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Best way to get a BGE? And what else to get?

JohnfromKentucky
JohnfromKentucky Posts: 460
in EggHead Forum
I know you can order direct or from a dealer. Which way would be best as far as price, time and getting it set up? One local dealer said that they will order inventory in March. She said that they can maybe knock $50 off the price. I like buying from dealer because then I have someone to go back to if I have an issue.

As for what to get, what would be recommended for the first purchase to get going?
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Comments

  • loco_engr
    loco_engr Posts: 5,818
    edited February 2022
    might ask the dealer if they might be planning to host an eggfest later this year . . .used  BGE's are usually sold at eggfests for a discount and full warranty 
    HTH
    aka marysvilleksegghead
    Lrg 2008
    mini 2009

    Henny Youngman:
    I said to my wife, 'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?' She said, 'I want to go somewhere I've never been before.' I said, 'Try the kitchen.'
    Bob Hope: When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feel anything until noon, and then it’s time for my nap
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  • Langner91
    Langner91 Posts: 2,120
    I have a great dealer.  They are not the closest dealer to me.  I get all my stuff from them.

    Find a dealer you like, even if they aren't the nearest dealer to you.

    You have come to the right place if you are looking for suggestions on spending money on BGEs.  

    Of all the first accessories, I am a fan of the Kick Ash Basket and wouldn't leave the dealership without one.

    Enjoy!
    Clinton, Iowa
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  • OhioEgger
    OhioEgger Posts: 994
    Definitely look for an Eggfest -- it's by far the best way to buy one. Not only do you get a hefty discount, but the experience of attending and talking to lots of committed Eggers is unbeatable.
    Cincinnati, Ohio. Large BGE since 2011. Still learning.
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  • kl8ton
    kl8ton Posts: 6,422
    Don't shop around wasting time.

    Pull the trigger you should.

    Once you have one, you will stumble upon a dealer you like.
    Large, Medium, MiniMax, 36" Blackstone
    Grand Rapids MI
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  • QDude
    QDude Posts: 1,066
    You will need a platesetter or similar for indirect cooks.  Also get a meat temp probe like a Maverick for long cooks.  A Thermapen or similar is a must.

    Northern Colorado Egghead since 2012.

    XL BGE and a KBQ.

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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,527
    edited February 2022
    Your best place for accessories:
    .
    Skip the plate setter or whatever they call it nowadays. You'll find a much better setup through:

    ceramicgrillstore.com
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • Ike
    Ike Posts: 403
    Take whatever they throw in, use it for a bit, visit the board, look at the photos of the cooks and settups, ask questions, you will come out many $$$ ahead.
    Owensboro, KY.  First Eggin' 4/12/08.  Large, small, 22" Blackstone and lotsa goodies.
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 21,676
    kl8ton said:
    Don't shop around wasting time.

    Pull the trigger you should.

    Once you have one, you will stumble upon a dealer you like.
    Plus, the Egg is the cheapest part of this whole hobby.  Find a good dealer and work with them.

    I would rather light a candle than curse your darkness.

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  • danhoo
    danhoo Posts: 720
    I'd start with a large, a nest and a platesetter and a 14 inch stainless drip pan. 

    I like the swing up side tables. I've been thinking about a table for 10 years or so and the side tables are getting me by for now. 


