Electric Smokers matchup · Lightweight division
East Oak 30 in Electric Smoker with Glass Door vs Masterbuilt 30 in Digital Electric Smoker (MB20071117)
the two 30-inch digital cabinets most buyers choose between: the better-rated East Oak against the deeper-based Masterbuilt
The judges have ruled
East Oak 30 in Electric Smoker with Glass Door took this fight in our Lightweight division showdown.
Ringside notes
The two 30-inch digital cabinet smokers most buyers end up choosing between, both read signed in on their own Amazon listings on 2026-10-03 with their critical reviews, and both makers’ warranty documents read the same day.
The East Oak with glass door has the cleaner record: 4.7★ across 1,185 owners with 3% one- and two-star reviews, a built-in meat probe, and a side chip box that a pitmaster testing it for Smoked BBQ Source ran about four hours at 250°F on one load. Its warranty is one year, three if you register within 90 days, and only for buyers from East Oak’s official stores, Amazon among them.
The Masterbuilt 30-inch Digital (MB20071117) has ten times the owners, 4.4★ across 11,205, and a recurring failure: four of its ten most recent critical reviews are a dead control panel, power board or thermostat. Masterbuilt’s warranty is one year, and masterbuilt.com now lists this model as out of stock while Amazon still sells it. In its favour, Masterbuilt sells the element and the power board for it at .99 each.
Both cap at 275°F on an 800-watt element, so neither crisps poultry skin. We ruled for the East Oak in our electric smoker showdown.
Tale of the tape
| Model | Best for | Owner rating | Warranty | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | 4.7★ / 1,185 | 1 year; 3 years if registered within 90 days — East Oak Official Stores only (Amazon, Shopify, Walmart) | ~$299.99typical at AmazonCheck price → | |
| Deepest owner base | 4.4★ / 11,205 | 1 year, proof of purchase; rust not covered; an unauthorized dealer voids it | ~$219typical at AmazonCheck price → |
Prices move constantly — any Amazon price shown is as of the date noted and subject to change; tap through for today's number.
Prices move constantly — tap through for today's number.
What would decide it
- Owner proof: East Oak 30 in Electric Smoker with Glass Door reads 4.7★ across 1,185 owners; Masterbuilt 30 in Digital Electric Smoker (MB20071117) reads 4.4★ across 11,205. Depth of sample matters as much as the star.
- The money: East Oak 30 in Electric Smoker with Glass Door streets ~$300, Masterbuilt 30 in Digital Electric Smoker (MB20071117) ~$219 — MSRPs, not sale lows, decide the tier.
- East Oak 30 in Electric Smoker with Glass Door — your pick if: you want a set-it-and-walk-away smoker for ribs, chicken and pork shoulder — 4.7★ across 1,185 owners, a built-in meat probe, and a side chip box a pitmaster ran about four hours at 250°F on one load — and you will register it inside 90 days, because unregistered it carries one year.
- Masterbuilt 30 in Digital Electric Smoker (MB20071117) — your pick if: you want the electric smoker the most owners have lived with — 11,205 ratings at 4.4★ — for about $219 from Amazon, and you accept that Masterbuilt’s own store no longer sells it and that the controller is the part owners most often report failing.
The full cards
East Oak 30 in Electric Smoker with Glass Door
Best overall · A 30-inch digital cabinet smoker: 725 sq in on four racks, an 800 W element set from 100 to 275°F, a built-in meat probe and a side chip loader East Oak rates at 4 to 6 hours a load. 4.7★ across 1,185, sold by East Oak’s own Amazon storefront.
Your pick if you want a set-it-and-walk-away smoker for ribs, chicken and pork shoulder — 4.7★ across 1,185 owners, a built-in meat probe, and a side chip box a pitmaster ran about four hours at 250°F on one load — and you will register it inside 90 days, because unregistered it carries one year.
Sold and shipped by EOdirect · 30-day refund/replacement · read 2026-10-08
Picked before we checked what this link pays us.
“This was my first smoker and far exceeded my expectations. It was very easy to use and provides plenty of smoke with the large wood chip box.”
“At a cooking temperature of 250°F, a full load of chips burned for about four hours, which means you won’t need to reload unless you’re cooking something longer like a brisket.”
Hands-on review of this glass-door model; East Oak supplied the unit
East Oak 30 in Electric Smoker with Glass Door
Best overallYour pick if you want a set-it-and-walk-away smoker for ribs, chicken and pork shoulder — 4.7★ across 1,185 owners, a built-in meat probe, and a side chip box a pitmaster ran about four hours at 250°F on one load — and you will register it inside 90 days, because unregistered it carries one year.
