Buying a new Yoder Smokers pellet grill is the smarter call for almost every buyer — you get the intact factory warranty, the current Adaptive Control System, a grill in verified condition, and freight delivery straight to your door when you order through All Things Barbecue.
The temptation with used is the lower sticker price, but that number never tells you how hard the grill was run, how it weathered a few winters, or whether you're a month away from a repair the seller already saw coming. On a combustion system with an auger, fan, igniter, and control board all working together, that history matters more than the savings.
Our pick: The Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill — the brand's flagship, built on a 10-gauge (1/8-inch) steel cooking chamber with 1,070 square inches of cooking space, ideal when you host big or run multiple briskets at once.
Runner-up: The Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet BBQ Grill — same heavy-gauge build in a smaller 800-square-inch footprint, a better fit for a patio cook feeding a family and the occasional crowd.
If you can't inspect a used grill in person and verify every component yourself, buy new — the warranty, known condition, and support team behind the sale are worth far more than the few dollars a used deal might save. But if you do take the plunge and buy used, we are more than happy to supply your replacement parts, touch up paint, and be a resource to you once you get it home.
Verdict up front: For almost every buyer, a new Yoder Smokers pellet grill purchased through All Things Barbecue is the smarter call — you get the full factory warranty, a grill that arrives in known condition, delivery straight to your door, and the kind of post-sale support a Craigslist handoff can't offer.
Specs and Build Quality
Let's start with what you're actually buying, because the build quality is the whole reason a Yoder Smokers grill holds up long enough for a used market to even exist. These grills are handcrafted from heavy-gauge steel in Kansas, USA, and All Things Barbecue is the exclusive online retailer for the brand. That provenance matters here more than almost anywhere, because the thing that separates a Yoder Smokers pellet grill from a mass-produced alternative is the steel. Here's where the new-vs.-used conversation get's a little nuanced, though. No matter where you buy, you know your Yoder Smoker will have bones of steel, literally. Even the junkiest used grill will have a sturdier base than any mass market, thin-lidded grill. But a used grill might require significant refurbishing, which is doable. You just need to ask yourself if you want to do that work or not. On the flip side of the steel conversation is this: buying new ensures your steel arrives in pristine condition and fully warrantied. No refurb needed. So the build quality of Yoder Smokers pellet grills is both the biggest point in favor of buying used and also one of the main reasons to buy new. Our professional opinion? Buy new so you know exactly the starting condition of your grill and can take the treatment and longevity of your grill into your own hands.
Take the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill, the brand's flagship. It's built around a 10-gauge (1/8-inch) steel cooking chamber with a 14-gauge steel hopper and cart, and it tips the scale at 335 pounds in its standard configuration. That thick cooking chamber is what drives the even, stable heat these grills are known for. It offers 1,070 square inches of total cooking space — 640 on the primary grate plus 430 on the upper shelf — a 20-pound hopper, and a temperature range of 150°F to 600°F in 5-degree increments. One owner put it plainly: the YS640s is, in his words, "a tank" he expects to pass down in his will.
Step down in footprint and you have the Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet BBQ Grill, which shares that same 10-gauge (1/8-inch) steel cooking chamber and 14-gauge hopper while weighing 277 pounds in its standard cart form. It delivers 800 square inches of total cooking area (480 on the primary grate, 320 on the two-piece second shelf), the same 20-pound hopper, and the same 150°F to 600°F range. Both grills carry a factory warranty of 10 years on the body, 3 years on the control system, and 3 years on the igniter.
With the build quality of what you're buying in mind, that warranty is the first big fork in the road between new and used. Buy new through All Things Barbecue and that coverage is intact and documented. Buy used and you're often inheriting a partial clock at best — and in many cases, no transferable coverage at all. When you're relying on a control system and a ceramic igniter to run unattended overnight, that protection isn't a footnote. It's peace of mind you can't bolt on after the fact.
Day-to-Day Performance
Here's where the difference between a new grill and a used one stops being theoretical. A pellet grill is not an inert slab of steel — it's a combustion system. Day to day, your results depend on an auger feeding pellets cleanly, a burn grate carrying ash away from the fire, ball-bearing fans moving air, a ceramic igniter lighting reliably, and a control board making tiny adjustments to hold your target. On a new Yoder Smokers grill, all of that is fresh and dialed in from the factory.
On the current S-series grills, the next-generation Adaptive Control System connects over both Bluetooth and your home Wi-Fi through the FireBoard app, holds temperature to within ±5°F, and responds intelligently to the things that throw cheaper grills into a tailspin — opening the lid, loading on cold meat, a cold front rolling through, or switching pellet types mid-cook. Two food probes are included so you can track doneness without lifting the lid. A used grill from an earlier production run may not have this generation of controller at all, and you've got no way to know how many heat cycles those internals have already seen.
