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BGE......What gives????

transversal
transversal Posts: 719
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Is it just me, or am I the only one who doesn't understand why BGE doesn't address the single issue that is obviously the achilles heal of its design and construction year after year.........the gasket?? Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my Egg for any other grill on the market.....but I just don't understand why BGE fails to address its gasket issue and replace it with a durable and functional product so that its patrons don't have to face both the expense and inconvenience of retrofitting its grills with numerous after market alternatives. How much could doing so conceivably add to the cost per unit? $20? For what an Egg costs, what difference would $20 make? For a product line whose corner stone is uncompromised quality and durability, the gasket just introduces a quality compromise into the BGE equation that flies in the face of everything else that makes it a great product. It's like buying a Bentley only to find out that its bumpers are made of tin foil after a bump from a grocery basket in the super market parking lot................just doesn't make sense to me.
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Comments

  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    amen

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    As you know or should know BGE isn't going to address these type these type of questions here on the forum.

    From post below Dr. Zauis indicated HQ is now charging for the gasket replacements on the new egg failures. That is a big change from the past.

    From some things I heard recently byo what seems to be people in the know and or very well connected... the 'new guys' at HQ have some real changes planed for us here on the forum. Something akin to a nuclear bomb. Well maybe not an actual bomb but the end results will be the same for our or what I think is the best forum on the net. Should the speculation actually come to fruition and the opportunity passes, I want to take a minute to thank all the people I have had the chance to meet and become friends with. A word to the wise copy, don't just bookmark your favorite recipes and posts as you may not have access to them.

    Be well all. GG
  • loco_engr
    loco_engr Posts: 5,759
    I share your frustration with the gasket issue.
    As a devoted Egghead that has spent alot of "effort"
    in promoting the values of the BGE, I find this
    "gasket issue" totally lame after all the years this has
    a problem. Although the Mothership was great in sending the Nomex replacement to me at no cost, but in most cases, the customer was expected to get their own adhesive. This to me was a big hole in their excellent customer service reputation. Fortunately enough for me
    my small town dealer gave me a small can of the 3M adhesive at no cost to me. That is a rare case from what I have seen on this forum for the gasket issue fix.
    Hopefully, maybe someone of influence from HQ will/has an new and improved fix.

    Just my opinion, I could be wrong . . .
    aka marysvilleksegghead
    Lrg 2008
    mini 2009
    XL 2021 (sold 8/24/23)
    Henny Youngman:
    I said to my wife, 'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?' She said, 'I want to go somewhere I've never been before.' I said, 'Try the kitchen.'
    Bob Hope: When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feel anything until noon, and then it’s time for my nap
  • loco_engr
    loco_engr Posts: 5,759
    Kent:

    email me plz . . .

    forum handle at hotmail dot com
    aka marysvilleksegghead
    Lrg 2008
    mini 2009
    XL 2021 (sold 8/24/23)
    Henny Youngman:
    I said to my wife, 'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?' She said, 'I want to go somewhere I've never been before.' I said, 'Try the kitchen.'
    Bob Hope: When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feel anything until noon, and then it’s time for my nap
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    heading out for church in a few, here is my email address.

    kentja at comcast dot net

    Kent
  • Chubby
    Chubby Posts: 2,955
    Yep...you better go get some religion!!

    (He says from his suppppper duuuppper zippy new PC)!!!

    :woohoo:
    I spent most of my money on good bourbon, and bad women...the rest, I just wasted!!
  • transversal
    transversal Posts: 719
    I am not at all surprised by your reports, Grampaw. In all probability, Corporate is gonna monkey with the formula that has spawned success for many years. I sure hope that is not the case.......but often when the profiteers take the helm, the patron is usually the loser. What a shame should it come to pass.
  • Bear 007
    Bear 007 Posts: 382
    Is it true they aren't replacing the gaskets at all.
  • transversal
    transversal Posts: 719
    Well, I guess it will be "God help you" should you have a major problem.
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    I took too long on the forum then in the shower, then in a towel and my wife left me. So with crutches it's too far to waddle.

