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Why BGE?
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I would go BGE for all sizes except Joe Jr. at Costco roadshow. $399 for decked out Joe Jr. is to much price difference for MM.
That said, I went Medium for my second egg and love it.They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That's against their interests. - George Carlin -
Grillin_beers said:SoCalTim said:I'd absolutely love to see comments from the other forums responding to this question ...
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SGH said:...Stihl vs Husqvarna, .....
Remington vs Winchester ........
I concur. If it were me, I would pick the one that has a dealer near me or one that I had some faith in. I didn't think about any other ceramic cookers when I went Egg because of the long history of BGE. There is something to be said for that given the warranty is only as good as long as the company is in business. Good luck and enjoy the ride.Joe - I'm a reformed gasser-holic aka 4Runner Columbia, SC Wonderful BGE Resource Site: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramicfaq.htm and http://www.nibblemethis.com/ and http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2006/02/recipes.html
What am I drinking now? Woodford....neat -
IT'S GREEN!!!XL, Small, Mini & Mini Max Green Egg, Shirley Fab Trailer, 6 gal and 2.5 gal Cajun Fryers, BlueStar 60" Range, 48" Lonestar Grillz Santa Maria, Alto Shaam 1200s, Gozney Dome, Gateway 55g Drum
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SoCalTim said:I'd absolutely love to see comments from the other forums responding to this question ...
The comments are there, well mine is anyway. Have had a MBGE for four years and really like it. Still on the honeymooon with the Primo 300 Oval, so far it is a dream to cook on. There is no question the oval has some very slick set-ups and it has two level racks. Direct and indirect at the same time under the same dome.
The Primo does not come with a rain cap, my kamados are under a roof so not an issue, the Primo top vent seems to snuff the kamado without issue. The metal top vent fits securely as the unit came from the factory with gasket material on the outside of the dome. I also like the double floored fire box on the Primo.
Interesting the Primo came fully assembled, great packing. My dealer rolled the pallet off the back of the truck into my garage and it was in the pit ready to go in less than 20 minutes.
For me it was also about dealers. BGE dealers here on the west coast (save maybe ForeShore) are spa folks, useless. With one distributor in Toronto, the cost of eggs is ridiculous. To buy my egg at a reasonable price I had to travel to Washington State. OTOH the Primo was actually less in Canada than in the US - go figure, and it is sold by one of the most responsible and respected BBQ dealers around Vancouver - specifically Johnstones.
Good luck on your choice, you will be welcome on any of the forums.Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad! -
I'm a new egghead, and my purchase came down to 3 things.
1. Warranty KJ and BGE are lifetime primo is 20yrs
2. Availability, hard to get the KJ big joe no one sells them near me. Tried to get from firecraft and they ended up canceling my order do to lack of units.
3. Reliability, BGE Has been around for a long time, and I trusted they will still be here in the event I need them. The number of dealers in my area is amazing, and they are all easy to talk to and deal with. The same can not be said about the others, in fact the two Primo dealers in my area closed out the product and switched to BGE. They said the choice to switch came down to how easy it was to get replacement parts for customers.
Just my experience, and I'm sure it varies depending on where you live.XL BGE, KJ classic, Joe Jr, UDS x2 -
I chose BGE first because when i got my 1 st egg KJ was not even a company yet and there were no primo dealers to be found around me either. So there you have it.1 XXL BGE, 1 LG BGE, 2 MED. BGE, 1 MINI BGE, 1 Peoria custom cooker Meat Monster.Clinton, Iowa
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badinfluence said:I chose BGE first because when i got my 1 st egg KJ was not even a company yet and there were no primo dealers to be found around me either. So there you have it.
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@theyolksonyou huh?1 XXL BGE, 1 LG BGE, 2 MED. BGE, 1 MINI BGE, 1 Peoria custom cooker Meat Monster.Clinton, Iowa
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Why I chose the BGE....Hmmm....
At the time that I bought my BGE, the choices were a huge Komodo smoker or something by BGE. The komodo was beyond budget. I was using a Weber kettle grill with lump, not briquettes, so I was used to the idea of cooking with lump charcoal. I really didn't want gas, so the BGE was a fairly obvious option.
I think that I did what you did, lurked on the forums for a bit, and asked a few questions. I found the folks on-line quite helpful, so I decided that there would be help available.
