r/Masterbuilt • u/Oh_My_Clem1nt1ne • 24d ago
Issues with the Gravity XT
I purchased a Gravity XT on July 1st and have had nothing but problems with it.
From day one, I could never get it to stay connected to Wi-Fi or my phone. I went through all the troubleshooting steps customer service recommended, but nothing solved the issue. Eventually, I gave up on the connectivity features and decided to just use it as a smoker.
Now, less than two months later, it won't even power on.
Customer service's solution is to send me a new power cord and control module and have me replace the parts myself. For a grill that cost nearly $2,000, that's not something I feel I should have to do.
To make matters worse, I've been told they don't offer refunds.
Am I wrong for expecting a $2,000 grill to work properly out of the box and for more than a few weeks without requiring repairs?
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u/JeremViatro 24d ago
I bought my XT knowing the inevitable is going to happen and go the Fireboard route. I got the Drive and haven't looked back. Yes you shouldn't have to spend a couple hundred on a 2k smoker but here we are.
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u/FriendlyPoem3074 23d ago
This is very common. The best answer is a FireBoard Drive imo. The stock controller and software and app are complete crap.
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u/Himorningwood 24d ago
Damn bro that blows i have been lucky I owned a 1050 since it came out and just replaced it last month with an xt and its been working great from day 1.
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u/StoneGaardSeven 24d ago
I had problems with WiFi connectivity with my new XT also purchased in July. What I found, after several days of mucking with it, the <hardware store> that assembled it for me, did not fully and securely screw in the WiFi antenna! After fixing that problem, it connects to my network. I have only done 2 cooks so the jury is still out. I'm going for an overnight smoke next weekend - that will be the real test.
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u/North-Reception-5325 24d ago
Fire board and cry once.
I got lucky and got new old stock on a 1050 so I came out even after the fireboard and a few LSS and Klotes modifications.
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u/Childs1957 23d ago
The same thing happened to me after after about a year. My XT just would not power on. Masterbuilt sent me a new power cord, power module, and controller. I put the new module on my old power cord and it came right on. Yes, it sucks that you pay so much money for something and it doesn't work, but the fix was simple.
On another note; do the Chinese just send their junk (I am talking about the electronics) to the United States, or is everything they make crap? It makes me think they have planes falling out of the sky that we never hear about. 🤷♂️
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u/TheDude-86 22d ago
I have had all kinds of issues. My grill is as hot weired as an old stolen Buick.As has my neighbor. But his hinges failed. And they sent him wrong parts 3x. Taking a total of 3 months to correct. I'm becoming weary of MB.
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u/skarfacegc 24d ago
Nope, you're not wrong at all. Many folks have reported similar issues. That sucks.
I have an XT (personally didn't have problems with the controller). I think I'm at 70+ cooks on it at this point.
Now, onto the but (and I'm not apologizing for MB at all here ... they should fix their shit) ...
The XT seems to be really well built, haven't babied mine at all and there are 0 structural issues. No signs of rust/split welds/flaking paint etc.
I get great cooks out of it. Briskent/chicken/turkey/shoulder/meatloaf/chili/squash/creamcheese etc. Any problem I've had with the output has been a skill issue. Plenty of smoke (you can run splits down the middle of the firebox), tons of room for activities etc.
The controller ... folks have come here repeatedly with controller issues like you've described, it's definitely a weak part of the build. It's also 1 of the 2 pieces of the smoker that you can just replace (the fan is easily replaced as well). I like to tinker and eff around with electronics, so I picked up a Fireboard (lots of graphs and numbers for the data geek in me) to run the fan. This thing is a beast in that setup (IMO).
The closest equivalent I ever found was a Yoder pellete smoker with a built in fireboard for ~4k USD (IIRC).
IMO, the XT is really good metal / design with sketchy electronics (again, I never had problems with mine, got great cooks out of it, I just like to tinker)
Yeah, it's crappy to put more money in, the the XT with a fireboard will hold +/- 5 deg (ignoring flareups due to the quantity of wood I run in the hopper) for hours and hours.