Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Big Green Egg

Which size? Guessing at that price LG or Medium. If large that's a good price for the entire package to include nest, slide top, thermometer etc. Although, you can do a little better at one of the EggFests. I do not recommend the nest but it works if you need it..

The one at Lowes was large (above the waist level for the top), on base with wheels, had a top vent in the lid, spring assisted lid hinge, and I think it had a thermometer (not well versed in these).

That's a good price then..Again I think EggFest might be a hundred or so less..

Wish there was an eggfest close to me. I want a ceramic cooker in the worst way....might have to look into what ever is available close by.

Bubba check whatever Lowes is close by. They may have bought a bunch of them from Egghead Ed and are conducting a fire sale. That Lowes $699 tag is not a bad price for the Large.

If I were closer to you I'd sell you one of mine at cost as I do not need all the ones I have. We are cutting back on competitions due to corporate responsibilities.

I am going to go have a look at this Bubba Keg tomorrow. I'll send you a PM with my thoughts..

Cool! Closest Lowes is 135 miles away! Nada!

Then dig a hole, fill it with wood, build a fire and throw on a hog. Or get one of them bubba keg things shipped to ya.

Don't know what to tell ya.

I think home Depot had the Bubba Kegs. Will check there. Thought you were talking about the BGE.......

Check on the Primo Grill dealers in your area. That's just as good a product and made in good ole Atlanta. I actually like the Oval better then the BGE.

www.primogrill.com

nada

you're a hard man to please...

The primogrills are nice looking. How do the differ from GreenEgg?

They make one that's exactly like the BGE. But they also make an oval design, which to me provides a better cooking dynamic. Otherwise, pretty much the same product with the same result.

Primo is made in the US. Atlanta to be exact. Used to be Pinehurst, NC.

Just my .02.

When you take a close look there is a pretty fair difference between the Primos oval and a BGE that extends beyond the obvious. There is a heckuva lot less dealers so they suffer the same fate as Grill Dome in that regard. Make sure you read the warranty. Primos only guaruntees the gasket for 30 days and then they have a staggered warranty. One year for the cast iron parts and five years for the metal parts. They are explicit that you pay for the freight on warranty items. No biggie on a gasket but try freighting a fire bowl.
BGE is lifetime warranty and they just ship larger items under warranty to a local dealer to save you the freight. Theres about a bazillion BGE dealers because they have been selling them since the 70's.
The other notable difference is that Primos warns against cooking with the lid open. Why does that matter? For most high temperature burns (steaks) you want the lid open.
The heat deflector plate for slow cooking is a two piece unit so probably not nearly as efficient. I considered one of these when I bought mine but it really is an odd unit with a lot less dealer support. There's a reason you see scads of eggs at competitions but only a scattering of the others.
What ever brand you choose a ceramic cooker will change the way you cook.

The BGE warranty also carries a limited warranty. Both do in fact. And BTW buying off the net voids all warranties. Important to note--

http://www.biggreenegg.com/warranty.html

First off the true value of BOTH warranties are only for the insides and not the outer domes or base. In all my years, I've replaced several BGE fire rings and fire boxes. I've had NO Primo fireboxes break, which is ONE piece versus TWO on the BGE. In all fairness, I know Primo had some problems in the beginning but once they moved manufacturing from Pinehurst to Atlanta--probems solved. Better QC before going GA.

Primo just changed their warranty to read The warranty for the Primo covers the ceramic portion of your grill for 20 years and metal parts for 5 years. Please refer to your owners manual for full details. I have not asked George but that may now include the outer parts as well, which is a good thing.

BGE has NO warranty on the Gasket and same as Primo with 5 years on band and metal parts. And if high heats are involved it's discretionary for the BGE. If you are using BGE in competitions all warranties are off. Again, I've had Primos for 8 years and never been forced to replace any parts. However George (the owner) did provide me with back-up insides in the event of breakage at a competition.


