Traeger Ironwood 885 vs Weber Searwood XL 600
A superseded insulated Traeger around $1,008 against Weber's 600 F pellet grill at $1,199. Insulation and a 165 F smoke floor, against a hundred more degrees.
We pick the Weber Searwood XL 600 Pellet Grill
The Searwood is the one to buy new; the Ironwood is the one to buy on price. Weber gives 972 sq in, a 180 to 600 span, Wi-Fi, two probes and a fuel gauge for $1,199, with five years on the cook box and three on everything that burns. Traeger gives 885 sq in behind insulated walls with Super Smoke from 165 F for around $1,008. But Traeger files the grill under Legacy and covers it for three years, its shortest term. Our scores are 8.34 and 8.22.
What actually differs
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600 F against 500 F
The Searwood will finish a steak; the Ironwood will not. That is the clearest functional difference between the two, and it is the reason Weber built the grill.
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A 165 F smoke floor, and insulation
The Ironwood opens Super Smoke lower than anything in Traeger's current line and holds temperature behind double walls. For overnight briskets in cold weather it is the better instrument.
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Legacy against current
Traeger's own site files the Ironwood 885 under Legacy, which is where the $191 saving comes from. Weber's grill is current, though its page prints the grates as cast-iron in one place and plated steel in another.
How they score, category by category
The Traeger Ironwood 885 scores higher in 2 categories, the Weber Searwood XL 600 in 3 categories. One is level.
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Heat Performance
Counts for 25% of the scoreTraeger Ironwood 885 9.0Weber Searwood XL 600 9.0Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Traeger Ironwood 885 scores 9.0Super Smoke opens at 165 F where the current $1,399.99 Woodridge Pro Plus waits until 185 F, behind insulated side walls.
Why the Weber Searwood XL 600 scores 9.0A 180 to 600 span with no large sheet diffuser is unusual reach for an auger-fed cooker.
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Long-term Reliability
Counts for 20% of the scoreTraeger Ironwood 885 6.5Weber Searwood XL 600 7.0 Better by 0.5Why the Weber Searwood XL 600 scores 7.0Weber covers the cook box for five years, and everything that burns or fails for three.
Why the Traeger Ironwood 885 scores 6.5
Three years is Traeger's shortest term, it needs an Authorized Seller on the receipt, and resale kills it outright.
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Build Quality
Counts for 18% of the scoreTraeger Ironwood 885 8.5 Better by 0.5Weber Searwood XL 600 8.0Why the Traeger Ironwood 885 scores 8.5Porcelain coated steel grates, a stainless shelf and double-walled construction, on a barrel whose steel Traeger still declines to name.
Why the Weber Searwood XL 600 scores 8.0
157.80 pounds, a porcelain-enameled lid and stainless Flavorizer bars, but the grate metal is printed two ways.
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Ease of Use
Counts for 15% of the scoreTraeger Ironwood 885 9.0Weber Searwood XL 600 9.3 Better by 0.3Why the Weber Searwood XL 600 scores 9.3A fuel gauge that alerts you at low pellets, two probes, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, all included.
Why the Traeger Ironwood 885 scores 9.0
A pellet sensor, a cleanout trapdoor and 5 F steps from a phone remove the two chores cheaper Traegers keep.
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Value
Counts for 12% of the scoreTraeger Ironwood 885 8.7 Better by 0.7Weber Searwood XL 600 8.0Why the Traeger Ironwood 885 scores 8.7Around $1,008 buys insulation and Super Smoke from 165 F, where Traeger's $1,399.99 Woodridge Pro Plus lists neither, at the same 500 F ceiling.
Why the Weber Searwood XL 600 scores 8.0
$1,199 buys probes and connectivity, but the cover is $94.99 and the front table another $99.99.
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Maintenance
Counts for 10% of the scoreTraeger Ironwood 885 7.5Weber Searwood XL 600 9.0 Better by 1.5Why the Weber Searwood XL 600 scores 9.0Grease and ash pull out together from the front, rather than from under a loaded cabinet.
Why the Traeger Ironwood 885 scores 7.5
The hopper empties without tools, but Traeger's own chart marks it absent for the EZ-Clean grease and ash keg.
See all six scores in one table
| Category | Traeger Ironwood 885 | Weber Searwood XL 600 |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Performance (25%) | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Long-term Reliability (20%) | 6.5 | 7.0 Better |
| Build Quality (18%) | 8.5 Better | 8.0 |
| Ease of Use (15%) | 9.0 | 9.3 Better |
| Value (12%) | 8.7 Better | 8.0 |
| Maintenance (10%) | 7.5 | 9.0 Better |
| Avid Griller Score | 8.2 | 8.3 |
Both reviews are scored on the same six weighted categories, on the same 0 to 10 scale, and each reason is the one that review gave. A category is marked better only where the two differ by a tenth or more. How we score →
Where the spec sheets differ
Quoted from each maker's own specifications, as each review records them. Figures the two products publish identically are left out, so only the differences are listed.
Which one is for you
You smoke overnight, want insulation and the lowest smoke floor, and accept a discontinued model.
You want the current grill, the 600 F ceiling and 87 more square inches.
Check price →More head-to-heads
Every score and figure on this page comes from our own reviews of these two products, linked above. We have not tested them side by side in one place; the comparison is between two full reviews, each built from the maker's published specifications and documentation. Prices move, and the ones quoted are the ones each review checked on its own date.