Z Grills vs Camp Chef

Are you looking for a new pellet grill for your outdoor living area? Brands like Z Grills and Camp Chef offer unique features you may need. Both brands are known for their modern, capable, and effective pellet grills and smokers and have a loyal following.

So, perhaps you are on the lookout for a quick-start ignition system and automatic temperature control. Also, when purchasing a grill, you may want to consider durability, weather resistance, and heat resistance. Luckily, there are excellent and affordable options available. We especially like the Camp Chef Woodwind range because it is versatile and user-friendly. 

In this comparison, we will focus on the Z Grills 7002B and Z Grills 700E-XL models as they have similar features and price ranges comparable with the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 and Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 36.

Let's dive into a detailed analysis of Z Grills vs Camp Chef to help you determine which brand offers the better pellet grill that meets your needs.

Brand Overviews

Z Grills and Camp Chef are reputed makers of outdoor grills known for their wide range of high-quality products. They offer BBQs that cater to different budgets, from premium range to more affordable options, without compromising the quality of materials and design. The two brands consistently exceed customer expectations with their unique approaches to grill manufacturing.

Z Grills: The Best Value BBQ

With over 30 years of experience, Z Grills has been manufacturing BBQ appliances and pellet grills for big brands like Traeger. So, in 2016, the CEO, Mr. Zhou, decided to market their products directly to consumers after he realized their potential. The brand gained popularity through a successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.

Customers were happy with the opportunity to purchase a quality grill at a value price. As a result, Z Grills quickly became one of the most sought-after pellet grill brands.

Z Grills focuses on making grilling easy while providing that classic outdoor grilling taste. The brand's grills offer convenient usage and operate with wood pellets for a smoky flavor. Automatic adjustment features help cook meat at the desired temperature, allowing you to relax with friends. The trendy designs and cooking capabilities make Z Grills a favorite with loyal followers. Cleaning the grill is easy, and the brand offers excellent customer service with representatives ready to assist with any questions. Outdoor cooking enthusiasts should consider Z Grills for their next purchase due to the fantastic range of grills available.

Camp Chef: The Trailblazer BBQ

Camp Chef is a brand founded in 1990 by Ty Measom, focusing on outdoor cooking equipment like stoves, grills, and accessories. Camp Chef has a single-minded mission to provide portable and powerful cooking options for outdoor lovers. Their Pro 60 stove gained recognition and launched a product line that includes BBQ grill boxes, griddles, and cast iron cookware.

 

Indeed, Camp Chef has revolutionized outdoor cooking for camping, tailgating, and home patio use. Their products are lauded globally for being durable and user-friendly. It's important to note that while Camp Chef designs its products in the United States, the manufacturing is in China.

Main Features of Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 and Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 36 

The Woodwind Pro features a grill design that caters to meticulous control freaks and laid-back chefs.

Ventilation: The heat diffuser ensures smooth operation of the grill by circulating smoke and heating the sides before expelling it through the exhaust. This mechanism guarantees that smoke and heat are distributed evenly throughout the chamber.

Smokebox: You can become a master chef with Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 and Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 36 and easily manage heat and flavor with their smoke box. This unique feature offers a customizable cooking experience, allowing users to control heat and flavor using wood pellets, chunks, or charcoal. The damper valve helps customize heat output. The Smoke Box provides the taste of an offset smoker with the convenience of a pellet grill, perfect for low and slow smoking. Based on this, the Smoke Box allows for cold smoking using the Fan Only Mode.

 

Wi-Fi + Camp Chef connect app: The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 and Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 36 have a WIFI line with a full-color display, weather-resistant cover, menu dial, and temperature probe ports. They can be connected to the Camp Chef Connect App, enabling users to monitor their cooking progress from anywhere. The app offers features such as accessing historical data, labeling probes, setting timers, and selecting meat types using the Smart Meat Assistant, making pellet grilling more convenient.

Stainless steel model: The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro stainless steel models retain heat effectively and are corrosion-resistant and rust-resistant. The interior grill components are made from 430-grade stainless steel, while the butterfly valve, gasket, and burn cup are 304-grade steel.

