Weber Searwood XL 600 vs Weber Smoque XL
972 sq in against 918, and a 600 ceiling against 500. The Searwood costs $300 more. With the areas this close, the decision is only about reach.
We pick the Weber Smoque XL Pellet Smoker
At nearly equal area, the Smoque XL is the better value and the Searwood is the more capable cooker. The Searwood XL 600 gives 972 sq in and spans 180 to 600 for $1,199. The Smoque XL gives 918 sq in (595 of it primary grate), stops at a published 500, and sells at $899 after a $100 cut. Both arrive with two probes, Wi-Fi and an enclosed grease and ash system.
What actually differs
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54 square inches apart
These are the same size cooker for practical purposes, which removes capacity from the decision entirely and leaves temperature reach as the only real variable.
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$300 buys a hundred degrees
If you want to sear on the same machine you smoke on, that is what the Searwood sells and the Smoque XL cannot do. If you do not, it is $300 for a number you will never dial.
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Neither one is built like a sear machine below the lid
Both print plated steel grates. Weber publishes no body material for the Smoque XL, and the Searwood page contradicts itself on grate metal. Reach differs; materials do not.
How they score, category by category
The Weber Searwood XL 600 scores higher in 1 category, the Weber Smoque XL in 2 categories. 3 are level.
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Heat Performance
Counts for 25% of the scoreWeber Searwood XL 600 9.0 Better by 1.0Weber Smoque XL 8.0Why 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 Weber Smoque XL scores 8.0
A Rapid React PID holds a set temperature well, but 500 is the published ceiling and no sear story exists.
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Long-term Reliability
Counts for 20% of the scoreWeber Searwood XL 600 7.0Weber Smoque XL 7.0Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why 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 Weber Smoque XL scores 7.0Three years covers the burn pot, pellet slide, baffle, grates and electrics. Only the box gets five.
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Build Quality
Counts for 18% of the scoreWeber Searwood XL 600 8.0Weber Smoque XL 8.0Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why 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 Weber Smoque XL scores 8.0110 pounds on two all-weather wheels, though the grates are plated steel and no body material is published.
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Ease of Use
Counts for 15% of the scoreWeber Searwood XL 600 9.3Weber Smoque XL 9.5 Better by 0.2Why the Weber Smoque XL scores 9.5Both meat probes, the LCD controller and Wi-Fi arrive in the carton, so a first cook needs no extra purchase.
Why the Weber Searwood XL 600 scores 9.3
A fuel gauge that alerts you at low pellets, two probes, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, all included.
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Value
Counts for 12% of the scoreWeber Searwood XL 600 8.0Weber Smoque XL 8.5 Better by 0.5Why the Weber Smoque XL scores 8.5Reduced from $999.00 to $899.00 for 918 square inches, with probes and app control already included.
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 scoreWeber Searwood XL 600 9.0Weber Smoque XL 9.0Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why 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 Weber Smoque XL scores 9.0Grease and ash are enclosed, and Weber says no shop vacuum is needed for either.
See all six scores in one table
| Category | Weber Searwood XL 600 | Weber Smoque XL |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Performance (25%) | 9.0 Better | 8.0 |
| Long-term Reliability (20%) | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Build Quality (18%) | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| Ease of Use (15%) | 9.3 | 9.5 Better |
| Value (12%) | 8.0 | 8.5 Better |
| Maintenance (10%) | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Avid Griller Score | 8.3 | 8.2 |
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 600 ceiling and will use it.
Check price →You smoke at 225 to 275 and would rather keep $300. The area is a wash.
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.