Pit Boss are the second most well-known brand behind Traeger, and Pit Boss has an extensive range of pellet grills. There are two ranges of Pit Boss products that can both lay claim to being the best pellet grills the brand currently offers, the Pro Series and the Platinum range. What separates the two Pit Boss pellet grill ranges is the Pro Series is a Lowes exclusive, and the Platinum range is a Walmart exclusive. Therefore, you have to do some cross-shopping.
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Introduction To The Pit Boss Pro Series vs Platinum Range
Before we go any further, you need to be aware that this comparison revolves around the second generation of Pit Boss Pro Series models.
If you are not aware of the difference, I would first encourage you to read my Pit Boss Pro Series Gen 1 vs Gen 2 article.
Secondly, there are a couple of Pro Series models I’m not referencing in this article, namely the Pro Series Portable 150 tabletop pellet grill, and the small Pro Series 600, as there are not currently Platinum series equivalent models.
The same goes for the Pit Boss Pro Series Elite 1600, as that pellet grill is far more expensive than any Platinum Series model at $1,299.
Before I start to discuss the similarities and differences between Pro Series and Platinum models, I’ll provide some of the key specs/features of the different models and their typical price points.
Pit Boss Gen 2 Pro Series (Lowes Exclusive)
Features | 850 | 1600 | 4-Series | 1100 Pellet/Gas |
Type | Horizontal | Horizontal | Vertical Smoker | Pellet/Gas Combo |
Total Cooking Area | 850 sq.in | 1,598 sq.in | 1,077 sq.in | 1,262 sq.in |
Main Grate | 593 sq.in | 615 sq.in | – | 800 sq.in pellet & gas |
Hopper Size | 20 lbs | 32 lbs | 65 lbs | 20 lbs |
Temp Range (ā) | 180 – 500 | 180 – 500 | 150 – 420 | 180 – 500 (900 gas) |
Direct-Flame? | Yes | Yes | – | Yes |
PID Control? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
WiFi/App? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Typical Price | $549 | $899 | $499 | $799 |
Pit Boss Platinum Range (Walmart Exclusive)
Features | Laredo | Lockhart | Brunswick | KC Combo |
Type | Horizontal | Horizontal | Vertical Smoker | Pellet/Gas Combo |
Total Cooking Area | 1,006 sq.in | 2,136 sq.in | 1,164 sq.in | 1,001 sq.in |
Main Grate | 527 sq.in | 513 sq.in | – | 878 sq.in pellet & gas |
Hopper Size | 26 lbs | 40 lbs | 98 lbs | 26 lbs |
Temp Range (ā) | 180 – 500 | 180 – 500 | 150 – 420 | 180 – 500 (900 gas) |
Direct-Flame? | Yes | Yes | – | Yes |
PID Control? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
WiFi/App? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Typical Price | $547 | $847 | $597 | $797 |
Pro Series vs Platinum Similarities and Small Differences
While the Pit Boss Pro Series and Platinum models have very different appearances, all of the models above from both ranges are very similar in a couple of important aspects.
For instance, all of the horizontal pellet grills offer the same temperature range of 180 to 500 degrees and all offer direct-flame access which is controlled by an external lever.
Previous Pit Boss models required you to lift up the cooking grates to slide open the direct-flame feature.
On the topic of grates, all of the grills above in both the Pro Series and Platinum range feature porcelain-coated cast-iron grates, which provide excellent heat retention to aid grilling/searing performance.
All of the Pro Series and Platinum models above also feature a control panel running a PID temperature control algorithm and Bluetooth/WiFi connectivity for the Pit Boss SmokeIT app.
When the Platinum range first launched, it only had Bluetooth connectivity. However, the Platinum range has since been updated to offer WiFi connectivity as well.
So as you can see, there are a lot of similarities between the Pro Series and Platinum range. However, if you have browsed my tables above, you may have noticed a few differences as well, so let’s discuss them.
Pro Series 850 vs Plantinum Laredo
First, we’ll compare the smallest horizontal pellet grills/smokers from each range.
As you can see from the tables above, the Pro 850 and Platinum almost have an identical price point, just a few dollars between them. Therefore, its appropriate to compare them directly.
As I’ve discussed above, while the control panels have a different appearance, they are running the same technology and have the same temperature range as shown in the tables above.
Furthermore, both offer direct flame access for grate surface temperatures in excess of 650 degrees when in use.
While both grills have a very similarly sized main cooking grate, with the Pro 850 having the slight edge, its actually the Laredo, which offers the larger overall cooking area by 156 sq.in.
The reason is the upper rack on the Laredo is larger, and you can see why by looking at the shape of its cooking chamber/lib in the images above.
To solidify the Pit Boss Platinum Laredo as being the better deal for the same price, it comes with a larger 26 lb pellet hopper compared to the Pro Series 850, which only has a 20 lb hopper.
