Weber Searwood 600 vs Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24: Sear Power vs Smoke Flavor (2026)

Searwood 600 vs Woodwind Pro 24: The Bottom Line

These two grills solve the two classic pellet grill complaints — weak searing and mild smoke — in opposite ways. The Weber Searwood 600 attacks the searing problem with a 600-degree ceiling and full-grate direct flame. The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 attacks the smoke problem with a Smoke Box that burns real wood chunks over the firepot.

Both earned AmazingRibs' Platinum award. Both cost $999 as we write this. So the honest verdict is a split decision: if you grill and sear as much as you smoke, buy the Searwood 600; if maximum smoke flavor is the whole point, buy the Woodwind Pro 24.

Forced to pick one grill for the buyer who wants to do everything, our pick is the Weber Searwood 600 — its searing power is built in, on pellets, while the Woodwind Pro outsources searing to an optional propane accessory.

Side-by-Side Specifications

Weber Searwood 600 Overview

The Searwood 600 is the pellet grill Weber should have built the first time. At $999 on weber.com (up from its $899 launch price), it offers 648 square inches across a 420 square inch main grate and 228 square inch upper rack, a 20-pound hopper, and a 180-to-600-degree range.

The headline feature is DirectFlame: stainless steel Flavorizer bars sit over an open firepot, letting flame reach the entire main grate. AmazingRibs awarded the Searwood its Platinum medal and confirmed "a true 600°F across the entire grate" — not just a small sear zone. They also praised "some of the best smoke quality we've experienced from a pellet burner," undercutting the assumption that a sear-first pellet grill must smoke poorly.

Control comes from Weber's Rapid React PID with the Weber Connect app over WiFi and Bluetooth (no remote-start). Manual Mode allows open-lid cooking, SmokeBoost runs at 180 degrees for heavier smoke, and two probes are included. The cast-aluminum cookbox is weatherproof, keeps the grill to 125.4 pounds, and carries a 5-year cookbox and 3-year electronics warranty.

Smoked BBQ Source rated it 4.5/5, clocking 600 degrees in 13 minutes with the controller holding within 5 degrees and flawless WiFi. The gripes from both outlets are minor: shelf space costs extra, it runs about 15 degrees under the dial, there are no casters, and the right side and front run hotter — rotate your meat. Our full Weber Searwood 600 review covers it all in depth.

Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 Overview

The Woodwind Pro 24 exists to fix the most common pellet grill complaint: mild smoke. Its signature Smoke Box sits over the firepot and burns real wood chunks, chips, or even charcoal alongside the pellet fire, producing markedly heavier smoke than standard pellet operation. The box holds two to three chunks and needs a refill roughly every hour — a small chore that pays off in flavor. Smoked BBQ Source scored it 4.9/5 and called the result "one of the best brisket I've ever smoked on a pellet grill."

The hardware around that Smoke Box is generous: 811 square inches (429 lower, 382 upper), a 22-pound hopper, four probe ports, dual exhaust, and a fan-only mode for cold smoking (it needs ambient temperatures below 55 degrees). AmazingRibs gave it both a Platinum medal and a Best Value award.

The catch is heat. The Woodwind Pro 24 is specced at roughly 500 degrees — AmazingRibs measured 560 — and that is not enough for serious searing. Camp Chef's solution is the propane Sidekick attachment, which hits 800 to 900 degrees but is sold separately and burns gas rather than wood. It is currently $999.99 on campchef.com, marked down from a $1,199.99 list price. Our Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 review has the full breakdown.

Head-to-Head: Searing and High-Heat Grilling

This category decides the overall winner, and it belongs to Weber.

Weber Searwood 600: A 600-degree ceiling with DirectFlame reaching the entire main grate — AmazingRibs verified a true 600 degrees across the whole surface, and Smoked BBQ Source hit 600 in 13 minutes. Steaks sear on the pellet fire itself, no accessory required, and Manual Mode even allows open-lid cooking.

Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24: Roughly 500 degrees on spec, 560 measured — respectable, but short of a hard sear. Searing properly means adding the optional Sidekick, a separately sold propane burner that hits 800 to 900 degrees. It works, but you are lighting gas next to your pellet grill and paying extra for it.

Winner: Weber Searwood 600. Built-in, wood-fired, full-grate searing beats a gas accessory — a big reason the Searwood headlines our guide to the best pellet grills for searing.

Head-to-Head: Smoke Flavor

Flip the script, and Camp Chef takes this one.

Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24: Burning real wood chunks over the firepot adds smoke that pellets alone cannot produce, and Smoked BBQ Source's verdict — "one of the best brisket I've ever smoked on a pellet grill" — is about as strong as praise gets. Hourly chunk refills are the tradeoff.

Weber Searwood 600: Better than its sear-first design suggests. SmokeBoost runs at 180 degrees, and AmazingRibs called its output "some of the best smoke quality we've experienced from a pellet burner." Genuine praise — but still standard pellet smoke, without real-wood reinforcement.

Winner: Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24. If smoke flavor is why you are buying, the Smoke Box is the difference-maker.

Head-to-Head: Capacity and Cooking Flexibility

Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24: 811 square inches versus the Searwood's 648 — about 163 more — plus a larger 22-pound hopper, four probe ports against two included probes, dual exhaust, and the cold-smoking fan mode. For big, multi-meat cooks, it holds more food and monitors more of it.

