Pit Boss Navigator 1300 Review

Who this is for

Households that cook for eight or more, batch cookers, and anyone who has run out of grate on their current grill. At the same per-square-inch ratios the manufacturers publish, 1,329 square inches is roughly 57 burgers, 10 rib racks or 9 whole chickens.

Who it is not for

Anyone whose normal cook is dinner for four. A 1,329 square inch chamber takes longer to reach temperature and burns more pellets to hold it — on every cook, including the small ones. You pay that premium weekly to have capacity you use twice a year.

If that describes you, the Navigator 850’s 932 square inches already feeds nine people and costs less to run. Our sizing arithmetic: what size pellet grill do I need.

The hopper ratio, honestly

Pit Boss fits the same 30 lb hopper to the 850, the 1300 and the 1600. The 1300 has 43% more chamber to heat with identical fuel capacity, so it empties the hopper faster — and in cold weather the gap widens further because a larger surface area loses more heat.

You still have more capacity than Traeger offers anywhere. But if you were counting on 24 hours of unattended cooking, budget for less than that here.

The touchscreen

The 1300 and 1600 use a touchscreen controller where the 850 uses an LCD board. It is a better interface. It is not a more accurate controller — neither is a true PID, and Pit Boss does not publish an accuracy figure for either.

If controller precision is what you are after rather than screen quality, the Advantage 850SL has the only genuine PID board in the Pit Boss barrel range.

Alternatives worth weighing