I wouldn’t. I don’t think Walmart’s house brand is much of an upgrade from anything aside from no grill. I’ve never seriously considered their brand but as one does while shopping at a big box, I wander through the bbq section lifting lids. All their stuff feels like it would blow over in a stiff breeze.
If you really want a kamado it’s probably worth it to spend some money on a better engineered brand.
Hewhobreaksthings
I would add it to the collection, I’ve spent more sitting on a barstool chatting with buddies. It’s got a 2 year warranty and if you find you like this style of grill you can upgrade to a better brand if you like.
J-Wood93
To clarify a little more, I’m fairly new to grilling and the kettle I’m using was a hand me down. It might have another season in it but will need upgraded. Was wondering with that being said if this is a cheap upgrade that will last me a few good years?
Ill_Celebration166
Yes it’s basically a knockoff of the akorn
WeekendWoodworking
Definitely worth it. I would purchase it now for that price. Bring it home and watch some YouTube videos on it. It you like what you see, put it together. If not, return it.
CRMILLERtyme
If you are looking for a newer grill than what you have, it very well may be worth it
misfits9095
They are the same grill as an Akorn grill. I had one and it was alright for a first time kamado. It will rust very quickly especially near the bottom where ash is collected. I treated this as a temporary grill until I bought a ceramic kamado. Most kamado accessories will not fit this girl due to the unique size of the grilling area. I would recommend buying a used Weber kettle or a portable kitchen aluminum grill. Kamados are fun but the lack of 2 zone cooking on most of them makes it difficult to recommend.
Legitimate_Cloud2215
Don’t do it.
xxMalVeauXxx
If you have no grill ask yourself:
1 – Do you want to use charcoal or propane or stick burner?
2 – Do you want to be ready to cook in minutes or 20~30 minutes?
3 – How long are you going to cook? 15 minutes? 60 minutes? More?
4 – How much are you cooking? 2 Steaks? A whole chicken? More than this?
5 – Do you want to clean it after you cook? You gonna wait a few hours to cool down first?
Kamado ceramic grills are fancy and hold temps a little better, if well made and sealed. Otherwise, there’s nothing that special to them other than any internal stuff to allow off set charcoal holding, drip pans, second wrack, rotisserie spit, etc If it’s just a pod with a grill top and a space for charcoal in the bottom, it’s really not more than a typical cheap charcoal grill. You pay more for silly “brand names” and stuff.
There’s a reason you don’t see any of these “brand name” grills at any big cook place or someone who caters, etc. They all use no-name steel welded or piles of bricks and some rusty old metal screens over top and just cover the sides with sheet metal with wood frames. Totally red neck looking. They’re not out back with the Traeger or Big Green Egg spending $1500 to cook a $25 steak on their $20k deck outside their $600k house.
Cooking is a personal thing. Consider the above questions.
$120 for a ceramic grill with some charcoal will get you cooking for a year or more easily. Not a bad purchase if you have no experience and don’t have opinions or your own preferences built yet from experience.
Dogopus9
Just grabbed the last one of these at my Walmart for $60. I haven’t set it up yet, but based on other reviews I have seen it functions almost identical to the akorn and will fit the char griller smokin stone – although it does not have the same tri shelf system as the akorn. I figure for the price, can’t go wrong. Worst case it won’t hold low temp and can still be used for high temp grilling.
Hamatoros
If you already have a kettle then no.
If you just want another type of grill then go for it, seems like a good deal.
KreeH
I would say yes, it’s well worth it at this price. I have an Akorn Jr bought on Amazon on sale and it’s been a decent product, especially given the price. These are made out of cast iron vs ceramic. The good is they don’t weigh that much and won’t crack as easily. The bad news is they do rust if not taken care of. I have a cover and clean out the ash bin which comes off for easy cleaning. I also seasoned the cast iron grate (cooking oil). These cook and control temps really well with two vents one on the bottom and one the top plus they are very miserly using charcoal and can easily hit 700deg. When I am done, I just shut the vents to stop the fire. This one comes with a little cart which mine doesn’t have.
Melodic-Matter4685
Eh.. I would, but wife gonna ask uncomfortable questions about grill procreation.
Komodo looks like a very precise skill set. But if u wanna try it out… 121 is way less than 800 for an egg
SweatsuitCocktail
At this price, absolutely. Walmart brand isn’t nearly the train wreck most like to paint it as, and it’s a decent budget kamado. Even as someone that owns a Kamado Joe, I say this is a very solid akorn clone especially for under 150.