    ... pretty fast, is it and what does 486 stand for.

    You guys have a safe flight and enjoy the weather up there. It's a sizzling 67° here right now.

     
  • CBBQ
    CBBQ Posts: 610
    In all fairness this problem has been going on a lot longer than the new regime has been in control. What I never understood was why they'd send you a different brand of gasket(nomax) after you had a problem. It just seemed that for $700+ they'd give you the better gasket to begin with. I also have to think they'd have to consider food/cooking compatibility with anything they send out.
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    That's a comment from below. If you have a problem then contact BGE service and let us know first hand.

    Gaskets wear out and can be abused, in those cases it is the users falt/responsibility. Many years ago when I got my first egg I fried the gasket doing a T-Rex steak. Opening the dome at 800° combined with flasback was my fault. That was on me, as it should have been.

    I also had an egg where the gasket came off which I am guessing was poor gasket installation at the factory. There were other problems which were taken care of by BGE.

    As far as I am concerned as of today, BGE has been more than fair honoring the warranty and customer service.

    GG
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Not sure if anyone said it was the new regime's fault (for lack of a better term).

    However, it would be nice if the research would locate a better adhesive for the gaskets. Possibly there is nothing out there other than hi-temp silicone.

    The new regime, I would think will have to deal with the old and will have new issues of their own. There are rumblings that some issues will affect us, the forum, greatly.

    GG
  • Bear 007
    Bear 007 Posts: 382
    Its not really all that big of a deal, I have sent them an email, Ill probably replace it with something else anyway, its just that I have allot of money tied up into these.
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    It doesn't help, but most of us have been there too, a lot of money and having to replace gaskets.

    For me 9 gasket replacements in less than a year, the majority of the replacements were out of my pocket. However, with some changes I have only replaced 1 gasket in 2 or 3 years now. I do a lot of cooking and high temperature cooking and still continue to use the original felt.

    GG
  • Angela
    Angela Posts: 543
    I fried mine off the first cook I did, pizza and never replaced it. eh
    Egging on two larges + 36" Blackstone griddle
  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    I'm confused on how that could happen Kent. I certainly don't like the thought of that. :(
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
  • transversal
    transversal Posts: 719
    Well, Grampaw.....sure hope it means changes for the better, but we will have to wait and see. As for warranty issues, I am blessed to have a BGE dealer within about 2 minutes of my house and he couldn't be a more accommodating merchant. I have not had gasket issues yet, but then again, I seldom if ever cook at over 350. Most of my stuff is low and slow.......altho, my original gasket is showing some telltale signs of needing replacement after only 6 months. I am going to choose to anticipate that all changes will be for the better.......particularly with this site. It has been a source of real enjoyment to gather here and exchange ideas, recipes and the like. Should they abandon the site, hopefully, we could begin anew somewhere else and maintain contact with friends and folks with whom we share a common interest. For the life of me, I cannot fathom what would be gained by disturbing this site as a resource for all who enjoy the comraderie of fellow users. But, I've seen worse things than that develop from corporate America's concept of "improved customer relations."
  • transversal
    transversal Posts: 719
    Hi Angela. We're neighbors. I'm in Metairie.

    Happy Egging!!
  • bubba tim
    bubba tim Posts: 3,216
    Hence..The Egghead faces project. Eggheads..Please email me your pics and your handle to bubba@bubbatim.com

    BT
    SEE YOU IN FLORIDA, March 14th and 15th 2014 http://www.sunshinestateeggfest.com You must master temp, smoke, and time to achive moisture, taste, and texture! Visit www.bubbatim.com for BRISKET HELP
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    you are more connected than I. email me your phone number and I will give you a call. kentja at comcast.net
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Some folks don't see any value while others see a great treasure and a huge benefit.

    I have no facts just different comments for different sources.