Weber Searwood 600: The smaller chamber comes with practical virtues — a weatherproof cast-aluminum cookbox, a manageable 125.4 pounds, and a 5-year cookbox / 3-year electronics warranty — but there is no getting around the smaller grate, and shelf space costs extra.

Winner: Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24. More room, more hopper, more probe ports.

Head-to-Head: Temperature Control and Connectivity

We can only score what reviewers actually measured, and the documented evidence favors Weber.

Weber Searwood 600: Smoked BBQ Source found the Rapid React PID held within 5 degrees of target and the Weber Connect app performed flawlessly. The caveats: it runs about 15 degrees under the dial, the right side is hotter with a roughly 50-degree front-to-back spread, and the app has no remote-start.

Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24: The dual exhaust design manages airflow, and AmazingRibs' measured 560-degree max actually beat Camp Chef's own spec. Its Platinum award speaks to overall performance, but we do not have equivalent published precision numbers to line up against Weber's ±5 degrees.

Winner: Weber Searwood 600, on the documented controller and app results — with the honest note that you should rotate meat to work around its hot spots.

Head-to-Head: Price and Value

Today, these grills are essentially the same price: $999 for the Searwood at weber.com (up from $899 at launch) versus $999.99 for the Woodwind Pro at campchef.com, marked down from a $1,199.99 list. That markdown is why AmazingRibs pairs its Platinum award with a Best Value nod for the Camp Chef — more cooking area, a bigger hopper, and more probe ports per dollar, plus the Smoke Box.

But if searing is on your list, the Woodwind Pro's real cost includes the separately sold Sidekick — and suddenly the Searwood is the cheaper complete package. Prices move, so check current numbers. Both grills anchor our roundup of the best pellet grills under $1,000.

Winner: Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 on hardware per dollar; Weber Searwood 600 as the complete-package value if searing matters.

Who Should Buy the Weber Searwood 600

The Weber Searwood 600 is the right choice if you:

• Sear steaks and grill burgers as often as you smoke — a true 600°F across the entire grate, verified by AmazingRibs, no accessory needed
• Want one fuel, one machine — grilling, searing, and smoking all happen on pellets
• Value tight temperature control — within 5°F of target with flawless WiFi in Smoked BBQ Source's testing
• Like open-lid cooking — Manual Mode enables it
• Want a weatherproof build — the cast-aluminum cookbox carries a 5-year warranty

Who Should Buy the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24

The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 is the right choice if you:

• Chase maximum smoke flavor — the Smoke Box burns real wood chunks for flavor standard pellet grills cannot match
• Cook big — 811 sq in, a 22-lb hopper, and four probe ports handle large sessions
• Want cold-smoking capability — the fan-only mode works below 55°F ambient
• Are value-hunting — AmazingRibs' Best Value pick, marked down from $1,199.99 to $999.99
• Already own or plan to add the Sidekick — the 800–900°F propane attachment closes the searing gap, at extra cost

Frequently Asked Questions

Which sears better, the Weber Searwood 600 or the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24?

The Weber Searwood 600. Its DirectFlame system sears across the entire main grate through stainless steel Flavorizer bars over an open firepot, and AmazingRibs measured a true 600 degrees across the whole surface. The Woodwind Pro 24 is specced at roughly 500 degrees (AmazingRibs measured 560) — not enough for serious searing without Camp Chef's optional propane Sidekick attachment, which hits 800 to 900 degrees but is sold separately.

Which makes smokier ribs and brisket?

The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24. Its Smoke Box burns real wood chunks, chips, or charcoal over the firepot for markedly heavier smoke than standard pellet operation — Smoked BBQ Source called the result one of the best briskets they had ever smoked on a pellet grill. The box holds two to three chunks and needs a refill roughly every hour. The Searwood's SmokeBoost mode earned real praise from AmazingRibs, but it cannot match burning actual wood.

Which is cheaper right now?

They are effectively tied. The Searwood 600 is $999 on weber.com (up from its $899 launch price); the Woodwind Pro 24 is $999.99 on campchef.com, marked down from a $1,199.99 list price. Prices move, so check both before buying — and remember the Camp Chef needs the separately sold Sidekick to sear, which makes the Searwood the cheaper complete package.

Which should I buy as my first pellet grill?

For most first-time buyers, the Weber Searwood 600. It grills, sears, and smokes on one fuel with nothing extra to buy, and in Smoked BBQ Source's testing its Rapid React PID controller held within 5 degrees of target while the Weber Connect app worked flawlessly. If heavy, real-wood smoke flavor is the whole reason you want a pellet grill, start with the Woodwind Pro 24 instead.

Our Recommendation

This is a genuine split decision between two Platinum-award grills at the same price. The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 is the better smoker — the Smoke Box's real-wood flavor is something the Searwood cannot replicate. The Weber Searwood 600 is the better griller and searer — a verified 600 degrees across the whole grate, on pellets, built in.

For the buyer who wants one grill that does everything well, we give the overall nod to the Weber Searwood 600. Its weakness (smoke flavor) is a matter of degree, while the Woodwind Pro's weakness (searing) requires a separate propane accessory to fix. The all-rounder should be complete out of the box, and the Searwood is.

Explore more: Weber Searwood 600 Review | Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 Review | Best Pellet Grill for Searing | Best Pellet Grill Under $1,000 | Traeger vs Camp Chef