Traeger Woodridge Elite vs Weber Searwood XL 600
$1,799.99 for 970 sq in, 500 F and an electric side burner, against $1,199 for 972 sq in and 600. Pan heat on a 67-inch cart, or more heat at the grate.
We pick the Weber Searwood XL 600 Pellet Grill
The Searwood, unless you specifically want a pan on the cart. The Elite costs about $600 more, and its fire stops at 500 F. Its extra is a glass electric hob set at LO, MED or HI, with no published output. The Searwood puts the heat on the grate instead, up to 600. Weber's Manual mode runs fuel and fan steadily for griddling, and a Crafted griddle insert is $99.99 on a $49.99 frame kit.
What actually differs
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Three settings and a rule book
The Elite's hob has nothing between LO, MED and HI. It stops heating when the pan lifts for ten seconds, and bars metal utensils from the glass. It handles sauces and sides, not a second grill's work.
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A griddle on the grate against a hob beside it
Weber's route to pan cooking is a frame kit and an insert, $149.98 together. That is far less than the Elite's premium, but the griddle takes grate space the Traeger's hob leaves free for the smoke.
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67 inches and 221 pounds
The Elite is the widest and heaviest Woodridge, on casters alone, and wants 20 inches clear of anything combustible. The Searwood spans 50.50 inches and weighs 157.80 pounds. Measure the patio first.
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Both makers put the costly parts on three years
Traeger files the side burner in its three-year row; the ten years cover rust-through only. Weber gives the Searwood's grates, burn pot and deflector three years too. Neither long term covers what you are paying for.
How they score, category by category
The Weber Searwood XL 600 scores higher in 5 categories. One is level.
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Heat Performance
Counts for 25% of the scoreTraeger Woodridge Elite 8.0Weber Searwood XL 600 9.0 Better by 1.0Why 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.
Why the Traeger Woodridge Elite scores 8.0
The Pro Plus's grate, ceiling and Super Smoke window exactly; the side burner publishes no output, so it adds nothing here.
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Long-term Reliability
Counts for 20% of the scoreTraeger Woodridge Elite 7.0Weber Searwood XL 600 7.0Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Traeger Woodridge Elite scores 7.0The ten-year headline covers rust-through on sheet metal; the side burner you paid for sits in the three-year row.
Why the Weber Searwood XL 600 scores 7.0Weber covers the cook box for five years, and everything that burns or fails for three.
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Build Quality
Counts for 18% of the scoreTraeger Woodridge Elite 7.5Weber Searwood XL 600 8.0 Better by 0.5Why the Weber Searwood XL 600 scores 8.0157.80 pounds, a porcelain-enameled lid and stainless Flavorizer bars, but the grate metal is printed two ways.
Why the Traeger Woodridge Elite scores 7.5
Cabinet and 221 lbs of steel feel solid, but a glass cooking panel lives outdoors on caster-only wheels.
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Ease of Use
Counts for 15% of the scoreTraeger Woodridge Elite 8.5Weber Searwood XL 600 9.3 Better by 0.8Why 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 Woodridge Elite scores 8.5
Traeger's controller and app are as simple as ever, though the burner adds a small rule book of its own.
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Value
Counts for 12% of the scoreTraeger Woodridge Elite 6.0Weber Searwood XL 600 8.0 Better by 2.0Why 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.
Why the Traeger Woodridge Elite scores 6.0
Four hundred dollars over the Pro Plus adds an electric hob with three settings and no extra grate space.
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Maintenance
Counts for 10% of the scoreTraeger Woodridge Elite 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 Woodridge Elite scores 7.5
One keg catches grease and ash, but the firepot still wants vacuuming and the burner wants wiping and covering.
See all six scores in one table
| Category | Traeger Woodridge Elite | Weber Searwood XL 600 |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Performance (25%) | 8.0 | 9.0 Better |
| Long-term Reliability (20%) | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Build Quality (18%) | 7.5 | 8.0 Better |
| Ease of Use (15%) | 8.5 | 9.3 Better |
| Value (12%) | 6.0 | 8.0 Better |
| Maintenance (10%) | 7.5 | 9.0 Better |
| Avid Griller Score | 7.5 | 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 want sauces and sides on the same cart as the smoke, and have 67 inches of patio to give it.
Check price →You want searing heat at the grate, a griddle as an option, and about $600 kept back.
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.