Grizzl-E Classic vs Grizzl-E Smart

Most charger comparisons are muddied by variables — different amperages, different cables, different enclosures — which makes it hard to isolate what any single feature is worth. This one is unusually clean. Same brand, same 40 amps, same 25-foot cold-flexible cable, same cast-aluminum NEMA 4 / IP67 body rated -22°F to 122°F, and the same plug-in install — Grizzl-E builds this box for both a NEMA 14-50 and a NEMA 6-50 receptacle.

One of them has a WiFi radio. That is the comparison — with one practical footnote: the Classic SKU currently listed ends in a NEMA 6-50 plug and the Smart’s in a NEMA 14-50, so check which receptacle you have (or are having installed) before you order either.

What the Smart actually adds

Grizzl-E’s own product overview describes the Smart as a Wi-Fi connected charger shipping with the Grizzl-E Connect app. Concretely, that gives you three things:

Scheduling. Tell the charger when to run. Useful on a time-of-use rate — and, importantly, duplicative if your car already schedules charging natively, which nearly all do.

Usage history. The genuinely non-duplicative one. The car reports its own charging, but the charger reports what came through the wall, which is the number your utility bills against. If you want to verify what a session actually cost rather than estimate it, this is the feature that does it.

Remote lockout. Underrated on an outdoor or shared install. If the charger lives on a driveway a neighbor could reach, being able to disable it from a phone is worth something concrete.

The Smart also lists OCPP 1.6J support, which means it can in principle be driven by third-party charging software rather than only the manufacturer’s. Most households will never use it; it is a real hedge against the app being abandoned, and it is relevant to some utility programs.

What the Smart does not add

In-app amperage adjustment. Worth stating clearly because buyers assume it. On both models the current limit is set by a physical DIP switch — 16, 24, 32 or 40 amps — inside the unit. The app does not change it. That is either charmingly honest or annoyingly analog depending on temperament, but it means adding WiFi does not make the charger any more adjustable than the Classic. If in-app amperage matters, the unit that does it is the ChargePoint Home Flex, at 16 to 50 amps.

Any charging speed. Both are 40 amps, 9.6 kW, about 34 miles of range per hour at our reference efficiency. Identical.

Any weather capability. Same enclosure, same rating, same cable. The thing you are actually buying a Grizzl-E for is unchanged.

The certification wrinkle, which matters if you want a rebate

This is the one substantive place the Smart is behind, and it is a documentation issue rather than a hardware one.

Grizzl-E’s own pages state ENERGY STAR certification for the Classic. For the Smart, neither of Grizzl-E’s pages states one — even though the Amazon listing title carries an ENERGY STAR badge. We record that as Not published rather than guessing in either direction, and we deliberately keep the Smart off our ENERGY STAR roundup because of it.

Why it matters: ENERGY STAR is the most common eligibility filter in utility rebate programs, and DOE lists 114 utilities offering residential charger purchase rebates. If yours requires the certification, the model whose manufacturer documents it is the safer buy — and a retail badge is not the evidence a program will accept.

The awkward irony is that the connected model is the one more likely to be wanted by a managed-charging program, and the one whose certification is harder to prove. If you are chasing a specific rebate, verify with the program before ordering either.

Quick picks

Ranked on published specs, charging speed, electrical fit and value. Select a row to jump to the full write-up. We have not bench-tested these chargers — here is exactly what we do instead.

#	Product	Best for	Price
1	Grizzl-E Classic A deliberately dumb charger, and that's the point. No app, no cloud account, no firmware to fail — just a die-cast aluminum box built for a Canadian winter and rated to keep working outdoors. If you want set-and-forget, this is it.	Best value — same hardware, documented ENERGY STAR	Check price on Amazon → #ad How we’re funded
2	Grizzl-E Smart 40A Grizzl-E's cast-aluminum build with a WiFi radio bolted on. You get the IP67 body and the cold-flexible 25 ft cable that made the brand's name, plus scheduling and usage history in the Grizzl-E Connect app — in a plug-in unit that comes off the wall when you move. The amperage is still set with a DIP switch, which is either charmingly honest or annoyingly analog depending on your taste.	Add usage history, lockout and OCPP	Check price on Amazon → #ad How we’re funded
3	Lectron Nexus 48A J1772 A full 48 amps with nothing to log into. Lectron's Nexus body is IP66-sealed for an outdoor wall, the cable is a heavy 15 mm compound the brand says is built to stay flexible in freezing weather, and the safety paperwork is the real thing — ETL to UL 2594/2231/2251, plus ENERGY STAR. Hardwired only, and there is no app, which is the entire point.	If you need 48 amps and still want no app	$429.99 · View on Amazon Price as of September 2, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

The verdict

• Your car schedules charging and you just want it to work: the Classic. You are not giving anything up that you would notice.
• You want to see what each session cost through the wall: the Smart. The usage history is the one feature the car cannot replace.
• The charger lives outdoors where others could reach it: the Smart, for remote lockout.
• Your utility rebate requires ENERGY STAR: the Classic, on the documentation. Verify with the program.
• Your utility runs a managed-charging program: the Smart, since those need a networked charger — but confirm the certification question first.
• You need 48 amps: neither — both cap at 40, and Grizzl-E no longer sells a 48-amp charger at all: the Ultimate 48A was discontinued in August 2026 and the line moved to 80 amps. The Lectron Nexus 48A is the closest current equivalent — hardwired, J1772, no app, IP66.

And if your garage has poor signal, note that the Smart’s advantages all depend on it reaching your network. Check that before paying for it — our connectivity guide covers how to find out and what to do about it.