Z Grills 700D6 Review: Is the 697 Sq In Pellet Grill Worth It?

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Key Buying Details To Check

Z Grills 700D6 Review: Is the 697 Sq In Pellet Grill Worth It? is the main focus of this guide, with the practical details buyers need before choosing a grill or smoker.

I’ve been cooking on charcoal, wood, and pellet rigs for over fifty years, and I’ve watched the pellet grill market go from “weird gadget” to “half my neighborhood owns one.” The Z Grills 700D6 sits right in the middle of that market — a 697 square inch, dual-wall insulated pellet grill with Z Grills’ newest controller, aimed at the same buyer who’s been eyeing a Pit Boss or a Traeger but doesn’t want to spend Traeger money.

Bottom line up front: the 700D6 is a real improvement over the older 700D — better temperature holding, included meat probes, a hopper you can actually clean out. Where it gets a lot harder to recommend is the Pit Boss 700FB1, which routinely sits within $20–50 of the 700D6’s street price and outguns it on cooking area, temperature ceiling, warranty length, and — the big one — actual direct-flame searing. If those two land close together when you’re shopping, the FB1 is the better all-around grill for most people. The 700D6 still earns its keep for one type of buyer: someone who’s decided low-and-slow is the primary job, doesn’t care about searing, and wants the tightest temperature control for the money. List price on this class of Z Grills runs anywhere from $469 to $580 depending on the exact SKU and sale cycle; verify both prices the day you buy, because both brands run sales constantly and the gap moves.

Who buys this: someone who wants to smoke ribs, pork butts, and the occasional brisket on a Saturday, who’s fine using a cast iron pan or a separate grill for steaks. Who walks: anyone who wants one grill that smokes AND sears — go read my Pit Boss 700FB1 notes below before you spend a dime.

Who it’s for — and who it is NOT for: z grills 700d6

This grill is for the person upgrading from a $200 box-store pellet grill or a basic propane setup who wants to start doing real low-and-slow cooks — ribs, pork shoulder, chicken, the occasional brisket — without learning to babysit a fire the way you would with an offset. The 180–450°F range covers smoking and roasting comfortably, the two-tier 697 square inch capacity is enough for a family gathering, and the included meat probes mean you’re not buying a separate thermometer on day one like 700D owners had to.

It’s also a fine second cooker if you already run a charcoal pit and want something you can load up and walk away from during the week, while you save the real fire for weekends.

Here’s who should walk. If steakhouse-quality sear marks matter to you — a crusted ribeye, a properly charred burger — this isn’t your grill, and no pellet grill at this price point will be. The 450°F ceiling and lack of any direct-flame option means everything comes off looking more like it was finished in an oven than over fire. If you live somewhere humid or coastal and you’re not the type to keep a cover on religiously, the painted steel body is going to fight you. And if you want app control or WiFi monitoring, that’s the 700D4E or the Multitasker line, not this one — the 700D6 is a dial-and-walk-away cooker, no phone required.

The grill in detail

The body and base. The 700D6 carries over the look of the 700-series: black powder-coated steel body with bronze accents on the hopper lid, chimney hood, and cabinet doors, sitting on a four-wheel base (two of them locking casters) with an enclosed storage cabinet underneath. The big change versus the older 700D is the dual-wall insulated bottom chamber — Z Grills’ marketing frames this as the headline upgrade for the 2025/2026 model, and it does double duty: it holds heat better in cold or windy weather, and it’s supposed to cut pellet consumption because less heat is bleeding out through a single steel wall.

The controller. Z Grills’ own listing for this unit can’t keep its story straight — the title says “PID V2.1 Controller,” the bullet copy says “Z-Ultra PID 3.0 Controller.” Either way, you’re getting Z Grills’ current-generation controller: PID-based, auto-adjusting auger and fan, large LCD, two probe inputs. And it’s a real step up — one 2026 owner running a PID 3.0 Z Grill held within 10–15°F over a 14-hour cook in the wind, versus the ±7°F at 225°F and ±15°F at 450°F a professional tester measured on the older pre-3.0 controller back in 2021. If the version number matters to you for parts down the road, get it confirmed with Z Grills before you order — but it won’t change how this thing cooks.

Cooking area. 697 square inches split across two tiers — roughly 504 square inches on the main grate and about 193 on the upper warming rack, per the spec sheet for this chassis. That’s enough for two full pork butts and a few rib racks at once, or a packer brisket with room to spare on the main grate. Remove the upper rack and there’s enough vertical clearance under the lid for a turkey or a tall roast.

