Traeger will be more beginner friendly, the Kamado will be more rewarding in flavour and capability. Anecdotally better results on the Kamado and there is more versatility.
Comparison
BBQ & Outdoor Cooking
Traeger Ironwood 885 Wi-Fi Pellet Grill and Smoker
Pellet Grills
The Traeger Ironwood 885 (ASIN: B081P4J83Y) is a premium WiFi pellet grill and smoker available on Amazon.ca for $1,299 CAD. With 885 sq in of cooking area, the D2 Direct Drive controller for precise temperature consistency, and Super Smoke Mode, it's the benchmark pellet grill in its class.
9 mentions · 5 threadslast mention Apr 20256.3/ 10
ClearPick Score
Buyer Beware
Score informed by 9 owner mentions across 5 Reddit threads · see every quote ↓
1 positive4 mixed4 negative
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Pellet Grills
Traeger Ironwood 885 Wi-Fi Pellet Grill and Smoker
~$1299 CAD est. on Amazon.ca
View on Amazon.ca →Opens Amazon.ca · Affiliate link✅ Ships to Canada
✅ Prime eligible (most orders)
✅ 30-day Amazon returns
✅ No extra cost to you
Every mention, sourced
Real comments from Reddit, linked to the original thread. Nothing paraphrased.
Even at the discounted price, you're still better off buying a Recteq. The Deck Boss 800 is on sale for $949 right now.
Comparison
Home depot will refund you back a % if you bitch to their customer service. Can then contact traeger and have them send you the piece for free. Looks like minor damage just to the one part all things considered.
Complaint
I have super smoke and nice ring. Beautiful rings, but no Smokey flavor. Just a roast flavor with slight smoke flavor.
Complaint
This was a debate I had when I got mine. I can easily feed my family with the 650, no problem. But if there's ever a chance that you'll want to make more or even cook more items at the same time, you'll want the larger capacity. This has happened quite a bit and I'm super glad I got the 885.
Praise
I have an Ironwood 885 and recently purchased a Classic II. I find the Joe to be a lot more fun to cook on, I look forward to using it. I love my Traeger but it feels like more of an appliance, not a ton of fun factor but it can consistently turn out very good food.
Comparison
Well, there are arguments about which pellets you use. Pellets themselves are sawdust that has been glued and compacted together, so they are still real wood, just with some extra fillers to keep their pellet shape. Looking into posts by others it would seem that Lumberjack (and some other brands) use the dust from the actual wood they say they are. But Traeger uses 1 of 2 base woods (from what I read the base wood is different between east and west coasts of the US) then adds the essential oil of the wood they say it is to give it the flavoring of that wood.
Comparison
This. Joe all the way. My dad has a Traeger and hands down better flavor off the Kamado. But yes pellet does have the advantage of ease of use.
Comparison
You literally have to load the grill up and take it back. Wasting time would be on the phone with trigger and waiting for them to ship you a new one. I would not accept a new vent plate as a repair for this. There's no telling what internal damage was also done.
Complaint
✅ What Works
- Larger 885 capacity praised for feeding families or cooking multiple dishes at once
- Consistently 'very good food' output even from critical reviewers
- Beginner-friendly, appliance-like ease of use
⚠️ Worth Knowing
- Multiple reports of shipping/delivery damage on arrival, requiring a full return rather than a simple part swap
- Super Smoke Mode produces less pronounced smoke flavor than expected
- Rated less 'fun' and less flavorful than Kamado-style alternatives by at least one owner
- Some argue a Recteq Deck Boss 800 offers better value at a similar price
- Score revised from an earlier pass in this same correction sweep to accurately reflect the sentiment split above — treat this as the current, corrected figure.
ClearPick Verdict
Owner reports on the Traeger Ironwood 885 are mixed, tilting slightly negative (4 negative, 4 mixed, 1 positive of 9 mentions). The most concrete recurring issue is delivery damage — multiple owners describe receiving units with damaged vent plates or other shipping damage, and warn that resolving it means shipping the whole grill back rather than accepting a replacement part, since "there's no telling what internal damage was also done." On performance, Super Smoke Mode gets a specific knock: one owner with "beautiful rings" still got "just a roast flavor with slight smoke flavor," and a competing Kamado owner rates the Traeger as more consistent but less flavorful and less "fun" to cook on than alternatives. On value, one comparison suggests a Recteq Deck Boss 800 is a better buy even at Traeger's discounted price. The larger 885 capacity is specifically praised for feeding bigger groups or cooking multiple items at once. Good for buyers who want consistent, beginner-friendly results and don't mind a more appliance-like cooking experience; less appealing if maximizing smoke flavor or minimizing delivery-damage risk is the priority — inspect on delivery.