“This was my first smoker and far exceeded my expectations. It was very easy to use and provides plenty of smoke with the large wood chip box.”— Tim F, Amazon · Verified owner
Pro review “At a cooking temperature of 250°F, a full load of chips burned for about four hours, which means you won’t need to reload unless you’re cooking something longer like a brisket.”Hands-on review of this glass-door model; East Oak supplied the unit— Breanna Stark, Smoked BBQ Source
- 4.7★ across 1,185 — one smoker in two colours on one rating base, every visible review a verified purchase and none from the Vine programme
- A built-in meat probe and a side chip box East Oak rates at 4 to 6 hours a load; a pitmaster testing it for Smoked BBQ Source got about four hours at 250°F
- Sold by East Oak’s own Amazon storefront, and Amazon is one of the three stores East Oak’s warranty names
- One- and two-star reviews are 3% of the base
- Weak smoke at low settings: owners smoking around 190°F report chips that blacken without smoking, and Smoked BBQ Source’s tester wrote that the ribs were more like oven-baked ribs with a subtle touch of smoke
- Capped at 275°F, and one owner could not get past 240°F on an 80°F day with meat inside — crisp poultry skin is not on the menu
- The chip box’s latch gets too hot to touch and sits in a space too tight for a glove, two recent critical reviews say
- The racks have no stop: pulled out loaded, owners say they drop
- One year of warranty unless you register within 90 days, and only when bought from Amazon, East Oak’s own store or Walmart
Smoke and heat at the margins, and a fiddly chip box. "Does not produce smoke at low and slow temperatures… the wood chips do not burn away, they just blacken"; "in 80F ambient temp the smoker cannot reach higher than 240 inside with 4lbs of meat"; "The trigger on the wood chip holder is so hot you can’t put you finger on it, yet the area is too small to wear a glove"; racks that fall when pulled out loaded ("with the competitor’s I could pull the shelf partly out and the shelf was still supported --- not this one").
41 critical written reviews on 2026-10-03; the ten most recent read (Jun 14 – Sep 28, 2026), 10/10 Verified Purchase: weak or no smoke at low settings 2, hot chip-loader latch 2, racks with no stop 2, short of temperature 1, dented on arrival 1, hard to clean 1, would not turn on 1. One- and two-star are 3% of 1,185. · critical reviews read October 2026
Sold and shipped by EOdirect · 30-day refund/replacement · read 2026-10-08
Masterbuilt 30 in Digital Electric Smoker (MB20071117)
Deepest owner baseThe listing's size menu spans 6 models (30–40 in) — this card is the 30-inch Digital. Check the size before you add to cart.
Your pick if you want the electric smoker the most owners have lived with — 11,205 ratings at 4.4★ — for about $219 from Amazon, and you accept that Masterbuilt’s own store no longer sells it and that the controller is the part owners most often report failing.
“Made some awesome smoked walleye. Only had it for a year so far but it’s working well.”— Greg Bussey, Amazon · Verified owner
Pro review “there was up to a 20°F difference from the top rack to the bottom rack with the top rack running cooler.”Hands-on review naming MB20071117; published October 2021, updated May 2025— Mike Sessler, Smoked BBQ Source
- 11,205 owner ratings at 4.4★ — the deepest base on this page, every visible review a verified purchase, none from the Vine programme
- A side chip loader, four racks and 710 sq in, and Masterbuilt sells the element ($24.99) and the power board ($24.99) for this model on its own store
- Tested hands-on by Smoked BBQ Source, which held 275°F with chips added about hourly
- Sold and shipped by Amazon
- Masterbuilt’s own store no longer sells it: masterbuilt.com lists MB20071117 as out of stock and sells the 30-inch with a window (MB20071322) instead
- The controller is the recurring failure: four of the ten latest critical reviews are a dead control panel, power board or thermostat, one twice inside the warranty
- Uneven heat: Smoked BBQ Source measured up to 20°F between the top and bottom racks, and an owner reports swings of 20° each way
- Light smoke below 225°F, several owners say
- One- and two-star reviews are 10% of the base, against 3% on both East Oaks
The controller, then the smoke. "Purchased in 2023. In three months, the control panel died… My smoker has now died again"; "around the year mark it failed completely. The factory sent me a new power board, which brought back happy times for about two months"; "the control panel failed… with power ’On’"; "No smoke at any temperature below 225 degrees F"; "Mine does not hold the temperature. It varies each way from where I said it at least 20°".
1,113 critical written reviews on 2026-10-03; the ten most recent read (Jul 9 – Sep 29, 2026), 9/10 Verified Purchase: controller, power board or thermostat failure 4, light or no smoke 3, temperature swing 1, cheaper build than an older unit 1, damaged on arrival 1. One- and two-star are 10% of 11,205. · critical reviews read October 2026
FAQ
East Oak or Masterbuilt electric smoker?
The East Oak 30 with glass door, on the evidence we read on 3 October 2026: the higher rating on a clean tail (3% one- and two-star against 10%), a built-in meat probe, a longer-running chip box, and three years of warranty if you register it within 90 days. The Masterbuilt 30-inch Digital has the deeper owner base and cheap replacement parts, but its tail is controller failures and Masterbuilt’s own store no longer sells it.
Which runs longer on a load of wood chips?
The East Oak. Smoked BBQ Source got about four hours from a full load at 250°F in the East Oak; testing the Masterbuilt 30-inch Digital at 275°F, the same outlet added chips every hour or so.
Full fight coverage
Every number on this page derives from the same verified data that renders our showdowns — dated owner-rating reads, MSRP-based tiers, and rulings only where a real fight happened. Data last verified: October 2026. Methodology and monetization disclosure: how we test.