Therefore, for the same price point, the Platinum Laredo is the better deal.
Pro Series 1600 vs Platinum Lockhart
There appears to be a bit more of a difference in the typical price point between these two Pit Boss pellet grills, the Pro Series 1600 is priced about $50 more than the Platinum Lockhart.
However, its close enough for these two models to be fairly compared, so which one comes out on top?
While the Pro Series 1600 is a standard horizontal pellet grill/smoker, the Platinum Lockhart is very different, its a horizontal grill and vertical smoking cabinet hybrid.
Again, while the control panels have a different appearance, they offer the same functionality/temperature range etc.
First, let’s discuss the main grate for burgers/steaks etc. Well, this is a win for the Pro 1600, offering a 615 sq.in main grate, whereas the Platinum Lockhart provides only 513 sq.in.
However, when it comes to the overall cooking area, the Pro 1600 (1,598 sq.in) cannot compete with the Lockhart and its massive 2,136 sq.in.
Add on top the larger 40 lb pellet hopper on the Lockhart compared to 32 lbs on the Pro 1600 it may seem like an easy win for the Lockhart.
Well, maybe, but then again, its a very large, heavy grill. Therefore, its only really going to be the better option for you if you have the space for it.
Pro Series 4-Series vs Platinum Brunswick
Here we have two vertical pellet smokers, and yes, the name for the Pro Series smokers has too many ‘Series’ in the title.
Anyway, with vertical pellet smokers, these are obviously only suitable for lower temperature cooking and going ‘low and slow’, no grilling here.
Hence, both the 4-Series and Brunswick have the same 150 to 420-degree temperature range, and they both use the same control panel technology (PID/WiFi), while the control panels have a different appearance. So really it comes to the cooking area, which is bigger?
The 4-Series comes in at 1,007 sq.in, but again its the Platinum range product, the Burnwick, which is offering more at 1,164 sq.in.
However, the more notable difference comes with the hopper capacity. While the 4-Series has a large 65 lb pellet hopper, the 98 lb pellet hopper on the Brunswick is enormous.
However, there is a price premium to pay for the Brunswick at just under $600, as the 4-Series is typically priced at just under $500.
Though I will say, I personally prefer the 50/50 split door on the Brunswick over the large single-hinged door on the 4-Series.
Pro Series 1100 vs Platinum KC Combo
Finally, we have come to the comparison of the Pit Boss pellet/gas combo grills.
This type of appliance can be useful to provide the owner with the full flexibility of the flavour of cooking with wood and the quick high heat output of gas. Gas for quick cooking during the week, the pellet grill/smoker for weekends as an example.
Again as with all the other comparisons above, different looking control panels but they have same features.
However, there is a notable difference between the gas sides of these two grills.
The Pro Series 1100 offers a larger gas grilling area as well as a shelf burner that runs on gas. The KC Combo offers a gas griddle/single grate instead.
While the KC Combo offers a slightly larger high heat grilling area over both the pellet and gas grill, its negligible, we’re talking a 78 sq.in benefit.
However, when it comes to the total cooking area, due to the larger gas cooking area on the Pro Series 1100 it wins with 1,216 sq.in, 261 sq.in more than the KC Combo.
With both of these grills priced almost identically, add in the additional side burner on the Pro Series 1100, and I think its the better deal over the KC Combo.
My Conclusions On The Pit Boss Pro Series vs Platinum Range
As I’ve discussed above, these two ranges from Pit Boss are actually very similar in their capabilities, features and price points. However, there are a few subtle differences to differentiate them.
Starting with the smaller grills, I think the Platinum Laredo offers better value than the Pro Series 850. Its got a larger cooking area and a larger hopper and often comes in a few dollars cheaper.
On the larger grills, I think the Platinum Lockhart, due to the huge cooking area at some 538 sq.in more than the Pro Series 1600, is the better deal.
However, that’s only applicable to smoking, not grilling. Therefore, if you’re mainly looking for a grill and occasional smoker, I can see the Pro 1600 making more sense as the Lockhart is huge/heavy.
When it comes to the vertical pellet smokers, there is about a hundred-dollar premium to go for the Platinum Brunswick over the Pro Series 4-Series.
However, the Brunswick does offer the larger cooking area, larger hopper, and I personally prefer the split door design, so I think its still the one I would choose.
Finally, we come to the pellet/gas combo grills, and is it a clean sweep for the Platinum Range? Close, but no cigar, I think the Pro Series 1100 is a better deal than the Platinum KC Combo.
That’s it! I hope you found this comparison useful. You may be interested in some of my other comparisons, such as Pit Boss vs Traeger and Pit Boss vs Camp Chef.
Don’t forget to play around with our database in the introduction to review and compare all the Pit Boss pellet grills and smokers currently on sale š
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