Traeger Pro 780 Review

Who this is for

Cooks who start a brisket at 10 p.m. and want to check it from bed. WiFIRE is the only pellet grill app we would describe as reliable, and if you will use it on every cook it justifies the premium on its own. The 780 square inches feeds about eight people.

Who it is not for

Value shoppers. The Pit Boss Navigator 850 at similar money gives you 932 square inches, a 30 lb hopper, direct-flame searing and five years of warranty. You are paying for software and finish, not steel. Our head-to-head: Navigator 850 vs Pro 780.

The 18 lb hopper is the weak point

At roughly 1.25 lb an hour at smoking temperatures, 18 lb is about fourteen hours. A brisket can run twelve, and in cold weather or a long stall you have no margin. Pit Boss and Z Grills both fit 28-30 lb at this price.

Traeger’s own answer is the digital pellet sensor, which appears on the Woodridge Pro and above — a genuinely useful mitigation, but it is a warning rather than more fuel.

What WiFIRE actually gives you

Remote temperature setting, probe readings, timers, push alerts and guided cooks, through the Traeger app from anywhere with a connection.

The app’s reputation for reliability is widely and consistently reported by owners, and that owner consensus is the basis for what we say about it here.

Searing: the honest limitation

500°F maximum, all of it indirect convection. No Traeger has a direct-flame slider. A steak browns more slowly than it would on a Pit Boss with the Flame Broiler open or on a charcoal kettle.

The practical fix is sear grates or a reverse sear. Both work well and cost a small fraction of the grill.

The pellets in the box

The listing we price includes an 18 lb bag of Traeger Signature Blend — hickory, maple and cherry, which is a genuinely good all-purpose pellet and exactly a full hopper. It narrows the effective price gap slightly. Bundles change, so check the current listing.

Should you buy the Pro 780 or something else in the range?

Our honest view is that the Woodridge has largely superseded this grill within Traeger’s own range: more capacity and a much better cleanup system. The Pro 780 remains the one people search for by name.