I’ve had my Yoder YS640 for several years and wanted to share a straightforward long-term review, especially for people in humid climates. I live in Florida now, but the grill spent the first part of its life in California — and it already had rust starting back then. I repaired it once, but the rust returned quickly here in the humidity.
Rust / Durability
Despite the heavy steel construction, the pit has developed significant surface rust and flaking over time. I kept it covered, but the cover itself deteriorated early on and developed spotting. I’m not sure if the cover was OEM or aftermarket, but it didn’t hold up well.
Heat Control / Gradient
I often see people say the YS640 runs hotter on the right side. My experience has been the opposite. The side near the firebox consistently runs much hotter. Today it was about 600°F near the firebox and ~280°F on the right/exhaust side after 35 minutes of running. The heat spread is extremely uneven and affects how I use the grill.
Cooking Performance
- Brisket: Excellent and consistent. This is where the Yoder performs best.
- Ribs are consistently great whether pork or beef
- Chicken / Large Batches: My least favorite on this grill. Because of the uneven heat, I need to constantly rotate everything over the firebox to get it cooked properly.
Summary
The YS640 is solidly built and great for low-and-slow cooks, but long-term rust issues, an uneven temperature gradient, and a low-quality cover have been recurring problems for me, especially in high humidity
by Tasty-Property-434
10 Comments
I’ve had mine since 2012 and it looks brand new. Maybe you should try taking care of it
Mine got way worse than that rust – a few hours of sanding and spraying and it looks brand new. One of the best cooking buys I’ve ever made.
I can add that the stainless front apron stops any rust in that location. I do keep mine in under a roof that keeps all water off. Even when we get wild snow storms in the Rockies, it stays dry.
Heavy steel construction does not preclude corrosion. It helps prevent/delay the material from completely rusting away, but steel will rust. You have to take some basic preventative maintenance steps to keep corrosion at bay.
A 320F difference from one end of the smoker to the other seems nearly impossible. What are you using to measure that, and are you sure those instruments are accurate?
I don’t have a yoder, but I want one. Steel rusts though. You have to take care of it.
This is the reason I went Lonestar and not Yoder when it’s about the same money. Everyone complained about the paint and rust issues. Yoder even officially commented that they just expect you to have to sand and paint it regularly.
I am two years in with the Lonestar and absolutely no issues with the paint.
I have been changing all of my outdoor stuff to stainless for this reason
I have a five year old GMG and it looks far worse. I will need to repaint it in the spring.
look into stove paste, stove black or black stove polish. Just search up any one of those terms. Made (usually) with carbon black and linseed oil, it both blackens and goes a long way towards preventing rust.
Edit to say: it works better on cast iron, carbon steel, less so on denser finished metals.