New knock off at Costco

KingtUT

henapple said:

KingtUT said:

If something ever happens to my BGE I will be buying a Vision or whatever that is instead of another BGE as long as all my accessories will fit and work with it.  BGE should be ashamed that they dont offer all of the features of a Vision grill for 3 to 4 hundred dollars more. Love the BGE but the more I see of those Visions, the more I get pissed about not shopping around and falling for the big brand name.

Where are you located? 

Lol, Just north of Nashville, why? By the way, Sams sells a more basic version of the Vision grill.  It has only the upper vent and lower vent like the BGE but comes with more grilling accessories.  They had it with a nice table for $699

LRW

Lowes and Home Depot carry these also

stompbox

Lots of competition out there these days.  Wonder if BGE will respond.

odie91

Chillin@5 said:

The poor suckers that buy that will be purchasing a BGE when they realize the difference.

No they won't.

4Runner

Chillin@5 said:

The poor suckers that buy that will be purchasing a BGE when they realize the difference.

I know what you are posting.  

lousubcap

When you are the lead dog into a now ripe market you can surely expect competition.  The measure of the market leader (at least perceived) is to respond and advance their product line.  For the past few years, I honestly believe that BGE is riding on its laurels and has not reacted quickly enough to the competition.  I have not seen that complacent mind-set do well down-stream without major changes.  Time will tell.  And the preceding is more than enough for a Sat PM.

NPHuskerFL

Chillin@5 said:

The poor suckers that buy that will be purchasing a BGE when they realize the difference.

So we as BGE are also suckers and will purchase Komodo Kamado after realizing the difference?

DoubleEgger

Lifetime warranty doesn't mean much if the company goes out of business in a few years...

HeavyG

DoubleEgger said:

Lifetime warranty doesn't mean much if the company goes out of business in a few years...

True dat.

However, as BGE is a privately held company we have no idea as to their financial status, annual sales, etc., etc. They too could go the way of the buffalo.

odie91

DoubleEgger said:

Lifetime warranty doesn't mean much if the company goes out of business in a few years...

i'll play devils advocate here

even if a company has been around for decades, doesn't mean it's necessarily going to last.  if anything, many BGE fans have also criticized the company for not making the right market/business decisions as of late.

30 years ago, who would've thought General Motors would fail (which they did, if not for our bailout).   Sears founded in the 1880's is ready to fold.   Remember Woolworth (also founded in the last 1800s?)   Walmart is struggling now too.   

I buy certain big ticket items at Costco if i'm worried about the mfg warranty running out.  Does anyone think Costco will go bankrupt in our lifetime?   Seems unfathomable, but things can change fast!

henapple

KingtUT said:

henapple said:

KingtUT said:

If something ever happens to my BGE I will be buying a Vision or whatever that is instead of another BGE as long as all my accessories will fit and work with it.  BGE should be ashamed that they dont offer all of the features of a Vision grill for 3 to 4 hundred dollars more. Love the BGE but the more I see of those Visions, the more I get pissed about not shopping around and falling for the big brand name.

Where are you located? 

Lol, Just north of Nashville, why? By the way, Sams sells a more basic version of the Vision grill.  It has only the upper vent and lower vent like the BGE but comes with more grilling accessories.  They had it with a nice table for $699

Another Tennessee fan. I'm in Murfreesboro. 

4Runner

NPHuskerFL said:

Chillin@5 said:

The poor suckers that buy that will be purchasing a BGE when they realize the difference.

So we as BGE are also suckers and will purchase Komodo Kamado after realizing the difference?

boo hiss!   

4Runner

damn people get their panties in wad around here in no time flat.

beteez

HeavyG said:

Costco has a lot of regional variability in what is actually carried in each region/stores. Not sure if those Pit Boss kamados are going to appear nationwide or if this is a trial balloon in a few stores.

The thing that concerns me most about Costco stocking  some less known brand of kamado is if this will mean that they are going to no longer be hosting the Kamado Joe Roadshows.

Great pricing on Joes and lump at those. Would hate to see those go away.

Costco has carried the Vision the past few years while hosting the KJ road show. Assuming this will continue.

OneNole03

@henapple i dont want to hijack the thread, but i have a lot of family that lives in Murfreesboro. Every time I hear Murfreesboro I think of a small town but it is amazing of how many different people I come across that live there.

My uncle that lives there Qs a lot, but in a way that I have never heard of. Wish I could remember what he called it but says its popular in that area.

blind99

BGE still has some aspirational status to it. If you're looking for a nice grill for your yard, you're probably buying a BGE and not a vision. I think the markets don't completely overlap. 

Even if they lose some sales they must have some nice cushion from all the BGE branded stuff that they charge a premium for. 

Eggzellent

(Agreed)
I bought my MM yesterday not because I'm a BGE fanboy..but for the fact that 1) there were a few obvious differences (weight, gsk. etc.)..'and'..
2) (seemingly) there were no side-by-side comparisons with the Joe Jr. to go by..causing me to believe that competitors (even forum members) were unwilling to make them in a detailed or scientific manner.

When so many enjoy arguing the simple physics of a Kamado cook aren't arguing the comparative differences (if any) of Kamado cooks on even these extremely compact units..one starts to wonder who knows what or what the differences actually are (especially) when new designs are birthed.
 

Eggzellent

...and am I 'egging' others on to (finally) make these detailed comparisons as significant new models come out (once and for all)?
Why yes, I (selfishly) am.

KingtUT

henapple said:

KingtUT said:

henapple said:

KingtUT said:

If something ever happens to my BGE I will be buying a Vision or whatever that is instead of another BGE as long as all my accessories will fit and work with it.  BGE should be ashamed that they dont offer all of the features of a Vision grill for 3 to 4 hundred dollars more. Love the BGE but the more I see of those Visions, the more I get pissed about not shopping around and falling for the big brand name.

