I need a ruling on this. Ain't doing a pellet grill. Need your thoughts on these two eggs gang!!!!!!!!

I like the Primo because of the added flexibility the divider gives you. You won't always need a plate setter to smoke. The shape is also great if you are smoking multiple racks of ribs.

I like the space of the oval, both for things like brisket and ribs, as well as being able to mix both direct and deflected heat simultaneously. I don't think you can go wrong with either from a quality perspective.

I love my primo xl that I bought in March. Plenty of room for large briskets, beef ribs, and multiple Boston butts. The support from our local vendor has been excellent. Also made in the USA. Georgia. Let me know if you have any questions.

We are a dealer for both at Creekstone Outdoors in Houston.

I cooked on a primo oval xl for 8 years before I gave it to one of my employees and put an xl big green egg in my new outdoor kitchen.

Primo made in USA, BGE made in Mexico. Both high quality ceramics.

The bge is much easier to open/close however primo is coming out with a new hinge. We just don't know when stock will be available. You most likely won't be able to find a primo in stock anywhere. They were sold and they are moving factories (No longer located in GA) to home of Empire, the new owner. Between the redesign and the factory move they aren't available anywhere and if they are, it's the old hinge.

More accessories available by BGE.

Cheaper price for BGE.

Larger cooking surface in the round xl BGE vs oval primo.

I've cooked on both and temperature adjustments are easier on the BGE. I don't know why but it's the way it is.

Big Green Egg takes the win.

I have a Primo XL at home and my BIL has the BGE at the lake. Both well made. Primo is more versatile with the divider and oval shape.

I own a big green egg. If I was in the market today I'd get the primo.

AggieChemist said:

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I own a big green egg. If I was in the market today I'd get the primo.

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The same. If for nothing else than the oval shape.

+1 for the Primo XL, no complaints after 5 yrs.

BGE has a firebox divider.

When I owned my primo I never used the divider. If I cooked indirect/direct I just banked the coals to one side.

Genuinely curious since I rep and sell both brands - what do you feel is more versatile about it?

The oval has a smaller surface area than the xl BGE so I'm curious why you feel the oval gives you an advantage?

The depth and volume of the firebox area on the primo is much smaller. I found it much harder to adjust temp down than I do with my egg.

The heaviness of the lid is a big deal but they are changing that set up. Not sure when we will see it on the floor. As of now, most women can't open our display and a lot of men comment about it. It's very obvious when you demo both brands next to each other.

Kamado Joe says "hi".

Seriously it should be in the discussion.

I tend to think of BGE and KG as synonyms for most discussions.

Love my Primo XL just wish they had a rotisserie set up.

Agasaurus Tex said:

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Kamado Joe says "hi".

Seriously it should be in the discussion.

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I think the Kamado beats both fairly easily.

EggGenius - is there one for primo yet?

The Silverback said:

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Agasaurus Tex said:

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Kamado Joe says "hi".

Seriously it should be in the discussion.

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I think the Kamado beats both fairly easily.

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Yep. Kamado Joe Big Joe from a Costco roadshow is hard to beat

I've had a Primo XL for several years now. Love it. Here's an article comparing them (I didn't read) .

Big Green Egg vs. Primo Grill Comparison

any of yall have experience with SNS grills? The Slow n Sear is a famous product for the Webber kettle. This kamodo looks like a solid product as well.

https://snsgrills.com/collections/kamado-grills/products/deluxe-kamado

Love my Primo XL due to the form factor and have the place setter, kick ash basket and both extension racks. Kamado would win out in innovation and the host of accessories they roll out. Primo seems to be a few years behind when making any adaptations or new accessories but it is made in the US and I feel good about that.

Kamado Joe uses subpar ceramics which include refractory cement. Not near as good quality wise compared to primo or BGE. Their features tend to be more gimmicky than anything.

If you're looking for cheap, go with KJ but remember that cheaper price doesn't always mean you're getting a better deal.

We had tons of quality issues when we carried them so we dropped the line. Funny thing is, no one stocks them anymore. We still get calls for them because KJ won't take us off their dealer locator and most of the callers state that they can't find one anywhere. Probably because most dealers got tired of the quality issues and competing with Costco road show pricing and they dropped them too.

