Traeger Westwood Pellet Grill Review: Wood Flavor Runs on Household Power

What $699.99 buys

The printed specs list 653 sq in of cooking space, a 180-450°F temperature range and an 18 lb hopper capacity; Traeger's spec comparison adds a total weight of 116 lb and 428 sq in for rack one of the Westwood, with the Westwood XL at 823 sq in and $799.99 on the same card list. Traeger's capacity graphics state the yield: 21 chicken breasts, 6 rib racks or 20 burgers.

Inside the price are the features the entry line is not supposed to have: WiFIRE ('command your grill and monitor your food from anywhere, all from your phone'), a digital controller set to a target temperature, a wired meat probe, a two-rack interior, a front P.A.L. accessory rail, and the brand's own summary line for the category — Set-It & Forget-It ease. The 'Complete your setup' rail sells the rest: the front shelf, an all-weather cover, drip-tray liners, bucket liners and hardwood pellets.

The purchase box itself is a two-button choice, BUY ONLINE and SHOP LOCALLY, with the dealer finder listing authorized sellers near the entered ZIP and stock lines per store. Traeger's own product data on the page listed the $699.99 offer as new and in stock at the same check.

Shipping is a separate charge: Traeger's policy adds $49.99 shipping and handling on pellet grills and $8.99 on pellets, while the sampled dealer behind SHOP LOCALLY, Home Depot, listed the same model at $699.99 with free delivery or pickup. Returns split by channel too. Direct orders take returns up to 45 days from shipment, with original shipping non-refundable and return freight on the customer — $350 on full-size grills refused for any reason other than damage. Dealer purchases follow the dealer's own policy.

The grill that needs an outlet

Traeger's power article states the mechanism: "Traeger grills use electricity to power key components, such as the controller, fan, and auger." Its start-up table lists the Westwood at 300W, 2.5A on a 120V supply — "Most homes use 120V outlets" — and adds that grills "use more power when starting up and heating. After reaching set temperature, power use drops significantly." The same table puts the bigger Woodridge at 535W and 4.5A, and warns that hot accessories like induction cooktops can push a setup onto a dedicated circuit.

The manual then turns that into installation conditions. It directs connecting only 'when connected to a receptacle with functioning Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) protection installed on the circuit(s) or outlet(s)'; it names a single No. 10 AWG outdoor extension cord as the only cord to use, forbids daisy-chaining, and requires disconnecting power before servicing. What that means on a real patio: an outdoor, grounded, protected receptacle within cord reach is part of the $699.99, and a cookout that outlives a power cut means a generator sized to the start-up draw — the support article answers its own generator question with a yes, conditioned on wattage.

Set-It & Forget-It has a floor under it: the manual's burn-hazard page still says never leave the grill unattended when young children or pets are present.

The fuel you keep paying for

Pellets are the cost that keeps running, and Traeger publishes both sides of it. The Westwood FAQ: 'Depending on the weather and your cooking temperature, one bag typically lasts 10–40 hours.' The shop's Signature Blend Wood Pellets — SKU PEL331, the 20 lb bag — stood at $19.99 with an InStock offer on 2026-10-05. A full 18 lb hopper is therefore roughly $18 of fuel, and an hour of cooking on that bag ranges from $0.50 (40-hour end) to $2.00 (10-hour end) per hour — the interval matters more than either edge, because a 225°F smoke and a 450°F grill pull different numbers from the same bag.

The manual's fuel section restricts what may be burned and prices the warranty on it: "This grill is designed and approved only for all natural wood cooking pellets designed for wood pellet grills. Use of any other type of fuel in this grill will void the warranty" — heating fuel pellets are separately forbidden — and the manual's pellet caution claims "a mean heating value of approximately 8,000 BTUs per pound with approximately ≤2% ash." It also sets a storage rule that reads as advice for the first bag: keep pellets dry, since wet wood "will jam your auger", and never store the pellet bin under the hot grill.

Cleanup on a clock

The maintenance chapter is a schedule, and each line is quoted as printed: before each cook, 'Remove any buildup from the drip tray, or replace the drip tray liner'; after each cook, scrape the grates while warm, 'Scrape out all grease and vacuum out any ashes'; monthly, clean the firepot ash and 'Scrape creosote from the backsplash and the back of the grill lid.' The display adds its own reminder: 'The display will show "CLN GrLL" after 20 hours of cooking to remind you to clean your grill, if needed.' Ash-from-the-firepot cleaning is written as due 'AFTER APPROXIMATELY 20 HOURS OF COOKING', with the grill cold.

The cautions that ride along with those chores are part of ownership, not decoration: never put water into a hot firepot or add pellets to one by hand, grease fires trace to skipped cleaning, coals and ashes go into a sealed metal container away from combustibles, and if the grill stores outside, keep water out of the pellet hopper and cover it with the maker's cover — sold, per the same chapter, at traeger.com.

The warranty, the $200 step, and when to walk

Traeger's warranty page names the Westwood's coverage as "Traeger's 7-Year Limited Warranty (Westwood, Ironwood Gen 1, Timberline Gen 1, Pro Gen 2 Grills)", applying to D2 WiFIRE grills manufactured after October 2021, with "The warranty period starts from the date of original purchase from traeger.com or a Traeger authorized dealer." The remedy is parts replacement — possibly with refurbished parts, at Traeger's discretion — with no labor and no freight, and the named exclusions are paint damage from grease fires, UV exposure, normal wear, and warping of the drip tray or heat baffle. The page also keeps a table of coverage per component that did not surface as readable text with the rest; nothing part-by-part is quoted here.

The step across to the next family costs $200.00 more (899.99 minus 699.99); inside the Westwood line itself the XL is the first step, at $799.99 for 823 sq in. The Woodridge's own page prints 860 sq in against the Westwood's 653, a 10-year limited warranty in its FAQ, the EZ Clean grease-and-ash keg, and a higher 535W draw in the same power table. Its 'Where can I buy' answer is the dealer model in one sentence: 'You can buy any of our Traeger Woodridge models online, or at a dealer near you.'

Leave it out of the cart if the plan is a weeknight-sear habit. (Portable Ranger and Tailgater grills sit at $479.99 and $499.99 in the same lineup — a smaller class outside this decision.) Traeger's temperature map puts smoking under 250°F and grilling at 400°F+, and its 7-minutes-per-side burger line describes a real but narrow fast lane. A cold hopper, a cord that will not reach and no GFCI outlet are three conditions charcoal and propane never present. Buy it for the Saturday cook instead: pick a temperature, let the grill feed itself for hours, and let the smoke arrive without anyone camped at the lid.