I spent more time worrying about the size as opposed to the Brand. At the time, BGE offered the Small, Medium, and Large, and the mini had just come out. I went with the Large and I've been pretty happy with that.
Problems ( 15 years worth ) -
1) I've gone through a few covers. The new black one looks to be more heavy duty than the green ones, so I think I'll get some more time out of that. The egg lives outdoors, so that's sort of expected.
2) Cracked firebox. I had an old style firebox, pre slit, that gave out. The dealer that I now use replaced it with no issues or hassles. He wasn't the dealer who sold me the egg, either, so I'm pretty impressed with the service he was willing to give a non-customer. I don't know if that's typical of all BGE dealers, but I'm actually trying to figure out how to toss a little money in his direction.
3) I'm about to put on gasket #3. I get anywhere between 3-5 years on a gasket and I just put on the felt BGE gaskets. I suppose I could switch to something more permanent, but these seem to work.
4) I'm on my second cast iron fire grate. I think I got 5 years out of the first one, and I used the ceramic grate that came with my BGE until I got the new one.
5) Once in a while, I wish for some more cooking grate area, but having seen the XL, I don't think that the extra grate is worth the extra weight when it comes to moving it around. Our family is also small, so the 18" diameter works, say 95% of the time. Our egg lives on the deck, so I was concerned about weight as getting the egg on the deck involves stairs.
All in all, that list is pretty minor stuff. I view gaskets, covers, and fire grates as consumable items, so nothing went wrong that I didn't expect to go wrong. The cracked firebox was unexpected, but BGE and the dealer made it right with a minimum of hassle and time.
Annette and I are about to become empty nesters so we are kind of toying with the idea of getting a small BGE for day-to-day cooking and keep the large for guests, overnight smoking and that sort of thing.
Obviously, we wouldn't be considering this if we were unhappy with the product.
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History......plain and simple.....love my xl.
BGE..has a long history and stands behind their products. I have a.friend.whos.grandfather bought an egg when the first came out and it has literally thousands of cooks on it.
I researched.to.ad.nauseum and kept landing back on the egg....just sayinI would much rather be able to say I was glad I did than wished I had........
XL owner and purveyor of pallette perfection...
Homosassa....Mecca of Florida
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3 LBGEs here. Only ceramic cooker to buy IMO.
“All normal people love meat … You don’t win friends with salad.” - Homer Simpson
http://griffinmotors.blogspot.com/
https://instagram.com/griffin_motors/ -
2 pages of helpful replies to the OP's question on this forum. 3 total replies on the KJ forum.
I am not sure about the Primo forum.
Help when I need it from fellow eggers is worth a lot to me.Louisville, GA - 2 Large BGE's -
We were in Chattanooga this winter and one day my wife mentioned they were having a sale at one of the dealers and said lets stop by... Said I showed interest a year ago (don't recall, but battling my gasser for quite a while). Went and looked- picked her off floor when she saw price but got magazine one them anyway. She said I didn't cook enough to warrant one. Had cousin from Wyoming visit. I made steaks and salmon on gasser that night- fresh off 18" snow 2 days before. Wife mentioned I wanted egg, cousin said she had one and would not have anything else, and she lives by herself on ranch. We visited her 6 weeks later, cooked on egg, that was it. Bought one 2 weeks later. Researched and put hands on them all. Lit up at least 5 days a week. Good retirement hobby.
- Bettendorf, Ia with lots of time in Chattanooga, Tn. LBGE, plate setter, ar, Looft lighter, maverick et-735, Rutland gasket, Smokeware SS cap, Kickash basket, and lots of cast iron.
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I didn't know about the other 2 brands when buying my original egg almost 5 years ago... that being said in the time since I never seen a dealer for the other 2. My job has me driving 50+ a day, so I cover a good amount of ground, and I have never ran across a primo or KJ.
