It's Nearly There!

The long awaited arrival of the ProQ Excel 20 is now imminent and is now scheduled to arrive in the UK next week.
As this is the 1st prototype, I will be posting some pics, and looking for comments... stay tuned

Admin wrote:The long awaited arrival of the ProQ Excel 20 is now imminent and is now scheduled to arrive in the UK next week...

...to be shipped to germany for proper testing the same day...


Cmon Ian...

How bout some details and specs ?
Any prototype pics ?

Cant wait to see that baby.

What are the differences to the frontier, apart from the size ?

Btw, the use of "Admin" and "Mack" as account is quite confusing for people who dont know you.
Most other forums i know, the holy "Admin" account only posts things regarding the forum.I like it more that way,
keeps a more personal touch.


DM

You'll be bringing me some to Austin, right

Sorry about the confusion Marco, not intended, just depends on which computer I'm using, so I'll keep an eye out to make sure I post as "Mack" in future for this type of post.

I have only seen the unit in it's raw state... it's being coated this weekend (all I can say is that it looks awesome), but there are a couple of minor adjustments I can see need doing, that is why I am having one rushed over, so I can test it and try to figure a way around the minor problems.

The main differences will be:
1. Size - It will be 20" in diameter and stand about 1200mm high, thus dwarfing previous models.
2. Material - Made from 1mm thick steel (same thickness as the WSM).
3. Handles - Fold down as used on the WSM Stacker.
4. Charcoal Basket - Larger and deeper, will have lifting handles included, plus thicker material.

I promise to post some pics as soon as she arrives.

Sounds good so far.

Does it have 3 bottom air vents and heavyer latches ?
When will you get the updated frontier ?


Btw, i still see a huge market for a "Stacker" for 22" Weber Kettles.

DM

It does have the 3 vents in the base and some heavier duty latches Marco.
The upgraded Frontier will be available as soon as I get rid of what I have in stock here, it may arrive sooner in Germany if the distributor there takes a container next season.

ZOWEEEEEEEEE!!

Besides being very anxious to see it. I wanna see lots of pics when you cook the pig on it.

Lets see . . . one to Germany, one to Austin, and one to California for me . . . that should cover it for feedback. Whaddya think guys???

Sweet smoke, U.J.

Uncle Jack wrote:ZOWEEEEEEEEE!!

Besides being very anxious to see it. I wanna see lots of pics when you cook the pig on it.

Lets see . . . one to Germany, one to Austin, and one to California for me . . . that should cover it for feedback. Whaddya think guys???

Sweet smoke, U.J.

UJ, there'll be loads of pics of the pig cook.

Can't wait to get the unit here and see how it compares to the WSM.

Sneak preview...



Unfortunately, this is all I can give you at the moment, as it's a prototype, so I don't want to give too much away and there are a few more things that need tweaking.
I can say that size wise, it's awesome!

Nice! Can't wait to see it full of food!

Very Cool . . . or should I say HOT?

Can't wait to see it all, U.J.

Will run some smoke through her tomorrow, sadly no food at this stage as the coatings on this one are just for show, not porcelain or powder coated.

A few more pics...

This Charcoal Basket is cool, it has separators (for indirect if you want to use it as a kettle), handles on the side and is big enough to hold a good load of charcoal for those long cooks.


ProQ Excel 20 base (left) Frontier base (right)


Big enough?

Ian, i want one of those RIGHT NOW !





Looks awesome.


Little thing to think about :

I dont know exactly without looking at my WSM, but your on your 20" model the vents seem to be a bit low and ashes can fall out of the smoker.
You can see it on the right vent :



If they are just next to the charcoal basket it should do just as fine with the airflow, but your patio keeps clean and its better as a portable grill.
Love the basket though, its way better than the weber ring and grate.
So easy to get rid of the ashes and keep the unburned charcoal.

DM

Thanks for the kind words Marco.
I really am pleased with the overall finish, but there are a few tweaks we have to do.
The vents are one of the points I noted right away, they'll be moved upwards by about 40mm (we had the same problem with the prototype Frontier).
We'll probably only have the finished unit ready for about Feb 2008, we really want this unit to be as perfect as possible, as it will be competing directly with the WSM.

I like that charcoal basket.

Something to think about for future generations would be a way to add rollers, casters, or wheels to it for easy manueverability. For that maybe a 4th leg would be required so it doesn't tip over?

OUTSTANDING!!! I love the logo on the doors. Can't wait to see how long a cook you can get out that that big fuel basket. Keep the pic's commin', I'm starting to save my allowance already.
U.J.

Very nice looking cooker indeed Ian. So nice of you to let me know you are so far along with the development:( .

You will do very well with this new style, not that theres anything wrong with the frontier as it is already a WSM killer IMO.

I would suggest that the legs could be made of a stronger metal as with competition use they can bend a bit with tranpost etc.

Love the larger charcoal pan as well..

SWEET!!!!!!!!!!

So when do I get one eh..??

I just got another idea :

Lots of people in the States use the BBQ-Guru or Stoker to run their cookers.
How about you add an extra vent to the package that has only one hole instead of 4 ?
That way, Guru users install that vent, mount the guru and dont have to drill a dedicated hole for the guru or
tape the other holes of that vent.

That´d be a nice little feature for the guru and stoker guys.

DM

Several members of the Illinois BBQ Society are already planning 'The Big Day'...the day when we can run a head-to-head comparison with the WSM. It's being billed as "Battle for Bullet Smoker Supremacy". Should be exciting!

Carpe 'Que,
Jim Rhino

Looks great Ian. I agree with DM's comments as far as the vent placement and possible guru adaptor hole. I currently run 3 WSM's and a 22 1/2" kettlein comps, but would love to use 2 of those sweet lookin' units instead. Can't wait 'till their available. They will surely turn some heads at the comps. Any chance for them being available for Salisbury in April?

Ron,
The vent placing has already been changed. The Guru, using their setup for the WSM, should fit straight onto one of the vents (I'll have to research how many people would run a Guru on them to see if it would be viable offering a specific vent for them.
I'm still trying my best to get set up in the States (unlikely for the next couple of months), so unless someone over your side of the pond orders some stock, it's doubtful that we'll have units in any quantity there.

Ian...cannot promise big sales today, but we have had a couple of articles in our eNewsletter and on our website about ProQ. There have been some questions around the BBQ Forum that we've provided some pictures of your Excel model too...hopefully after the review you'll see some action in our part of the country! There is definately interest.

Carpe 'Que,
Jim

Thanks Jim
I really didn't envisage that it would be such a nightmare trying to set up an office in the USA, but we are trying are best to resolve the issues.
I'm still on for the head to head with the WSM, but ideally we would like to have the Excel's stateside in order to cater to the interest generated.

I completely understand. With product stateside makes fullfilling orders that much easier!

We do have a few members who are larger retail outlets...perhaps we can help get you connected with them!?!? They may be waiting on the head-to-head to find out more about your cookers. We'll do what we can on this end.

If you would like to sponsor the eNewsletter, we might be able to help get the word out faster...a membership blitz may help with building awareness! (Perhaps having Smokalicious as the advertiser might help make the tie that the ProQ is available in the U.S.)

Just an idea.

Carpe 'Que,
Jim

P.S. Feel free to email me directly if you have any questions, suggestions, comments, or ideas! bbq@ilbbqs.com