Grates and grease management. Cooking grates are porcelain-coated steel wire — not cast iron, despite what some sites claim. They clean up easily and resist sticking, but they don’t hold and radiate heat the way cast iron does, which matters for the sear discussion below. A grease management plate sits between the grates and the firepot, channeling drippings down into an external bucket. Z Grills recommends foiling this plate before each cook; owners who skip that step report having to do periodic deep cleans or high-heat burn-offs to remove baked-on grease and sugar.

Hopper and cleanout. 20-pound hopper capacity, with the newer dual-wall models rated for up to 28 hours of continuous cooking on a full load. The 700D6 listing specifically calls out an “easy hopper clean-out” feature — a direct answer to the most-repeated complaint about the older 700D, which had no way to empty the hopper short of tipping the whole grill over. That’s a genuine design fix on paper; how smoothly it works after a season of use is the kind of thing that only shows up with real ownership.

What’s reserved for higher trims. No WiFi/app control (that’s the 700D4E and the Multitasker line). No direct-flame searing or “flame broiler” — that’s a Pit Boss feature, and Z Grills’ own “Flame Expert” line is the closest thing they offer to it. No side shelf or front work surface, and no tool hooks — you get the flat hopper lid to set things on, carefully.

The good, the not-so-good, and the dealbreakers

The good. The controller upgrade is real and it’s the right upgrade — temperature stability is the single biggest factor in whether a pellet grill produces good food, and the reported 10–15°F window on the newer controller (versus 15°F+ swings at high heat on the old one) is a meaningful step. Including two meat probes standard removes a cost and hassle that 700D buyers had to deal with. The two-tier 697 square inch capacity is genuinely generous for the price class. And the dual-wall base addresses both the cold-weather performance and pellet-efficiency complaints that show up across older Z Grills models.

The not-so-good. There’s no side shelf or work surface — you’re setting your tongs, your meat, your phone, all of it, on the hopper lid or a nearby table you provide yourself. The grease management plate needs foil and regular attention or it turns into a baked-on mess. Ash and firepot cleanout still requires a shop vac — that’s true of nearly everything in this price range, so it’s not a black mark specifically against Z Grills, but don’t go in expecting otherwise. And the smoke flavor, while real, is on the lighter and cleaner side compared to a stick burner or even some charcoal-and-wood setups — more on that in the brisket section.

The dealbreakers — and who they’re dealbreakers for. If you live in a humid climate, near the coast, or you’re the type who’s going to leave the grill uncovered through a Texas summer thunderstorm season, know that the painted steel body and interior firepot area have a documented rust pattern starting around year two to three once the cover wears out or use gets inconsistent. That’s not unique to Z Grills — most painted-steel pellet grills in this range have the same issue — but it means cover discipline isn’t optional, it’s part of ownership. Second: the auger motor and igniter are wear items. Z Grills sells official replacement auger motors for the 700-series, and third-party sellers stock 700D6-specific auger shafts and grease drain pans, which tells you these parts see real demand. Budget for an igniter replacement (roughly $15–20, reported lifespan of 1–2 years with regular use) as a near-certainty over a multi-year ownership period, not a worst-case scenario. Third, and this is the big one: if direct-flame searing matters to your cooking style — steaks, burgers, anything where you want a hard crust — this grill is a dealbreaker, and no amount of PID controller improvement changes that. Buy this for the smoker side of the equation, and keep a cast iron skillet or a separate grill for searing.

The $100 Brisket Test

Would I trust a $100 packer brisket on the Z Grills 700D6? Yes, with adjustments — and here’s how I’d run it.

Temperature stability at 225–275°F for 10+ hours. This is where the controller upgrade matters most. The reported 10–15°F window on the newer PID, even in wind, is well within the range I’d want for a 14-hour brisket cook. The older controller’s ±15°F swings at higher temps were never a dealbreaker for low-and-slow work in the 225–250°F range anyway — that’s typical for pellet grills at this price point across the board, and I’ve cooked plenty of good brisket on rigs that swing more than that. The newer controller just gives you a tighter band and one less thing to think about overnight.

Capacity reality. A 12–14 pound packer brisket, fat trimmed to a quarter inch, will sit comfortably on the 504 square inch main grate with room around it for a foil pan or a few smaller items. You won’t need the upper rack for the brisket itself — save that for sides or a second smaller cut if you’re cooking for a crowd.