On the other hand I can walk to my egg dealer, and my neighbor works at the store too. -
SGH said:The simple truth is that they are all great units. Each offer something just a little different than the other as far as setup. Short of this and their color, they perform identical. The end result as far as quality food will be the very same. The debate about the big 3 ceramic manufactures follows on the heels of many other similar debates. Examples: Jambo vs Lang, Pitmaker vs Spicewine, Chevy vs Ford, Stihl vs Husqvarna, Remington vs Winchester and so on and so on. In the end you will be satisfied with which ever you choose. What I have found to be very helpful after the initial purchase is dealer support and location. Why? You will always need service and parts after the purchase. Stuff breaks, plain and simple. With that said, it makes more sense to have a dealer close by than many miles away. If dealer location is not a issue, then just pick the one that catches your eye. Among the 3 named, they are all good choices and they all turn out quality food. You can't really go wrong with any of the forementioned choices. For the record, I have a large BGE, mini BGE, MM BGE and a Kamado Joe Jr. I personally like them all.
I am not sure, but I believe that the Primo was started by someone who used to work for BGE. I may be wrong on that. I believe it is American made, KJ I think is made in Asia and the BGE I think is made in Mexico, but non of that really matters. I think that all 3 are great to cook on, it to me was first the dealer, the price and the warranty. I think you will put out great food no mater which one you get it. I have a mini sized knock off of the BGE mini and it is ok for what I paid for it, but I would have rather had the mini, but SWMBO said not because of price. My wife does not understand why I want medium to go with my XL, but I am leaning toward a GoodOne Marshall for my next smoker if get into doing any kind of catering.
Good luck and enjoy the food.XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas GrillKansas City, Mo. -
johnkitchens said:2 pages of helpful replies to the OP's question on this forum. 3 total replies on the KJ forum.
I am not sure about the Primo forum.
Help when I need it from fellow eggers is worth a lot to me.
Help is available on the Primo site, PM them a cell number and they call you. They are very helpful. Registration is acknowledged, it does not disappear into cyber space as many BGE owners often complain about. I do notice that a post with a question regarding the Primo product seem to be closed for comments, the OP gets what they need, but the general members have no idea what the Primo response was.
Much like brands of lump, the brand of kamado is a personal thing - IMO the last guy to ask about a particular product is the guy who only uses one kind of product. There are so many choices. If the price is right and the support is locally available any of the three choices the OP notes are just fine - and you will be welcome here no matter what you cook on.Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad! -
Bentgrass said:She said I didn't cook enough to warrant one.
This was the biggest change for me. I would grill maybe once a month (often less) on my "regular" charcoal grill, but the cleaning and maintenance made it a PITA. Now with the egg, I cookout several times a week. I agree that all of the brands will do what you want, but I have been very happy with the egg, and especially with the accessories that are available for it (I'm looking at you, CGS).
And after well over a year of ownership, I don't see any sign of stopping.
NOLA -
I would own a Primo or KJ and know that I could get good results (now that I know what I am doing). BGE service and warranty is the best from what I can tell.
The biggest difference for me is the eggheads and the eggfests. I really didn't know how to cook worth a darn 6 years ago when I got my egg. You eggheads have turned me into a pretty decent cook."Bacon tastes gooood, pork chops taste gooood." - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction
Small and Large BGE in Oklahoma City. -
Long time, first time...
I had been interested in the BGE for several years now. I see them at BBQ cook-offs competing with $2.5K-$10K smokers, I've gone to profession chef's houses and seen them in their back yard. I have a friend with a KJ that finally sold me on the value vs the cost. He really pushed toward the cost of the KJ (save $100?) but after looking around, I decided on the BGE.
I looked around and got my hands on a couple of them.
I actually started looking at the Vision Kamado Grill. Has a couple of interesting features, but I wasn't that impressed with the quality, especially after reading a few reviews. I looked at the Kamado Joe next. The people at Ace Hardware didn't know much about them other than the price. The guy at Conn's didn't know much either, all he wanted to do was try to get me to do a credit check to see how much I could spend. I don't need credit, I need a grill. Then I went to Backyard Grilling Company to look at the BGE. Granted, this is a store that specializes in grills, but they weren't trying to sell me the biggest grill they had or push me toward the XL when I was trying to think about what size to get. They asked me questions about my uses and told me what all they fit on their own BGEs and then let me decide what I needed. They also showed me a few other grills when I asked about comparing it to a big stick burner. I waited to buy and looked at everything I could online for 2 months.
