It’s finally time to upgrade my 15” kamado to something more serious 😍 Is the Kamado Joe Classic 3 still worth buying in 2025? A Big Joe or Konnected isn’t an option for me.
by WEEBEE-18
15 Comments
darthmcdarthface
Yes it’s still worth it. There aren’t any other products that really change the value proposition. I’d recommend against the Konnected anyways. Just learn to use the classic. It’s easy.
Double_Advertising_3
I’ve had one and I think buying a classic 3 is a waste of money. If you want to go for kamado Joe the classic 2 offers everything you need. Sloroller offers nothing extra and the extra depth of the base makes it only warm up slower, without adding a real benefit.
After using it for two years I’ve traded my classic 3 in for a big green egg large and I would not want to go back.
lscraig1968
I would see if you can find a classic 1 series. They are a good bit cheaper than the classic 2 or 3 and they cook exactly the same.
Thee konnected Joe seems gimmicky.
Temporary-Copy-6040
There has been a suspicious lack of mention of the charcoal basket and it’s QOL improvement. Shake it, sweep ash, fill, ready to go. It fits perfectly and is included in the III, it’s extra and doesn’t fit quite right in the I, not sure about the II.
The III is really the best mass market Kamado but the price is getting out of hand, but AGC manages to sell it at a steep discount regularly.
WasabiInternational4
For the warranty they make it worth it. It will last forever and if not they will replace ceramic
tcjohnst
I have a classic II, and even that is still worth it!
TheAngryItalian
Do not buy the Konnected. Classic should work great and it’s very easy to use. Get a grill gun to fire up the charcoal.
Squizgarr
I think it depends on the price you get it at. I got mine new from Amazon during a deep sale a few years ago for $700. It’s been great and the only thing I would want to trade it for would be a Big Joe.
Fonzgarten
Probably an unpopular opinion here, but I just bought a Kamado and ultimately decided against the KJ. I ended up getting a large green egg with the stand/nest, Conveggtor and some accessories for $1500. I don’t have a slo roller or any expander racks, but even if I buy that stuff later I will be coming in under the price of a new Joe III. Just doesn’t make sense financially.
scubahikers
I went bg3 for a family of 4, the space is great with all the accessories. The extra levels are great on the III. I’ve had ours for 4 years, and it’s in great shape – kontrol tower has lost its markers etc, but still works as intended. I use the cover, yes the red trim has faded at bit, but it’s still doing the job as intended. I use the sloroller, sure it was conceived by a Harvard class project, but why not! I’m pleased with everything I’ve cooked
R5Ryder
The Classic 2 with a few aftermarket parts (like an OnlyFire basket) is way more bang for the buck. I have a BJ 2, not a 3, but I haven’t heard too many people saying that using the SloRoller is a game changer (some say it’s a PiTA to clean and don’t use it at all) (and it’s available for the 2 if for some reason you really wanted it.).The 2 costs *significantly* less, and IMO offers the way better value.
All things equal, the 3 has a slightly-different shape (designed for SloRoller) and might *technically* be the better grill, but I can’t imagine that there’s more than a handful of people that wouldn’t be just as happy with a 2 as they are with a 3 (provided you buy one of those Amazon fire baskets for the 2.)
If the question was about 1 vs 2, I’d say that no question, the 2 is worth the $$$ to upgrade from the 1. But from 2 to 3, I don’t feel the same.
enigmaticpeon
I’ve had my classic 2 for only 10 days now (8 cooks). Temperature management is legitimately so easy. I guess it would be cool to just set it and forget it, but I’m shocked how intuitive the management actually is.
kwd1987
I own a big Joe 3. I bought it when we had more discretionary income. It was still crazy expensive then. I justified it when my family asked me to smoke two turkeys for thanksgiving one year.
I went from a large green egg w a really cool multi tier cooking setup from ceramic grill store.
With the multi rack and the green egg, I could cook about the same but it was more tedious.
Layed out side by side of course I can cook more on the big Joe 3. That’s been helpful for family gatherings.
