bbqwithsam
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Hey Brethren,
Long time lurker, first time poster.
Wanted to give a quick review on the Vision Grills Cadet Kamado, which is a small ceramic cooker made in China and sold in Sam’s Club.
I purchased mine at the beginning of the summer for $220 in the store, and they are now on sale for $199 with free shipping.
To find it, go ahead and look up “Vision Grills Diamond-Cut Cadet Kamado Grill” on Sam’s Club website. Vision also sells a 18.5” version for $449, although not free shipping. Last time I was in Sam’s, they had a few left in stock, so might be worth a look.
Home Depot also stocks a slightly fancier version of the larger one for several hundred dollars more, so you might’ve come across it.
Anyways,
I looked at ceramics for a while before being finding this small one that I couldn’t pass up. While I could not find a Joe Jr locally, our local Ace has the Big Green Egg MiniMax.
I was pretty serious about getting a MiniMax before pulling the trigger on the Cadet. Here is a direct comparison:
The Big Green Egg MiniMax:
- 21.5” tall by 21.5” wide by 21.5” deep, closed, with the metal stand
- 13.75” internal diameter with a 13” firebox and a 13” grate
- 5” deep from the grate the bottom of the firebox
- 20mm thick outer ceramic, 25mm thick firebox ceramic with 18mm thick ceramic fire ring
- 4.75mm thick stainless steel grate
- Outside metal of the carrier is 3.5mm thick
- Lid takes 8lbs of lift force to lift
- $599 (with carrier / stand)
The Vision Cadet Kamado:
- 23” tall by 23” wide by 21” deep, closed, with the metal stand
- 13.75” internal diameter with a 12” firebox and a 12” grate
- 6” deep from grate to the bottom of the firebox
- 20mm thick outer ceramic, 20mm thick firebox ceramic (no fire ring, firebox is one piece)
- 4mm thick stainless steel grate
- Outside metal of the carrier is 3.5mm thick
- Lid takes 9.5lbs of lift force to lift
- $199 (with carrier / stand)
The MiniMax and Cadet are very very similar. The MiniMax’s firebox and fire ring fit much better inside with hardly any gap between them and the outside of the ceramic. The Cadet’s firebox doesn’t fit quite as well with about a three quarters inch gap between the firebox and the outside ceramic. I’ve considered that this is intentional for shipping reasons (they pack a lot of foam inside the Cadet).
One of the best reasons to buy a MiniMax would be Big Green Egg's warranty. Honestly I have no idea how Vision's warranty would hold up, so I also got the Sam's Club extra warranty at checkout in store. Probably not worth it, but with ceramic you never know. Vision makes you register the grill online within 30 days or they say your warranty through them is void. I think that's not a great way to do business, and I doubt you will be able to transfer it. However they do claim the same "lifetime" on ceramic parts. I consider this a gamble.
The one feature that I think is really neat in the Cadet is a removable ash pan. There is a slight metal lip to hold it in place while it is in the cooker, and ash falls right through the bottom of the firebox into this removable pan. Cleaning the MiniMax is one thing that Baby Back Maniac has complained about several times in videos. Of course this is another place where you might have a smoke leak, but in my experience it’s worked great.
I’ve bought a cover, a kick ash bucket, and the recommended heat deflector. I think in this size, a kick ash bucket is a necessity for enough air flow.
When I purchased the recommended heat deflector, I was disappointed that I couldn’t get it up to the temperatures that I wanted very easily. I think whatever lave stone they include is just slightly too big in circumference to allow enough airflow. Of course it could also be user error! I kept the metal and swapped it for a slightly smaller pizza stone from Amazon and it works perfectly now.
I’ve done about two dozen cooks on it for my wife and I. Brisket flat and point, pork butt, beef short ribs, fish, burgers and dogs. I really think this size is perfect for two people.
I frequently tell people that this is the perfect pork butt size. If you can imagine a 8-10lb bone in pork butt, it will fit in this just about perfectly with hardly room to spare.
It is very fuel efficient. I’ve gotten roughly 20 hours at 235F with a BBQ Guru from one load of lump.
I think this covers most of the highlights. Happy to answer any questions you have!
