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Small Egg - new vs. older model?

I just got home with my new small egg. I wholly blame Solson005 for the inspiration behind this purchase.

I got the older model - bare ss tabs on the vent spiders, black felt gasket, not so wide handle, unpainted nuts and bolts. The hinge has only 1 spring. $550 plus tax, the nest was thrown in for free.

Any point in returning and looking for the newer model? Prices are rumored to go up next month, and I'm not sure that the newer model is drastically different or better.

What say ye, eggheads?

#1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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Comments

  • RLeeper
    RLeeper Posts: 480
    Any pics?
    Extra Large, Large, and Mini. Tucker, GA
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Its kinda dark to take a good pic, but I promise I'll take some tomorrow :)

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
    caliking said:

    Its kinda dark to take a good pic, but I promise I'll take some tomorrow :)

    No pics... Didn't happen.
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
  • canegger
    canegger Posts: 540
    I have a small I got in January. The hinge has springs on both sides nuts and bolts are painted the handle seems like a good size to me and no problem with gasket yet and I do steaks almost every week at 700
  • congrats man!! i am picking up my small egg friday, put a deposit on it today. you got a sweet deal with a free nest! I too got the older model, not the new one.  pretty much, when the gasket goes out, BGE will send you a new one, and I am hoping the same would be with hardware needs.  I didnt feel like waiting on him to get a new one in, said it would be a month or so before he did all his spring stuff, that with the slight price increase, i had cash set aside for this, I went ahead and jumped.

    oh and @chubbs , i went with small obviously, cant wait to get it home


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
    Nurse, nice man. Jealous. I am really anxious to get my second egg. I am thinking about the small now but who knows. I wish I could cook on a small and a mini and see which one I like more. Good luck and let me know when it is home
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    @MrCookingNurse: Yeah I figured that if the gasket becomes toast it won't cost much even if the mothership won't replace it. I will call them tomorrow to figure if it is supposed to have 2 springs or one. The dealer said it has only one spring because it is not as heavy as the large or XL. Sounds a little bogus to me... well asymmetrical at the least.

    @Chubbs : I went with the small because i wanted something a little bigger than the mini and something that would light up and get up to temp quick. The mini was very appealing, and I almost bought one, even when I went to pick up the small. Its just the 2 of us right now, but I don't know how to cook small amounts of food. My mom always taught me to cook for about 8 people even though we were a family of 5... "in case someone comes by". 

    Oh and did i mention that the small is an early 10th anniversary gift from SWMBO? Best wife evah! :)

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • My small is what you described as the older model.  I bought it last summer at the Indy EggFest.  I'm not sure what makes the newer model better than my model, but mine is a cooking machine that kicks and cooks butt!  Either way you win!  Do yourself a favor and get a High-Que grate right away. 
    Flint, Michigan
  • my local dealer is a crook, but the guy i deal with is amazing. I talked to him about the changes today and felt good, but i also know he will make things right in the future if need be.

    let us know what you do


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    Glad I could help you decide a good present for your anniversary!  :D 

    Here is a picture of my small 
    image

    I didn't know they had a newer one, I figured the gasket would get updated. I guess my research stopped when I got mine. I wouldn't worry about exchanging it, but you can if you want. t got my small during the State Fair last year in September and got a deal similar to yours, but the girl checking me out barely knew the color was green. The dealer I buy my lump from is awesome for rub and cook ideas but I couldn't justify spending a extra $125 to buy the egg and nest from him. 

    Mine had the old gasket and the other day when I went to check on the chicken this happened. 
    image

    I emailed BGE the next day and last week I got a high temp gasket that is self adhesive! It will be going on this weekend. 

    I know those guys with minis do some awesome stuff but I love my small and it works great for the groups of people I cook for when I'm away from my large. 
    image

    9 lb Turkey 
    image
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • Lowflyer
    Lowflyer Posts: 785
    Looks like I have an old small (1 spring on the hinge) and the lid is very secure. I got mine used for $300 w/ a nest and have no complaints. High-que is nice but I don't use 100% of the time.
  • canegger
    canegger Posts: 540
    Sorry I was wrong. Just went to double check mine and it is only one spring. Sorry
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Thank you all for the great info!

    @Solson005: is the hinge on yours upside down for a reason? Isn't the bar usually on top? I guess it doesn't matter, because I've seen many of your threads and you're obviously not having any problems puting out some great grub with yours. 

    @Lowflyer: thanks to you (and others) for settling the spring question. Seems like it is only supposed to have 1 spring. 

    Ordering the high ques grate and 8.5" pizza stones form Amazon. The pizza stones come as a set of 2 so will probably homebrew a platesetter with the second one. 



    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    edited February 2013
    Yes the hinge is upside down. Can't wait to get a carten for my small. Have one for my mini and love it.
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    Like I said the girl could have rang it up big red egg if they had that button, so it does not shock me that it is on backwards. I will look into it and probably just take the dome off when I replace my gasket. I did think it closed funny when I first got it, but attributed that to it being so much smaller. 