    current: | Large BGE |  Genesis 1000 | Genesis E330 | 22 inch Kettle | Weber Summit Kamado
    sold:| PitBoss pro 820 |  WSM 22 | 
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  • JohnfromKentucky
    JohnfromKentucky Posts: 460
    Thanks all for the comments. So far I only see Winter Haven FL on 2/19 and one in CT in May. When will other eggfests get posted or is there a place for me to look?
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,796
    Louisville, KY (about as close as you can find) at Brownsboro Hardware and Paint.  August for the past several years.  Give their website a  look; linked here:
    https://www.brownsborohardware.com/  
    Local business and great owners and supporters of the community.  FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
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  • JohnfromKentucky
    JohnfromKentucky Posts: 460
    lousubcap said:
    Louisville, KY (about as close as you can find) at Brownsboro Hardware and Paint.  August for the past several years.  Give their website a  look; linked here:
    https://www.brownsborohardware.com/  
    Local business and great owners and supporters of the community.  FWIW-
    A buddy got his from there. Dang, I don't know if I want to wait 6 months! ha How much do you usually save on an egg at an eggfest?
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,796
    I hope others chime in as I don't recall.  I did buy my SBGE from there thru a fest but that was 7+ years ago. It was a good deal but depending on your drive likely not worth the wait.  Give 'em a call.  I was gonna suggest asking to speak with Doug Carroll but he just purchased a promotion-
    https://www.brownsborohardware.com/new-owner  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
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  • Langner91
    Langner91 Posts: 2,120
    The eggfest eggs are a great deal.  No doubt.  But, I couldn't stand the thought of some guy, like me, cooking on my egg before me.  

    So, I (actually my ex-wife) bought my first LBGE and picked it up the day before the eggfest.  One more day is all I would have needed to wait, and I couldn't do it.  I do not recommend six months of torture!

    If you want an egg, get an egg.  I put it off for two years and I still wish to this day I had bought it the first time I looked at one.

    BTW, she got the egg in the divorce and sold it.  I have bought two more since.  Worth EVERY penny!
    Clinton, Iowa
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  • Mr1egg
    Mr1egg Posts: 431
    Get a primo, trust me the egg is nice but the oval design is much better. Every gas bbq is a rectangle for a reason but for some reason kamados are circular. One is made in Mexico and the other is made in china… one is made in North America. 
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  • littlerascal56
    littlerascal56 Posts: 2,110
    edited February 2022
    You really should look at a Primo XL 400 if you cook a lot.  It is just a much better design. Agree with @Mr1egg on that! And 100% built in the USA.
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  • Langner91
    Langner91 Posts: 2,120
    Mr1egg said:
    Get a primo, trust me the egg is nice but the oval design is much better. Every gas bbq is a rectangle for a reason but for some reason kamados are circular. One is made in Mexico and the other is made in china… one is made in North America. 
    Who's going to tell him?


    Clinton, Iowa
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  • QDude
    QDude Posts: 1,066
    Langner91 said:
    Mr1egg said:
    Get a primo, trust me the egg is nice but the oval design is much better. Every gas bbq is a rectangle for a reason but for some reason kamados are circular. One is made in Mexico and the other is made in china… one is made in North America. 
    Who's going to tell him?


    I have an XL BGE and bought a Primo XL after that.  I sold the Primo after a couple of years.  It was good, but not a game changer.

    Northern Colorado Egghead since 2012.

    XL BGE and a KBQ.

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  • UncleKeith
    UncleKeith Posts: 39
    JohnfromKentucky said:
    lousubcap said:
    Louisville, KY (about as close as you can find) at Brownsboro Hardware and Paint.  August for the past several years.  Give their website a  look; linked here:
    https://www.brownsborohardware.com/  
    Local business and great owners and supporters of the community.  FWIW-
    A buddy got his from there. Dang, I don't know if I want to wait 6 months! ha How much do you usually save on an egg at an eggfest?
    I bought my XL from an eggfest in Columbus Indiana last year I want to say I saved in the $300-350 range. I was on the fence between an XL BGE or a KJ Big Joe I and that savings pushed me to the BGE.

    I already had a large BGE and a KJ Jr so was aware of the quality and characteristics of both brands. 

    I get the hesitation at dropping the kind of coin one of these cookers cost. I put off buying one for years before I found a deal on a used large BGE. After about six months of using the thing my mind was blown to the point that if something were to have happened to it I would have gone out and bought a new one the next day.
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  • MasterC
    MasterC Posts: 1,586
    edited February 2022
    June 4th  eggfest Fort Wayne, Indiana 20% off fest pre-purchase egg and 15% off accessories.10% off day of fest. 

