Traeger Westwood XL vs Woodridge
$799.99 for 823 sq in against $899.99 for 860. The Westwood XL has the bigger main rack; the Woodridge adds 6 lb of hopper, 50 F and three years of rust cover.
We pick the Traeger Woodridge Wood Pellet Grill
Take the Woodridge, and take it for fuel rather than grate. The two cook areas are close, 823 sq in against 860, and the Westwood XL actually has the bigger main rack. What the extra $100 buys is a 24 lb hopper where the XL feeds a larger barrel from 18 lb. It also buys a 500 F ceiling over 450, ten years against rust-through instead of seven, and the grease and ash keg. Neither has Super Smoke. The XL keeps the $100 and two load-rated shelves.
What actually differs
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The bigger main rack is on the cheaper grill
540 sq in on the Westwood XL's lower rack against 520 on the Woodridge. All of the Woodridge's extra area sits on the upper rack, and our Woodridge review says to plan a big cook against 520, not 860.
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Six more pounds behind a smaller barrel
The XL feeds 823 sq in from the same 18 lb the 653 sq in Westwood carries, with no pellet sensor. The Woodridge holds 24 lb. Traeger publishes no burn rate for either, so on an overnight cook the bigger hopper is your margin.
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Seven years or ten, against the same single failure
The Woodridge runs its body cover three years longer, but that term only protects against rust-through. The parts that actually fail on a pellet grill, the electronics and the feed, sit on the same three-year term either way.
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Shelves on one, a keg on the other
The XL's frame carries a side shelf rated at 40 lb and a bottom shelf at 60; on the Woodridge, a side shelf is one of the things the Pro adds. The Woodridge answers with one keg for grease and ash, and hooks to hang the grates while you clean.
How they score, category by category
The Traeger Westwood XL scores higher in 1 category, the Traeger Westwood Woodridge in 3 categories. 2 are level.
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Heat Performance
Counts for 25% of the scoreTraeger Westwood XL 7.0Traeger Westwood Woodridge 8.0 Better by 1.0Why the Traeger Westwood Woodridge scores 8.0An RTD sensor and a 500 F ceiling serve patient cooking, but Super Smoke Mode is reserved for the Pro.
Why the Traeger Westwood XL scores 7.0
The smaller Westwood's 180 to 450 F range and controller, with no Super Smoke and no added insulation, so the same score.
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Long-term Reliability
Counts for 20% of the scoreTraeger Westwood XL 7.0Traeger Westwood Woodridge 7.0Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Traeger Westwood XL scores 7.0Traeger's table gives the 7 years to sheet metal against rusting through; the auger, fan and controller get 3.
Why the Traeger Westwood Woodridge scores 7.0The headline ten years protects sheet metal from rusting through, and nothing else on the grill is covered past three.
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Build Quality
Counts for 18% of the scoreTraeger Westwood XL 8.5 Better by 1.5Traeger Westwood Woodridge 7.0Why the Traeger Westwood XL scores 8.5Shelves rated at 40 and 60 lb and a standard accessory rail, on a body whose material Traeger never names.
Why the Traeger Westwood Woodridge scores 7.0
138 lbs reads as settled, but Traeger names no grate or body material and prints no size anywhere.
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Ease of Use
Counts for 15% of the scoreTraeger Westwood XL 9.0Traeger Westwood Woodridge 9.5 Better by 0.5Why the Traeger Westwood Woodridge scores 9.5A full-color display, WiFIRE control and a wired probe in the box, with nothing else to buy before the first cook.
Why the Traeger Westwood XL scores 9.0
The full WiFIRE controller, app and probe support, held back only by a build the maker wants two people for.
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Value
Counts for 12% of the scoreTraeger Westwood XL 8.5Traeger Westwood Woodridge 8.5Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Traeger Westwood XL scores 8.5$799.99 buys 823 sq in where $699.99 buys 653, though not one extra feature row comes with it.
Why the Traeger Westwood Woodridge scores 8.5$899.99 buys 860 sq in, but the ten years guards against rust and the smoke feature still costs $1,149.99.
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Maintenance
Counts for 10% of the scoreTraeger Westwood XL 8.0Traeger Westwood Woodridge 9.0 Better by 1.0Why the Traeger Westwood Woodridge scores 9.0The grease and ash keg, hopper clean-out and staging hooks each answer a chore owners actually resent.
Why the Traeger Westwood XL scores 8.0
A hopper clean-out door and lift-out internals, against a drip tray whose warping Traeger excludes from cover.
See all six scores in one table
| Category | Traeger Westwood XL | Traeger Westwood Woodridge |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Performance (25%) | 7.0 | 8.0 Better |
| Long-term Reliability (20%) | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Build Quality (18%) | 8.5 Better | 7.0 |
| Ease of Use (15%) | 9.0 | 9.5 Better |
| Value (12%) | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| Maintenance (10%) | 8.0 | 9.0 Better |
| Avid Griller Score | 7.8 | 8.0 |
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 cook big batches in daylight, want load-rated shelves on the frame, and would rather keep $100.
You run overnight cooks and want the bigger hopper, the 500 F ceiling and the longer 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.