Traeger Woodridge Pro vs Pit Boss 700FB2: a sensor or a sear

Two grills, no universal winner. Choose the Pit Boss if direct-flame access matters more than connected controls. Choose the Traeger if you value remote temperature control, pellet-level information and more published rack area. Both list a 500°F maximum. Compare the current price only after deciding which feature set changes the way you cook.

What the Woodridge Pro adds

The current price gap moves, so it is not printed here. Both grills list a 500°F maximum. The Pit Boss also publishes a 180°F floor, while the Woodridge Pro discusses 165 to 225°F as a smoke range in its FAQ rather than as a formal minimum. Their ceilings compare cleanly; their lower figures do not.

What the money does buy is information and coverage. WiFIRE puts the grill in the Traeger app. A pellet sensor reports the hopper level to that same app. A wired meat probe is in the box, and Traeger's Bluetooth Meat Thermometer bolts on as an extra. The controller is fully digital with a full-color display, and there is an RTD inside instead of a thermocouple, carrying a temperature-accuracy claim. The warranty runs 10 years limited against 5.

The headline warranties are 10 years limited for the Traeger and 5 years for the Pit Boss. Duration alone does not establish coverage. Read the current documents for both exact models and compare the parts, failures, exclusions and owner obligations that matter to you.

970 against 747, and why neither number is the grate you load first

970 square inches on the Traeger. 747 on the Pit Boss. Both totals are two tiers of racks added together, so at least the comparison starts fair. The Traeger goes one step further and shows the split, 585 on Rack 1 and 385 on Rack 2. The Pit Boss gives you 747 pooled across two tiers of porcelain-coated steel.

The split is the part worth slowing down for. Traeger calls its tiers Rack 1 and Rack 2 instead of a main grate and a warming rack, which is honest labeling and also a tidy way to keep the phrase warming rack off the page. The Pit Boss pools its 747 across both tiers, so if the lower grate is your deciding number, run that argument with a tape at a dealer. Either way a real share of the headline figure is hanging in the air above the food, and air is not where you put a packer brisket.

The Traeger publishes the larger two-tier total. If lower-grate room decides the purchase, confirm the Pit Boss's lower-rack dimensions before comparing it with Traeger's 585-square-inch Rack 1.

Only one of these two gets fire on the meat

That would be the Pit Boss. Its Flame Broiler lever opens a slot down to the fire, and the steak sears over direct flame. The Woodridge Pro has no direct-flame sear at all. Traeger's own FAQ answers this by saying the grill sears with high heat held at the grates, which is a real mechanism and a different one, and the brand is not pretending otherwise.

Both stop at a stated 500°F, so the clear difference is heat path. The open Pit Boss lever exposes food to direct flame and requires close attention. The Traeger relies on heat held at the grates. That difference alone does not establish a measured crust or timing advantage.

An older Traeger I ran for years was more at home on long cooks than fast searing, but that does not predict either current model. Only the Pit Boss offers a direct-flame path. If that mechanism matters, it can outweigh the connectivity and rack-area differences.

What the app changes during a long cook

The Traeger has WiFi. WiFIRE connects it to the Traeger app, the pellet sensor reports the hopper level there, and the Bluetooth Meat Thermometer talks to the same place. The 700FB2 has no WiFi and no app. Its digital board moves in 5°F steps, and you change them standing at the grill, in the dark, in whatever the weather is doing.

The connected features matter most when you want to check a cook without standing at the grill. The pellet sensor reports hopper level in the Traeger app; confirm the notification behavior and settings you expect before relying on an alert. Remote information does not replace supervision, safe operation or an independent food-temperature check.

Hopper capacity is close: 24 pounds on the Traeger and 21 on the Pit Boss. Neither figure promises a runtime, because consumption changes with temperature, weather and fuel condition. The documented difference is that the Traeger reports pellet level remotely while the Pit Boss requires a visual check.

What either one asks of you after the truck leaves

Both need suitable outdoor power, dry pellets and the cleaning schedule in the exact manual. Ash and grease must be handled only after shutdown, unplugged and fully cold. Keeping the grease path clear matters especially before high-heat or direct-flame cooking; remote controls do not make maintenance or supervision optional.

They also drift in wind and cold. A controller holds a set point by feeding fuel, and a thin steel box standing in an open yard in January hands that controller more work than it can quietly do. Both grills carry the same 500°F ceiling, and a sheltered corner of the patio does more for holding it than anything on either sheet.

Traeger lists two Woodridge Pro weights, 174 and 190 pounds, so plan the move around the heavier figure. Confirm the assembled Pit Boss weight and dimensions before delivery. Either way, measure the gate, clear the path and arrange enough help for a controlled move.

What you spend after the sticker

Pellets are the running cost, and they are the line item that surprises anyone coming off propane. You buy them by the bag. A long smoke goes through them. They have to stay dry or they revert to expensive sawdust. Budget for a bin as well as the fuel.

A fitted cover can reduce weather exposure once the grill is fully cold, but follow each maker's storage guidance. The Traeger includes a wired probe and offers an optional Bluetooth thermometer. Confirm what the Pit Boss package includes at purchase, and budget for an instant-read thermometer to verify food temperature whichever grill you choose.

Which one you are, and where to look if neither fits

Get the Traeger Woodridge Pro if:

• Long cooks are a regular job and remote temperature and pellet information are useful while you supervise
• The current 10-year limited terms cover things you value beyond the Pit Boss's 5 years
• You want the pellet level, the probe and the cook in one app

Get the Pit Boss 700FB2 if:

• A crust off open flame is part of why you bother grilling
• You prefer controls at the grill and do not need remote pellet-level information
• The current price gap matters more than the Traeger's connected features and extra rack area

Taking the Pit Boss is a preference, not a lesser verdict. If 747 square inches across two tiers is more grill than you will ever fill, the 500FB2 is the smaller model in the same series, and the 700FB2 vs 500FB2 comparison works out whether the smaller hopper fits the length of your regular cooks. If neither shape fits the patio, the rest of the pellet grills and smokers I track is where to keep looking.