Discussion
I'm currently toying with the idea of getting one of these.
for those that dont know they are very efficient bbqs that can hold low smoking temps for 10s of hours unattended and can then be brought up to over 400dc in around 15 mins with minor adjustments to the vents making them very good for pizzas and searing meat.
I'm trying to get hold of one but don't fancy paying ~£1000 for a big green egg or Kamado Joe -it will invariably end up this expensive once you add on the necessary bits to make it useful. I have found a Chinese manufacturer that can provide one at around half the price including all required accessories and shipping to Southampton port. this is all through alibaba website. Seems to be the same manufacturer that produces the la hassienda and vision grills models. This would work out around £500 at the current exchange rate which is around £200 cheaper than those brands once you have factored in the additional accessories and I could get the larger 23.5 inch model for that price which isnt offered in the UK. Just deciding whether to take the plunge as there is a fair amount of risk involved and I cant check quality etc.
Has anyone got one or had experience using one? I would like to hear feedback if so.
Pete
for those that dont know they are very efficient bbqs that can hold low smoking temps for 10s of hours unattended and can then be brought up to over 400dc in around 15 mins with minor adjustments to the vents making them very good for pizzas and searing meat.
I'm trying to get hold of one but don't fancy paying ~£1000 for a big green egg or Kamado Joe -it will invariably end up this expensive once you add on the necessary bits to make it useful. I have found a Chinese manufacturer that can provide one at around half the price including all required accessories and shipping to Southampton port. this is all through alibaba website. Seems to be the same manufacturer that produces the la hassienda and vision grills models. This would work out around £500 at the current exchange rate which is around £200 cheaper than those brands once you have factored in the additional accessories and I could get the larger 23.5 inch model for that price which isnt offered in the UK. Just deciding whether to take the plunge as there is a fair amount of risk involved and I cant check quality etc.
Has anyone got one or had experience using one? I would like to hear feedback if so.
Pete
Edited by Pete Franklin on Saturday 17th August 23:28
Hi,
I exactly did this a few months ago for the same reason as you wrote (and living in Belgium, not easy to find a known brand). I found a Chinese supplier on Alibaba ("Auplex"), their Kamadoes look quite similar to the Kamado Joe. I also bought a lot of accessories and spare parts: All happened smoothly and professionally, shipping was something like 125 US dollars if I recall correctly and it took 6 weeks after payment.
It came in wooden box, all tightly packed, and you had to assemble the Kamado yourself (think IKEA ...), quality of the ceramic itself seems good, metallic components are just OK, mainly the finish (like the welding joints not smooth) and the precision of some parts were a bit rough around the edges and sometimes holes almost not aligned for example. But all in all, no real problem to assemble the beast (screwdriver even provided!) and the (little) flaws are not visible.
Next to the import taxes which I expected, I have been absolutey raped by the importing company, which was completely unexpected ... Their fee was almost the cost of the Kamado + accessories! I should have asked the Chinese company beforehand, but I didn't, expecting something much more reasonable. I must have ended paying around 1200 Euros, included shipping from the port to my house. And the stress if everything would arrive in one piece: I don't think you should expect any come back in case of problems ... Didn't need to luckily.
But really happy with the results though, fantastic cooking and I will never be able to go back to a normal grill ... People also always compliment the look of the thing (I had to chose a black color, wife was less keen on the more funky ones) and the food of course :-).
I exactly did this a few months ago for the same reason as you wrote (and living in Belgium, not easy to find a known brand). I found a Chinese supplier on Alibaba ("Auplex"), their Kamadoes look quite similar to the Kamado Joe. I also bought a lot of accessories and spare parts: All happened smoothly and professionally, shipping was something like 125 US dollars if I recall correctly and it took 6 weeks after payment.
It came in wooden box, all tightly packed, and you had to assemble the Kamado yourself (think IKEA ...), quality of the ceramic itself seems good, metallic components are just OK, mainly the finish (like the welding joints not smooth) and the precision of some parts were a bit rough around the edges and sometimes holes almost not aligned for example. But all in all, no real problem to assemble the beast (screwdriver even provided!) and the (little) flaws are not visible.
Next to the import taxes which I expected, I have been absolutey raped by the importing company, which was completely unexpected ... Their fee was almost the cost of the Kamado + accessories! I should have asked the Chinese company beforehand, but I didn't, expecting something much more reasonable. I must have ended paying around 1200 Euros, included shipping from the port to my house. And the stress if everything would arrive in one piece: I don't think you should expect any come back in case of problems ... Didn't need to luckily.
But really happy with the results though, fantastic cooking and I will never be able to go back to a normal grill ... People also always compliment the look of the thing (I had to chose a black color, wife was less keen on the more funky ones) and the food of course :-).
Edited by a_dude on Monday 19th August 14:34
Thanks for the feedback- that is exactly what i was looking for and it is exactly the same company that I am looking at. Regarding the bit about the importing company charging extortionate fees, can you explain this a little more please. what were the fees for and why was another company involved at all? when i contacted the Chinese company direct about the shipping they came up with a figure similar to what you stated. can you provide me with more details on getting stung by the importer please.