I love the gasket latch. I like the gasket type. Neither are necessary though.
I love the rack latching to the charcoal basket. If that isn’t a feature on 1 or 2, I’d figure out how to mimic that.
The kontrol top is fine but I liked the smokeware cap nearly as much and it looked cool haha.
The slo roller…. I’ve used it every time I’ve smoked something. I’ve never cleaned it. I use a drip pan on an x rack above it. I don’t love it or hate it. It works fine. No hate there. I could get by w two half moons on an x rack just fine though.
I’d probably save money and go big Joe 2 if I had to do it all over again.
With the price difference, you could get a fire board controller and a smokeware cap and have money left over to figure the rest out.
I had a cyberq controller for my egg for long cooks like butts and brisket and it works great on my big Joe 3. When it dies I’m going to go to fire board. Do I need a controller? No. Do I love having it so I have peace of mind and alerts on long cooks? Yep.
Temporary-Copy-6040
I should clarify I have both a I and III series and to be clear I’m not sure there would be a significant difference in the outcome of the actual cooking process between them, however, there ARE changes between the models that are significant quality of life upgrades but I’ll summarize them and you decide on the value proposition.
Shelves on the I are now metal but they give off rust, they are not quite as nice as the ones on the III, but metal is metal.
Gasket – I’m actually a little torn on this one, the Oven gasket seems like it should be better, but accessories like the doejoe and joetissierie are actually pretty hard on it, especially as the gasket ages, this is actually not as straight forward as it seems, the latch helps make sure there is a good seal the worse your gasket gets. If you grill a lot of hot stuff the oven gasket will last a lot longer than the felt one…but if you smoke a lot it might not matter as much.
Hinge – The air lift hinge is nice, biggest thing it helps you do is not accidently slam the lid down.
Cart – The cart on the I is actually not bad to be fair but the built in shelf on the III is really nice to have, especially if you are limited on your storage.
Dimensions – the III has a taller dome and taller body, you will only notice this when you put tall stuff in the cooker the I has less room in the dome, for things like the rotissierie the fire is just a bit closer in the I and things like a big turkey get awful close to the fire. The three tier divide and conquer allow more flexibility with drip pans and the like. I find the three tier divide and conquer to be a little flimsy vs the 2 tier. Technically keeping stuff further from the fire should help the bottom of proteins get less overcooked but to what degree I am not certain.
Charcoal basket – to be honest I never used the cast iron grate because I was already spoiled with the basket, the basket makes banking the charcoal for the rotisserie easy, turnover easy, cleanup easy, better airflow and it just works better in the III vs the I, not that it can’t be used, just how it is.
Kontrol Tower – I actually don’t mind the Kontrol Tower, the Daisey wheel is fine as well, its really a toss up, if you like to cook in the rain the Kontrol tower is better because it wont let as much water in, the whole loosing your settings is not such a big problem (and both get tossed around when you open unless you have an air lift hinge).
SloRoller – Don’t buy it for the I series, you lose vertical space in the dome. Does it do anything? I think it LITERALLY does things like speed up the smoke velocity and maybe cause more recirculation but does that have an impact on the cook, I don’t think a tremendous one (your trying to get more efficiency out of an already high efficiency cooker…it’s just not there), there was some feelings the sloroller might cook things a little bit more evenly, ymmv.
Firebox – I think everybody uses the same multi-piece firebox now, so no longer a differentiator.
Did I miss anything? I don’t have a II which is a weird middle step child of the I and III, it’s a middle iteration between the I and the III which is slightly better but doesn’t have quite all the tweaks of the III.
I think the point I want to make is all these things exist and to a degree they can all be overcome, it really depends on what and how much you cook with the grill, also remember the grill should last a very long time if taken care of, so its up to you if saving a few (well to be honest more than a few) bucks today is worth a small annoyance over the next decade.
Now as far as the classic vs the big joe….if you ever want to cook a big brisket big joe is a lot easier, also having more space to grill makes entertaining for large groups easier.