Custom smoke number: The PID controller regulates smoke and temperature levels, allowing users to adjust the Smoke Number to control the amount of smoke infused into their cooking. This controller provides the most precise grill temperature readings, with smoke output increasing as the Smoke Number rises and temperatures holding steady as the Smoke Number decreases.

Clean-out: Press the ash clean-out button on the side to remove the ash from your pellet grill. This feature will allow the ash to flow into a cup, making it easy to dispose of in seconds, eliminating the need for a shop vac.

Sidekick compatible: Enhance your Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 and Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 36 with the Sidekick Flat Top and Sidekick Sear attachments. These are perfect additions to elevate your grilling game. Utilize the existing Sidekick shelf holes on your grill to mount the Sidekick and enjoy the convenience of cooking with propane. Based on this, you can readily personalize your culinary adventures by adding the compatible burner and 14-inch accessories.

Hopper Capacity: The hopper capacity of Camp Chef models is impressive, capable of holding 22 lbs. This generous capacity ensures up to 20 hours of smoking, providing a seamless culinary experience.

Temperature: Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 and Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 36 boast a wide temperature range from 160°F to 500°F, allowing for versatile cooking techniques and achieving the perfect sear on your dishes.

Warranty: The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 and Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 36 warranty covers the legs, hopper body, body, lid, bottom shelf, and grates for six years. The hot rod, auger motor, fan controller, casters, wheels, burners, thermometer, heat deflector, and drip tray have a year warranty. Furthermore, the probes, gaskets, and all other parts have a 1-year warranty.

If you want a more relaxed and enjoyable cooking experience, fill the hopper with hardwood pellets and savor the delightful mild smoke flavor it imparts to your food.

Main Features of Z Grills 7002B and Z Grills 700E-XL

The Z Grills 7002B and 700E-XL provide an unparalleled cooking experience by combining the features of a smoker and a wood-fired oven. Whether you desire delectable ribs, juicy briskets, or succulent pulled pork, all you need to do is set the temperature low and let the magic happen. If you are craving wood-fired pizza or traditional Aussie BBQ dishes, go ahead and increase the heat and let the Z Grills work their wonders. The versatility of this cooking appliance opens up endless possibilities!

Construction: The Z Grills 7002B is finished with a matte powder coat to withstand the unpredictable Australian weather, while the Z Grills 700E-XL showcases a stainless steel exterior. Additionally, the insulated bottom drum reduces wood pellet consumption effectively.

Added accessories: Z Grills 7002B and 700E-XL have add-ons like a ceramic ignition rod for a faster ignition process and an extended lifespan.

Wireless smoker features: Z Grills 7002B and 700E-XL have convenient Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity for easy monitoring and control via the Z Grills App.

Temperature Control: The Z Grill offers a temperature range from 160°F to 450°F, with a Smoke setting in between. It is essential to consider that the actual temperature might vary above or below the set temperature, especially during the initial heat-up phase, adjustments in temperature settings, or when the lid is open for some time.

Cooking Space: Z Grills 7002B and Z Grills 700E-XL provide a generous cooking area, perfect for catering to a large group. The cooking surface offers 690 and 850 square inches with ample space to prepare meals for a summer gathering in the Aussie backyard.

Hopper capacity: The hopper capacity of both models is impressive, holding around 22 lbs or 10 kg of pellets to prevent interruptions during your cooking session. This ample capacity allows for approximately 20 hours of smoking, guaranteeing a seamless culinary experience.

Warranty: The Z Grills has a 3-year warranty and good Australian customer support.

Head-to-Head Comparison Between the Grill Pioneers: Z Grills Vs. Camp Chef

After reviewing the characteristics and details of Z Grills and Camp Chef Woodwind Pro, let's delve deep into comparing these two grill masters. We will draw some key takeaways by examining the two brands based on standard criteria.

Cooking space capacity: Let's determine the perfect fit for you!

For Camp Chef, they offer two models: Pro 24 and Pro 36. These models provide a range of cooking space options, with a total rack surface area between 811 square inches and 1236 square inches. In addition, you can enhance Camp Chef grills with a Sear Box or a sidekick, which adds to their cooking functionality.

