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Introduction A little over a year ago, Primo Ceramic Cookers brought out the Primo Plus temperature controller. We thought it was time we got around to reviewing it, so we purchased one and here we go: We initially thought we'd be doing a review of the brand new Primo Plus temperature controller. We downloaded the Primo Grill Life App and began the setup process when the App asked us if we wanted to "Open The Guide". We said "yes" and lo and behold, a browser window opened up displaying the Smartfire website. Closer examination of the photos of the Primo Plus and the Smartfire showed that yes indeed, the Primo Plus is nothing more than a rebadged Smartfire, much like the EggGenius is, for the most part, a rebadged Flame Boss 400. Needless to say, when we started this review, we visited the Primo website looking for information. Sadly, there isn't a lot of information available. The Smartfire website is more helpful and you may wish to look there for information. But hopefully we will be able to figure it all out for you! So, what Primo/Smartfire has done is bring out an economy barbecue temperature controller. What makes these controllers "economy" is that they have no display or keyboard. All interaction with the controller is done remotely via an App running on a smart device, taking the notion of a Cloud connected device to its limits. So let's see how this unit performs! So, as we have already pointed out, the Primo Plus is a rebadged Smartfire BBQ Controller 5.0. But are there any differences you need to know about? Yes, but only minor differences:
Otherwise, the two devices are the same. We only have the Primo Plus device for review, but except for the differences noted above, anything we observe about the Primo Plus will also apply to the Smartfire. Here is a list of features and specifications for the Primo Plus/Smartfire controller:
Compared To Other BBQ Temperature Controllers Like most other temperature control systems, the Primo Plus/Smartfire system is blower-based, controlling airflow through the cooker by blowing air when needed. Where they differ from other higher-priced systems is that they have no display or keypad. They totally depend on network or Bluetooth connectivity so you can only monitor and control them using a smart device connected via Bluetooth or connected to your network or the internet. Another similarity with other lower-priced systems is that the blower is part of the controller itself and thus the controller mounts directly on your cooker. The Primo Plus package comes with the following items:
A Few Observations About The Components The blower and the control unit are integrated into a single entity for Primo Plus/Smartfire. In general, it feels solidly built. It is covered by a silicone boot which weatherproofs most of the unit. But that brings us to the most striking property of this unit. The bottom of unit is essentially open to the weather. It serves as the air intake for the blower, but also serves as a pathway for water to enter the unit. As you can see in the following photo, the electronics inside the unit are exposed to whatever what may try to get inside:
Here is what Smartfire has to say about this: "The case and enclosure has (sic) been completely redesigned. We listened to the folk (sic) who wanted it to withstand biblical rain, we listened to the folk (sic) who thought the Smartfire unit could ‘feel’ more premium. Our solution to both is a new silicone sleeve that fits like a glove over an inner plastic case. After very careful engineering and a dozen 3D printed prototypes we’ve been able to successfully relocate the air intakes to the bottom of the unit. So standing vertical heavy rain falls straight off the side, and in light rain the water will curve around the edge and then drop harmlessly off the sleeve lip that extends past the probe sockets and air intakes."We remain skeptical. We would be concerned about a cooker sitting on a flat surface where hard rain could splash off the surface and up into the unit, especially when the blower is actually running. Also, when the blower is running, anything floating about in the air can be sucked into the unit. If you have ever experienced pine pollen in the South during spring, you have to wonder if the electronics will be damaged by anything that can be sucked in. And as we will see later, the unit's LED indicator is only visible through the grate at the bottom of the unit which means you can't see it with the unit properly positioned with the grate facing down. All that said, we have to admit our skepticism may be misplaced, as we have not heard of any complaints about unit failures due to this placement of the air intake. The two units are identical save for the colors of the control unit covers and grates. The Primo Plus has a black cover and black grate. The Smartfire comes with either a black cover and red grate, or a red cover and black grate. The plastic case houses the electronics, the single LED indicator and the connections for power and temperature probes. The unit itself is approximately 4⅜" x 2¾" x 1⅞" (111mm x 70mm x 48mm) and weighs 5⅜ ounces (153g). There is no dedicated power switch, per se, as power is turned on and off simply by connecting and disconnecting its power source. The unit has connections for power, a pit temperature probe and three food temperature probes. The controller is also enclosed in a silicone boot to aid in weatherproofing. As you can see in the photo, the boot has the Smartfire logo molded into it.
There is one control on the Primo Plus/Smartfire controller, a button. Pressing the button for 10 seconds will do a factory reset. However, Smartfire says that in the future, this button will be able to have actions assigned to it, like being able to cancel open lid mode, enable a 3 minute turbo 100% mode, etc. Otherwise, the only "controlling" is done from the App. Note that there is a separate App for each controller, however, they are very similar. |
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