DJspeedsniffsniff
I have the Classic 3, the Classic 2 wasn’t in stock anywhere in my location. Only 3 of us in my family. I’m happy with the Classic 3. If I was always entertaining people or have loads of family over all the time I would have gone with the BJ2.
Very rarely I need the extra space. I have the extender rack if I do.
15 Comments
Yes it’s still worth it. There aren’t any other products that really change the value proposition. I’d recommend against the Konnected anyways. Just learn to use the classic. It’s easy.
I’ve had one and I think buying a classic 3 is a waste of money. If you want to go for kamado Joe the classic 2 offers everything you need. Sloroller offers nothing extra and the extra depth of the base makes it only warm up slower, without adding a real benefit.
After using it for two years I’ve traded my classic 3 in for a big green egg large and I would not want to go back.
I would see if you can find a classic 1 series. They are a good bit cheaper than the classic 2 or 3 and they cook exactly the same.
Thee konnected Joe seems gimmicky.
There has been a suspicious lack of mention of the charcoal basket and it’s QOL improvement. Shake it, sweep ash, fill, ready to go. It fits perfectly and is included in the III, it’s extra and doesn’t fit quite right in the I, not sure about the II.
The III is really the best mass market Kamado but the price is getting out of hand, but AGC manages to sell it at a steep discount regularly.
For the warranty they make it worth it. It will last forever and if not they will replace ceramic
I have a classic II, and even that is still worth it!
Do not buy the Konnected. Classic should work great and it’s very easy to use. Get a grill gun to fire up the charcoal.
I think it depends on the price you get it at. I got mine new from Amazon during a deep sale a few years ago for $700. It’s been great and the only thing I would want to trade it for would be a Big Joe.
Probably an unpopular opinion here, but I just bought a Kamado and ultimately decided against the KJ. I ended up getting a large green egg with the stand/nest, Conveggtor and some accessories for $1500. I don’t have a slo roller or any expander racks, but even if I buy that stuff later I will be coming in under the price of a new Joe III. Just doesn’t make sense financially.
I went bg3 for a family of 4, the space is great with all the accessories. The extra levels are great on the III. I’ve had ours for 4 years, and it’s in great shape – kontrol tower has lost its markers etc, but still works as intended. I use the cover, yes the red trim has faded at bit, but it’s still doing the job as intended. I use the sloroller, sure it was conceived by a Harvard class project, but why not! I’m pleased with everything I’ve cooked
The Classic 2 with a few aftermarket parts (like an OnlyFire basket) is way more bang for the buck. I have a BJ 2, not a 3, but I haven’t heard too many people saying that using the SloRoller is a game changer (some say it’s a PiTA to clean and don’t use it at all) (and it’s available for the 2 if for some reason you really wanted it.).The 2 costs *significantly* less, and IMO offers the way better value.
All things equal, the 3 has a slightly-different shape (designed for SloRoller) and might *technically* be the better grill, but I can’t imagine that there’s more than a handful of people that wouldn’t be just as happy with a 2 as they are with a 3 (provided you buy one of those Amazon fire baskets for the 2.)
If the question was about 1 vs 2, I’d say that no question, the 2 is worth the $$$ to upgrade from the 1. But from 2 to 3, I don’t feel the same.
I’ve had my classic 2 for only 10 days now (8 cooks). Temperature management is legitimately so easy. I guess it would be cool to just set it and forget it, but I’m shocked how intuitive the management actually is.
I own a big Joe 3. I bought it when we had more discretionary income. It was still crazy expensive then. I justified it when my family asked me to smoke two turkeys for thanksgiving one year.
I went from a large green egg w a really cool multi tier cooking setup from ceramic grill store.
With the multi rack and the green egg, I could cook about the same but it was more tedious.
Layed out side by side of course I can cook more on the big Joe 3. That’s been helpful for family gatherings.
I love the gasket latch. I like the gasket type. Neither are necessary though.
I love the rack latching to the charcoal basket. If that isn’t a feature on 1 or 2, I’d figure out how to mimic that.
