For most backyard cooks, a Yoder Smokers pellet grill is the better long-term buy, while the Weber Searwood wins on affordability for first-time pellet grillers.
These two aren't really chasing the same buyer, and that's the distinction most guides miss. The mistake is treating every pellet grill as interchangeable and shopping on sticker price alone but only a well-built pellet grill works as a genuine grill, oven, and smoker in one, and steel thickness, durability, plus true versatility are what separate the two.
Our pick: The Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill built in Kansas, USA with a 1/8-inch (10-gauge) steel cook chamber that holds temperature through wind and cold, it's the brand's top-selling grill and delivers real steakhouse searing alongside steady low-and-slow smoking.
Runner-up: The Weber Searwood 600 a smart choice for a first pellet grill, with app-driven convenience and DirectFlame searing at an approachable price.
Decide first whether you want one grill that truly does it all for many seasons; if yes, choose the YS640s.
If you're standing at the fork between a Yoder Smokers pellet grill and a Weber Searwood, you're weighing two genuinely different philosophies of what a pellet grill should be and by the end of this guide you'll know exactly which one fits your backyard, your cooking style, and your budget. Here's the thing worth thinking hard about: these two aren't competing for the same buyer. One is a value-forward, tech-loaded entry into pellet cooking; the other is a built-in-Kansas workhorse designed to outlast the patio it sits on. Get that distinction right, and the decision practically makes itself.
What to look for at each price tier
Pellet grills are not created equal, and the specs that actually matter are the ones that separate a grill you'll replace in five years from one you'll hand to your kids. Here's what to weigh before you spend a dollar.
Steel thickness and heat retention. This is the single biggest divider in the category. Thin-gauge steel heats fast but loses temperature every time the wind kicks up or you open the lid during a long brisket cook. Heavier steel holds heat like a cast-iron skillet, which means steadier temps, better bark, and more forgiving cooks in cold weather. Ask what the cook chamber is actually made of before anything else.
True searing capability not just a "sear zone." Every pellet grill roasts and smokes. Only a select few can also throw down a genuine steakhouse sear over live flame. If you want to reverse-sear a thick ribeye or crank real high heat, you need a grill engineered for direct-flame grilling, not just a marketing badge on the control panel.
Versatility from official brand accessories. Smoking and searing set the two extreme ends of the cooking spectrum. Or do they? If we're talking temperature, some pellet grills actually allow for ultra-high-heat cooking via a wood fired oven attachment. While both the Yoder Smokers YS640s and Weber Searwood 600 have branded accessories for rotisserie cooking and griddling, a wood-fired oven add-on is a distinction only the YS640s can claim.
Cooking capacity and headroom. Square inches tell part of the story; vertical clearance tells the rest. A second shelf that lets you stack ribs, or enough headroom for a big holiday turkey, changes what you can pull off on a busy weekend. Match the capacity to how you actually cook (erring on the side of more room than less).
Controller and temperature stability. Modern pellet grills lean on PID controllers — that's Proportional-Integral-Derivative, a control method that constantly nudges the auger and fan to hold your target temperature tightly instead of swinging up and down. Wi-Fi and app monitoring are nice conveniences, but a rock-steady temperature curve is what actually gets you consistent results.
Our picks
Best entry-level value: the Weber Searwood 600 Pellet BBQ Grill. This is the grill for the cook who wants app-driven convenience and a genuinely capable pellet grill without stepping into premium territory. The Searwood 600 delivers 648 square inches of total cooking area, a 180°F to 600°F temperature range, and a 20-pound hopper, all managed by a PID controller with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth through the Weber Connect app. Its DirectFlame cooking opens up searing, crisping, and browning across a full-grate sear zone, and a SmokeBoost setting lets you dial up smoky flavor on low-and-slow days. For a first pellet grill or a solid backyard replacement, it's a smart, friendly place to start.
Best entry-level value with room to grow: the Weber Searwood XL 600 Pellet BBQ Grill. Same intuitive controls and DirectFlame searing as the standard model, but with 972 square inches of cooking area for the household that regularly feeds guests. If you host big and want the tech-forward experience at a mid-tier price, this is the one. A rotisserie and griddle insert are available separately when you're ready to expand what it can do.
Best investment aka the one you buy once: the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill. This is Yoder Smokers' top-selling grill, and there's a reason serious backyard cooks and competition pitmasters rely on it. The YS640s is built in Kansas, USA, with a 10-gauge (1/8-inch) steel cook chamber that holds heat through wind, cold, and lid-open moments the way lighter grills simply can't. It gives you up to 1,070 square inches of cooking space 640 on the main grate, expandable with the second shelf plus nearly 12 inches of headroom, so briskets, pork butts, and a holiday turkey all have room to breathe. And this is where it separates itself from nearly every pellet grill on the market: with the heat diffuser's access door open, you get real direct-flame grilling and steakhouse-level searing heat, alongside the low, steady 250°F you want for a 12-hour brisket. Add an official Yoder Smokers wood fired oven insert and you enter territory unique to the YS640s. It's a genuine grill, oven and smoker in one appliance, a claim only the best-built pellet grills can honestly make.
Best premium pick for smaller spaces: the Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill. Same Kansas-built craftsmanship and heavy-gauge steel as its bigger sibling, sized for patios and cooks who don't need the full YS640s footprint. It offers up to 800 square inches of cooking space with nearly 12 inches of headroom, a ceramic igniter, and dual integrated food probes plus the same direct-flame grilling versatility. If you love everything about Yoder Smokers build quality but want a more compact grill, this is a great choice.
What customers actually reach for once they own one: the accessory that shows up in cart after cart isn't an accessory at all, it's fuel. Good wood pellets from BBQr's Delight in the 20-pound bags are among the most-purchased items across All Things Barbecue's whole catalog, because dialing in your wood flavor is half the fun. Whatever grill you land on, keep a few bags on hand.
What most guides get wrong
The most common mistake I see is treating "pellet grill" as one flat category where every model does the same job and the only real variable is price. It isn't. All pellet grills burn wood pellets for oven-style, set-it-and-forget-it cooking but only a handful can also handle genuine high-heat searing and true direct-flame grilling. Even fewer offer an OEM accessory for authentic, wood-fired pizza cooking. If you buy purely on the sticker price and skip past what the grill is actually built from how versatile it is, you can end up with a capable smoker that leaves you firing up a separate appliance every time you want a properly crusted steak or homemade pizza. Decide first whether you want one grill that truly does it all, then shop within that reality — that single question reshapes the entire comparison.
The recommendation
If you want a well-built, app-connected pellet grill at an approachable price and you're building your barbecue chops, the Weber Searwood 600 is the right call and the Searwood XL 600 is your move if you host big. If you cook regularly and year-round, chase restaurant-quality results, or simply want to buy a grill once and never think about replacing it, the Yoder Smokers YS640s is your grill. And the YS480s is waiting for those who want that same Kansas-built quality in a smaller package. ATBBQ has earned more than 5,000 five-star reviews across the shop from backyard cooks who care about this stuff as much as you do, and if you have questions before you commit, that community and expertise are exactly what we're here for.
