Primo vs BGE

Both Awesome cookers. No bad choice between Primo & BGE. Both are excellent
I’ve owned both and still have the Primo Oval XL. I enjoy the oval shape. Most of my friends family that have Ceramic Cookers have BGE & Vision. BGE owner’s are a brand loyal bunch. However every single one of them have expressed a wish that BGE/Vision had an Oval shape. Tons of how to videos (and how not to’s) online.

I've owned a few different round ceramic grills and now have a Primo XL and the oval shape of it is definitely a differentiator compared to the round ones I'd owned previously. I think you made the right choice, very versatile grill, great for 2 zone setup. One of my complains with ceramic grills is that accessing the coals or wood chunks underneath the diffusers is nearly impossible once meat is on. I'll often cook on just half my Primo with the side containing the coals left open and it makes it nice to just toss on a small handful of wood chips whenever I see fit or to take a peak at the charcoal. It also makes it easy to do high heat indirect cooking. I'll often reverse sear a steak this way, or maybe some chicken quarters. Run the grill around 400*, cook the meat on the indirect half, then sear over the direct heat side to finish it off. I really like my Primo, probably my favorite grill.

I love my BGE but cook a lotta briskets and would enjoy that oval shape of a Primo.

I live my Large BGE too but have heard nothing of good things about the Primo

The most important question is.... did the dealer extend the full Primo warranty to you?

I know plenty of plenty of people with BGE's and Primo's or both. The round kamado shape has been around for a couple of thousand years, and the oval variation has some distinct advantages like banking the coals or cooking longer things like ribs, brisket or even a piglet.

I think with your choice between a XL BGE and Primo XL, the Primo might be the better way to go. The XL BGE is fine if you are cooking a lot all the time, but it's harder to manage smaller cooks. The Oval will give you more options. The only disadvantage between round and oval is that more aftermarket accessories are available for round cookers. Be sure and check out the Primo options at the Ceramic Grill Store.

https://ceramicgrillstore.com/

Don't really know much about kamado grills but yours is absolutely gorgeous!

Enjoy!

Had my Primo for nearly 15 years now and never a problem. We went with it over the BGE because of the oval shape and higher clearance for bread. Also LOVE that the racks can be adjusted separately, one for grilling and the other deflector for indirect heat. I can quickly do a reverse sear without risk of burning myself. No bad choice, but you made the one I made and have no regrets. Also, you got a great deal!

As everyone has said, Primo for oval shape.

My primo Xl has been great over the past 10 years or so. No complaints. If you learn the Kamado style of cooking you’ll be very happy.

I was all poised to go with a Primo until I stumbled onto a deal I couldn’t pass up on my KJ at Costco. They make a quality cooker and I think by design the oval is more ideal for smoking than KJ or the BGE. Youve got a winner there

I've had both. IMO the Primo oval is just a superior design. I used the different zone cooking all the time.

I dont think you could have made a wrong choice, but I do think you made the best of 2 good choices.

As much as I love my Primo OXL if it went away for whatever reason and I wanted another larger ceramic cooker—Lowe’s has the Big Joe for 1099
Assembly and delivery. That thing is a beast

I owned both a Primo XL and BGE XL for a few years.

Build quality - Equal, they are both premium cookers that come with high-quality components.
Smoking - while the XL BGE is easier to light and stay lit, once you figure out how to use the firebox divider and keep the fire small in the Primo they hold temp equally well. I used both with a BBQ Guru as well as Fireboard.

The Primo holds more brisket and ribs than the XL BGE without using funky racks. Chicken and butts are about equal. The oval shape is better suited for most meats over the design of the BGE. That being said, the XL BGE is MASSIVE. I felt much more limited with my large BGE than the XL one.

Grilling - slight edge to the Primo with the divided firebox. I generally sous vide my steaks and char them on an Solaire, but have used the Primo as well.

You can pile the coals to the side of the BGE, but once again the oval shape is an advantage.

I do like how much closer the coals are to the grill grate in the BGE over the Primo.

Pizza. Hands down the BGE destroys the Primo XL for pizzas. I can easily cook a 16" or larger pizza with excellent results.

In the end, I sold the primo and kept the XL BGE. You can't go wrong with either.

You'll find 10,000 BGE owners to every 1 Primo including forum and informational posts online... that may or may not matter to you.

I have and love the Primo XL. I’ve also had the Akorn kept with our RV and now also have the Vision B. What hasn’t been mentioned is customer service. Have never owned a BGE, so can’t comment about that. When I first started using the Primo I was having a couple of issues that were completely from my inexperience. I posted my problem on the Primo forum. 10am, Sunday morning of Memorial weekend I get a phone call from the Primo VP. He’s just firing up his XL for a cookout and spends almost an hour educating me and giving me tips on how to get the best out of the cooker. Even tells me to always start the fire a few inches in from the bottom vent so the fire can evenly spread out. Thought his taking the time to reach out was a pretty cool thing.