16 Comments
I would say no
I wouldn’t. I don’t think Walmart’s house brand is much of an upgrade from anything aside from no grill. I’ve never seriously considered their brand but as one does while shopping at a big box, I wander through the bbq section lifting lids. All their stuff feels like it would blow over in a stiff breeze.
If you really want a kamado it’s probably worth it to spend some money on a better engineered brand.
I would add it to the collection, I’ve spent more sitting on a barstool chatting with buddies. It’s got a 2 year warranty and if you find you like this style of grill you can upgrade to a better brand if you like.
To clarify a little more, I’m fairly new to grilling and the kettle I’m using was a hand me down. It might have another season in it but will need upgraded. Was wondering with that being said if this is a cheap upgrade that will last me a few good years?
Yes it’s basically a knockoff of the akorn
Definitely worth it. I would purchase it now for that price. Bring it home and watch some YouTube videos on it. It you like what you see, put it together. If not, return it.
If you are looking for a newer grill than what you have, it very well may be worth it
They are the same grill as an Akorn grill. I had one and it was alright for a first time kamado. It will rust very quickly especially near the bottom where ash is collected. I treated this as a temporary grill until I bought a ceramic kamado. Most kamado accessories will not fit this girl due to the unique size of the grilling area. I would recommend buying a used Weber kettle or a portable kitchen aluminum grill. Kamados are fun but the lack of 2 zone cooking on most of them makes it difficult to recommend.
Don’t do it.
If you have no grill ask yourself:
1 – Do you want to use charcoal or propane or stick burner?
2 – Do you want to be ready to cook in minutes or 20~30 minutes?
3 – How long are you going to cook? 15 minutes? 60 minutes? More?
4 – How much are you cooking? 2 Steaks? A whole chicken? More than this?
5 – Do you want to clean it after you cook? You gonna wait a few hours to cool down first?
Kamado ceramic grills are fancy and hold temps a little better, if well made and sealed. Otherwise, there’s nothing that special to them other than any internal stuff to allow off set charcoal holding, drip pans, second wrack, rotisserie spit, etc If it’s just a pod with a grill top and a space for charcoal in the bottom, it’s really not more than a typical cheap charcoal grill. You pay more for silly “brand names” and stuff.
There’s a reason you don’t see any of these “brand name” grills at any big cook place or someone who caters, etc. They all use no-name steel welded or piles of bricks and some rusty old metal screens over top and just cover the sides with sheet metal with wood frames. Totally red neck looking. They’re not out back with the Traeger or Big Green Egg spending $1500 to cook a $25 steak on their $20k deck outside their $600k house.
Cooking is a personal thing. Consider the above questions.
$120 for a ceramic grill with some charcoal will get you cooking for a year or more easily. Not a bad purchase if you have no experience and don’t have opinions or your own preferences built yet from experience.
Just grabbed the last one of these at my Walmart for $60. I haven’t set it up yet, but based on other reviews I have seen it functions almost identical to the akorn and will fit the char griller smokin stone – although it does not have the same tri shelf system as the akorn. I figure for the price, can’t go wrong. Worst case it won’t hold low temp and can still be used for high temp grilling.
If you already have a kettle then no.
If you just want another type of grill then go for it, seems like a good deal.
I would say yes, it’s well worth it at this price. I have an Akorn Jr bought on Amazon on sale and it’s been a decent product, especially given the price. These are made out of cast iron vs ceramic. The good is they don’t weigh that much and won’t crack as easily. The bad news is they do rust if not taken care of. I have a cover and clean out the ash bin which comes off for easy cleaning. I also seasoned the cast iron grate (cooking oil). These cook and control temps really well with two vents one on the bottom and one the top plus they are very miserly using charcoal and can easily hit 700deg. When I am done, I just shut the vents to stop the fire. This one comes with a little cart which mine doesn’t have.
Eh.. I would, but wife gonna ask uncomfortable questions about grill procreation.
Komodo looks like a very precise skill set. But if u wanna try it out… 121 is way less than 800 for an egg
At this price, absolutely. Walmart brand isn’t nearly the train wreck most like to paint it as, and it’s a decent budget kamado. Even as someone that owns a Kamado Joe, I say this is a very solid akorn clone especially for under 150.
yes i have one and love it