Z GRILLS ZPG-450A vs Traeger Pro 22: More Grate on Less Floor
Two pellet grills the same height, a price band apart. The Traeger states 113 more square inches and takes less floor; the Z GRILLS states the higher temperature.
The two listings at a glance
PID V3.0 controller, 459 sq in, 8-in-1
Read our review · Check price on Amazon
Digital Pro Controller, 572 sq in, 6-in-1
Read our review · Check price on Amazon
A Traeger and a Z GRILLS pellet grill, one in the $500+ price band and one in $200–500. They are about the same size: the same 49 inch height, depths within an inch, and cooking areas that differ by a quarter. That makes the places where they differ more informative than usual, and several of them are the places where the listings use the same number to mean different things.
| Figure | Z GRILLS ZPG-450A | Traeger Pro 22 | Pellet grill class median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking area | 459 sq in (both sources) | 572 sq in (both sources) | 575 sq in |
| Weight | 38.6 kg, 85 lb (listing only) | 46.5 kg, 102 lb (listing only) | 51 kg |
| Dimensions on Amazon | 28″ D x 45″ W x 49″ H | 27″ D x 41″ W x 49″ H | — |
| Floor footprint | 1260 sq in | 1107 sq in | — |
| Temperature range (our review) | 180 to 550 F | 180 to 450 F, within 15 F | — |
| Controller | PID V3.0, LCD, one meat probe | Digital Pro Controller, meat probe | — |
| Function count claimed | 8-in-1 | 6-in-1 | — |
| Hopper | not stated in the text we read | 18 lb | — |
| Price band | $200-500 | $500+ | — |
113 square inches more, in less floor
The Traeger’s title and our review state 572 square inches against the Z GRILLS’s 459, which is 113 more, 25 percent. The Traeger is also the heavier grill, 102.5 pounds against 85, 7.9 kilograms or 21 percent more. Its footprint, though, is smaller: 41 inches wide by 27 deep, 1107 square inches of floor, against 45 by 28, 1260. So the larger cooking area sits on the smaller footprint, and the area per square inch of floor is 0.52 for the Traeger and 0.36 for the Z GRILLS. That is a derived number from the listed dimensions, which may or may not include side shelves, but it is the figure that matters on a small patio.
What the area counts
Our review says the Traeger’s 572 square inches are “across two porcelain-coated grates”, so a lower grate and an upper rack are both in the figure, while the Z GRILLS review says 459 square inches “of grilling surface” and does not say whether there is a rack in it. In the pellet grill class our review and Amazon agree on the area for every listing that states it in both, but the question is the same one the gas grill class report raises: a stated cooking area may count a second shelf. Without a main-grate figure on either listing, the 25 percent gap may overstate how much more grate the Traeger has. Across the 15 pellet grills that state an area, the median is 575 square inches and the range 300 to 1000, so the Z GRILLS is a small pellet grill and the Traeger a typical one.
Temperature: the cheaper grill claims the higher ceiling
Our review gives the Z GRILLS a range of 180 to 550 degrees Fahrenheit, set by its PID controller, and the Traeger 180 to 450, held to within 15 degrees by its Digital Pro Controller; the Traeger’s own listing says “450 F max”. A ceiling of 550 matters for searing, and 450 is enough for most roasting and baking and for the low-and-slow cooking the grill is for. Neither listing, in the text we read, says how the temperature was measured, whether at the grate or in the firebox, or how long the grill takes to reach it. The Z GRILLS lists an 8-in-1 function set and the Traeger a 6-in-1, and a function count of that kind is a claim about the menu and not about performance.
What Amazon’s fields add
Amazon’s structured fields say a little more about each. The Z GRILLS lists its power source as wood pellet, an alloy steel outer, a stainless steel inner and a rectangular body with a lid. The Traeger lists its power source as corded electric, an alloy steel outer, a steel inner and a manufacture year of 2014. The two fields for power source are not in conflict: a pellet grill of this type burns pellets for heat and uses mains power for its fan, its auger and its controller, and neither listing’s text spells that out, so a buyer should check that there is an outlet where the grill will stand. Neither listing in the text we read gives a figure for pellet consumption per hour, which is the running cost a pellet grill buyer most wants.
Other copies of these numbers
The Z GRILLS ZPG-450A figures are not unique to this listing. 3 Z GRILLS listings in our catalogue, this one included, state 459 square inches, with listed weights of 38.1, 38.1, 38.6 kilograms, so they are probably the same grill under different listings, and the weights agree to within a kilogram. The Traeger shows the opposite pattern elsewhere in the catalogue: two Pro 575 listings state the same 575 square inches and weigh 56.2 and 67.6 kilograms, an 11 kilogram gap that the listings do not explain. If you are comparing pellet grills, compare more than one listing of the model you want, and read the weight and the area on each before you read the name. The figures on a single Amazon page are one transcription of a product that may have been sold under several pages over several years, and the two Traeger Pro 575 pages show how far two of them can sit apart.
Which suits which
The Z GRILLS ZPG-450A suits you if
- you want the higher stated temperature ceiling, 550 against 450 degrees Fahrenheit;
- you want the lower price band, $200-500 against $500+, and the lighter grill by 7.9 kilograms;
- you have the floor room for the wider footprint.
The Traeger Pro 22 suits you if
- you want the larger stated area, 113 square inches more, on the smaller footprint, 1107 square inches of floor;
- a hopper size on the page, 18 pounds, is something you want to plan around;
- the name and the controller are what you are buying, and the $500+ band is acceptable.
What this comparison cannot tell you
Nothing here was tested. We did not light either grill, so we cannot say which holds temperature better, which smokes cleaner or which is more reliable. The areas are the makers’ numbers and neither says what it counts. For each in full, read our review of the Z GRILLS ZPG-450A and our review of the Traeger Pro 22, and see the pellet grill reviews for the rest of the type.
Figures are the manufacturers’, as published on each listing and quoted in our reviews; none was measured by us. How we work · Affiliate disclosure