Thanks
Pete
Thanks
Pete
Pete,
Importing company (operating in Belgium) charged me 400 Euros (shipping costs was 175 USD and not 125 USD btw), I expected something like 100-150 Euros, but I guess you can't really do without one. They organize the container unloading, retrieving of the goods out of the container, temporary storage, paper work, etc. This was excluded taxes and delivery to home ...
Maybe best ask Auplex who they work with for Southampton and check for a quote directly?
The risky part of the transaction is the transport: As far as I'm aware, there was no insurance, so if something breaks, you are on your own ... they might provide you a new part for free, but I guess you would still have to pay for the shipping and handling on arrival.
As mentionned above, a Weber can give you the same results (I had one before), I found the Kamado easier to hold the temperature with less supervision, it maybe uses less charcoal and the BBQ "taste" seems more pronounced. But in the end, I just had to have one, it wasn't a rational purchase and I certainly don't regret it ;-) My longest cooks so far were spare-ribs during 5 hours on low temp, followed by grilling other meats on high temp another 1 hour and I could have certainly grilled easily another hour without the need of adding charcoal ...
As far as essential accessories, I would recommend the cover, heat deflector and elevator. I also bought the ash tool, it's usable, but not really optimally designed ... Not tried yet the pizza stone or chicken sitter, so can't comment on those.
Importing company (operating in Belgium) charged me 400 Euros (shipping costs was 175 USD and not 125 USD btw), I expected something like 100-150 Euros, but I guess you can't really do without one. They organize the container unloading, retrieving of the goods out of the container, temporary storage, paper work, etc. This was excluded taxes and delivery to home ...
Maybe best ask Auplex who they work with for Southampton and check for a quote directly?
The risky part of the transaction is the transport: As far as I'm aware, there was no insurance, so if something breaks, you are on your own ... they might provide you a new part for free, but I guess you would still have to pay for the shipping and handling on arrival.
As mentionned above, a Weber can give you the same results (I had one before), I found the Kamado easier to hold the temperature with less supervision, it maybe uses less charcoal and the BBQ "taste" seems more pronounced. But in the end, I just had to have one, it wasn't a rational purchase and I certainly don't regret it ;-) My longest cooks so far were spare-ribs during 5 hours on low temp, followed by grilling other meats on high temp another 1 hour and I could have certainly grilled easily another hour without the need of adding charcoal ...
As far as essential accessories, I would recommend the cover, heat deflector and elevator. I also bought the ash tool, it's usable, but not really optimally designed ... Not tried yet the pizza stone or chicken sitter, so can't comment on those.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
If costco still had one in stock- i would probably pick one up. but they are out until next year apparently. I have a 57cm Weber and really like it- really want a kamado though as the next step up as i would like longer and more consistent slow cook and the ability to get to very high temps as well.Regarding what stanwan suggested about the tandoor oven- DIY sounds like an fun experiment that i will now probably try. however it wont produce the overall results that i want from a Kamado. You can can also get to very high searing temps by cooking directly over a chimney starter and that produces a good sear (high flare ups though) but it is the flexibility that i want, + the ability to bake / sear larger items (and pizzas) at high heats
a dude: thanks very much for the information it has been a real help. I have contacted the seller to request more info regarding handling etc once it arrives into the UK. The shipping charge is 210 USD so it may include handling- I'll wait to see what they say. I can probably get hold of the smaller vision grill or something similar in the UK but to be able to get the larger sized grill plus all accessories for cheaper is very tempting to me. however if it is likely to cost a lot more for handling then I may as well just spend more on the grill in the UK.
on a side note I have noticed that Join2buy seem to offer the larger grill with delivery for around £400 has anyone used this company before? seems to have a few dubious reviews
Edited by Pete Franklin on Tuesday 20th August 12:35
Good luck with your purchase! I had to initially apply man maths to justify the costs ... but the wife has stopped nagging me about the price since tasting the meat ;-) And once I had the idea of buying this, no other type of grill was possible ...
If you buy it from Auplex, I didn't succeed in getting any discounts and also, just pay them in USD and let the bank exchange the money to USD. I had asked a quote in Euro to the seller after receiving the USD one, I almost fell off my chair ... And if you can organize a group buy, I guess that the handling charges don't change much from just a single purchase and could be spread between all the buyers.
One small regret is that I didn't buy the largest one like you are planning, I have the 21" one, and it's sometimes just a bit small when preparing food for 8 people (I have a habit of trying to serve almost all at once and still warm). Although with the double grill, I managed to cook around 4 or 5 kg's of spare-ribs without the need of stacking them on top of each other.
If you buy it from Auplex, I didn't succeed in getting any discounts and also, just pay them in USD and let the bank exchange the money to USD. I had asked a quote in Euro to the seller after receiving the USD one, I almost fell off my chair ... And if you can organize a group buy, I guess that the handling charges don't change much from just a single purchase and could be spread between all the buyers.
One small regret is that I didn't buy the largest one like you are planning, I have the 21" one, and it's sometimes just a bit small when preparing food for 8 people (I have a habit of trying to serve almost all at once and still warm). Although with the double grill, I managed to cook around 4 or 5 kg's of spare-ribs without the need of stacking them on top of each other.
Edited by a_dude on Tuesday 20th August 12:57
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