Another EGG Knock Off

Hawg Fan

I went to Sams yesterday and right inside the store was several ceramic cookers. It got my attention real fast and I had to check them out. The grill manufacturer was Backyard Grill and looked like it was made for Sams. The hardware on the cooker wasn't good quality and its lower and upper damper were identical to the BGE. Right down to the daisy wheel. It comes complete with the cart and place setter for $499.00. The only thing that I really liked about the cooker was the cart. It's heavy duty and rolls quit nicely, with plenty of space for accessories.


All of the accessories were stored inside.


The price.

FLbobecu

That is a nice cart! I doubt the cart can just be purchased alone..

Grandpas Grub

 
I really like the wheels on the cart at no extra charge, there have been a few broken eggs with the smaller wheels we have to deal with.

The more ceramic cooking is known the more competition there will be. I guess for BGE it's a game of product value and pricing and the never ending battle of keeping market share.

GG

EGGARY

What about the warranty ? It's not always about price ! There is such a thing as VALUE and QUALITY.

It was probably made with cheap labor from China.

Another reason I don't go to Walmart and/or Sams'.

Bobby-Q

Almost all of the new knock offs are made in China and they are usually made of or have lots of fire clay. They can't give them a lifetime warranty because they would go out of business replacing broken parts. I would doubt that the companies making these would be around long enough to even back up a 5 year warranty.

The cart looks like the cooker would fall out if given a slight tilt either front or back.

Bacchus

Ironically the sale price is only slightly less then the real deal. And before anyone chimes in that LBGE's are selling for $1200 in your area, the fact is they can be had for $6XX.00 at fests most every weekend.
Also, purchase price and cost of ownership are two different things.

Grandpas Grub

 
That's if on can get to a fest and transport the egg back home.

$1,150 out this way. Travel time to a fest is minimum 12 hours drive time one way all up hill both ways and minimum of 3 days time, hotels, car gas, food costs and on and on.

GG

THA

but what value do you put on the friendship, fun and knowledge you get for all that extra expense

Doug in Eggmonton

That reminds me of this sketch. :silly: :laugh: :laugh:

breadbasket

And the Egg is a knock off of???????

FLbobecu

breadbasket wrote:

And the Egg is a knock off of???????

Imperial Kamado, I think. They started exporting to the US 1 year before BGE started up.

Grandpas Grub

Don't get me wrong I would love to gotten a lower price on eggs.

After the first $1,150 I now have 3 additional eggs, no deals with prices, I just wasn't interested in waiting or trying to buy used. The only egg I am not really happy with is my medium, but that is performance of the egg.

Still green and planning to stay that way.

GG

Grandpas Grub

 
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Yup, that is exactly the way it was.

Some day I will have to share my experience with a Texan and Alaskan on the Golden Gate Bridge.

GG

cookingdude555

Grandpas Grub wrote:

I just wasn't interested in waiting or trying to buy used.

Thats because I keep snagging all of the Utah eggs.

Although this one came up a few weeks ago. I talked to him over text, and he doesnt know what brand, and wont MMS or email me a picture. I am not driving to Bountiful to see it unless I know what it is. Its kind of funny that it is advertised as a big green egg, but his description says it isnt a big green egg. Hmm...

jball

Looks like and priced like the one that Academy Sports is selling which is green, not black. I agree it is cheaper looking, especially the gasket which is piecemeal and appears to have been installed by a blind Chinaman using too much glue.

deepsouth

Grandpas Grub wrote:

Don't get me wrong I would love to gotten a lower price on eggs.

After the first $1,150 I now have 3 additional eggs, no deals with prices, I just wasn't interested in waiting or trying to buy used. The only egg I am not really happy with is my medium, but that is performance of the egg.

Still green and planning to stay that way.

GG

i've got a mini, small and large and thought i wanted a medium too... what don't you like about the medium. i'm not opposed to getting another large instead of a medium.

Kenny 13

jball wrote:

Looks like and priced like the one that Academy Sports is selling which is green, not black. I agree it is cheaper looking, especially the gasket which is piecemeal and appears to have been installed by a blind Chinaman using too much glue.

Yep. I was in one of the local Academy stores a few weeks ago and saw them. Very cheap looking, but that cart started giving me some ideas too.

