking surface in the Pit Boss PB440D2, built from porcelain-coated steel with digital temperature control. Reviewers praised the convection cooking method, which opens up several cooking styles without a rotisserie, and the attractive two-tone copper and black finish. The 5 lb. hopper capacity and the need for careful handling are the drawbacks. Some reviewers focused on how portable and easy to use it is; others kept coming back to that small hopper. It appeals to home cooks who want a premium, multi-functional pellet grill with real wood-fired flavor and enough room for entertaining a group.

Strengths

— Large cooking area of 518 sq. in. across the primary grate and warming rack
— Porcelain-coated steel construction offers durability and easy cleaning
— Digital temperature control with LED readouts for precise cooking

Watch-outs

— Small hopper capacity of only 5 lbs. requiring frequent refills

$411 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Pellet Grills Under $1000

Weber Searwood 600 Pellet Grill

5.0

1 source$999as of Oct 17

The Weber Searwood 600 is a 648 sq in pellet smoker-grill with a cast aluminium cookbox, a 20 lb side hopper, Wi-Fi app control and a range of 180°F to 600°F. AmazingRibs.com gave it 5/5 and its Platinum Medal, reporting some of the best smoke flavour it has had from a pellet cooker plus genuine searing heat across the whole grate. Serious Eats names it the best pellet smoker from Weber and a strong choice for beginners, though it did not find its wings especially smoky. It suits cooks who want one pellet grill for both brisket and steak; anyone who needs lots of shelf space or wants to move the grill often should look elsewhere.

Strengths

— Produces smoke flavour across its full 180°F to 600°F range, including when searing
— Cooked low-and-slow wings and well-browned seared steaks in the same test run
— Simple enough for beginners to run without reading the manual

Watch-outs

— Grate temperature ran about 15°F below the set point at all tested settings
— Very little work surface; side tables are an optional extra
— Heavy at 125 lb and has no casters on the left legs

$999 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Pit Boss 440D2 Wood Pellet Grill

The Pit Boss 440D2 Wood Pellet Grill lists the same 518 sq. in. cooking area and 5 lb. hopper as the Pit Boss PB440FB1 Pellet Grill 482 Square Inches Black, with a 5-year warranty against the PB440FB1's 1 year. The Traeger Pro 780 and the Traeger Pro 22 Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker each carry an 18 lb hopper. At 97.8 lbs the 440D2 is lighter than the 108 lb PB440FB1 and the 146 lb Traeger Pro 780.

Weber Searwood 600 Pellet Grill

Where the Traeger Pro 780 is aimed at large batches and the Traeger Pro 22 at simple traditional smoking, the Searwood 600 is built around searing as well as smoking, reaching 600°F across its 648 sq in of grates. It lists at $999, at the top of this category's budget.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Pit Boss 440D2 Wood Pellet Grill	Weber Searwood 600 Pellet Grill
Total Cooking Area	518 sq. in.	—
Temperature Range	180°F to 500°F	180°F to 600°F
Hopper Capacity	5 lbs.	20 lb
Control System	Digital Controller	—
Construction	Powder-coated steel	—
Weight	97.8 lbs.	125.4 lb
Dimensions	50.2 x 24 x 39.8 in	45.75 x 38.5 x 23 inches
Warranty	5-year	5 years cookbox; 3 years electronics
Cooking Area	—	648 sq in (420 primary + 228 secondary)
Cookbox	—	Cast aluminium
Connectivity	—	Weber Connect app; two probe ports

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