Although Z Grills appeared on the pellet grill market only about 5 years ago, this company has taken the industry by storm with its affordable and excellent pellet grills. In fact, Z Grills is often compared to Traeger, which offers pellet grills at nearly twice the price.
Z Grills entered the industry in 2017 with a crowdfunding fundraiser and quickly raised nearly half a million dollars from backers of their prototype for an affordable wood pellet grill on Indiegogo.
The reason for this interest by over 1,400 backers of this startup was that it became clear that this was a grill-making company that had been producing pellet grills for companies such as Traeger for years prior to deciding to start their own line of products. This meant buying a high-quality pellet grill for a much lower price than the Traeger grills.
Here is an overview of the Z Grills pellet grills and an in-depth Z Grills review which will hopefully help you decide whether to invest in one of their products.
An overview of the Z Grills pellet grills
Similar to other wood pellet grills offered by Traeger or Pit Boss, the pellet grills made and offered by Z Grills work by burning wood pellets for producing heat and smoke. The pellets are stored in hoppers, and an automatic auger feeds them into the firebox, where they are ignited by a rod.
Meanwhile, there are sensors that monitor the temperature and digital controls that adjust the airflow and pellet flow to keep the temperature and smoke steady for an unattended low and slow cooking experience.
This design makes these grills so attractive to pitmasters because all you need to do is add the pellets, set the desired temperature, and “set and forget” the grill to do its magic.
The lineup of the best Z Grills products
The 8-in-1 pellet grills offered by Z Grills come in the Basic Series (grills with a cooking area of 452 to 573 square inches), 600 Series, the 700 Series (with a total cooking area of 694 square inches), and the 1000 Series (with a large cooking area and three tiers of grates).
All of their grills are backed by a 3-year warranty and are offered at very reasonable prices ranging from $400 to less than $800.
If you are not sure which Z Grills pellet grill is the most suitable for you, you can use this nifty comparison tool offered by the company.
Z Grills 700D4E (700D3)
This top-rated pellet grill by Z Grill has temporarily been sold out at the time of writing this review. Still, the company assures that it will be back in stock and that there is an excellent and cheaper alternative, the Z Grills 700E.
Still, the Z Grills 700D4E is an improved upgrade to the popular model 700D and has some added features which boost it to the top of this list.
The Z Grills 700D4E has a main cooking area of 697 square inches, divided into one 504 square inches main rack and 193 square inches of the top cooking racks.
The entire body of this leading pellet grill is made of stainless and rolled steel and features double-wall insulation, which helps speed up the heating process, keeps the heat in, and saves fuel and time.
There is an innovative PID controller for the temperature, and the control panel has an easy-to-view large display for easy setting and reliable temperature control.
The top pellet grill by Z Grills has other added features such as a convenient storage cabinet underneath the grill, a large-capacity pellet hopper with an easy clean-out system, and is sold at a very reasonable price but with a lot more extras than some other pellet grills in this price range such as the Traeger Pro 575.
The one thing missing from this top-quality grill is the Wi-Fi capability that some other grills offer.
Z Grills 700E Pellet Grill
This is a previous and less expensive version than the 700D4E, but it is still an excellent grill, which is often available with impressive discounts, such as at the moment of writing this review when it is $160 less than usual.
It, too, is made of durable stainless steel but lacks double-wall insulation and a lid gasket.
The affordable pellet grill has a cooking area of 694 square inches, a closed cabinet under the grill, large and easy-to-move wheels, and an adjustable upper cooking rack.
It may not have the easy cleaning system or the new PID controller and double-wall insulation of the newer model, but the 700E pellet grill is still among the best options in this price range.
Z Grills L6002B Wood Pellet Grill
The Z Grills L6002B is the best pellet grill from the company’s Basic series.
It has thinner walls than the more expensive series but is still sturdily built from light and durable stainless steel.
It has a cooking space of 573 square inches and a compact design with a small footprint.
The temperature of the L6002B can be adjusted from 180 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and the PID control keeps it at a steady level quite consistently, even during low and slow cooking.
This inexpensive and compact pellet grill offers a lot of storage space, including front and two side shelves.
The pellet hopper has a small capacity of only 8 lbs. If you want a small-sized and budget-friendly pellet grill and smoker, this is among the top-rated ones on the market in 2022.
Z Grills ZPG-7002E Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker
This is another reasonably priced pellet grill that is worth investing in.
The ZPG-7002E has a total cooking space of 694 inches, divided into the 504 square inches main grilling space and the added 190 square inch warming rack. It has a pellet hopper with a 20-pound capacity and an easy-to-clean bucket for the grease.
You can also check out the nearly identical 700D or 700E models, which are upgraded with added closed storage, better caster wheels, and other features, including higher maximum temperatures of up to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Z grills ZPG-7002E offers superb value for money and costs nearly half of what a Traeger grill with the same features does, and is backed by the same 3-year warranty.
Confusingly these options are all listed on Amazon under the same listing, so make sure you pick the cart option you want.
Z Grills ZPG-450A
The Z Grills ZPG-450A is like the mini-me of the ZPG-7002E, but with a smaller cooking area of 450 square inches. There is a medium model – the 550B, which has a cooking space of 550 square inches.
Each of the two is sold in bronze and black or all-black color options.
They have a grilling area which is split into a larger main cooking area and a nifty smaller warming rack.
The hopper can hold up to 15 lbs. of pellets, and the cooking temperature can be adjusted from 160 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
It is among the leaders in the mid-sized wood pellet grills, such as the bestselling Camp Chef Smoke Pro SG24.
Related article: The Best Pellet Smokers for 2022
Is the Z Grills 700D4E better than the Traeger Pro 575?
You could be asking if it’s worth spending half as much for the more recent Z Grills pellet grill or paying for the well-known Traeger Pro 575 given that there is evidence that Z Grills once produced Traeger grills.
The 700D4E is significantly less expensive than the Traeger counterpart in terms of pricing.
Both of them have similar designs and are made of powder-coated durable steel.
In comparison to the Traeger Pro 575, which has a cooking surface size of 575 square inches and a hopper capacity of 18 pounds, the Z Grills has a cooking surface area and hopper capacity of 697 square inches and 20 pounds, respectively.
The Traeger Pro only comes with one meat probe, but the Z Grills unit comes with two.
Both come with 3-year warranties.
The features which make the Traeger Pro 575 a more attractive option include the built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, the higher temperature range of up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (compared to the 455 degrees of the Z Grills-7002E), and the better customer support offered by the older and original wood pellet grill company.
Are you still wondering if the pellet grill is right for you? Check our comparison between gas and pellet grills, and find out if the ease of use of gas grills is better for you!