Your local BGE dealer will likely only replace a defective part ONLY if you bought from that dealer who is required to buy all parts in lots of five. Thus, rarely does he stock all parts for all sizes. Otherwise as the factory warranty states you pay freight and it is FOB manufacturer.

The indirect heat deflector works great on the Primo. I actually find it works a little better because the plate setters are farther away from the meat so thus, less dryness. But then you'd have to own one to know that. The plate setter on the XL drives me nuts because there is NO grate clearance.

Said it before if you want "uber high" temps for steaks just move the grate closer to the fire and save your investment.

Guys, I have several of both and visit both corporate stores on average every couple of months. At the very least every time I go to Atlanta as both are there. Having said this I've had NO Customer Sat issues from either. If anything I get more push back from field BGE dealers than Primo field dealers. Simply put there stance is if you did not buy it here then call corporate. Go ask Lowe's for a replacement fire ring for the BGE. I'd be curious to know the outcome.

Bottom line -- I am sold on both products. They cook the same so go for design because customer service will provide about the same experience. BGE does have have more dealers BUT it does mean better field service.

Lastly, there are forums for both products and companies. BGE will NOT allow you to ask about competition. Primo welcomes it.

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/index.php is also a great place to take an independent poll.

Primo is made in the USA---BGE Mexico.

Go USA!

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.







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;





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=1






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.

As stated I own, use and like both the Primo as well as the BGE. As for Grill Dome or Bubba Keg I have NO first-hand knowledge of either.

High praise for both Primo and BGE as it relates to customer satisfaction and the integrity of both BGE and Primo Limited Warranties. And no issues here with open grilling using the Primo or the BGE.

As for where they are made. I've seen the Primo production line to include the numerous kilns they use to fire up the products. They are made, manufactured and assembled in the US. Much due diligence was performed on my part around both companies for reasons that I will not disclose. But I have seen the insides of BOTH companies.

And yes visit both forums and if lucky you might just find a unbiased side-by-side comparison like the one below. You may have to register to use the forum but no biggie. You will also learn that many people like me, have both designs giving them the first hand knowledge to speak intelligently towards the pros and cons of both companies and their respective products.

http://primogrillforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5548&highlight=warranty

You cannot go wrong with either cooker or company. Pick the design (Oval versus Round) that works best for whomever and get on-board.

Happy Cooking!

David

"You cannot go wrong with either cooker or company"

Yup. Once you get past any of the nit picking nuances between BGE, Primos or GD you would be hard pressed to make a poor choice. At some point ya just gotta take the plunge. Once you do you won't ever look back except to wonder how you ever got by with out one.

You will also learn that many people like me, have both designs giving them the first hand knowledge to speak intelligently towards the pros and cons of both companies and their respective products.

byc,

Thanks for sharing your first hand with BOTH grills! Opened my eyes to the Primo. I'm a buy American type, and the fact that BGE cheaps out by producing what is basically the heart of their product in Mexico, puts me off. There's actually a Primo dealer in Anchorage, and I'll be looking them up.

Thanks,

Jeff

I am not saying that Lowe's is not carrying the BGE BUT I'd be sure before I made the leap. I'm seeing on other forums that the product Lowe's is carrying may NOT in fact be a BGE but rather a cooker that simply resembles the BGE. It's also posted that the first batch were bad and that the cooker may contain some questionable lead ingredients. Seems to be The Bayou Classic version of the BGE.

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=366668&sid=ad37d5eeeaad6b9170c83b4eb9a20862

Lastly, I just noticed that the BGE now has a LIMITED Lifetime Warranty. I'm not a Lawyer but I believe that in most states that only limits the warranty to a 7.5 year term. I was informed that this is why Primo actually went to and publicly states that their warranty is 20 years. Primo believes their 20 Warranty is the best offered. Having said this I doubt BGE would cut folks off after 7.5 years but it's worth the ask. I know it's something that I'm now curious to learn more about.

Just more info to help you along with whatever cooker you decide on. Again, I've had no customer sat issues with either company.