recteq vs Pit Boss: Space or WiFi

recteq's Flagship 1600 isn't the grill most people cross-shopping a Pit Boss actually need to see. It's one of recteq's priciest current models, and it's still the one nearly every "recteq vs Pit Boss" guide reaches for.

Our pellet grill guide covers the wider space-vs-connectivity axis this specific matchup sits inside.

At its real, current price, the recteq Deck Boss 900 costs roughly 82% more than the Pit Boss 700FB2. It also gives you noticeably more cooking space: the Deck Boss 900's own 956 sq in versus the 700FB2's own 747 sq in. The hopper flips the other way: 18 lb on the 900 against 21 lb on the 700FB2.

What the extra money buys is WiFi and app control, recteq's PID controller, and 209 sq in of extra room. The 700FB2 has no connectivity at all, dial-in only, but it has a direct-flame searing lever that, per Pit Boss's own spec sheet, tops out at 1,000°F.

Every guide we checked runs this brand fight at recteq's flagship tier, where recteq wins on nearly everything because it's a much bigger, much pricier grill. Nobody puts recteq's own mid-size deck grill next to Pit Boss's step-up model, at the prices both of those grills actually sell for today.

We did. The gap holds up, just not the way most guides imply.

Best Value: Pit Boss 700FB2

Pick this one if a dedicated sear feature and a lower sticker price outweigh checking your phone for you. The 700FB2 gives you its own 747 sq in of cooking space on a 180°F to 500°F ambient range, both straight from Pit Boss's own product page for the 700FB2. The Deck Boss 900's own current price runs roughly 82% higher.

The hopper runs 21 lb. That's actually larger than the Deck Boss 900's 18 lb, so the 700FB2 is the one that goes longer between refills here, not the pricier recteq.

Where the 700FB2 pulls ahead on capability, not just price, is the Flame Broiler lever under the grates. Pull it and you get a mechanical, direct-flame path straight to the fire pot. That path is rated by Pit Boss's own page to 1,000°F. recteq doesn't name a direct-flame searing feature on the Deck Boss 900's own spec sheet.

Here's the actual cost of that value. No WiFi or app feature is named anywhere on the 700FB2's own product page. Every temperature check and adjustment happens at the grill, on a dial-in digital LCD board, not from your phone.

A verified Walmart owner of this exact model (self-identified as PB700FB2) reports being impressed with the flavor of everything smoked so far. They call the controls "very finicky": adjusting temperature or turning the grill on or off sometimes takes a minute or more, involving repeated knob turns and button presses before the setting registers. The owner says it assembled fairly easily with two people, though trying to attach the legs alone brought great difficulty, and they eventually needed help.

Best for App Control: Deck Boss 900

This one earns its keep if watching a cook unfold on your phone matters more to you than the price gap. You're getting 956 sq in of cooking space on the Deck Boss 900, about 28% more than the 700FB2's 747 sq in, at roughly 82% more money.

What that premium buys is real. WiFi connectivity and PID control are the core of recteq's connected-grill lineup, and they add a wide cooking-space advantage on top. You can watch and adjust the cook from the recteq app instead of walking out to a dial.

The trade-off runs the other way on hopper size, though. The Deck Boss 900 holds 18 lb, smaller than the 700FB2's own 21 lb. On a long, unattended overnight smoke, that difference matters even if you are watching the temperature from your phone: a smaller hopper runs out sooner and forces a mid-cook check-in regardless of connectivity. The 700FB2's bigger hopper works in its favor here despite having no app to alert you.

The warranty runs a year shorter than the 700FB2's, at 4 years against 5. Neither term is a promise against outdoor wear, and both brands' documents cover manufacturing defects under normal use, nothing more.

One recteqforum.com owner says it looks like the pellet hopper no longer has the red silicone sealing it once did. They also say their prior recteq grill barely needed assembly, unlike this one's legs, wheels, shelf, and handles.

recteq discontinued the Deck Boss 590, the model this comparison used to run against the 700FB2, and replaced it with the Deck Boss 900. The old comparison had recteq giving up cooking space and gaining a bigger hopper for connectivity.

That's no longer the trade-off. The Deck Boss 900 now beats the 700FB2 on space by a wide margin. It gives up hopper capacity to get there. The premium now buys WiFi, PID control, and more room, in exchange for a smaller hopper.

Our Verdict

Neither grill is the wrong answer here. Both are real, current products sold at their own real prices. The honest choice depends on which trade-off you'd actually feel, not on which brand's reputation you already trust.

Pick the Pit Boss 700FB2 if a dedicated searing feature, a bigger hopper, and a lower price matter more to you than checking your phone. You get a direct-flame lever Pit Boss rates to 1,000°F that recteq's spec sheet doesn't name, and the Deck Boss 900 costs roughly 82% more. You can run your own guest count and cook style through our Grill Size Calculator to see which current models actually fit.

Already own one? See what Pit Boss's error codes actually mean before assuming the worst.

In exchange, you give up WiFi and app control entirely, and 209 sq in of cooking space, and a verified owner's account says the physical controls can be finicky in practice.

Pick the recteq Deck Boss 900 if remote monitoring, PID precision, or extra cooking space matter more than price or hopper capacity. You get real app control and a wide margin of extra room over the 700FB2.

We're not paid to say so. recteq has left Amazon, and its own affiliate program pays only in store credit. This is a plain link to recteq's own product page, not a tracked one.

If you're deciding between recteq models specifically, rather than against Pit Boss, this comparison isn't the one you need. Our pellet grill vs pellet smoker piece covers a related naming question worth knowing before you buy either brand.

One more thing before you check out: reload each product page for yourself first. Every price, cooking-area, and hopper number in this piece was pulled directly from recteq.com and pitboss-grills.com while researching it, and pellet grill catalogs get updated on their own schedule, not ours.