A dead Masterbuilt...

[Jaxon]

Dadgum..it stinks!

I'm pretty hacked off.  The original Masterbuilt 40" I had was toast before the warranty ran out.  They replaced it.  Yesterday, the replacement quit heating whilst I was trying to cook some ribs.  The lights were on, it showed that the unit was heating, but the burner was cool to the touch and would NOT warm up again.

It's too small to build a fire in.  I can't keep the Amaz-n-smoker box going inside the cabinet for cold smokin'.

I guess I can lie it down on its back, pull the door off, fill it with dirt, and use it for a planter.

Just sayin'

[TMB]

Sorry to hear Jack       I know how it feels to have a cooker go down on a cook. 

Albert had a Masterbuilt go out on him about two months ago and he bought a larger unit.   I bet if you try and remove the wood holder you could get an A-MAze-N tube to keep rolling in smoke for a cold smoker

[Jaxon]

cold smokin' is something I never got into.

Albert had a Gourmet Chef, I believe (Academic Sports brand).  You're right, he recently purchased the 40" MES. 

[smokeasaurus]

Sorry to hear that. Thank Goodness you have other cookers to finish em up in...............

[Smokin Soon]

Looks like a few have Heating Element issues. Looks like a pretty easy swap.

[LostArrow]

A Masterbuilt MES was my first & last electric smoker
Wiring shorted out about 2 months after warranty ended
My smokers are wood & charcoal with no lectricity or mechanical parts

[hikerman]

A Masterbuilt MES was my first & last electric smoker
Wiring shorted out about 2 months after warranty ended
My smokers are wood & charcoal with no lectricity or mechanical parts

I agree 100% with lostarrow. I started on a Brinkman elec. water smoker many years ago, and have a pellet grill in my herd now, but when that starts having issues I'll be strictly wood and charcoal. When a man wants to smoke some meat he should be able to, regardless of what the power companies think!   I'm not just sayin, it's a fact!

[Jaxon]

A Masterbuilt MES was my first & last electric smoker
Wiring shorted out about 2 months after warranty ended
My smokers are wood & charcoal with no lectricity or mechanical parts

LostArrow is my go to guru...I think I'm done with "lectricity" -- we used to call it "current" back in the day; as in:  "if I pay a deposit, will y'all turn my current back on?"

just sayin'...

[teesquare]

I think there are many "better values" than ANY of the "cheap" electric box smokers.

But - value means  - just like the common recommendation here, and on every other forum I know of - buy a Weber if you want a durable gas grill....

In this case - buy a Smokin' Tex, or a  Smokin' It, or a CookShack - if you want a dependable, real stainless steel, commercial insulation filled box smoker. And - one that will last for as long as you will.
Yeah - they cost more.....

And, a Weber costs a lot more than a Char-Broil, or any of the other well known  - but considerably cheaper brands. But - they last.....and the work....

My point is that, an electric box style smoker can be a good tool in your arsenal. But, like every other tool, if it is not a quality built one....it will let you down. Spend enough to be happy. Sometimes the worst deal - is the cheap one.... .

Disclosure: I have owned Masterbuilt, Cajun, and Bradley. They all failed me. Always when I needed them to work, and had a lot of folks counting on me for dinner.  I have owned - and still own - a Smokin' Tex 1405 for several years...never fails to work.

So - don't give up on the type of cooker. Just think about getting one that is simple, and well built.  Smokin' Tex, or a  Smokin' It, or a CookShack will all last, and last, and last....The box they are shipped in weighs more than the Masterbuilt and those class of cookers . They only have a dial on them for temp. control. No fancy parts to fail.

[muebe]

Well that is sad to hear....

As Tim has stated you do have to pay more for quality. No getting around that nowadays.

I have a Bradley and it works great but I have done major modifications to it. My Door on it started falling off because of the cheap plastic hinges so I modified it with metal ones.

You could probably fix it with some parts and make it better than factory with a new heating heating element. Or make a nice planter out of it.

[N. Ontario Smoker]

They are notorious for the wires burning off the element. Check if that is the cause because that is an easy fix for about $10-$20.
It is harder to get a replacement element.

[smokeasaurus]

When I ordered my Smokin-It way back when, I also ordered an extra heating element for it. Haven't needed it.  Hundreds of hours on this smoker. Built like a tank. The MES is a great way to get started with electric smokers..........if you still desire that type of cooking..........just gotta step up in quality....it makes all the difference in the world....