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[Bubba Board]

 Bubba Board » Big Steel Keg and Bubba Keg Grills » Before You Buy... (Moderators: Porchpup, BBQBeaver, RNF, Hogsfan)
 what I saw

[jsegura3]

So I've had it in my head lately that I wanted to get a 2nd keg. I was convinced that there were no more kegs to be had in my local area, especially at the $299 price. So I had opened up my options considering any keg or keg-like cooker was going to cost around $600+. Well this past Saturday, my uncle told me that Sam's had a ceramic cooker very similar to the BGE but in black for $499. Not able to find it on their web site I went to Sam's yesterday and saw it first hand. I had to say I wasn't impressed. Perhaps the employee didn't put it together very well but it had a cheap feel. The adhesive for the gasket looked like it oozed out of place, the gasket itself was a little crooked in certain areas. The lid didn't close properly on one of the floor models. The lower vent was held together by screws that didn't look like they fit properly. The finish was a shiny black but it had a hint of overspray. It came with a nice little stand and HD tires. It also came with a BGE (clone?) platesetter. It was almost identical in size and shape to the BGE including the daisy wheel. I also learned that you have to remove the daisy wheel when you open the lid or else it could fall off. WTF?!

So all in all, it looked cheaply made and was out of the question. I walked away very proud of my Bubba Keg.

[RazorbackBBQJim]

Jsegura3,

You are a wise man.

Jim

[BakonGrill]

It's funny how much easier it is to spot quality once you've experienced the Keg! 

BakonG

[EconomicDisconnect]

Lowes carries a ceramic cooker now (cannot remembe the name) and the top vent looks like a pipe with a swing cover attached.  Cheked it over (over $650) and I do not think it better than a Keg, but I am biased!

[ronbeaux]

I don't normally dis products but those knock off BGE's have issues with the fire box busting in a lot of pieces. As of now they are replacing them but they still continue to bust. The formula is just not perfected yet and I'm sure they will have to find it on their own.

[jsegura3]

Yup, just the way it was put together and the gasket made me wonder about the quality, throw in the fact that it is ceramic.. forget about it.!

[lunchman]

Lowes carries a ceramic cooker now (cannot remembe the name) and the top vent looks like a pipe with a swing cover attached.  Cheked it over (over $650) and I do not think it better than a Keg, but I am biased!

That would be the Bayou Classic Cypress, pictured in my avatar. So far, I've had a few minor problems but their customer service has been top notch.

Lower vent wasn't sealing properly, but we've seen some Kegs with that issue as well. Fixed with hi temp silicone.

The lower firebox developed some bad cracks. Customer service sent out a new one as a replacement. The replacement is a new design with a factory slit in the firebox that should resist cracking. I've got it set aside until the day comes when I can't use the original any longer. They easily could have told me that cracks were normal but they sent a replacement.

So, does it cook any better or worse than the Keg? I'd say about the same but it does seem to hold a low temp easier than the Keg. Honestly, I really don't have a preference as to which one I cook on - whichever needs less cleaning I guess. I do like the double grate convenience the Keg offers. And I did wind up buying a Craycort CI grate for the Cypress since I like the CI grate in the Keg.

Is it worth more than twice what I paid for the Keg? $700 vs $299. Probably not, but then again, I purchased it before the Keg and the Kegs were being sold at the HD discount price. Had I known about the Keg at the time I purchased the Cypress, my decision would have been different. But I'm lucky to own two excellent grills for my new hobby.

-lunchman

[jsegura3]

Those cypress cookers have a really nice finish from what I've seen in pictures. Never seen one up close before. In another forum, I've read that previous generations of cypress cookers had big problems and the company didn't even offer replacement parts, but since then they've been better using a different manufacturer/parts vendor.  Too bad the BSK won't be available in most stores like a HD or a Lowes, it would give the Egg a lot of competition. It seems most potential "Kamodo shoppers" gravitate to the Egg. They do have a huge following, I'd say that much.

How hot to the touch is your cypress compared to the Keg in general? If it's hotter, it could be the reason why it's "easier" to do low temp cooking since it could be losing heat/not as effecient.