Komado Joe at Costco (pics)

jonnymack said:

Hey I love my BGE but would consider anything that makes the best food.  I'm curious what the people who have used both consider are the pluses and minuses to KJ and BGE.  What's the biggest draw to KJ's that would make me consider not getting an new BGE if needed?

I don't think there is anything wrong with this discussion whatsoever.  Nobody's here saying BGE sucks, just pointing out a relevant item to the ceramic cooking gurus here.  

I own both and spent a lot of time looking at BGE, KJ and Primo as an addition to my beloved Mini BGE, so can say that the KJ has better "fit and finish" - better hinge, gasket, tables (bamboo vs. plastic), handle (ditto), nest, powder coated steel and a lot of nice innovations including pull out ash drawer (on Classic - not sure about Big Joe), "Divide and Conquer" two-sided / two tiered cooking system, and (someday if it's not a two headed mythical unicorn) very nice wireless pit controller called the BBQ Wizard.  (This has been announced but "in development" for far longer than anyone expected - kinda like the Mini Max!)

It's also about $250 cheaper than a comparably configured BGE.

Why NOT to buy a KJ - this forum blows theirs away by leaps and bounds..seems like a small(er) company that bit off more than they can chew and really don't get things to market as well as they should (my KJ as well as many others came without a lot of the parts for the D&C and it took MONTHS to get the right part, as they were apparently still on a boat from China).  I also got the feeling on more than one occasion that they are just plain overworked and understaffed, although when you do get ahold of them they are quite responsive and helpful.

That said, the Kamado IS very nice quality and appears to cook identically to a BGE.  We've had awesome food (and not so awesome food) off both my Mini BGE and the KJ, although the Mini uses about 1/20th the lump of the KJ also.  (For whatever reason, RO burns quickly and down to just about nothing in my KJ..I do seem to have a somewhat loose top dome on the dollar bill test and perhaps that's why..but no smoke coming out from the gasket area so who knows..)

Looks like this thread is already getting pushed down by the moderators...

Ceramic cookers will cook in a similar manner. Heck, you can make the equivalent out of a couple of flower pots and get good results. They are all essentially big, bulky, fragile items. What will set them apart is warranty, customer service, and support. The KJ sounds like it has big pluses, and if they can provide the kind of warranty and customer service that BGE (usually) does, then they will do well. Its good to have competition - the customer wins.

caliking

LMAO!