Best,
Sam
Long time lurker, first time poster.
Wanted to give a quick review on the Vision Grills Cadet Kamado, which is a small ceramic cooker made in China and sold in Sam’s Club.
I purchased mine at the beginning of the summer for $220 in the store, and they are now on sale for $199 with free shipping.
To find it, go ahead and look up “Vision Grills Diamond-Cut Cadet Kamado Grill” on Sam’s Club website. Vision also sells a 18.5” version for $449, although not free shipping. Last time I was in Sam’s, they had a few left in stock, so might be worth a look.
Home Depot also stocks a slightly fancier version of the larger one for several hundred dollars more, so you might’ve come across it.
Anyways,
I looked at ceramics for a while before being finding this small one that I couldn’t pass up. While I could not find a Joe Jr locally, our local Ace has the Big Green Egg MiniMax.
I was pretty serious about getting a MiniMax before pulling the trigger on the Cadet. Here is a direct comparison:
The Big Green Egg MiniMax:
- 21.5” tall by 21.5” wide by 21.5” deep, closed, with the metal stand
- 13.75” internal diameter with a 13” firebox and a 13” grate
- 5” deep from the grate the bottom of the firebox
- 20mm thick outer ceramic, 25mm thick firebox ceramic with 18mm thick ceramic fire ring
- 4.75mm thick stainless steel grate
- Outside metal of the carrier is 3.5mm thick
- Lid takes 8lbs of lift force to lift
- $599 (with carrier / stand)
The Vision Cadet Kamado:
- 23” tall by 23” wide by 21” deep, closed, with the metal stand
- 13.75” internal diameter with a 12” firebox and a 12” grate
- 6” deep from grate to the bottom of the firebox
- 20mm thick outer ceramic, 20mm thick firebox ceramic (no fire ring, firebox is one piece)
- 4mm thick stainless steel grate
- Outside metal of the carrier is 3.5mm thick
- Lid takes 9.5lbs of lift force to lift
- $199 (with carrier / stand)
The MiniMax and Cadet are very very similar. The MiniMax’s firebox and fire ring fit much better inside with hardly any gap between them and the outside of the ceramic. The Cadet’s firebox doesn’t fit quite as well with about a three quarters inch gap between the firebox and the outside ceramic. I’ve considered that this is intentional for shipping reasons (they pack a lot of foam inside the Cadet).
One of the best reasons to buy a MiniMax would be Big Green Egg's warranty. Honestly I have no idea how Vision's warranty would hold up, so I also got the Sam's Club extra warranty at checkout in store. Probably not worth it, but with ceramic you never know. Vision makes you register the grill online within 30 days or they say your warranty through them is void. I think that's not a great way to do business, and I doubt you will be able to transfer it. However they do claim the same "lifetime" on ceramic parts. I consider this a gamble.
The one feature that I think is really neat in the Cadet is a removable ash pan. There is a slight metal lip to hold it in place while it is in the cooker, and ash falls right through the bottom of the firebox into this removable pan. Cleaning the MiniMax is one thing that Baby Back Maniac has complained about several times in videos. Of course this is another place where you might have a smoke leak, but in my experience it’s worked great.
I’ve bought a cover, a kick ash bucket, and the recommended heat deflector. I think in this size, a kick ash bucket is a necessity for enough air flow.
When I purchased the recommended heat deflector, I was disappointed that I couldn’t get it up to the temperatures that I wanted very easily. I think whatever lave stone they include is just slightly too big in circumference to allow enough airflow. Of course it could also be user error! I kept the metal and swapped it for a slightly smaller pizza stone from Amazon and it works perfectly now.
I’ve done about two dozen cooks on it for my wife and I. Brisket flat and point, pork butt, beef short ribs, fish, burgers and dogs. I really think this size is perfect for two people.
I frequently tell people that this is the perfect pork butt size. If you can imagine a 8-10lb bone in pork butt, it will fit in this just about perfectly with hardly room to spare.
It is very fuel efficient. I’ve gotten roughly 20 hours at 235F with a BBQ Guru from one load of lump.
I think this covers most of the highlights. Happy to answer any questions you have!
Best,
Sam
