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Costco Traeger Comparison
Costco sells its own exclusive lineup of Traeger wood pellet grills. Each is slightly different than the original Traeger models they are based on.
You can usually find the Traeger Silverton 810, the Traeger Century 885, and the Traeger Silverton 620 for sale at most Costco warehouses. They are typically priced lower than the Traeger Ironwood 650 and the Ironwood 885 that they are based on.
The Traeger Silverton series is arguably the best line of Traeger wood pellet grills. They are nearly identical to the Traeger Ironwood series, yet you can usually find them at a lower price with a cover included in the purchase price.
When comparing the Traeger Silverton 620 to the Traeger Ironwood 650, the most notable difference is the shape of the lid and the lack of double-walled construction in the Silverton. Though this doesn’t affect performance in normal weather conditions, and the Silverton 620 is priced much lower than the Ironwood 650.
When you compare the Traeger Silverton 810 to the Traeger Ironwood 885, the differences between the two are even fewer. Both have double-walled construction and most of the same features, but the Silverton has a lower price.
The Traeger Century 885 slides in as an interesting counterpoint to the Silverton 810 and the Ironwood 885. The most notable difference is the lack of double-walled construction, but the Century 885 comes with an innovative warming drawer.
What Model of Traeger Does Costco Sell?
Costco currently sells the Traeger Silverton 620 Pellet Grill, the Traeger Mesa 22, the Traeger Century 885, the Traeger Texas Elite Pellet Grill 34, and the Traeger Fremont Wood Pellet Grill. These are exclusive Traeger wood pellet grills that you can’t buy anywhere else.
Which Traeger Series Is the Best?
While it’s nearly impossible to pick a clear-cut winner, the Traeger Ironwood series and the models that are based on it stand out as some of the best new Traeger wood pellet grills money can buy. The Traeger Silverton series sold at Costco is very similar to the Ironwood, though there are some minor differences between these two high-quality wood pellet grills.
Traeger Silverton 810
The Traeger Silverton 810 sold at Costco is based on the Traeger Ironwood. It has all the material build quality and engineering principles that you expect in a Traeger wood pellet grill.
It has Traeger’s updated D2 drive system, which delivers a more consistent load of wood pellets to the firepot, while also reducing the risk of auger jams. There’s also a digital meat probe that lets you monitor the difference between the temperature of the meat and the internal temperature of the smoke in the primary cooking chamber.
The biggest innovation in the Traeger Silverton 810 is that it comes enabled for the Traeger WiFIRE app. This lets you monitor the temperature performance of the grill, adjust the temperature, and even gives you access to some of Traeger’s most popular recipes!
The Traeger Silverton 810 has 810 total square inches of grilling space. It is spread out over two cast iron, porcelain-coated grill grates.
Traeger Century 885
The Traeger Century 885 is very similar to the Traeger Silverton and the Ironwood. It comes enabled with Traeger’s WiFIRE app that lets you monitor and adjust the temperature of the primary cooking chamber, as well as monitor the temperature of the meat.
It also has the D2 drive system to reduce the chances of an auger jam. It also helps deliver a consistent stream of wood pellets to the firepot for better heat control.
The Traeger Century 885 is versatile enough to let you grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise and even make barbecue. All on 885 square inches of cast iron, porcelain-coated grill grates.
Though the thing that stands out the most about the Traeger Century 885 is that it has a warming drawer. It traps ambient heat created by the wood pellet grill to hold over cuts of meat that get done ahead of time or keep baked goods warm.
There isn’t a direct heating element in the Traeger Century 885’s warming drawer, and it isn’t meant to be used as a cooking space. If the temperature on the door’s thermometer starts to climb too high, you can let some of the hot air out by adjusting the vent lever.
Traeger Silverton 620 vs Ironwood 650
The Traeger Silverton 620 sold at Costco is based largely on the Trager Ironwood 650. While they do have a lot of similarities, they do have some notable differences.
The most noticeable thing about the Traeger Silverton 620 is that it has a traditional grill lid and boxy shape to the primary smoking chamber, while the Ironwood 650 has a barrel shape. The effect this has on smoking performance is minimal.
Where it does matter is that the Traeger Ironwood 650 has double-wall construction in the primary smoking chamber which adds insulative value. This improves heat control and heating efficiency, especially in cold, windy, and rainy conditions.
The Traeger Silverton 620 doesn’t have double-walled construction throughout the primary chamber. Though the difference in heat control is minimal under normal conditions.
If you’ve fallen in love with the Silverton 620 and you want to smoke in bad weather, you can compensate by covering it with a grill blanket. This will hold in the heat the same, if not better than the double-walled construction of the Traeger Ironwood 650.
One other minor difference between the Traeger Silverton 620 and the Ironwood 650, is that the Ironwood has a pellet sensor in the hopper. Though this is a negligible upgrade, you can simply buy a cheap aftermarket pellet sensor for around $80.
Of course, price is a major difference between the Silverton 620 and the Ironwood 650. You can usually get the Silverton 620 on sale at Costco for around $800, whereas the Ironwood usually comes with a price tag of over $1,200.
When you factor in the very minor differences between the two, the Traeger Silverton 620 sold at Costco is a much better deal.
Traeger Silverton 810 vs Ironwood 885
The Traeger Silverton 810 sold at Costco and the Traeger Ironwood 885 represent a big step up from the smaller models in their respective lines. In more ways than one.
Both models feature double-walled construction for thermal efficiency. Both have the rear vent exhaust, super smoke feature, and a built-in pellet sensor in the hopper that is linked with all the other functions via Traeger’s WiFIRE app.
The configuration of the internal grill grates is slightly different with the Ironwood 885 having 570 square inches on the primary grate and the secondary grate having 315. Whereas the Silverton 810 has 550 on the primary grate and the secondary grate is only 260 square inches.
What really separates the two is the price and overall value. The Traeger Ironwood 885 typically carries a price tag of around $1,500 and doesn’t come with a cover, yet the Traeger Silverton 810 is priced at around $1,200 and includes a cover in the purchase.
Final Thoughts
There is a lot to love about the Traeger wood pellet grills sold at Costco. They actively sell the Traeger Silverton 810, the Traeger Century 885, and the Traeger Silverton 620 at prices that are lower than the Traeger Ironwood 650 and the Ironwood 885 they’re based on.
Many argue that this makes the Traeger Silverton the best series of grills in Traeger’s line. These wood pellet grills are almost identical to the Traeger Ironwood series but come with a cover, at a lower price.
When you start to compare the Traeger Silverton 620 and the Traeger Ironwood 650, the most notable difference is the shape of the lid and the lack of double-walled construction in the Silverton. You can easily address this in cold weather by covering the Silverton 620 with a grill blanket.
The step-up comparison between the Traeger Silverton 810 and the Traeger Ironwood 885, reveals that both are nearly identical in construction and key features. Each of these Traeger grills features double-walled the Silverton is cheaper and comes with a cover.
Another interesting alternative to consider is the Traeger Century 885, which is very similar to the Silverton 810 and the Ironwood 885. While the Century 885 doesn’t have double-walled construction, it does have an innovative warming drawer built into it.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.