Kamado Joe Grill

well if you can get the kj at a price considerably less than the bge...perhaps then i would consider it. but my experience is that kj's and others are more or close in price to the bge which usually leads myself back to the bge .

No matter what you decide, you will love cooking with a ceramic grill/smoker. That being said, I am partial to BGE. If you visit one of the many "Eggfests" around the country, you can get a demo model with full warranty for less than $700, with nest.
Good luck!

used a kj at a comp this weekend, it worked as well as a bge. have heard that the firebox cracks more quickly than bge firebox.

Have you talked to any other BGE dealers? Go to biggreenegg.com and enter your zip to find all the dealers near you. You might find a package deal that's a little cheaper.

Regarding the cracked fireboxes, they've become pretty rare at BGE. Can't comment on any of the others but they sure do seem to compare themselves to BGE pretty often.

I would agree with Ray on his advice to call around on the BGE before jumping at the KJ..

If you don't ask you'll never know what might have been possible.

I looked at a KJ but ended up going with a BGE...

The firebox problem is apparently solved since they redesigned, or at least the guy at the BBQ store told me that they haven't had any crack since then. Take that as you will...

KJ's may be fine, but I chose BGE for the warranty and their reliability.

and I got mine VERY close to the price of a KJ...

There isn't anyone that's owned a KJ for many years like the Eggers so the comparison will have to wait.

The differences may be in the quality and lifespan of the ceramic itself. And of course the warranty and the ability to use it 5-10 years from now. BGE has been around for 35 years and they've learned a lot.

I have an Egg at home and recently used my buddies KJ in Houston. There are differences but nothing major and I would be happy with either. He could have two KJs at his price for what we paid for the BGE in Canada. I haven't heard of any nasty warranty issues for either but my wife bought the Egg because of their track record.

bggarric said:

Grease...as far as the quality of the units, were you truly able to tell a big difference between the BGE and the KJ?

I went to the store and looked at them both and I really couldn't tell the difference... that may be because I've never owned a ceramic cooker before and just don't know... but they seemed very close to me.

All other things equal, this will come down to price for me... so I want to make sure all other things really are equal ( I realize that there are many eggers out there who will tell me all about the adv. of the egg and that's fine, I just want an honest assessment by anyone who has had some experience with both)

Click to expand...

I think Dr. Ray hit the nail on the head...

from what I have heard (note that is a pretty big disclaimer, but I trust the info) The ceramic in a BGE is not just regular ceramic but it is "better". I'm sure others here could do a better job explaining it, but talking to people that sold BGE's and KJ's (and some that sold both) I got the impression that the ceramic in the BGE's was just better.

The KJ is a fine looking unit and might be close to the quality of the Egg. While I did look very closely at a KJ and was tempted I have not cooked on one.

I just know that BGE warranties their cookers like a champ and I know that if I have trouble it will be taken care of... Not that KJ wouldn't, but they really haven't established a track record yet.

The guy I bought my Egg from had just returned from a convention of Egg dealers and he REALLY went into details about all kinds of things with me.

I think you'll be happy with either one probably. I just decided to drop the extra $100 (and that is literally all it was) to get the piece of mind...

I am fairly new to the Charcoal grill world and now that I am invovled on the buisiness end for the past 10 months or so here is what I see. BGE is THE name brand. 30+ years of a head start with a cult like following. Great branding, cooks really well. Hardware and other componants average the only significant player in this catagory at this time. Kamado Joe The new guy on the block. Nice upgrades to hardware and componants, cooks very similar to the BGE. Slightly slower stat up than BGE but better low temp control with a great new indirect heating plate. Better color choices, nicer retail packaging of accessories and product. Avgs 10 to 15% less than BGE in my market. Having been involved in this arena for almost a year now it would appear that KJ will become the second biggest player in the ceramic cooker arena very very soon. The few problems that have come up have been taking care of very quickly and the product is continually being improved. Ceramic comparison of the two. BGE slightly more dense, prettier interior finnish when new on the showroom floor. KJ thicker ceramics all the way around. KJ ceramics were chosen because they do not expand and contract nearly as much when subjected to large temperature swings. Should be better in the long term of hundred or thousands of uses. Only time will tell though.

i have three eggs. one purchased of craiglist. i "stole" a small w/ platesetter and cover for $150. if i have to replace a piece, so be it. my large and mini are warranted. i'm sure the kamodo joe's are awesome, but the track record sealed the deal for me.

There was a Primo dealer in the area that used to advertise the Kamado Joe all over craigslist, and I talked to a stove shop owner at the Eggfest that used have a couple in his store and he said that the Kamado Joe packed up and vanished faster than you can say Bayou Classic, Star or Comet Kamado!

It figures-they never responded to any of my inquiries through their website.

I noticed the fireboxes on the Demo Eggs I cooked on at the Evergreen Eggfest were of a new design- they were cut from top to bottom most likely for expansion/contraction. I meant to ask about that, but I don't really frequent the eggheadforum.