    What concerns me is "if" what I hear is going to happen, happens, how will we find a common meeting place or even be able to contact each other if we haven't made contact previously? I see a post above from Tim which now has a lot more importance to me than it did last week. The only problem is I only have a recent picture that is somewhat embarrassing, now wiener embarrassing but grandpa picture the grand kids think is funny.

    A suggestion would to be to contact each other so in the future we can connect at least individually. I don't see things being the same, here anyway.

    GG
  • Dave Shady
    Dave Shady Posts: 247
    going to be good for production. If you think about it.

    PEEL AND STICK vs Glue, Tape and time to cure before it can be moved.

    I take care of my customers gasket issues in house when it would happen right away. We try and educate the newbies to what to do and not to do before they light their lump and that also helps alot of the 650 degrees out of the gate type of cooking.

    I dont think you will ever see another gasket besides the felt for a stock egg. I put nomex on all of my own eggs after the felt gets new and have put several on for my eggheads.

    So whats going on at the mother ship? Dealers dont deal with them at all ya know. We have to go thru a distributer..... Doesnt sound good and I hope this place stays with us....

    :unsure:
  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    Sent.
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Are you using 3M 77 for the nomex installs?

    In the past several weeks I have heard some comments and this weekend some more specific comments from folks out in this part of the country.

    Some of what I hear is in the near future it will be like a light switch and the forum as we know it will be gone. People in power seem to think there is no value in the forum as it is now. I hope that all this stuff I am hearing is BS but I don't think so.

    I have a lot of links to stuff on this forum and right now am going to those links and actually copying the information and saving it and the pictures as those links will be useless.

    GG
  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 6,286
    Who do they think actually sell new customers on the eggs? Owners that's who. My boss sold me on the egg when he say's he uses it 3 times a week. I know how tight he is with a dollar and I'd been dithering over the investment. In turn I have another 2 people about convinced. I mentioned on another forum that I was thinking about buying an egg and Jeff and Cliff from Missouri sent me here.
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    I agree 100%. I was sick of water, propane, vertical cookers and tired of having to keep buying new ones.

    I had no idea what an egg was. I was told there was a egg shaped cooker and a bunch of 'nuts' who did nothing but talk about the 'eggs' which were green. These so called eggs did a great job of smoking meat.

    I got onto google and search 'green' + 'egg' and somehow got connected to this forum. I read the posts from 4 o'clock on a Friday very late into the next morning and woke up and read some more for 4 or 5 hours on Saturday Morning.

    At 4pm on Saturday, I was cooking on my new large for my wife and I. At 5:30 pm I was cooking for two of my kids and sister in law. At 6:30 pm I decided to thy the new 'T-Rex' method of cooking a steak. At 7:30 pm I called my dealer and told him what I did and I had burned out a gasket. He said he was going out of town on Sunday and would replace the gasket on Monday. I asked him if I could do the replacement my self. He said if I wanted to.

    About 45 minutes later my door bell rand and I was given a new gasket and was told if I waited he would come out Monday and replace it for me. It was 1am Sunday when the egg was cool enough to replace the gasket. At 3am I had replaced my first gasket. I knew I should wait 24 hours before cooking.

    At 2pm Sunday I cooking chicken and brats, dogs and burgers for the entire family of 26.

    The only reason for my purchasing the egg was the posts and people on this forum.

    Over 4 years later I have sold (referred) 14 eggs buyers to the dealers and countless people to the forum and dealers. I had also purchased a medium, small and mini all due to the forum.

    On the surface it seems the powers to be don't see value in the forum.

    GG
  • onedbguru
    onedbguru Posts: 1,647
    You know, there are other alternatives should things deteriorate with this forum as is being predicted - and in a forum format. With some minimal sponsorships, maybe break even or potentially make $$$ on the deal, another grillin' forum could be established.

    and don't forget - there are geeks among us. ;)
  • Tim,
    Was under the impression that was for pics of Eggheads whom had passes :S
    Guess we all will be there soon :sick: