Traeger and Camp Chef have always been well-known brands. For anyone even remotely interested in buying a grill, it's a guarantee that they would've heard about either brand. But buying two grills is unnecessary, and both brands have their differences that aren't so obvious.
To help you make the best choice in selecting a product from either brand, I've made this comparison of the Camp Chef vs Traeger.
Both these brands have made their marks in the grilling and barbeque world thanks to their excellent quality products that never seem to disappoint. However, Traeger focuses on making one product line, their pellet grill, the best in the industry, while Camp Chef likes to broaden their horizons and dive into all types of grills.
This article will be going in-depth on both brands to see if one can come out superior. Personally, when it comes to wood pellet grills, I would go for Traeger because it has never failed in satisfying my grilling needs. On the other hand, Camp Chef is also a very close competitor with grills that I love and would recommend buying.
Can we pick a clear winner?
If so, which one is better, the Traeger or Camp Chef?
Let's jump straight into it!
Camp Chef vs Traeger comparison
For the sake of a fair comparison, we will look at two similar products that both brands offer. That is their top pellet grills. There are many other types of grills that the brands sell, but to keep the comparison consistent and valid, we will only take into consideration the pellet grills.
Before we dive into that, here's a quick look at both the brands:
Traeger overview
Traeger is one of the most loved grill brands out there. Many people think of Traeger when we say the word "grill." This brand aims at giving you a perfectly cooked piece of meat or food item with minimal effort from your side.
Thanks to the many convenient features that the Traeger grills have, all you have to do with most of their products is to turn it on. The next thing to do is place your meat in the grill grate, set the temperature, and get on with other work. That's right. You can set it and forget about it until it is time to take it out.
One important thing to note about Traeger is that they strive to make the best wood pellet grills in the world. Although they have many options of pellet grills under their name, as of late, they have focused more on perfecting their pellet grills.
See more on Amazon: Best Traeger Grill to Buy
Camp Chef Pellet Grill overview
Camp Chef is a relatively newer addition to the best brands for the grills list. The quality and range of products that they sell in the market have raised their name to the top list. This brand aims to give you the best product for any type of outdoor cooking activity.
The results from using a camp chef pellet grill are close to perfect. For a brand that makes many different types of grilling equipment, they sure do an excellent job of giving you quality food. Camp Chef also offers a range of features in their devices that make your outdoor cooking experience so much easier.
Camp Chef does not limit itself to improving and perfecting just one type of grill. They have multiple products under their name and strive to reach perfection with each of them. How far this mentality has put them is not measurable at the moment, but they are not failing at it.
See more on Amazon: Best Camp Chef Pellet Grill to Buy
Camp Chef vs Traeger Brand Comparison
Number of products
As mentioned earlier, Traeger only makes pellet grills, while Camp Chef has many product lines. You will not get a charcoal or gas grill from Traeger. In this area, Camp Chef takes the win with more products to offer for a broader audience.
which brand is more Affordable between camp chef vs traeger?
Traeger pellet grills are much more affordable than Camp Chef grills. Yes, Camp Chef does have some products at competitive prices, but when it comes to pellet grills, Traeger will offer a lesser tag for the same performance.
Who has the better Quality products?
When it comes to quality, there are very few brands that can beat Camp Chef. Although this does not mean that Traeger does not give good quality pellet grills, the quality of the Camp Chef options will be better.
Which brand uses more of the latest technology?
The addition of the latest technology in grills makes grilling much easier such that even beginners can use them. Traeger uses state of the art technology to compete with other brands like Camp Chef. When it comes to this point, the ball is on Traeger's court.
Traeger vs. Camp Chef Smokepro STX Comparison
The Traeger Lil Tex Elite 22 and the Camp Chef Smokepro STX are the two top products of both brands at the time of writing. I've tested, and tasted food prepared using the almost same settings on both and feel it safe to use these two products for the comparison. So here's how they stack up against each other.
Cooking space
Cooking space means the grates or surface on which you place your meat that you want to cook, grill, or smoke. The Traeger Lil Tex Elite 22 has a cooking surface area of 418 square inches while Camp Chef Smokepro STX has 429 square inches of cooking space.
As a result, the Camp Chef Smokepro STX will win if we compare the cooking surface feature. Although it might seem like a small difference to you, you might want to go with Camp Chef if you are planning to hold big barbeque parties more often than not.
Difference in Price between traeger lil tex elite vs camp chef
Usually, Traeger offers more affordable products than Camp Chef. However, for these two products, we find that the Camp Chef Smokepro STX is much more affordable. The Traeger Lil Tex Elite 22 on the other hand costs a little more in this instance or at least at the time of publishing this comparison.
Although these prices may change in the future, one thing we know for sure is that buying the Camp Chef pellet grill will be a better choice if you are on a tight budget.
Click here to Check the Price of the Camp Chef Pellet Grill.
Click here to Check the Price of the Traeger Grill.
Portability
The portability of the pellet grill depends on its size, weight, and rolling wheels. While both the products have an equal number of wheels for transport, they have different masses. A lighter weight will allow you to move it easily.
The Traeger Lil Tex Elite 22 weighs 98 pounds, and the Camp Chef Smokepro STX weighs 110 pounds. It will be lighter and more convenient to move the Traeger around instead of the Camp Chef.
Temperature control and range
The Traeger has a temperature range of 150-degrees to 450-degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, the Camp Chef can keep the temperature at any level between 160-degrees to 500-degrees Fahrenheit.
If you want more range in temperature, the Camp Chef is a better option for you. Camp Chef also has a digital temperature control feature that makes sure the temperature does not fluctuate a lot. Traeger also makes sure that there are as few heat spikes as possible and keeps it between +20 to -20 degree range.
Ease of use and cleaning
Both the products are easy to use thanks to the temperature control features. As for cleaning after use, both of them have coated finishes that make it easy for you to clean after use.
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Pros of Traeger Lil Tex Elite
Cons OF TRAEGER LIL TEX ELITE
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Pros of Camp Chef Smokepro
Cons OF Camp Chef Smokepro
What are the main differences between Camp Chef Pellet Grills vs Traeger?
The difference between Traeger vs Camp Chef brand is that Traeger only makes pellet grills, while Camp Chef makes many different types of grills and products. Moreover, you may have more choices with Camp Chef. However, since Traeger only focuses on pellet grills, you can count their product quality over the Camp Chef Grills in some cases because they are fully focused on one aspect.
Traeger grills are generally more affordable than Camp Chef pellet grills in general. But with the Traeger and Camp Chef Woodwind, the Camp Chef is cheaper and gives an almost identical performance as the other option.
Conclusion
Traeger and Camp Chef are two of the biggest names in the grilling industry, and they have earned their titles by offering excellent products of good quality. If you had to choose between Traeger and Camp Chef for a pellet grill, you could go for either because they both have equal benefits.
While Traeger is sure to provide a reliable grill, you can count on Camp Chef for its quality and ease of controlling the temperature. Both the Camp Chef Smokepro STX and Traeger Lil Tex Elite 22 are excellent choices for your grilling needs.