Ash Baskets - Smart investment or worthless gadget?

I use it 90% of the time.  The only time I take it out is when I'm doing a very long cook as I want to fit as much lump as possible in and the basket (to me) takes up space.  Otherwise, it's nice to just pick it up, shake it into a bag and reload.  Quick.

I have many other gadgets that I am more interested in before this one. 

I'll stick with my High-Q.

Agree 100% with OP that keeping temp low in XL is sometimes challenging, the last thing I want is increased air flow.

For my Large, I fabricated this from a piece of 'almost free' scrap metal... Love it!

I'm considering one for my MM. Not for airflow, but ease of cleaning the egg. Currently my MM sits near ground level and it's difficult to clean because I can't slide a bucket underneath and my ash tool doesn't fit in the bottom vent. I only clean it out after about 3 or 4 cooks because it's pain. The easiest way is to pull guts and hand scoop or shop vac. I'm not a big fan of shaking down all of the lump. The loose packed leftover lump works way better than shaken down or stirred lump.  

I love the Kick Ash Basket. Makes it easy to lift the basket with whatever lump is leftover and shop vac the ash from the egg.

I have one in my XL and really like it.  Much easier clean up and start up.  

I'm quite happy with the stock fire grate. Six years and it's cracked, but still plenty of life. Been cracked for 5 of those years, but hasn't gotten worse. 

What is this "clean up" I keep reading about? I stir the old lump with a garden trowel, dump in more if needed and use the wiggle rod. Every 3-4 cooks, I scrape out the ashes into a bucket with the ash tool through the bottom vent. If the pieces didn't fall through the grate, they get re-used. For me, the basket costs way more than it would be worth. So my vote? Worthless gadget.

does the increased airflow impact controlling temp in the lower ranges?

I love my KABs. I have one for all 4 Eggs and my KJ Classic. It is the only accessory that I use for every cook. Great invention IMO-

Bottom line: If you're happy with the stock grate or your High Que, don't worry about getting a basket. If you're curious, try one.... 

As I said before, I didn't see the need for it. Now, having used the KAB for a whole bunch of cooks, I see many advantages over the stock fire grate and the High Que. The egg still holds plenty of lump for long cooks and I don't have to worry about how many holes I have open like the stock grate. (Mine always used to get clogged with small lump, not ash) It also keeps the side holes cleaner on the fire box. It seems that less of the small burning pieces fall thru the basket than with the High Que too. My aftermarket grates always slid around (annoying) when I was trying to stir the lump and get rid of the ash to start the egg. Non-issue with the basket now.

As far as controlling temp, the lower vent and daisy wheel are what controls the temp - basket or grate really doesn't make any difference unless the holes are clogged. The basket just removes the opportunity to have the fire get choked out by an ash clog. There's lots more channels for the lump to get air once it has passed through the lower vent. That air is limited by the amount you open the lower vent. 

As far as clean-out, I usually leave some ash in the bottom of the egg to offer a little "insulation" from burning lump laying directly on the bottom of the base. I certainly don't clean out after every cook. 

dougcrann said:

Don't understand why folks think the Egg needs to spotless after each cook. I just put a pair of gloves on and stir up the charcoal. When the bottom is 75% full I clean it out. Only have temperature troubles 2 times, first being if I get lazy and let the bottom get full or when I have to much small stuff in the burn area. If anything I have a hard time keeping the temperature low...

I use my basket with the grate. I find the basket helpful from clogging up the grate with small pieces of lump. I also find it helpful when doing low and slow cooks. All I need to do is pull out the basket and vaccum out the dust from above. The basket might come in handy for people who tailgate with their eggs. It definitely would help reduce the time for the egg to cool down. What I hated about the ash tool was that I would accidentally bump and disturb the fire grate. Now I have fire grate that sits at an angle with lump stuck between the fire grate and firebox. Ugh! To me that's worth the price right there

I have a basket for my large which I really like.  I also have a High Que grate still in its shipping container unused.  I've had problems with air flow so the basket has helped.  No opinion on the High Que as it's untested. 

IMO, the cleanup is a distant secondary benefit. The real benefit is the increased airflow and protection of the side air holes in the fire box which when clogged cause most of the temp issues. The side protection alone makes this a superior gadget worth the investment. Like any gadget you won't know what your missing until you have one. Kinda like the Egg itself. There are lots of people who would never own one and don't see why anyone would. They just don't know what they are missing. 

Its ok....that is all.