Can anyone put a date on this guy?

Kboogie

Just picked up my first BGE, very excited to get started! I think this guy is circa 1990s, but can't figure it out. Have some pics of the serial, but they are hard to read. Handle is of the smaller variety, dome is of the shorter and firering seems little different. Any thought on the age of this XL?

fishlessman

pretty sure they got the taller dome in 2010, the shorter domes were only out for maybe 2 or 3 years.  i always thought the shorter dome would make a better pizza, but i dont own either one

stlcharcoal

The XL came out in the mid 2000's.......04-05 maybe?  I'll have to look back in my literature.  They upgraded the dome not too long after because all the complaints.  Had they made it proportional to the shape of the others, it wouldn't have been a problem--but the XL is actually shorter than the Large.  It's like a medium that got stretcher out in the middle.  

Photo Egg

My first cook in my XL. It was first generation everything, just like the one you pictured above. This was June 2006.

ChrisSonn23

Usually the serial number is just the date it was manufactured. To me the last two digits look like 91, so I'm guessing 1991 but could be wrong

stlcharcoal

ChrisSonn23 said:

Usually the serial number is just the date it was manufactured. To me the last two digits look like 91, so I'm guessing 1991 but could be wrong

That was long before the XL came out.  I just looked at two old brochures I would have picked up around 2005-06.  One has the XL, one does not.  

Photo Egg

stlcharcoal said:

ChrisSonn23 said:

Usually the serial number is just the date it was manufactured. To me the last two digits look like 91, so I'm guessing 1991 but could be wrong

That was long before the XL came out.  I just looked at two old brochures I would have picked up around 2005-06.  One has the XL, one does not.  

I agree. I think spring/summer 2005 with a slow, almost silent release.
I bought mine towards the end of 2005. My local dealer had no idea they existed and blew me off when I asked about buying XL.lol
Very little info about release.
Mine stayed in the garage for several months before I fired it up.

Kboogie

Thanks @Photo Egg, that's really cool!  I can't see from the picture, but did yours come with a place setter? It also looks like the grid is raised 2 or 3 inches. I'm guessing this dates mine somewhere between 2006 and 2010. 

No place setter in mine. I'm thinking about adding a Spider and ceramic stone (ceramicgrillstore.com), but my sense is the grid will still sit 3 inches lower than initially designed. What do you think?

cookingdude555

Platesetter won't work with original firebox and fire ring. I have your egg (it does work well for pizza, I like it), bought the new platesetter and the dome wouldn't shut. Had to replace the fire ring and box with the new style to allow new style platesetter to fit. 

I have the XL woo, but wasn't sure the rest would fit so I stopped there. The platesetter actually fits in the woo however. 

Kboogie

cookingdude555 said:

Platesetter won't work with original firebox and fire ring. I have your egg (it does work well for pizza, I like it), bought the new platesetter and the dome wouldn't shut. Had to replace the fire ring and box with the new style to allow new style platesetter to fit. 

I have the XL woo, but wasn't sure the rest would fit so I stopped there. The platesetter actually fits in the woo however. 

@cookingdude555, thanks, this is helpful. Still thinking through how to outfit this rig. Do you have any pics? 

Too bad you're in UT, my firebox is cracked. I'd make you an offer on your old one! 

Photo Egg

Kboogie said:

Thanks @Photo Egg, that's really cool!  I can't see from the picture, but did yours come with a place setter? It also looks like the grid is raised 2 or 3 inches. I'm guessing this dates mine somewhere between 2006 and 2010. 

No place setter in mine. I'm thinking about adding a Spider and ceramic stone (ceramicgrillstore.com), but my sense is the grid will still sit 3 inches lower than initially designed. What do you think?

As many have pointed out, the XL has gone through many changes/upgrades.
The one I pictured is the exact one you have.
The platesetter was an add on. The original plate setter had very short legs with little room for a drip pan. In my photo I have a hand made XL Woo that Tom made that pre dates Ceramic Grill Store.
They later shortened the fire box which allowed them to put longer legs on the plate setter. hey also notched the fire ring to pair with plate setter.
The band was changed up a little and helper springs were added.
Do you have the springs on your band?
A few years later the dome shape was changed to add more head room and make it look more like the smaller sizes.
The newer fire box design also eliminated the metal pieces that hold the cast iron lump grate.
Give Tom a call at Ceramic Grill Store. He is also an early XL owner and knows the history better than I do. He can set you up.

stlcharcoal

A bad design from day one........why the hell didn't they just make it taller??  3-4" and it would have been right.  I'm sure weight and cost, but the XXL is is shaped more like and "egg".  The XL is should be called the "big green half flat beach ball"......not an "egg".