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

competition is good. i am thinking that the shape must have never been trademarked or something. some of these things are straight-off copies...

maybe the "kamado" can't be trademarked, but the dimpling and profile, design of the daisy and vents, etc.... that should all have been able to have been trademarked, no?

Grandpas Grub

 
You do have a keen eye for the eggs around here. That's only a 15-20 minute drive for you. Being red I am guessing it is a GD.

GG

Grandpas Grub

 
If you get a 'new' style medium you shouldn't have any problems, however, I would strongly suggest you look at a large.

With out non BGE modification my medium is extremely hard to light and get up much hotter than 300°. I have resolved this for the most part by plugging the air gap between egg wall and fire ring with aluminum foil.

If I purchase a new fire ring and fire box the problem 'should' be resolved. However, our local dealers won't guarantee I will get the new style fire box and fire ring.

GG

Grandpas Grub

 
"maybe the "kamado" can't be trademarked, but the dimpling and profile, design of the daisy and vents, etc.... that should all have been able to have been trademarked, no?"

I wonder if the cost to fight is worth the potential gain.

I would think so, but on the other hand how would a architect or designer protect, say, a column design in a house or building. Maybe those are not good comparisons.

My wife and I made a marionette puppet and received a copyright on the design. Enforcing the copyright was almost impossible. We later trademarked the design and that was a little easier to apply force but still was expensive dealing with the attorneys.

 

deepsouth

jabinns wrote:

Grandpas Grub wrote:

I just wasn't interested in waiting or trying to buy used.

Thats because I keep snagging all of the Utah eggs.

Although this one came up a few weeks ago. I talked to him over text, and he doesnt know what brand, and wont MMS or email me a picture. I am not driving to Bountiful to see it unless I know what it is. Its kind of funny that it is advertised as a big green egg, but his description says it isnt a big green egg. Hmm...

from that ad....

"This is not the Big green Egg Brand of kamado, but it also doesn't have the 1100.00 price tag either. Great shape, red in color, very heavy, and kamado's claim to be the best cooker/smoker around. Check out the Big Green Egg website and check them out. Call with questions 801-608-0115"





ummmm, if it's not a big green egg, why go to the bge website to "check them out"?

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

as you know, trademark and copyright are different things. architects have their own issues to deal with, and only until relatively recently, their design wasn't copyrightable.

but a trademark IS a different thing.

it all comes down to how much it is worth a company to preserve their identity. but i gotta think the profile, dimpling, and basic design elements are a signature, otherwise they wouldn't be repeated in the mimicked designs in the first place.

the shape, color, design of the BGE could have been trademarked. i'm betting it wasn't.

it's an interesting thing even if you consider one element, the dimpling of the surface. originally (like, a looong time ago, on the much-older eggs), the castings look like they were worked over by hand with either sponge, or rags, or something to either dimple the surface or give it a texture probably to disguise any imperfections from the mold surfaces, to remove the line where the molds joined, remove bubbles, etc. ...basically, a bit of texture that was decorative but also made the surface uniform. however they make the eggs today, that dimpling is a simulation of that and is more a design element. it's not (as far as i can tell) required as part of the process. it appears more like a replication of the surface that used to be made as part of the handmade casting process.

so, primo doesn't need to have the dimples (they aren't a result of the casting process), or neither this later cooker from sam's club. so why did they add them? to identify with and mimic the BGE. to trade on the BGE image. no other reason.

it may be expensive to enforce trademarks, but it can also be lucrative

cookingdude555

Grandpas Grub wrote:

 
You do have a keen eye for the eggs around here. That's only a 15-20 minute drive for you. Being red I am guessing it is a GD.

GG

This one popped up a few hours ago (I know, I watch too much, they are so hard to find in UT though). I have been on a conference call all day and haven't called, cant figure out if its a Lg or an XL. I would sell my Lg and buy this if it was an XL:

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=678&ad=11165640&cat=&lpid=

Carolina Q

jball wrote:

cheaper looking, especially the gasket which is piecemeal and appears to have been installed by a blind Chinaman using too much glue.

Good one!! BGE gaskets are awesome!

BananaChipz

jball wrote:

installed by a blind Chinaman using too much glue.

And the inappropriate comment of the year goes to.......

Unknown

Classy.

What would the world be like without red-necks anyway?

Oh yeah... better.

Bacchus

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Jai-Bo

The cart does look nice, but if anyone welds....I'm sure it can be replicated fer under a bill.......