mini max vs komado joe jr

SGH said:

@RickyBobby‌
I have a JOE Jr. so I fully support you if you buy one my friend..

Sounds like you need to buy some high temp green engine paint and make it green and start posting some cooks on it.

RickyBobby said:

@Biggreenpharmacist‌ ~ so I'm just curious, which one are you thinking?

Between max or kj jr?

I will stick with the mini max. Don't have a clue where there is a joe dealer even close to me where my egg dealer is 4 blocks away.

@Biggreenpharmacist‌
It stays at my camp. With hunting season coming you will be seeing it real soon my friend.

Sheeeeeeit...I'm just gonna get the Jumbo Joe for $60.  

I've said it before....and now again: They are both excellent products...I have BGE AND KJ cookers. Buy what you like, you won't be disappointed in either. This bantering that one's intrinsically better than the other is BS. Seriously....go cook something and fuhgeddaboutit!

I love my XL and my Joe Jr. IMHO, I believe they cook equally well. If a screen is important to you, I believe the mini-Max will have one. The Jr. does not. (No screen has never been an issue for me.)

@SGH‌ I'm curious as to why you got the mini if you already had a Jr.? Big difference between the two?

RickyBobby said:

Will you folks on here think any less of me for cooking on a red komado? Really, I'd hate to be kicked to the curb! Lol!

I suggest you buy the black KJ jr. 

I'll throw in my two cents I guess. To me the decision between KJ or MM is very similar to a dilemma I faced back in 2004 I wanted a new motorcycel and had my heart set on Ultra Classic HD. Needless to say the sticker price made me reconsider. I went 2 blocks down and convinced myself that this Victory motorcycle I was looking at that was 4000 dollars cheaper was just as good. I bought it and regretted every day. Its hard to put into words, but so many subtle diffrences that I knew I would never be happy with it. No dealer support, no aftermarket support, no feeling of community, etc... Anyways jump ahead 2 years I traded the Vic for thr HD I wanted and have loved evety minute of it. My point I guess is buy what makes you happy, but remember cheaper doesnt always make it a better decision. You may eventually regret going that route and have to satrt all over again, getting that MM you wanted in the first place.

If the Kjr and the MM are alike sizewise, and the Kjr is 12 lbs. less, then where did the difference in weight go? Is it less ceramic? lighter/thinner hardware? Where's the loss of weight?

gamason said:

I'll throw in my two cents I guess. To me the decision between KJ or MM is very similar to a dilemma I faced back in 2004 I wanted a new motorcycel and had my heart set on Ultra Classic HD. Needless to say the sticker price made me reconsider. I went 2 blocks down and convinced myself that this Victory motorcycle I was looking at that was 4000 dollars cheaper was just as good. I bought it and regretted every day. Its hard to put into words, but so many subtle diffrences that I knew I would never be happy with it. No dealer support, no aftermarket support, no feeling of community, etc... Anyways jump ahead 2 years I traded the Vic for thr HD I wanted and have loved evety minute of it. My point I guess is buy what makes you happy, but remember cheaper doesnt always make it a better decision. You may eventually regret going that route and have to satrt all over again, getting that MM you wanted in the first place.

Harley Davidsons (as are many iconic products) are 2 things: a motorcycle and a Harley Davidson. You wanted a Harley, but bought a different motorcycle. That why you regretted it. You bought around your initial want....you wanted a Harley and didn't buy One. Those "subtle" things you list are very subjective but at the end of the day both motorcycles are very fit products for their intended purpose...to provide two-wheeled transportation in a v-twin design. I wanted a Big Green Egg when I bought my first Kamado, a med BGE. I have not regretted it, but later, when I wanted (errr....."needed") a different sized ceramic cooker I realized there were other quality ceramic cookers available with equal support (warranty) and capable of producing the same results my eyes were opened to a wider array of choices in the Kamado cooker world. Years ago, buyers of high-end luxury cars had to choose between the American offerings Cadillac and Lincoln, or the more expensive and service-intensive European Luxo-cars. Then Lexus, Inifiniti, and Acura all of a sudden came to market and created a third, viable and now well respected source of high end luxury cars and they captured a very big share of that marketplace.... Some people are all about the BGE, or the Harley etc and some people are all about grilling or riding and that's the difference in expectations between those that are brand centric product loyalists, and those that are activity-centric. It's all good, but for me I realize that enjoy Kamado cooking in the broad sense of the word more than just as it applies to the BGE brand of Kamados.... Back to motorcycles since I'm also a long-time rider (and former Victory owner); Any ride on any bike I return home from unscathed is a fun ride, worth having done. I guess aim just a rider....I can have fun on two wheels...any brand. Same as my cooks on any Kamado.