Photo Egg

stlcharcoal said:

A bad design from day one........why the hell didn't they just make it taller??  3-4" and it would have been right.  I'm sure weight and cost, but the XXL is is shaped more like and "egg".  The XL is should be called the "big green half flat beach ball"......not an "egg".

Was not weight and cost but ceramic casting issues that held back the design of the XL. Followed by some poor choices/design of firebox, fire ring and plate setter combinations.

stlcharcoal

Photo Egg said:

stlcharcoal said:

A bad design from day one........why the hell didn't they just make it taller??  3-4" and it would have been right.  I'm sure weight and cost, but the XXL is is shaped more like and "egg".  The XL is should be called the "big green half flat beach ball"......not an "egg".

Was not weight and cost but ceramic casting issues that held back the design of the XL. Followed by some poor choices/design of firebox, fire ring and plate setter combinations.

How can they make a much taller and wider XXL then?  Sorry, I don't understand what you mean by that.  Nothing has really changed in the technology--same place, same material, same people.  They should have been able to take the dimensions & shape of a Large, and just increased it by 30%, right?  Changing the shape seems like it would have caused more problems, when the shape of the Large had been set for 20 yrs at that point.

Kboogie

Photo Egg said:

The band was changed up a little and helper springs were added.
Do you have the springs on your band?
A few years later the dome shape was changed to add more head room and make it look more like the smaller sizes.
The newer fire box design also eliminated the metal pieces that hold the cast iron lump grate.
Give Tom a call at Ceramic Grill Store. He is also an early XL owner and knows the history better than I do. He can set you up.

Thanks Darian! Man, you know your eggs! This one is without the springs on the back and has those metal pieces to hold the lump grate. I think we may have the same exact version/year. 

Here's my dilemma now. I just got it on craigslist the other day. Should I clean it up and flip it for a newer one without a cracked firebox and with a place setter or buy an aftermarket place setter and keep on keep'n on? Dilemma..

stlcharcoal

I forgot the early ones didn't have springs......

BTW, I was shocked to see the new mediums do not have springs.  Bad marketing idea IMHO since the medium lid is now heavier to open than a large.  It will be easier to align and maintain the seal, but I think most will want the springs......I would.

Photo Egg

stlcharcoal said:

Photo Egg said:

stlcharcoal said:

A bad design from day one........why the hell didn't they just make it taller??  3-4" and it would have been right.  I'm sure weight and cost, but the XXL is is shaped more like and "egg".  The XL is should be called the "big green half flat beach ball"......not an "egg".

Was not weight and cost but ceramic casting issues that held back the design of the XL. Followed by some poor choices/design of firebox, fire ring and plate setter combinations.

How can they make a much taller and wider XXL then?  Sorry, I don't understand what you mean by that.  Nothing has really changed in the technology--same place, same material, same people.  They should have been able to take the dimensions & shape of a Large, and just increased it by 30%, right?  Changing the shape seems like it would have caused more problems, when the shape of the Large had been set for 20 yrs at that point.

Years ago I was in good with one of the BGE people in Atlanta who was testing diffent prototype ceramic upgrades for the XL. I was sent firebox and rings and platesetters for my honest feedback. We talked several times about the base and dome size and shape. "At the time" I was told they made several variations of base and dome. I was told their current process for casting and fireing could not produce the dome size and shape any better than the short stubby dome. I had/have no reason to think he was not telling the truth. But who knows. 

Photo Egg

Kboogie said:

Photo Egg said:

The band was changed up a little and helper springs were added.
Do you have the springs on your band?
A few years later the dome shape was changed to add more head room and make it look more like the smaller sizes.
The newer fire box design also eliminated the metal pieces that hold the cast iron lump grate.
Give Tom a call at Ceramic Grill Store. He is also an early XL owner and knows the history better than I do. He can set you up.

Thanks Darian! Man, you know your eggs! This one is without the springs on the back and has those metal pieces to hold the lump grate. I think we may have the same exact version/year. 

Here's my dilemma now. I just got it on craigslist the other day. Should I clean it up and flip it for a newer one without a cracked firebox and with a place setter or buy an aftermarket place setter and keep on keep'n on? Dilemma..

If it were me, I would cook on it. It's NOT going to loose any more value if you cook on it.
No, dont buy a platesetter.
Call Tom at Ceramic Grill Store and get a Woo. It might raise your cooking grate a little over felt/dome line but thats ok. Confirm with Tom if t will fit.

https://ceramicgrillstore.com/collections/shop-xl-woo-ring-accessories-for-xl-big-green-egg/products/xl-woo-bge

You can put a pizza stone or a cheap metal pan on the lower structure for low and slows.
When/if you upgrade, you can still use it.

tml1230

kboogie-- nut about BGE's .... That is one FINE bulldawg!!  I hope you have seen the geico commercials titled " running with the Bulldogs"