The kontrol top is fine but I liked the smokeware cap nearly as much and it looked cool haha.
The slo roller…. I’ve used it every time I’ve smoked something. I’ve never cleaned it. I use a drip pan on an x rack above it. I don’t love it or hate it. It works fine. No hate there. I could get by w two half moons on an x rack just fine though.
I’d probably save money and go big Joe 2 if I had to do it all over again.
With the price difference, you could get a fire board controller and a smokeware cap and have money left over to figure the rest out.
I had a cyberq controller for my egg for long cooks like butts and brisket and it works great on my big Joe 3. When it dies I’m going to go to fire board. Do I need a controller? No. Do I love having it so I have peace of mind and alerts on long cooks? Yep.
I should clarify I have both a I and III series and to be clear I’m not sure there would be a significant difference in the outcome of the actual cooking process between them, however, there ARE changes between the models that are significant quality of life upgrades but I’ll summarize them and you decide on the value proposition.
Shelves on the I are now metal but they give off rust, they are not quite as nice as the ones on the III, but metal is metal.
Gasket – I’m actually a little torn on this one, the Oven gasket seems like it should be better, but accessories like the doejoe and joetissierie are actually pretty hard on it, especially as the gasket ages, this is actually not as straight forward as it seems, the latch helps make sure there is a good seal the worse your gasket gets. If you grill a lot of hot stuff the oven gasket will last a lot longer than the felt one…but if you smoke a lot it might not matter as much.
Hinge – The air lift hinge is nice, biggest thing it helps you do is not accidently slam the lid down.
Cart – The cart on the I is actually not bad to be fair but the built in shelf on the III is really nice to have, especially if you are limited on your storage.
Dimensions – the III has a taller dome and taller body, you will only notice this when you put tall stuff in the cooker the I has less room in the dome, for things like the rotissierie the fire is just a bit closer in the I and things like a big turkey get awful close to the fire. The three tier divide and conquer allow more flexibility with drip pans and the like. I find the three tier divide and conquer to be a little flimsy vs the 2 tier. Technically keeping stuff further from the fire should help the bottom of proteins get less overcooked but to what degree I am not certain.
Charcoal basket – to be honest I never used the cast iron grate because I was already spoiled with the basket, the basket makes banking the charcoal for the rotisserie easy, turnover easy, cleanup easy, better airflow and it just works better in the III vs the I, not that it can’t be used, just how it is.
Kontrol Tower – I actually don’t mind the Kontrol Tower, the Daisey wheel is fine as well, its really a toss up, if you like to cook in the rain the Kontrol tower is better because it wont let as much water in, the whole loosing your settings is not such a big problem (and both get tossed around when you open unless you have an air lift hinge).
SloRoller – Don’t buy it for the I series, you lose vertical space in the dome. Does it do anything? I think it LITERALLY does things like speed up the smoke velocity and maybe cause more recirculation but does that have an impact on the cook, I don’t think a tremendous one (your trying to get more efficiency out of an already high efficiency cooker…it’s just not there), there was some feelings the sloroller might cook things a little bit more evenly, ymmv.
Firebox – I think everybody uses the same multi-piece firebox now, so no longer a differentiator.
Did I miss anything? I don’t have a II which is a weird middle step child of the I and III, it’s a middle iteration between the I and the III which is slightly better but doesn’t have quite all the tweaks of the III.
I think the point I want to make is all these things exist and to a degree they can all be overcome, it really depends on what and how much you cook with the grill, also remember the grill should last a very long time if taken care of, so its up to you if saving a few (well to be honest more than a few) bucks today is worth a small annoyance over the next decade.
Now as far as the classic vs the big joe….if you ever want to cook a big brisket big joe is a lot easier, also having more space to grill makes entertaining for large groups easier.
I have the Classic 3, the Classic 2 wasn’t in stock anywhere in my location. Only 3 of us in my family. I’m happy with the Classic 3. If I was always entertaining people or have loads of family over all the time I would have gone with the BJ2.
Very rarely I need the extra space. I have the extender rack if I do.