Now, KJ seems to have a great customer service. My buddy left the lid on his Big Joe (24") open one day and a gust of wind pushed the whole thing over, cracking the lid. He called up KJ and told them what happened. They decided to cover it under warranty, but they didn't have the same color lid (black vs red). So what they did was they sent him a black lid right away and then sent him a red lid when those went back into production. They told him to keep the black lid. All under warranty. I know BGE would NOT do that if you called them up and told them the same story. My buddy does hit the various BGE forums for info on cooking in his KJ.
In the end, I chose the large BGE. Right size for me, good warranty and service through the local dealer, and knowledgeable salesmen at the store I bought from. Heck, one guy has his personal cell number on there and said to call anytime if there's a question while cooking. He said he's gotten calls at 1 am before. I don't plan to do that, but that's some dedication by the salesman and he's not a store owner.
Aledo, Texas
Large BGE
KJ Jr.
Exodus 12:9 KJV
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. -
Toxarch said:Heck, one guy has his personal cell number on there and said to call anytime if there's a question while cooking. He said he's gotten calls at 1 am before. I don't plan to do that, but that's some dedication by the salesman and he's not a store owner.
"I am sorry to call so late, but I am cooking a butt and the temp went from 225 to 224! What should I do?"
If I get a call at 1AM it better be to tell me someone is in the hospital, someone needs to go the hospital, or someone needs to be bailed out.
I have received all of the above. I am ugly enough as it is. You don't want to see me without my beauty rest.Louisville, GA - 2 Large BGE's -
@Toxarch I've read similar stories of BGE replacing eggs under that kind of circumstance.
I have also seen guys give their personal phone numbers to posters here, hell I had a bunch HVAC questions and a fellow egger gave me his personal number to talk about it. And said egger is 3k miles from me, he wasn't trying to get a sale. I decided not to post the eggers name, he can chime in if he wants. -
BYS1981 said:I had a bunch HVAC questions and a fellow egger gave me his personal number to talk about it. And said egger is 3k miles from me, he wasn't trying to get a sale. I decided not to post the eggers name, he can chime in if he wants.Louisville, GA - 2 Large BGE's
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badinfluence said:@theyolksonyou huh?I've slow smoked and eaten so much pork, I'm legally recognized as being part swine - Chatsworth Ca.
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johnkitchens said:2 pages of helpful replies to the OP's question on this forum. 3 total replies on the KJ forum.
I am not sure about the Primo forum.
Help when I need it from fellow eggers is worth a lot to me.Large and Mini BGE
Hamilton, VA -
aukerns08 said:johnkitchens said:2 pages of helpful replies to the OP's question on this forum. 3 total replies on the KJ forum.
I am not sure about the Primo forum.
Help when I need it from fellow eggers is worth a lot to me.Louisville, GA - 2 Large BGE's -
I liked that this forum was open to look at before buying and without registering. I got a lot of info about the Egg both good and bad before I even seriously considered getting one. Not everyone has had a great Egg experience, some people seem to have more issues than others, or dealers that aren't so great after the sale with warranty issues. Seeing all that along with the good made me aware of what to look for in a dealer to have a good experience after I had my Egg.Large and Mini BGE
Hamilton, VA -
@BYS1981 What's even more Cray Cray is one egger is a Raiders Fan and the other a Broncos Fan & getting along LoL. Eggheads helping eggheads. That's what it's about IMHO.LBGE 2013 & MM 2014Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FANFlying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
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I have a Large Green Egg, Small Green Egg, KJ Jr,and Vision Kub. If I could do it all over again, I would still get a Large Green Egg as my first cooker. KJ would be a close second, but, I would still get a Large Green Egg first.
1) Lifetime warranty
It's only good if the company is around, BGE has a longer history and will likely be around long after I'm gone.
2) Customer support.
BGE - never had a problem. Reading the forum, looks like I won't have a problem if I ever do.
KJ - My jr had an issue with the bottom vent, they help me and even offered to send another vent out to me. After some bending, it's all good.
Vision - I do not like their customer support (long story).
3) Track record.
Although BGE has it's issues (the band & bolts have known issues with rust), Kamado Joe is a relatively new product. It's the UNKNOWN issues that KJ may have in the future that worries me. I work in software development so version 1.0 software scares me.
Large BGE, Small BGE, KJ Jr, and a Cracked Vision Kub.
in Smyrna GA.
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