Where are you located? 

Lol, Just north of Nashville, why? By the way, Sams sells a more basic version of the Vision grill.  It has only the upper vent and lower vent like the BGE but comes with more grilling accessories.  They had it with a nice table for $699

Another Tennessee fan. I'm in Murfreesboro. 

Yeah ive actually met you.  I bought 10 bags of charcoal from you a year or two ago.  Ozark Oak I think?  It was good stuff but I just dont have a problem with Royal Oak for the money.  I actually think its pretty good.  Just got tix to Bristol game, you going?

westernbbq

I guess i am pretty loyal to the brand of BGE.  The worry i would have with some of these others is long term staying power i.e. what if they don't sell enough and go out of business?   I do like BGE's  policy with lifetime ceramic replacement .  i do think BGE makes a fortune off of extra accessories like the platesetter cast iron grid, nest etc which, IMHO should be included with purchase of the egg.   Kamado Joe includes all this stuff.

But since i started with the BGE, thats what ill stick with.  Lots of interchangeable parts, excellent warranty coverage, BIG GREEN EGG NATION, huge distribution network, recipes, and the results i get out of cooking on their products all make me think it is worth the money.  plus, we all have an incentive for BGE to be around for a long time so i am glad they are making money.

My biggest complaint about the company is that they have poor communication related to new product releases.  Too many shoulds and not enough wills.   They teased us with the xxl and botched the minimax release, undoubtedly costing lost sales.  Had BGE delivered XXL when i was originally promised, i would own one.  .  I am glad they didnt because an xxl wouldnt see much use in my world.  

The additions to the market of some of these new ceramic cookers might allow people to try who otherwise wouldnt.  The BGE has helped me discover many great new ways to create and i dont think other ceramic brands have anything like the Egghead following.   Hey they are overpriced, the co sticks ya with accessories (can be eased by using CGS for some things) but we love em and buy em anyway



I LOVE my Big Green Egg

Mosca

Brand identity is short sighted. There are advantages and disadvantages to every brand. 

The he food doesn't know what it was cooked on. It either tastes good, or it doesn't. Everything else is posturing.

LRW

One thing to remember BGE adds the lifetime warranty into the cost of every egg sold. It's like an insurance policy to them. They bank on the production of quality products and not needing to replace units down the road.

HeavyG

LRW said:

One thing to remember BGE adds the lifetime warranty into the cost of every egg sold. It's like an insurance policy to them. They bank on the production of quality products and not needing to replace units down the road.

You do realize that BGE is not the only kamado maker that offers a lifetime warranty on the ceramics. All the others that I am aware of also offer the same warranty and thus they also have to build in some of the warranty costs into their pricing.

BGE charges more just because they can. With more entries into the market in recent years maybe they'll still be able to command a premium. Maybe they won't. Hard to say.

Jeepster47

One factor hasn't been mentioned yet ... dealer support.  For the most part, BGE has some terrific dealers.  If I was in a pinch, I have no doubt that my dealer would pull a warranty part off of one of his stock units.  When I visit the store, we talk about egging.  Dealer support has to be part of the decision when you're purchasing a kamado grill.

The rest of the kamado makers don't have a dealer within 100 miles of my town.  Well, that's not entirely true, our local Ace had a Komado Joe once. 

Mikee

I may be brand loyal but wallet isn't.

cookingdude555

I have to say in todays world and the way we do commerce, I think people will care less about a dealer as time marches on.  I wish that I could buy everything online, I hate having to go to stores.  I have had warranty replacements before on my 5 eggs, and Bruce shipped them to me in full spray foam enclosed boxes.  While the dealer thing may seem impressive, I feel a more robust warranty process that involves submitting your claim online with pictures of the defect would be helpful.  Talking to a dealer, and waiting one or two months for the replacement part is a good thing?  That sucks.

I have several brands of cookers.  Webers are my first love, I think the WSM is damn near perfect at cooking Q, and don't get me started on how perfect the kettles are (the 26" and ranch being the favorites).  I have a Bubba Keg komado that cooks every bit as good as the egg, except it is insulated better and uses less charcoal (a negative sometimes it turns out, keeping real low and slow is a little challenging).  I have a smokin-it electric smoker that is great when I just want to put something in bbq oven and push a button.  Then there are the blackstones ...

The funny thing?  Even though I have several choices, I use my medium egg more than any of the others combined.  I have a spiritual connection with the medium it seems, and that is why I think BGEs are awesome.  I know we think eggs are special, or the original komado (they aren't, I have a Japanese one that is pre egg, and guess what, the BGE looks just like it), they are just great cookers.  I am glad there are more choices.  It kind of sucked when you could only buy one car model.

My two cents here.

bgeaddikt

Just saw this

paqman

Chillin@5 said:

The poor suckers that buy that will be purchasing a BGE when they realize the difference.

My first kamado was a Vision grill from Costco a few years ago.  The build quality was less than impressive.  The firebox would not stay still because of pits on the bottom.  It was shaking so much when cleaning the cooking grate that I was scared of burning myself.  I contacted their warranty support team (the owner) and the recommendation was to "sand" the base on a piece of concrete; I ended up shimming the base with quarters.  Within a week, the gasket failed and the owner offered to ship me a new one "right away" when they were going to be back in stock (I never received it).  The firebox then developed a crack during my first month of ownership; I never heard back from Vision after submitting my warranty claim.  I decided to return it to Costco and get a BGE.  My experience is not typical because Costco still carries them after 4 years now...

KiterTodd

I would not trust this guy to manufacture my grill.
To serve me a taco, yes.
Grill production, no.

fishepa

Where is Luigi?