On the other hand, Z Grills offers two models as well: 7002B and 700 E-XL. The 7002B model provides a total cooking space of 690 square inches, while the 700 E-XL model offers a larger cooking space of 850 square inches.

Camp Chef grills provide a wide range of cooking space options and can enhance functionality with additional accessories. Stemming from this, Z Grills offers two models with different cooking space sizes.

Convenient pellet hopper capacity

Both the Camp Chef and Z Grills brands have evenly matched features in terms of weight capacity, with both models holding 22 lbs. The Z Grills 7002B and 700 E-XL models offer impressive hopper capacities, allowing up to 20 hours of smoking. Furthermore, both brands have heavy-duty caster wheels, making it easy to move the grills around as required.

The importance of temperature range and control 

The Camp Chef pellet grill is similar to the Z Grills in heat distribution and cooking stability. However, the Camp Chef has a higher maximum temperature of 500 degrees, whereas the Z Grills can reach a maximum of 450 degrees. Additionally, the Camp Chef can go as low as 160 degrees, giving it an advantage in temperature range.

The Camp Chef also offers a built-in Wi-Fi controller and an easy-to-use knob for temperature management. Also, you can make temperature adjustments in increments of 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Furthermore, the Camp Chef has smoke control, allowing users to adjust the intensity of smoke from 1 to 10.

Z Grills and Camp Chef provide impressive temperature ranges and control features, catering to different cooking preferences and styles. But, the Camp Chef is the clear winner for temperature range and additional features.

Comfortable clean up

Camp Chef has the best ash clean-out system in the pellet grills market. This feature is necessary because some people are hesitant to buy pellet grills due to the messy cleaning process compared to gas grills or electric smokers.

Camp Chef's ash clean-out system solves this problem by allowing users to pull a lever and unload all the ash and unburned pellets into a small burn cup under the machine. It makes the cleaning process quick, easy, and ideal.

In contrast, Z Grills requires the consumers to line the grease tray with fresh foil and manually remove fat or grease drips. Moreover, users must vacuum the ash from the fire after each extensive cooking session or multiple shorter cooks.

Overall, Camp Chef's ash clean-out system is far more convenient and efficient for keeping pellet grills clean.

Customer care

Camp Chef has a strong customer service reputation with their customer service teams located in the US. They are available on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm. On the other hand, Z Grills offers dedicated customer service for Australia, with their team available seven days a week from 9 am to 9 pm. 

This extended availability allows customers to receive assistance and support throughout the week at their convenience.

Proper pricing 

The fundamental consideration is that when comparing these two brands, it is necessary to look at their unique features and functionalities and what each provides to determine the best fit for individual needs. Still, as seen earlier, despite the similar pricing, both grills offer different values. Camp Chef and Z Grills have consistent pricing across different vendors, with Camp Chef ranging from $999 to $2999 and Z Grills ranging from $1099 to $2319. Ultimately, the decision should stem from what each grill can bring to enhance the outdoor cooking experience.

Safe warranty

Z Grills and Camp Chef are two brands that offer reliable 3-year warranties. These warranties will cover the repair/replacement of any material or manufacturing defects under the regular use and maintenance clause.

Pertaining to this, the warranties do not apply to paint or finishes, and they become void if the damage comes from careless use, abuse, overheating, or modification. Both Z Grills and Camp Chef are known for their excellent customer service, making it easier to resolve any issues that may arise.

The Verdict: Pick the Best

Choosing between these two exceptional grills can be quite challenging. Both grills offer an exceptional backyard cooking experience. Z Grills, in particular, stands out as an affordable option for those looking to venture into the world of pellet cookers. Furthermore, when directly comparing it to Camp Chef, Z Grills falls short of control panels, temperature range, and clean-out system. To truly compete, the Grills should prioritize upgrading some aspects. While adding other features would be a nice bonus, it is the PID control that every potential customer should prioritize.

Considering all factors, such as quality, convenience, and sophistication, Camp Chef emerges as the clear choice. Opting for Camp Chef will undoubtedly provide a more enjoyable experience. With its superior features, accessories, and ample grill space, Camp Chef consistently outperforms its competitors.

You can check out the full camp chef range here- Camp Chef collection