    I got a highque since everyone has said to get one. I haven't cooked with out it so I don't know if it gets up to temp fast because its small or the highque too probably both. I do tend to neglect cleaning it with taking it over to friends houses quite often and the highque probably allows me to be a little lazy with that. I like to clean it out from the top since it is so small. Yesterday I just pulled the firebox and fire ring out and did a full clean. I also saw from pictures using the flash last week that it needed to be cleaned so I polished the green up as well. I love that little guy and just found a cool table that I might be getting for my mobile cooks!  
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    Just got done eating some cheap chicken breasts and tried Dizzy Pig Tsunami Spin for the first time, that is some good stuff! The small is perfect for weeknight cooks! 
    image
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Would to see that new table when you get it. Chicken looks good! :)

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    Thanks! Amazing how a cheap bag of frozen chicken can taste so good!  =P~
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • haha i hate those bags of frozen chicken!! just weird to me always eat good tho!


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    @MrCookingNurse I hate them too. it was 5:30 and I had nothing planned so I continued cleaning out the freezer that I started with my wok cook last week and got two steamer bags and what was left of a bag of chicken cooked and out of the freezer and didn't have to drive around town at the same time as everyone else! This is my Big Green Egg version of frozen food. 
    image
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • Man, I felt like a kid before Christmas last night. So excited about picking up my small!!!


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Wait until its actually home. I wanted to put it in the living room, but SWBO gave me the look.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    I know exactly how you feel. I got my small right before a camping trip and it made the whole trip so much fun. 


    The thing I notice with the small is the temp drops down when you put a bunch of food in, so you might want to check it a couple minutes after the food goes on and adjust accordingly. When I first got it next to my large I threw in some lump and fired it up to play with the settings to see what it took to get a certain temp without worrying about cooking at the same time. It is a very efficient little guy. Still trying to find the right pizza setup but I think I'll wait until the CGW Swing rack comes out for it here shortly to master pizza. 
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • R2Egg2Q
    R2Egg2Q Posts: 2,136
    Congrats on getting a SBGE caliking & MCN! @caliking- IMO, I don't think there's been enough changes to the Small over the last 2 years to return a slightly older model for the newest one. Most recent changes have been: fire ring grooves on top/curves on bottom, improved gasket, change in handle style, loss of ceramic feet and SS cooking grid. Did yours come with feet? Oh, the nest added an extra brace across the bottom in the back of the Egg in early 2012.
    XL, Large, Small, Mini Eggs, Shirley Fabrication 24x36 Patio, Humphrey's Weekender, Karubecue C-60, MAK 1-Star General, Hasty Bake Gourmet, Santa Maria Grill, Webers: 14" WSM, 22.5" OTG, 22.5" Kettle Premium, WGA Charcoal, Summit S-620 NG

    Bay Area, CA
  • ibanda
    ibanda Posts: 553

     

    I haven't got much to say except I love my small and I ain't trading it for nuthin!

    "Bacon tastes gooood, pork chops taste gooood." - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction
    Small and Large BGE in Oklahoma City.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    R2Egg2Q said:
    Congrats on getting a SBGE caliking & MCN! @caliking- IMO, I don't think there's been enough changes to the Small over the last 2 years to return a slightly older model for the newest one. Most recent changes have been: fire ring grooves on top/curves on bottom, improved gasket, change in handle style, loss of ceramic feet and SS cooking grid. Did yours come with feet? Oh, the nest added an extra brace across the bottom in the back of the Egg in early 2012.
    It seems that the changes for the new model won't make much of a difference, so I think I'll keep the little guy, sine the nest came free. I noticed the extra brace on the nest. My nest seems really tight when I placed the egg in it. Is there any way to loosen it up a bit. Right now it would be a  bit of a pain to remove the egg from the nest to put it in the car because it is so tight. 

    Nope, no feet with mine :( I do have the ss grid though.

    @Solson005 - your mobile pizza cook on the small from some time ago looked pretty good to me. I'm also waiting for the small swing rack to make its debut, since there isn't much room to be messing around with bricks etc to make 2 tiers.

    MCN - is yours home yet?

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    edited February 2013
    Yeah the pizza was great I just like the crust when I make it on the large. 

    I am glad you said something, I went back to that post and I did use a different dough recipe. So that might have been what was off slightly. I wish it didn't snow last night otherwise I'd make up some dough and try it out tonight. Maybe this weekend. 

    Here is the post if anyone looking at smalls wants to know my setup. Mobile Pizza Party with the SBGE 

    Whats the first cook on it going to be @caliking ?

    I still can't believe my hinge was installed upside down 
    =))
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • Not yet. Going to get it Friday. Dealer I use is hour away and wife and I are gonna pick up the egg and have a date night.

    Does anyone use plate setter or just the woo and stone?

    Might break it in right with a butt first thing.


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • Fred19Flintstone
    Fred19Flintstone Posts: 8,168
    edited February 2013
    Not yet. Going to get it Friday. Dealer I use is hour away and wife and I are gonna pick up the egg and have a date night. Does anyone use plate setter or just the woo and stone? Might break it in right with a butt first thing.
    I have a plate setter, but since I bought the woo & stones, it gathers dust on the shelf.  The only thing I might use it for is with the Swing Rack that www.ceramicgrillworks.com is working on for the small & medium.  Its supposed to be released very shortly.  Based on what guys say that own the large version, I know you can use the plate setter with their product for the large.  I'm hoping the same is true for the small.  My advice is hold off on the plate setter, but you're crazy if you don't get the woo & stones. 
    Flint, Michigan
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Well I think I might make breakfast for SWMBO on the small this weekend. Simple but still fun. 

    I'm really looking forward to the small swing rack as well. I didn't buy the platesetter, since it took me all of 2 weeks to figure out that I didn't need it for the large. Am thinking about getting the woo.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.