Big Green Egg vs Kamado Joe

I own both and can tell you there is no difference in how the KJ & BGE cook. None. The advantage goes to BGE as far as warranty. It's life time. If warranty isn't your deciding factor, then just pick the one you like the looks of. They cook identical.

You may want to give the Primo Oval a look as well. Had they been available when I first purchased a ceramic cooker, it would have been the clear winner.

All I can say is that spent a good deal of time looking around at the big 3.

A local grill store actually stocked the XL versions from each of the big 3. I rolled them right up together and evaluated them side-by-side.

While, I don't think I could have gone wrong with any of them......I am very glad that I did buy the Kamado Joe Big Joe.

It's been a great performer and I've experienced customer service from Kamado Joe that is the absolute best of any customer service I've experienced from any manufacturer that I've dealt with......of any product type I've ever owned.

Their grills come with a great looking cart, folding trays, the tools you need as well as their exceptional Divide & Conquer grate-deflector system.

I don't regret going with them for a single second and will be buying my next ceramic kamado from them when the time comes to add another.





Kamado Joe grills come with a lifetime warranty and they stand firmly behind it.


Good luck in your hunt. They are certainly fun grills to use and are extremely versatile.....if you can envision it....you can cook it.

Agree. Differences are subtle and minor. KJ is cheaper because of what it comes with. BGE has a great user community. Both have good support from everything I've read.

to me the big decision points are the price and what color you like better

Kamado Joe offers a lifetime warranty and also ships warranty replacements free whereas you pay with others in most situations. If possible, the best way is to go see them in person and decide which you like best. There are differences between ceramic cookers.

I love my Egg but would check out the Primo if was in the market for a ceramic cooker.

All my friends and relatives have BGE's. I have a BGE Mini and use it all the time. But- oh well you didn't ask about Primo so I won't sing its virtues. Good luck. So you're giving up a car, what's the better half giving up?

One word, Primo! :behindsofa:

You can't go wrong with any of the big three... personally I chose the Primo Oval XL for the flexibility to cook direct and indirect At the same time and the room to use two or three or four zones effectively!!!

If i could have any komado id go oval. Imo you pay more for the bge name. man i remember the first time i saw that big green egg infomercial.

I have owned both the BGE Large and the Primo Oval XL. I think both cooked excellent, but as others have stated the Primo is the most versatile. If I ever decide to buy another ceramic, it will be the Primo line. Plus it is time for BGE to get down off their high horse about the whole internet sales thing... But that is just my opinion...

If BGE is your choice, I recommend searching for Eggfests in your area. A lot of times dealers will use new Eggs at the events, then sell them at a better price to people that pre-buy them.

The Kamado Joe Jr is way better than the Big Green Egg Mini-Max at least for making pizza. You can hold 600 degrees quite steadily for 4 pizzas, which is about 8 minutes each at 580-600 degrees.

Have a large and XL Big Green Egg, a Vision Classic M series and a Kamado Joe JR. The BGE's and KJ are better quality than the Vision, but there is a price difference between manufactures also. Very like like the Vision for the price.

I feel the Big Green Egg and Kamado Joe brands quality are very comparable.

Ceramic warranty on the Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe and Vision are lifetime warranty's, with a Primo the ceramic warranty is 20 years. With that said I still hope to own a Primo also one day!

I have owned a large BGE for about 10 years, and I love it. That said, when I buy an XL in the near future it will be a Kamado Joe. The divide and conquer cooking system is included at no extra cost, and it's all stainless.

I also like the fact that you don't pay shipping for parts replaced under warranty. I've had to replace the firebox in my egg, and the shipping to a local BGE retailer was over $40.

The Primo oval looks really nice, and was at the top of my list for a while. The only issue I have with them is that all of the cooking racks are ceramic coated steel, not stainless. If I'm going to pay top dollar for a cooker it must have stainless racks. The 3rd party stainless racks on my egg are like new 10 years later.

As others have stated, you can't go wrong with any of the big three. It comes down to deciding which features are most important to you.

Good luck!

I will freely admit to being an egghead, but would be happy with a Kamado Joe or Primo. I do think there is a Big 3 or A level group of quality and warranty.

In my area Kamado Joes and Primos are now more expensive than Big Green Eggs. The KJs come loaded with the divide and conquer system, but I can add Ceramic Grill Store multilevel setup to a BGE and be at the same total price.

The best deal going is a BGE from an egg festival. The eggs are used 4 hours at the fest and are generally sold at a 25% discount.

Does the Primo have a folding table stand option like the KJ? I want something that can be compact-ish to fit in my area next to my UDS.

I have owned, or currently own Akorn, Kamado Joe, Kamado K7 and Primo. The Primo's split cooking system is mirrored by the Kamado Joe's divide and conquer system (which you get included in the price, as versus paying extra for the parts with a primo). Of the units I have sampled, the Kamado Joe had the highest quality. The primo arrived missing the lid handle, two securing holes drilled in the upper damper (should be only one, mis-manufactured at Primo and not corrected), The ceramic feet varied in height by a large margin, which caused the primo to "rock" if 4 feet were used, Killed the gasket at the first 600 degree cook, came from the factory with a cracked firebox, has a flexy hinge which lifts assymetrically, the optionally purchased diffuser plates were of inconsistent thickness and shape, etc.
For those who get a good Primo from the factory, they love them. For everyone else, Primo does not mean premium quality. A unit like mine should have never shipped out the door if the company had working quality control. Also keep in mind that Primo expects the purchaser to pay for warranty shipping (according to Primo's website). Take the time to read the terms, conditions and exclusions to the posted warranty of all the brands you are considering.