And these are genuinely do-it-all grills — a point worth stressing, because not every pellet grill can make this claim. A Yoder Smokers pellet grill smokes low and slow, roasts, and bakes with the two-piece second shelf, then converts to true open-flame grilling in seconds by pulling the diffuser access door. One YS480s owner who goes through a whole cow of beef a year chose the grill specifically for that open-flame reverse-sear ability, noting it eliminated his need for multiple grills. With optional accessories like the Yoder Smokers Wood-Fired Oven, the GrillGrate sets that push searing temps past 650°F, and the rotisserie kit (new grills arrive pre-drilled to accept it), one grill genuinely becomes your smoker, your oven, and your grill. Over-the-flame searing is a feature of older Yoder Smokers pellet grills and new ones, but with a used unit, you might not get the modern heat diffuser with a removable access door which means ordering a new one, or removing the entire diffuser plate every time you want to grill hot and fast. Deal breaker? Perhaps not. But worth considering while you shop. The bottom line: a used unit may have been run hard, cleaned rarely, or stored uncovered through a few hard winters. You just don't know. And a fouled burn pot or a tired fan quietly steals consistency from you whether you're cooking low and slow, hot and fast, or in between.
Who a New Yoder Smokers Pellet Grill Is For — and Who It Isn't
Buying new is the right move for the overwhelming majority of people, but let's be specific about it.
A new Yoder Smokers pellet grill is for the cook who wants to light it, trust it, and get to cooking — no mystery history, no diagnosing a stranger's neglect, no gambling on whether that bargain price reflects a fair deal or a problem the seller is eager to pass along. It's for anyone who values the warranty, who wants the current Adaptive Control System and app control, and who plans to keep this grill for a decade or more. No replacement parts, upgrades or refurbishment needed. In terms of specific models, the YS480s suits a patio cook feeding a family and the occasional crowd; the YS640s is the pick when you're regularly cooking for larger gatherings or want to run multiple packer briskets at once. It's also the smarter route for anyone building this grill into an outdoor kitchen, where a known-good, square, factory-fresh unit is worth far more than the few dollars a used one might save.
Who might reasonably look at used? A seasoned tinkerer who enjoys refurbishing equipment, who can inspect a grill in person, and verify every component — and who understands they're accepting the unknowns that come with it. If that's you, go in clear-eyed (including knowing that a wholesale restoration project can end up costing more than a new grill). For everyone else, the math favors new.
The Costs of New
Honesty time, because you came here for a straight answer. The only obvious knock on buying new is the upfront cost — a used grill will almost always list for less, and that's a real consideration for a real budget. If the lowest possible out-of-pocket number is your single priority, used will win on that one metric. What used won't give you is the context around that number: how hard it was run, how it was stored, whether the control system is the current generation, or whether you're a month away from a repair the seller saw coming.
While we're on up front costs, one hidden cost of buying used that the marketplace price won't show you is coordinating transport. These are 270+ pound grills, no matter which year model you buy. So picking up from the used market could mean renting a truck. And will certainly mean time and gas to travel and get it. This is a significant point in favor of buying new through All Things Barbecue: Yoder Smokers pellet grills are palletized to reduce freight damage and delivered straight to your door, so you're not renting a trailer and wrestling a stranger's grill up a ramp yourself. With used, logistics are entirely on you.
There's no getting around the fact that a new grill costs more today. What there is to get around — completely — is the uncertainty. And for a tool you'll cook on for years, uncertainty is the expensive part.
Expert Verdict
Buy new. For the vast majority of backyard cooks, pitmasters, and outdoor-kitchen builders, a new Yoder Smokers pellet grill from All Things Barbecue is clearly the better value once you account for the full 10-year body warranty, the current feature set, a grill in verified condition, freight delivery right to your door, and a dedicated support team standing behind the sale. Used only makes sense for a specific, hands-on buyer who can inspect in person and can tolerate a genuine project — everyone else should start new.
If you're feeding a family and want a right-sized workhorse, the Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill is the entry point into the line. If you host big and want maximum capacity and flexibility, step up to the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill. Both are backed by a brand (ATBBQ) with more than 7,000 five-star site-wide reviews and a friendly, knowledgeable team who cook on this gear themselves — the kind of people who'll help you pick the right grill before you buy and have your back long after it's on the patio. That's the part a used-grill deal can never include, and it's exactly why buying new is the call we'd make every time.
