Traeger Ironwood 885 vs Woodridge Pro Plus
$1,399.99 for the Woodridge Pro Plus against around $1,008 for the insulated Ironwood 885. The Pro Plus premium buys a cabinet, not cooking.
We pick the Traeger Ironwood 885 Pellet Grill
Take the Ironwood 885 and the $392. The Pro Plus is a Woodridge Pro with a cupboard under it: 970 sq in, a 500 F ceiling, Super Smoke from 185 F, 200 pounds rolling on casters alone, $1,399.99. The Ironwood gives insulated walls, a 500 F ceiling and Super Smoke from 165 F for around $1,008. Our reviews score them 8.22 and 7.62, and the Pro Plus loses on value for exactly this reason: $250 of its price over the Pro buys storage and no cooking at all.
What actually differs
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The premium is a cabinet
Traeger charges $250 over the Woodridge Pro for the enclosed cabinet, and the Pro Plus drops the Pro's rated bottom shelf and all-terrain wheels to get it. Against the Ironwood the gap is $392 for furniture.
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20 F of smoke floor
Super Smoke engages at 165 F on the Ironwood and waits until 185 F on the Pro Plus. Our Ironwood review names this comparison directly, because the cheaper grill is the one that smokes harder.
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What the Ironwood costs you instead
Three years of cover against ten on rust-through, Legacy status on Traeger's own site, and 85 sq in less grate. Those are real, and they are what the $392 is actually weighed against.
How they score, category by category
The Traeger Ironwood 885 scores higher in 3 categories, the Woodridge Pro Plus in 2 categories. One is level.
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Heat Performance
Counts for 25% of the scoreTraeger Ironwood 885 9.0 Better by 1.0Woodridge Pro Plus 8.0Why 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 Woodridge Pro Plus scores 8.0
Super Smoke over a two-rack 970 sq in barrel, but the published ceiling stops at 500 F and no sear station exists.
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Long-term Reliability
Counts for 20% of the scoreTraeger Ironwood 885 6.5Woodridge Pro Plus 7.0 Better by 0.5Why the Woodridge Pro Plus scores 7.0Ten years is rust-through only; controller, auger and fan get three years, the hot rod and RTD one, and resale voids it.
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 1.0Woodridge Pro Plus 7.5Why 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 Woodridge Pro Plus scores 7.5
Gains an unrated cabinet but drops the Pro's rated bottom shelf and all-terrain wheels, and Traeger names no steel anywhere.
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Ease of Use
Counts for 15% of the scoreTraeger Ironwood 885 9.0Woodridge Pro Plus 9.0Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Traeger Ironwood 885 scores 9.0A pellet sensor, a cleanout trapdoor and 5 F steps from a phone remove the two chores cheaper Traegers keep.
Why the Woodridge Pro Plus scores 9.0Four probe channels, WiFIRE and one-touch Super Smoke, offset by 200 lbs rolling on casters alone.
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Value
Counts for 12% of the scoreTraeger Ironwood 885 8.7 Better by 2.7Woodridge Pro Plus 6.0Why 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 Woodridge Pro Plus scores 6.0
$250 over the Woodridge Pro buys storage and no cooking at all, in a line where every other step buys heat.
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Maintenance
Counts for 10% of the scoreTraeger Ironwood 885 7.5Woodridge Pro Plus 8.0 Better by 0.5Why the Woodridge Pro Plus scores 8.0One keg takes grease and ash together, yet the firepot wants a vacuum roughly every 20 cooking hours.
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 | Woodridge Pro Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Performance (25%) | 9.0 Better | 8.0 |
| Long-term Reliability (20%) | 6.5 | 7.0 Better |
| Build Quality (18%) | 8.5 Better | 7.5 |
| Ease of Use (15%) | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Value (12%) | 8.7 Better | 6.0 |
| Maintenance (10%) | 7.5 | 8.0 Better |
| Avid Griller Score | 8.2 | 7.6 |
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 want the most smoker for the money and can live with a discontinued model.
You specifically want enclosed storage under a current-line Traeger and the ten-year rust cover.
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.