BigGreenPackerFan said:

DaveShady said:

KJ - not the same ceramic as the BGE 

I have seen the inside of both broken and KJ is porous BGE is solid no air pockets

Warranty BGE is easy to deal with and dealers take care of it when something

goes bad.

We sold KJ for a while also and they sat and sat and sat while eggs got delivered

warranty and such I think makes a differance to some folks.

I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to make this point. I have tried to point out differences in the 2 on this forum but no one ever wants to hear it and will be quick to call BS. You get what you pay for and even though BGE has become an incredible marketing machine they still have the BEST quality product, warranty, support of any Kamado grill on the market.

The ceramics on the KJ are not the same quality. The KJ is not thicker. They only spot on a KJ that is thicker than the Big Green Egg is at the bands and that is for a reason. Measure the thickness at the draft door and the KJ is actually thinner.

The KJ does not perform the same. For those of you that have both a BGE and a KJ take the dome temperature up to 250 for an hour or so and then use a infrared thermometer and take some readings of the temperature of the outside of the dome and the base on both. Try this at 450 and then try it at 700 and watch your readings. You might be surprised at what you see and you will have no doubt which one has the better ceramics after you do this. You can cook great food on a KJ, Vision, Grill Dome or whatever but they are NOT the same as Big Green Egg for less. They are LESS. They do have some features that I like but I am not willing to take a chance on a lesser quality product. I am sticking with the brand that has been good to me for the last 11 years and see a Mini Max in my future.

That's just my opinion after years of happiness with a Big Green Egg and recent side by side tests with other Kamados. Not worth the risk for me.

What does any of this have to do with cooking? The warranty on the ceramics is limited lifetime on both and there are plenty of instances of ceramic failures right here too. It's all about the capability for its intended purpose and the risk is zilch per both equivalent warranties. I don't drink that Kool-Aid....

I know this thread is about MM vs Joe Jr, but, since the MM is not available and @BigGreenPackerFan mentioned comparing the too, I like to share my experience.  I have both Small BGE and Joe Jr.  With the Small, it seems no two GE works exactly the same, so I can only speak about mine.  Here are my observations.

1) The Joe Jr seems lighter.  (Have not put either one on a scale)

2) The Joe Jr comes up to temp faster and burn hotter.  ( Both have original charcoal grates )

3) The Small GE is harder to clean.  ( I don't have an ash vac )

4) The Small GE looks better with wooden handle, green color, etc...  The Joe Jr feels... cheap.

5) They both cook about the same.  My Small is NOT a "weekday" cooker.  It takes it's time to be ready, but, since it doesn't go past 400, it's easier to cook with.  Joe Jr on the other hand, can come up to temp fast, but, I get hot spots which is annoying.  Lately, I've added a step of stirring the hot lumps to get a more even temp.  I'm still constantly playing with the vents to avoid charring up the food, so no beer while cooking. :(

6) When I open the dome, the Joe Jr seems to rock back in my table while the SGE seems more stable.  Not sure if I'm opening it too fast or not enough weight inside the cookers.  Just my personal observation. (which made the Jr seemed... cheap)  Just like a new charcoal grate would fix my temp issues with the SGE, there's probably something I could do to make the Joe Jr not rock back when I open the dome.

I don't own a IR temp probe, so I can't tell you which is hotter on the outside after an hour.  I just know they both get too hot to touch with my bare hands.  It was tough decision buying the Joe Jr since I liked my Small GE so much.  But with Costco's warranty, I figure I'll at least buy it and give them a chance and was pleasantly surprised.  The Small GE now sits in the garage.  My mother in-law has been asking about it, so it may not get listed on CL after all.

For reason #2 and #3, I keep the Joe Jr in the patio and the SGE in the garage.

What does any of this have to do with cooking? The warranty on the ceramics is limited lifetime on both and there are plenty of instances of ceramic failures right here too. It's all about the capability for its intended purpose and the risk is zilch per both equivalent warranties. I don't drink that Kool-Aid....

@Gogogordy‌ well alot really. Want to keep theheat inside the cooker where it does what it's supposed to get a mini max. Want the heat to exceed the cooker go with the other brand. It's called heat soak. ALL cookers have this but the eggs with a thicker ceramics will hold the heat better. Oh wait it costs more my bad.

@DaveShady‌ hey buddy.

Yeah well until joe has a 12 foot inflatable I guess I have to stick with bge.