Weather and recovery. The dual-wall insulated base is the feature that earns its keep here. On a cold or windy day, less heat bleeds out through the wall, which means less work for the auger and fan to keep the temp steady — that’s the whole point of dual-wall construction, and it’s the difference between a grill that holds and one that hunts. Lid-open recovery on any pellet grill takes a few minutes to climb back to temp; budget for that every time you check the bark, and don’t check more than you have to.

Fuel reality for a 12-hour cook. With the 20-pound hopper and a 28-hour rating on the dual-wall models, you’ve got plenty of margin for an overnight brisket cook without a midnight refill. One owner-reported estimate puts pellet consumption around 10–12 pounds for an 8-hour brisket-length cook — call that a planning estimate, not gospel, since pellet consumption varies with outdoor temperature, wind, and how often you’re opening the lid. Either way, a full hopper should get you through the cook with pellets to spare.

The flavor truth. Pellet smoke is real smoke, but it’s a cleaner, lighter profile than what you’ll get off an offset or a charcoal-and-wood-chunk setup — multiple owner reports describe it as “mild” or “clean” compared to traditional wood fire. If you’re coming from a stick burner, don’t expect the same smoke ring intensity or bark character. If you want more smoke presence, run the smoke-boost setting (where available) for the first hour or two, and choose a stronger pellet blend — hickory or mesquite rather than a fruit wood — for brisket specifically.

My technique adjustments for this grill. Run the brisket fat-side up on the main grate, directly over the firepot’s heat path — on a pellet grill, the heat comes from below and convects around, so fat-side orientation matters less for protecting the meat from direct flame (there isn’t any) and more for basting as it renders. Use a grate-level probe in addition to whatever the unit’s built-in probes read, since lid-mounted or dial thermometers on any grill in this class tend to read a few degrees off from grate level — and at 225°F, a few degrees matters over a 14-hour cook. Wrap in butcher paper at the stall, typically 150–160°F internal, to push through without drying out the bark. Pull the brisket north of 200°F internal once it’s probe-tender — not at a specific number, at the feel of the probe sliding in with no resistance. And give it a long rest, minimum one hour, ideally two, wrapped and resting in a cooler — that rest does as much for the final texture as the cook itself.

Verdict: Yes, with these adjustments. This is a grill that will produce a good brisket if you respect what it is — a clean-burning, well-insulated convection smoker, not a fire-breathing offset. Manage your expectations on smoke intensity, run a second probe, and give it the rest it needs.

Everyday cooking

For weeknight cooking — chicken thighs, a rack of ribs after work, a couple of pork chops — the 700D6 does what pellet grills do well: you set the temperature, walk away, and come back to evenly cooked food. The 8-in-1 marketing (smoke, sear, bake, roast, braise, BBQ, grill, char-grill — the exact list varies depending on which Z Grills page you’re reading) is mostly true in the sense that the temperature range and convection fan let you approximate all of those cooking styles. “Sear,” though, is the weak link, and I want to be straight with you about it.

At 450°F, this grill will brown food and develop some Maillard crust — enough that chicken wings or thicker cuts will come off looking respectable. But it will not give you the deep, dark crust you get from direct radiant heat. Thinner cuts — chops, thin steaks, burgers — tend to cook through without much color development, more like an oven roast than a grilled sear. If that’s a dealbreaker for your weeknight rotation, the cheap fix is the one I recommend on every pellet grill at this price: keep a cast iron skillet or griddle on hand, finish your steaks and burgers there with real direct heat, and let the pellet grill handle everything that benefits from low, even, hands-off cooking — which is most things.

Flare-ups aren’t really a concern here the way they are on a gas grill, since there’s no open flame at the grate level — that’s part of why it can’t sear, but it also means you’re not fighting grease fires. The accessory ecosystem for the 700-series is solid; replacement grates, drip pans, and auger components are available both from Z Grills directly and from third-party sellers, which is a good sign for long-term ownership.

The competition — and the value math

Pit Boss 700FB1 — the direct-flame alternative at a similar price. The 700FB1 is 743 square inches total, runs 180–500°F, has a 21-pound hopper, and — this is the headline difference — includes a Flame Broiler lever that opens direct access to the fire for searing up to 1,000°F. It’s backed by Pit Boss’s 5-year warranty, well ahead of the 3-year coverage typical on Z Grills units. Owner-praise patterns for the 700FB1 center on that Flame Broiler and the higher temperature ceiling; the recurring critique across Pit Boss vs. Z Grills comparisons is that Pit Boss controllers run hotter swings than Z Grills’ PID units — more smoke flavor as a side effect, but less precision for low-and-slow. At a street price around $498, it’s roughly $20–50 more than a 700D6 depending on the sale cycle, for more cooking area, a higher temperature ceiling, real searing, and a longer warranty. If searing matters to you at all, this is where your money goes instead.

