Ivanv Posted September 7, 2021 Share Posted September 7, 2021 Hi All Interested on feedback. Looking to buy a Bib Joe but trying to work out what I should buy. In Australia I can get the Big Joe 1 for about $1800 where the Big Joe 2 is $1500 more. With the extra $1500 I could get a whole bunch of accessories. Differences i can see between the 2 are the air lift hinge, the gasket and the controller top vent. Is that really worth $1500? Would love some advise before I drop big money on either Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Setzler Posted September 7, 2021 Share Posted September 7, 2021 There wont' be any differences in your cooking. It's hard to put a dollar value on the upgrades between the 1 and the 2. I love the airlift hinge. While it's not a necessity, I would buy the upgrade just for that feature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gebo Posted September 7, 2021 Share Posted September 7, 2021 There won’t be a difference in the actual cooking but I’ll betcha you will enjoy cooking much more. Now, $1500 more? I’m not too sure about that. You could by all the accessories you would ever want for $1500, I think. Ivanv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
len440 Posted September 7, 2021 Share Posted September 7, 2021 I have a classic II Kontrol tower ,gasket ,air hinge. Worth $1500 ??????? I do like the air hinge a lot. John has a good answer and so does Gebo. It's going to come down to personal decision on spending the money Either grill will work very well. Now if I was spending YOUR money it would be easy to could give a more definite answer. It's going to be a tough call for you keep us posted. Ivanv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Setzler Posted September 7, 2021 Share Posted September 7, 2021 The simple answer is that if you have doubts about the value of the options on the 2 series, buy the original. My best suggestion is to go somehwere that you can put your hands on the grills and see the differences first hand. You may have to go two different places to do that but its worth the work to know for yourself. TKOBBQ and Ivanv 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gebo Posted September 7, 2021 Share Posted September 7, 2021 Actually, John has the best advice in you need to get your hands on one. For $1500, you could spend a few hours driving and looking. There is probably someone near you that would love to show your their KJ. Once you touch and feel the two, you will probably know which one will work best for you. Ivanv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivanv Posted September 8, 2021 Author Share Posted September 8, 2021 Thanks John great advise. Still in bloody lockdown here in Sydney Australia so hard to go and have a look at either unfortunately .I have a mate is the US who has the 2 and loves it. Think I will wait and see how much the air hinge gets me over the line. He showed me a video of the kontroller tower on his Joe Junior compared to the Big Joe 2 and does look better on the 2 as well!. Will see if I can look at both at the end of lockdown but again guys thanks for the quick response and feedback! Will be coming back for more tips once I get my Big Joe no doubt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHEAD Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 dont get hung up on the vent on top, thats an easy swap. there is also the smokeware vent top, but it was too shiny for me lol. the main selling point should be the air lift hinge. not having to worry about the heavy dome lid slamming down when im not ready is worth it to me. CentralTexBBQ, Ivanv and TKOBBQ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CentralTexBBQ Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 I own both and while I love the BJII, I would not have under any circumstances have considered paying an extra $1500 for it vs. the KJI. Ivanv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brick Pig Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 I own a Big Joe 1, and I have looked at the more recent models with the air lift hinge. While I would most definitely prefer the air lift over mine, it is worth nowhere NEAR $1500 to me. Ivanv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHEAD Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 you can always grab the big joe 1 and put the savings toward the retrofit hinge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivanv Posted September 10, 2021 Author Share Posted September 10, 2021 Thanks PHEAD.....are these orderable as I can't see anywhere where you can order this hinge. Also great tip on the kontroller tower.....agree the crome is a little tough on the eyes but will absolutely do the job! Will keep everyone posted & will share the 1st cook when I get one.....don't think anyone has stock of the BJ2 till mid October so will need to see if I can take a look at them then (and hopefully out of Sydney lockdown by then!!). Thanks again everyone....glad to be part of the community!!! PHEAD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deity6667 Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 My vote would be get the Big Joe 2. That airlift hinge is great, divise and conquer system, newer firebox, kontrol tower. No fussing about trying to make a big joe 1 a hybrid. When i did the swap over of the retrofit hinge - it’s not great and only ok when you get the new gasket. This grill is going to last a very long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHEAD Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 12 hours ago, Ivanv said: Thanks PHEAD.....are these orderable as I can't see anywhere where you can order this hinge. Also great tip on the kontroller tower.....agree the crome is a little tough on the eyes but will absolutely do the job! Will keep everyone posted & will share the 1st cook when I get one.....don't think anyone has stock of the BJ2 till mid October so will need to see if I can take a look at them then (and hopefully out of Sydney lockdown by then!!). Thanks again everyone....glad to be part of the community!!! i only read through the thread after i posted it. it seems like the hinge can be difficult to locate. what does the big joe 3 cost you down there? i know our currency is different, but here the BJ1 is $1200, BJ2 is $2000, and the BJ3 is $2500 just wondering if youd be able to go for the BJ3 instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brick Pig Posted September 16, 2021 Share Posted September 16, 2021 On 9/9/2021 at 10:02 PM, deity6667 said: My vote would be get the Big Joe 2. That airlift hinge is great, divise and conquer system, newer firebox, kontrol tower. No fussing about trying to make a big joe 1 a hybrid. When i did the swap over of the retrofit hinge - it’s not great and only ok when you get the new gasket. This grill is going to last a very long time. I'm not arguing for or against either model, but just for the sake of clarity, the BJ1 does have the divide & conquer system. deity6667 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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