Digital Thermostat Kit for Traeger Pellet Grills by Ortech

A definite upgrade if you're considering it. If you're afraid to get into the control box guts, pull out wire harnesses, cut zip ties, install probe leads on a control board, etc., etc. then this is not for you. Given that, it was pretty simple to install. I did have trouble with the very fine temp probe leads. They were a tad too long and the j connector wouldn't bite very well, continually giving me an error readout on the unit. After 3 tries at installing the leads and trying the control, my fumble fingers finally broke off one lead and I had to strip new wire to get bare leads. They are very fine wires and not easy to strip. I had to strip about 3/4 of an inch, double it over and twist it before I had a lead that the J connector firmly bit into. All probably my inexperience with that connector. I would suggest to the control designer a simpler connector in future models just to make it more idiot proof. You only need about 1/8" of lead so trim it if its too long and you shouldn't have my troubles.I have the Traeger entry level, BBQ055 promo unit that Costco sold in 2014. Got it nearly new from someone second hand who rarely used it. The 3 way switch that came on the unit works fine but seemed a joke after a few uses. I still needed to monitor the chamber temp on the lid dial sometimes switching back and forth between settings to get in-between temps. This controller solves that completely. Dial in your temp and walk away. The P settings (separate fuel feed speed control dial) even allows some tweaking if you feel temp swings are too big. And BTW, contrary to some comments I read here, swings in temp are part of the territory. Just ask experienced bbq-ers. The trick is to minimize them. 25 degree swings are just fine with me (even 50 on occasion) as long as they don't last long at any extreme and average out. If you're replacing the simple 3 way switch with no temp probe in your unit currently, this adds that and gives you a reading at the extreme left of the chamber. The auger and fan speeds then work in concert to maintain your dialed in temp. The probe does give a tad bit higher reading than the center of the unit. To be expected since the fire pot is on that end. Overall this controller makes this a more fun to use, worry-free grill.

I ordered the top 5 highest rated controllers to replace the 3 setting OEM controller on my 15 year young third hand traeger. This didn’t have the most features (3 of the others came with meat probes), but of the features it did have, it seemed the most refined and well thought out. The PID controls (the adjustable idle for maintaining the temperature) were a dial, not a button to click through, and the description of it in the manual (none of the others had a manual) helped me see the value and feel confident to mess with it. No other company has used a dial to adjust the idle that way, all others use a button that you have to click all the way through, kind of like setting a clock, (if you go too far, you have to keep clicking to get back through and start the countdown from the beginning.) Many of the other controllers also had this idle button on the back/inside the controller, so if you are in the middle of a cook and see the temperature too high or low, you would have to unscrew the controller to access the idle button, which was very inconvenient.With all this in mind, and acknowledging it was $10-20 more than the competition, I bought it with confidence, because I want to be able to fine tune my grill so that if the temp is set at 225, I want to be able to adjust it so it’s not actually at 275 on a hot day, and 190 on a cold day.Other value items:-customer service is an American person on the phone.-a real one year warranty-tons of people on forums and Reddit have been buying this controller for a while, and love it. Some people think it’s a better controller than the factory AC controllers on the older style traegers.-extensive instruction and installation manual-assembled near Seattle, and the soldering and insulation on the circuit board was VERY clean and well done. (Of the other 4 purchased, this one stood out because of how clean it was.)-they don’t make the controllers anymore for traeger, but they designed the first controllers for traeger. So, they really know what they’re doing, instead of the other controller companies just copying what the others do to sell a product.Now, that was all pros before even using it. After using it, I can say, yep, it works, and the chicken I roasted was delicious, and the peppers and tomatoes I smoked to make a salsa ended up great. So, I’m happy!