Camp Chef SmokePro SG24 — a step up in price, a step up in versatility. At roughly $650–700, the SG24 is a different tier — smaller cooking area (around 570 square inches) but with slide-and-grill direct flame access and Camp Chef’s well-regarded ash cleanout system. It’s a stretch from the 700D6’s price point, but if your budget has room and direct-flame access is non-negotiable, this is the other name that comes up constantly in comparison reviews alongside Pit Boss.

Z Grills’ own 7002C3E (2026 upgrade) — the same-brand alternative. At around $580 (down from a $799 list), this is essentially the same 694–697 square inch footprint and controller generation as the 700D6, with some stainless accents. If you can catch it on sale near the 700D6’s price, the differences come down mostly to finish and minor feature variations rather than anything fundamental — worth a quick price comparison before you commit to the 700D6 specifically.

Z Grills 700D4E — same chassis, adds WiFi. Priced from roughly $466 to $580 depending on retailer and sale, the 700D4E is the 700D6’s sibling with app control added. If WiFi monitoring is worth $0–80 to you over the 700D6, it’s worth a look — otherwise the 700D6 gets you the same cooking performance without paying for a feature you won’t use.

Value comparison

At this budget, here’s where my own money would go, by buyer type: if you’re primarily a smoker — briskets, pork butts, ribs, the occasional whole chicken — the 700D6 is the better dollar-for-dollar pick, and the controller upgrade plus included probes make it a genuinely fair deal. If you want one grill to handle both smoking AND real grilling with a crust, the Pit Boss 700FB1 is worth the extra $20–50 for the Flame Broiler alone — that’s not a close call. And if your budget has real room and you want the most refined feature set, the Camp Chef SG24 is the one the dedicated pellet-grill crowd keeps coming back to, ash cleanout and all.

Long-term ownership — and what a decade actually costs

Based on the documented failure patterns across the 700-series, here’s the rough order of what breaks first: igniter rod (1–2 years, ~$15–20), auger motor or auger shaft (timeline varies, but common enough that Z Grills stocks official replacements and third parties carry 700D6-specific parts), grease drain pan (wears out from heat cycling and grease buildup, replacement pans are sold specifically for this model), and finally the body finish itself — expect surface rust at welds and inside the firepot area starting around year two to three if cover discipline lapses.

10-year cost-of-ownership estimate (planning estimate from researched part prices, not a test result): figure on replacing the igniter twice over a decade (~$30–40 total), one auger motor or shaft replacement (~$25–40 based on third-party listings), a grease drain pan once or twice (~$60 each based on third-party pricing), and a replacement cover every 2–3 years if you’re using the grill regularly (~$40–60 each, so $150–250 over a decade). Add a tube of high-heat touch-up paint for surface rust management (~$10–15, possibly needed more than once). All told, budget roughly $300–450 in parts and consumables over ten years of regular use, on top of pellets — separate from the grill’s purchase price. That’s in line with what you’d expect from any painted-steel pellet grill in this price class; it’s not a Z Grills-specific tax, but it’s real money you should plan for.

My maintenance regimen for this kind of grill: keep the cover on anytime it’s not in use — that single habit does more for long-term rust prevention than anything else on this list. Foil the grease management plate before every cook, as Z Grills recommends, and swap the foil rather than letting grease bake on. Vacuum the firepot and hopper area roughly every 100–120 pounds of pellets burned, or more often in humid climates where pellet dust can clump. Anytime you go above roughly 315°F — searing-adjacent temps where grease starts to smoke — fresh foil on the drip plate and a quick vacuum afterward. Do a seasonal teardown once a year: pull the grates, drip pan, and heat baffle, vacuum everything thoroughly, and inspect for any rust starting at seams or welds so you can hit it with high-heat paint before it spreads. And do a leak check on the lid gasket area once a season — a little smoke leakage at the seams is normal at this price point, but it shouldn’t be getting worse over time.

When to buy — the price pattern

Z Grills runs frequent sales across their whole lineup — the research turned up list prices for this class of grill ranging from $469 to as high as $799 for higher-trim 2026 models, with regular sale pricing landing meaningfully below list, and historical deals (through retailers like Menards with mail-in rebates) have brought similar-sized 700-series grills down into the $280–310 range during promotional windows, though that’s not the everyday price and shouldn’t be the expectation. Z Grills’ own site frequently shows “regular price” vs. “sale price” pairs that suggest the sale price is closer to the real market rate than the list price.