Love my KJ but the internal firebox is a weak point.

They've replaced it once when it cracked at no charge. Broke again and now they're saying it's back ordered

Love my Primo XL. Use it 4-5 times a week. From steaks to brisket it's awesome!

That's odd. I get that you may not like KJ pricing but the KJ owners here have raved about them for years. And I never saw them all that much cheaper or cheaper at all than the BGE.

Don't have to shop very hard to find the classic 2 for well under list price. KJ website shows them for $1199 but a quick google search shows them anywhere from $649-$749. That's not even counting the "Costco Roadshows" that literally everyone refers to when talking about KJ.

There's a video on YouTube that Primo put out - they bake a fully completed Primo, Big Green Egg, KJ, and Icon/Vision in their kiln. Open it up the next day - Primo and BGE are same as when they went in, KJ has shrunk about 1/3 of its original size, and the vision/icon is a pile of ash. Both KJ and icon/vision are made in China and the quality difference is clear.

I know people here rave about them and for the most part they are a decent grill. As a dealer my perspective is different - price protection as a dealer, warranty and service after the sale, quality control before the sale, and overall quality. As I've mentioned before, Primo and Big Green Egg beat KJ in all those categories, hands down.

You may not think some of those matter but as more and more dealers drop them, service and warranty become a bigger issue. It's a snowball effect and based on my experience and opinion, it's rolling quickly downhill and KJ can't stop it at this point.

Just got word from our Primo rep that the new models are shipping 12/15. We are planning on having on the floor around the 1st of the year. Excited to see the new hinge system, new damper, and stainless steel grates

$999 for the primo kamado all in one is a great price too. Nest, shelves, ash tool, deflector, grate lifter are all included.

Agasaurus Tex said:

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Kamado Joe says "hi".

Seriously it should be in the discussion.

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This. I was sure I was going to get a BGE, but when I started looking at what you got when you bought the KJ that were options O had to buy with the BGE, it was a no brainer. The discussion should be KJ or Primo.

My firebox cracked when we moved, so I called KJ, filled out their online form and added pics, and they sent me the updated firebox a week later. Can't complain about that kind of service.

aTm2004 said:

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My firebox cracked when we moved, so I called KJ, filled out their online form and added pics, and they sent me the updated firebox a week later. Can't complain about that kind of service.

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Same here, nothing but great experience with KJ customer service. Same for others I know. This is literally the first time I've heard anyone complain about their customer service. I had an issue with my spring on the lid assist. Called them and casually mentioned I had a party to cook for that weekend and they Fedex'ed a new one so I didn't miss a beat.

Where are you seeing the classic ii for $749? Everywhere I see it it's still around $1,099 at amazon, bbqgalore, ace hardware, bbqguys, etc.

I get that maybe the "dealers" are dropping them because they can't compete with the pricing, but as long as they are widely available big box and online they will be fine.

Gotta eat crow. I was moving too fast. The prices I saw that low were for the classic 1. Classic 2 prices are $969-$1199.

You may be correct that the big box stores will keep them in business. I'm certainly jaded based on our experience as a small specialty store. We had multiple units arrive in crate with quality issues that took time to get resolved. Gaskets damaged, latches broken, hinge issues all came to us like that out of the box.

Overall ther service is decent on the consumer side. It was more our experience on the dealer side that soured my opinion. Happy to hear so many have experienced good service directly as we direct people to the mfg direct when they call us (since we are still on the locator and they won't remove us lol).

Still doesn't change the fact that it's a cheaper ceramic, China made product.

Good to hear. Do you still have a good opinion of the Blaze products?

Yes I think they are a good value. RCS has increased their warranty to compete/beat them with a comparable product. Ceramic briquette versus blaze ss flame tamer. Both good products for good pricing.

Broil master came out with a really nice, deep body 34" grill that's great from a price, value perspective at $2199. A little more than Blaze/rcs traditional but a deeper body grill at 11.5" make it a better cooking unit. Definitely something to consider.