BGE does have have more dealers BUT it does mean better field service.
I agree! BGE has a
LOT more dealers and as you say that can equal better field service. Like any product service is only as good as the individual dealer. BGE is at nearly every competition and available all across the country. One things for sure. No local dealer = limited service. As I said earlier I think all ceramic cookers are pretty darn sweet. It's just a matter of sorting out which brand is best for you.
The Ceramic on the BGE is made in Mexico. The ceramic on a Grill Dome is made in India. Whoopie. There is a difference between made in the USA and assembled in the USA. Some companies get real sneaky with their marketing.
My John Deere says made in the USA but the simple truth is that it was "made" in Japan and assembled in GA. However JD, BGE, GD and Primos are all American companies. We live in a Global society and just about any product today has parts made in some other country irrespective of the marketing sound bytes.
I like to buy American as much as the next guy but quality comes in to play as well. In that regard GD ceramic would get my nod. Why? India has been making ceramic Tandoori ovens for eons. They are experts at it.
The BGE has a lifetime warranty except the metal bands.
That includes the dome and base as it should. Any ceramic cooker can warp. The Primos warranty excludes high heat cooking
and cooking with the lid open at any temperature! BGE does not void the warranty for high temperature burns or cooking with the lid open. That's a major difference. IMO the Primos warranty negates one of
THE best features of most ceramic cookers.
What you can't do with any ceramic cooker is run a high temperature then spray the outside of the ceramic with chemicals (grill cleaner, oven cleaner etc) or water and get it replaced because the paint is crazed.
Your local BGE dealer will likely only replace a defective part ONLY if you bought from that dealer. Otherwise as the factory warranty states you pay freight and it is FOB manufacturer.
My experience is a bit different. If you need a large item like a firebox replaced from BGE they send it to any local dealer where you can pick it up. No freight charge. Small items like gaskets are shipped direct and there is no charge but I'm sure that BGE does a little CYA in their warranty just like every one else. You do not have to get warranty service from the same dealer you purchased your BGE from. Your warranty is not voided if you happen to move to another state. (LOL) For any of this to be an option with Primos or GD you actually have to have a local dealer.
Any one considering one of these brands may want to give that some careful thought. I know some folks have things never fail or need warranty parts but think about it;
However George (the owner) did provide me with back-up insides in the event of breakage at a competition. .
If Primos fire boxes didn't break just like every other brand from time to time then they wouldn't be sending out back up parts. The firebowl on the BGE is one piece. The fire ring sets on top. Primos has multiple pieces as well but they call the fire box itself one piece. That's just slick marketing.
BGE
does replace the gaskets irrespective of the written warranty. I can tell you that from personal experience. Mine was replaced after it was over a year old and I was even given the choice between a standard or a high temperature nomex gasket. Yup, you read that right.....a high temperature gasket for searing steaks with an OEM blessing instead of a warning that I would void my warranty!
Primos explicitly excludes their gasket after 30 days.
Spend some time in the BGE forums. No they don't allow talk about the competition which is unfortunate considering the mileage GD got out of that but many forums don't allow OT chatter.
http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.p...;Itemid=112&func=showcat&catid=1Go ask Lowe's for a replacement fire ring for the BGE. I'd be curious to know the outcome.
Lowes is not an authorized BGE dealer nor is any big box store. AFAIK Lowes does not sell BGE. Lowes sells some no name knock off cooker that runs around $800. That's about $100 less than a BGE of the same size depending on how you set it up. So no, I don't think Lowes will be getting you a replacement BGE fire ring any time soon.