    Fort Wayne Indiana 
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 13,714
    Sign up to cook on the egg you purchased and you get a brand new discounted egg so to speak. 
    canuckland
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  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 34,737
    Canugghead said:
    Sign up to cook on the egg you purchased and you get a brand new discounted egg so to speak. 
    But for new people, you don’t actually have to cook on the BGE at the fest to secure one.  I think the vast majority of these are going to people who weren’t cooking on the day of the fest, but rather just showed up to be tasters and then go home with a discounted Egg.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike

    "The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand." - Deep Throat
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 13,714
    JohnInCarolina said:
    Canugghead said:
    Sign up to cook on the egg you purchased and you get a brand new discounted egg so to speak. 
    But for new people, you don’t actually have to cook on the BGE at the fest to secure one.  I think the vast majority of these are going to people who weren’t cooking on the day of the fest, but rather just showed up to be tasters and then go home with a discounted Egg.
    Agree. What I said only applies to folks who are comfortable with eggs but can’t bear the thought of someone else breaking in their new egg. 
    canuckland
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  • BikerBob
    BikerBob Posts: 284
    How many people do you plan to feed? There are two of us. I have a medium and even with cooking a turkey or a butt for holidays with family have never found it too small, on the other hand it will not cook a twenty-pound turkey. I bought a Mini Max for the Tennessee house and for the two of us it works so far. It would not be my first choice for my only egg.
    My wife and I decided to look at an egg and came home with one. The Mini Max took two trips because the at the first dealer, the clerk working in the grill area said I would have to call somebody to find out if they had a plate setter. Dealer in the next county was happy to go get one from the back and, along with another customer, to assist in loading the cooker and accessories in the truck.
    You will want a plate setter or somebody else's version to allow indirect cooking, a long pair of tongs, a bag of lump and a way to start the fire-not lighter fluid.
    You can have a lot of great food before the first egg-fest.
    Cooking on the coast
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  • 4TheGrillOfIt
    4TheGrillOfIt Posts: 741
    Just go get you a large Egg.  It is is nearly perfect!  Tons of accessories are available, and it’s a good size to cook 90 percent of what you’ll ever cook.  With that be said, the small Egg is my absolute favorite.  I love love love it!  But the large is more versatile.  
    XL BGE, Large BGE, Small BGE, Weber Summit NG                                                                                               
    Memphis  
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  • JohnfromKentucky
    JohnfromKentucky Posts: 460
    Interesting information, thanks all!  Those eggfests sound interesting but the ones you buy are assembled there right?  And if not, who would assemble them?
    I don't mind trying but for the price, I want it assembled right so that I don't have to worry about damaging it myself.
    Thanks for the suggestion of the primo, but I am here for the egg. :-) 
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,796
    Most dealers (and the one I referenced) will deliver and assemble.  And if there are any issues they will make it right.  FWIW-  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 17,375
    And don't trust even a "good" dealer's assembly.  I bought my first Large from one (still my go-to dealer) but when my neighbor and I tried to lift it out of my pickup, the bottom fell out of the band; fortunately it hit my truck's tailgate and didn't get broken (I would've been devastated).  
    Also saw that day that one leg of the Large's nest was missing two bolts.  Check everything yourself.  Carefully.  

    "Dumplings are just noodles that have already eaten"   - Jon Kung

    Ogden, UT, USA


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  • littlerascal56
    littlerascal56 Posts: 2,110
    Agree 100% with Botch.  My local dealer was a huge John Deere implement dealership.  Had the JD mechanics assemble the BGE’s.  Not the best scenero.  I did a lot of “follow up” maintenance on those customer grills later.  Most were farmers & ranchers, as they bought them as “combine parts”, and deducted on their income taxes. 
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,796
    @Botch- (that devastated time was likely before sugar gliders...) The dealer I have mentioned to @JohnfromKentucky delivers it to your landing site and then completes the final fit-up including testing the dome to base seal.  Yes, make sure to check the band tightness but that is likely less of an issue with the new set up.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
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