F
Fiddy/Fiddy
Guest
I finally got to meet Mr. Kamado Joe, Here's my initial impression of this cooker:
- It is by far the thickest ceramic Kamado I have seen to date. *You can really tell by the weight I the lid. *All though easy to open, you can definitely tell the lid is pretty heavy.*
- The counterbalance hinge is very well constructed and the springs handle well considering the KJ appears to have a lid that feels nearly twice as heavy as their competitors.
- The 304 stainless grid is one of the most ridged grids I have seen outside of a weber Genesis. * It is the best OEM grate I have seen on a Kamado. *I prefer CI and this would not likely sway my purchasing decision.*
- the Firebox is huge. *Much bigger than the Eggs box. *This appears to come with a trade off. *The ash box has a lower capacity than the Egg. *You would need to clean out the KJ more often. *Not a big deal. *Every design has it's trade offs.
- The included ash tool is better than what I imagined. *The Internet pics make it appear a bit flimsy. *It's actually is quite ridged and well built.*
- The CI Charcoal grate is much thicker than the one on the Egg. *The finish seems less likely to rust.*
- The is enough clearance between the fire ring and the rim to allow any BGE accessory to fit easily. (Minus the plate setter, not a great loss, I don't like the plate setter)
- the brown ceramic takes some getting use too. Thank god it will turn black with use over time.
- The KJ does ceramic is very ruff inside. *It does not have the Eggs smoother finish. *I also noticed some brown chalking on my fingers after running my finger across the ceramic interior. *This may be common with all new ceramic. *This is not something I experienced with the Egg. *This is being just plain picky. *I can't imagine this effecting the performance of the grill and the the grease will smooth out the wall over time.*
- It was. Ice to see all stainless hardware. *This really makes me think the grill will hold up well over the years.*
- The thermometer is massive. *It was way bigger than I ever imagined. *It's actually overkill. *It seems too big for the 18 Inch grill. *A kid in a plane flying over head could see what temp you were smoking at on a clear day. * The size of the thermometer is never really been a issue for me. *As long as I can read it I am good to go. *If my 98 year-old neighbor want to give it a spin, he'll be right as day with the size of this therm. **
- Pricing, very impressive. *The KJ is much cheaper than the Egg in Canada for what is essentially a similar product.
lrg Egg: $1099 -$999 - $1299 with Cart
KJ 18: $799 Stand alone or $999 with Cart
XL Egg: $1599 - $1499
Big Joe: Estimated: (Not out yet) $1299 - $1199.00
- Local dealer support: The local dealer can ship any required parts to their store. *This is good to hear if a new firebox or grate is required.*
Overall: The Joe pretty impressive *cooker and superior to the Egg in almost every regard. * The Egg's Smoother ceramic finish is the only place where I felt the Egg has a slight edge on the Joe. *
Well, let's hear what the other brethren think. * *
*
- It is by far the thickest ceramic Kamado I have seen to date. *You can really tell by the weight I the lid. *All though easy to open, you can definitely tell the lid is pretty heavy.*
- The counterbalance hinge is very well constructed and the springs handle well considering the KJ appears to have a lid that feels nearly twice as heavy as their competitors.
- The 304 stainless grid is one of the most ridged grids I have seen outside of a weber Genesis. * It is the best OEM grate I have seen on a Kamado. *I prefer CI and this would not likely sway my purchasing decision.*
- the Firebox is huge. *Much bigger than the Eggs box. *This appears to come with a trade off. *The ash box has a lower capacity than the Egg. *You would need to clean out the KJ more often. *Not a big deal. *Every design has it's trade offs.
- The included ash tool is better than what I imagined. *The Internet pics make it appear a bit flimsy. *It's actually is quite ridged and well built.*
- The CI Charcoal grate is much thicker than the one on the Egg. *The finish seems less likely to rust.*
- The is enough clearance between the fire ring and the rim to allow any BGE accessory to fit easily. (Minus the plate setter, not a great loss, I don't like the plate setter)
- the brown ceramic takes some getting use too. Thank god it will turn black with use over time.
- The KJ does ceramic is very ruff inside. *It does not have the Eggs smoother finish. *I also noticed some brown chalking on my fingers after running my finger across the ceramic interior. *This may be common with all new ceramic. *This is not something I experienced with the Egg. *This is being just plain picky. *I can't imagine this effecting the performance of the grill and the the grease will smooth out the wall over time.*
- It was. Ice to see all stainless hardware. *This really makes me think the grill will hold up well over the years.*
- The thermometer is massive. *It was way bigger than I ever imagined. *It's actually overkill. *It seems too big for the 18 Inch grill. *A kid in a plane flying over head could see what temp you were smoking at on a clear day. * The size of the thermometer is never really been a issue for me. *As long as I can read it I am good to go. *If my 98 year-old neighbor want to give it a spin, he'll be right as day with the size of this therm. **
- Pricing, very impressive. *The KJ is much cheaper than the Egg in Canada for what is essentially a similar product.
lrg Egg: $1099 -$999 - $1299 with Cart
KJ 18: $799 Stand alone or $999 with Cart
XL Egg: $1599 - $1499
Big Joe: Estimated: (Not out yet) $1299 - $1199.00
- Local dealer support: The local dealer can ship any required parts to their store. *This is good to hear if a new firebox or grate is required.*
Overall: The Joe pretty impressive *cooker and superior to the Egg in almost every regard. * The Egg's Smoother ceramic finish is the only place where I felt the Egg has a slight edge on the Joe. *
Well, let's hear what the other brethren think. * *
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