The patient-buyer play: if you’re not in a rush, watch for seasonal promotions — Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Labor Day, and Black Friday are the windows where pellet grill pricing across every brand tends to bottom out for the year. Z Grills has also run promotional bundles (multi-grill giveaway promotions, free gift bundles) that can add value without lowering the sticker price — read the fine print on those, since “free” extras sometimes come with shipping fees attached to future claims. Either way, don’t shop this in isolation: pull the Pit Boss 700FB1’s current price alongside it. With these two routinely landing within $50 of each other, whichever one is cheaper that week isn’t the deciding factor — what each one DOES for that price is, and that’s the comparison in the value table above.

Questions buyers actually ask

Is the 700D6 the same as the 700D4E? They’re the same chassis and cooking capacity — 697 square inches, dual-wall insulation, similar controller generation. The 700D4E adds WiFi/app connectivity through the Z Grills app; the 700D6 doesn’t have it. If you don’t plan to use app control, you’re not missing functional cooking performance by going with the 700D6.

Can the hopper actually be emptied, or is this still like the old 700D? The 700D6 listing specifically advertises an “easy hopper clean-out” feature, which is a change from the older 700D (which had no way to empty the hopper short of disassembly). That’s a real design fix — how easy it is in practice once pellets have been sitting a while is the kind of thing worth confirming once you’ve owned it a season.

Can I sear a steak on this? Not really — not the way you’d sear on a gas or charcoal grill, or on a Pit Boss with a Flame Broiler. At 450°F you’ll get some browning and a respectable crust on thicker cuts, but no deep char from direct flame, because there isn’t any direct flame at the grate. Keep a cast iron pan handy for steak night.

How does the smoke flavor compare to a charcoal or stick-burner setup? Lighter and cleaner. Multiple owner reports describe Z Grills’ smoke profile as mild compared to traditional wood fire — which some people prefer (it’s more forgiving and consistent) and others find underwhelming if they’re used to a heavier smoke ring. Using a stronger pellet blend (hickory, mesquite) and running any available smoke-boost setting for the first hour helps close that gap.

Will this rust if I live somewhere humid? Likely, eventually — and faster than in a dry climate. The documented pattern is rust starting at year two to three once cover use becomes inconsistent. Coastal or humid-climate owners should treat the cover as non-negotiable and budget for occasional touch-up paint, the same as you would with most painted-steel pellet grills in this price range.

What’s the real difference versus the Pit Boss 700FB1 at a similar price? Mainly two things: the Pit Boss has a Flame Broiler for real direct-flame searing and a higher 500°F ceiling, plus a 5-year warranty versus 3 years. The Z Grills 700D6 has a tighter-controlled PID temperature hold and includes 2 meat probes versus the Pit Boss’s 1. If searing matters, Pit Boss wins. If precise low-and-slow control matters more, Z Grills wins.

Final verdict

The Z Grills 700D6 earns its place as a fair-value pellet smoker for the buyer whose main interest is low-and-slow cooking — ribs, pork butts, brisket, whole chickens — and who’s willing to handle searing separately with a cast iron pan or a second grill. The controller upgrade and included probes are real fixes to real complaints from the older 700D, and the dual-wall insulation should help in cold or windy weather, though I’d want to hear from owners after a winter or two to confirm how much. The rust pattern and wear-item replacements (igniter, auger components) are normal for this price class but shouldn’t surprise you — budget for them.

Buy it if: you want a dedicated low-and-slow smoker at a fair price, you’ll keep a cover on it, and you’re fine handling steaks elsewhere.

Skip it if: you want one grill that smokes and sears — go with the Pit Boss 700FB1 instead, which runs about the same money with a Flame Broiler and a longer warranty. And if your budget has real room and ash cleanout matters to you, the Camp Chef SmokePro SG24 is the step-up alternative the pellet-grill crowd keeps recommending.

Pros and Cons

Who Should Buy This

Z Grills 700D6 Review: Is the 697 Sq In Pellet Grill Worth It? makes the most sense for buyers who want the practical strengths described above and do not want to waste time comparing every minor feature by hand. This is a really good pellet grill. It isn’t a traeger but it don’t have to be. It’s low cost and easy for beginners to use. Using smoke tubes will increase the smoke flavor.

Who Should Skip It

Skip it if the weak spots listed above are deal breakers for your cooking style, space, budget, or cleanup expectations.

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