When I see what Kalamazoo charges for their grills, I think the KK is worth what I paid.
Despite a reasonably good restaurant scene in Rhode Island, we cook almost all of our meals at home. For us, it is worth having cooking equipment that is a pleasure to use. Maybe I’m weird, but I smile whenever I grab a copper pan to prepare something.
Pretty, but out of our league.
Right? It’s been used, of course, and we may have to order new grates. The lady’s husband passed 5 years ago and she hasn’t felt comfortable using it anymore & just wants to get rid of it 
Eminently sensible.
I’ve not resarched wax in pellets. But I understand “energy logs” can be had with no additives–extreme extrusion pressures apparently obviate the need. But we’re talking canoli vs. angel hair…
I would consider a pellet add-on to my Texas Pit if I could easily switch back and forth. It might sway me if I could find a spring-wound (non electric) feed auger.
Good idea with the pit. You say it the way I understand it, too. Ooni gets hotter, BGE holds for a long time, so you can use higher quality fuel source and get the most out of it. I cut up a downed hickory a few years ago. The pucks I cut and dried from it are perfect for smoking. I also have unlimited apple wood, same deal. I start with some coals to turn the wood into embers.
You win!
I use my sister’s BGE (minimax) quite frequently, as recently as 2 weeks ago. I’d recommend it, and will be getting one as well for myself at some point (I have a Weber smokey Joe now).
It is easy to fire up, provided you buy good quality charcoal. Within 30 minutes you can start an extended session.
One of its strong points imho is its ability to generate a constant temperature when the lid is down. This makes it easy to grill meat, as a few minutes more won’t turn your meat into blackened foods you cannot really serve anymore. When I grill, I usually do other things as well, drinking wine, chatting around, so I have found that this forgiving nature of the BGE is a very convenient feature.
Downsides: yes, it’s expensive, look for Kamado Joe then instead. Another downside is that you have to remove the ashes each time otherwise the BGE won’t get a good temp. And things like an ash remover cost extra money.
The reviews I looked at seem to favor the Primo over the BGE for several reasons, having more space for the ashes is one of them.
I’d get the lid in yellow and put a big eye where the thermometer is. BANANAAAAA! (Yes, I love the minions)
We sold our BGE and bought a Kamado Joe. It does a better job than the egg in grilling, smoking and BBQ. We also have a BBQ Guru for easy temperature control.
This was very informational. have been looking at different products and your input helps with the decision I’ll be making.
This is a good run down of the differences between the BGE and the KJ
We have two BGEggs - the small and the large. There are two of us, and the large is just big enough for a batch of 24 wings (direct/indirect). It does a better job with 18.
I love the eggs, and have cooked on them frequently for over a decade. My husband used to use them for cold smoking, but has since upgraded to a Bradley smoker, which can handle larger volumes.
There are a lot of gizmos and add-ons out there, but the one I strongly recommend is the kick-ash basket (both sizes). It makes handling the lump a little easier, but most importantly, it results in increased air circulation which allows the egg to heat faster. Without one, the little grill took over an hour to heat up. With the basket, its routinely 20-30 minutes.
https://kickashbasket.com/collections/kick-ash-basket-for-big-green-egg
I may never even see one in person, but my God- what a gorgeous beast that is!
Interesting article. I was surprised to learn that the KJ costs more than the BGE.
In the Komodo Kamado user forums you can search for owners near you who might be willing to show off their cooker.
Good to know!
My bad- the Kamado Joe costs more than the BGE, I think.
We have a Primo XL grill (similar to the Egg but oval in shape) these past fifteen years or so. It’s been great for smoking and grilling. It does get moldy over the winter but that is quickly remedied by getting it very hot in the spring. A great outdoor cooking tool which we bought at a discount, in late fall as the last floor model before the fireplace season started. Highly recommend.
We also have an Ooni from back when they were branded as Uuni. It does a fine job with small pizzas, and, using a small oval cast iron pan, it’s great for fajitas and any high-heat fast-cooking collection of food. It comes apart and is easy to transport for cooking away from home. Not really for smoking; more for high heat cooking. We have had a lot of fun with this tool over the years.
The XL is what we’re getting - once we figure out the deets of transporting a 200+lbs gadget and getting it on our patio.
Have you not made pizza on the Primo? I was hoping to get a 3-in-1 deal here 
