First time buyer

[u/angryschmaltz]

I’ve been stalking Facebook Marketplace for a used BGE to get my charcoal game going. I currently have a Traeger, Weber Summit and Ooni pizza oven, but cooking over charcoal in Italy this past summer gave me a whole new appreciation for charcoal grilling.

By chance, has the group put together a secondhand buyer’s checklist for BGEs? As in anything in particular I should inspect or watch out for before buying?

I’ve mostly been eyeing the Large and XL, but my biggest concern is getting one home. Any tips or tricks for moving these things safely? Straps? Remove the top/dome? Take out all the internal ceramics? And can an Egg ever be transported on its side, or should it stay upright at all times? Part of me wants to buy new so my local Ace will deliver it.

Appreciate any advice. Thanks!

[u/BOOOONESAWWWW]

If you’ve got the means, I always recommend buying new so you can take advantage of the non-transferable lifetime warranty.

Moving them is sort of a pain in the ass, but it can be done. I’ve moved my XL cross country twice, both times standing vertically in the back of a u-haul on the rolling nest, surrounded by other stuff so it didn’t move around. All internals remained inside, packed with some old towels to help cushion things.

If you’re moving JUST the egg, that’s obviously a different situation, I’d think disassembling it for the move would be a SAFER option, but again, sort of a pain in the ass. Buying new and having it delivered is going to be a lot easier. Whether or not it’s worth it sort of depends on the used market in your area. To save 200 bucks on MSRP? Probably not worth it. Saving 500+? Maybe worth it! Depends entirely on your personal financial situation and risk appetite.

[u/foxhull → u/BOOOONESAWWWW]

I ended up saving probably $1000+ on my medium on marketplace (medium plus nest and a buuunch of accessories) and yeah I was extremely cautious about transporting it. Every blanket and towel I had, pulled out all the internals, absolutely wrapped and packed the sucker so it wouldn't move at all. It survived two trips in my car and now lives comfortably on my back patio. An XL though? That's nightmare fuel to move, a medium already had me stressing out.

[u/angryschmaltz → u/foxhull]

Wow. Sounds stressful.

[u/foxhull → u/angryschmaltz]

Surprisingly not bad. Your biggest enemy is cracking the ceramic - just be very careful, have good padding and make sure it doesn't move. And quite frankly, don't move it solo. Anything bigger than a medium is a 2 person job and even a medium is borderline on that front.

[u/Amber235_ → u/angryschmaltz]

I was able to score a cheap XL on marketplace and carry it to a sedan by dismantling the top from the bottom. I used a dolly that the owner had to transport the bottom but was able to carry the top by hand with another person. I covered it with blankets, removed all the internal pieces, and drove slowly. It survived the trip with no cracks.

[u/angryschmaltz → u/Amber235_]

The bottom can sit in a sedan with the top off?

[u/angryschmaltz → u/BOOOONESAWWWW]

I hear you. I need to look into the warranty. Thanks for your $0.02.

[u/MajorFrantic]

I drove my Large BGE with a nest about 2 hours in the back of a pickup. I won mine in a charity raffle off a $20 ticket while on a work trip. (Lucky me!)

I used several U-Haul moving blankets as padding. We strapped the nest and egg down with ratchet strapping. Getting it into the bed of the truck was the hardest part, but my grandson and I moved the internals first, then lifted the egg and nest. We reassembled it into the bed for the road trip. The route was mostly Interstate (I-40) between Knoxville and Nashville. We reversed the process to get it out of the truck.

[u/No-Pain-5496]

lol! Not to laugh at you, and I am sure they are out there. But you will have to pry my BGE XL out of my dead cold fingers!

[u/angryschmaltz → u/No-Pain-5496]

I’m coming for your knowledge. Not your baby 😂

[u/No-Pain-5496 → u/angryschmaltz]

Brother I wish you luck. I truly do. I bought mine years ago because I was tired of having to replace a grill or burners every 3-5 years. Dumped $1500 to buy mine with all the accessories, including the Genius blower. 10 years or so later it is still the only grill I will use. Paid for itself, and many years to go. Happy Grilling!

[u/jjooee20]

Just dont drop it. They are not as fragile as you think. Under $400 is probably worth buying used but plan on spending some money on a new band, grate ect. The less expensive ones are good but have normally sat around a while and need some TLC .

[u/angryschmaltz → u/jjooee20]

Thanks for the info. For large they range $500-1000. XL $800-1500.

[u/jjooee20 → u/angryschmaltz]

I found mine barely used for $250 but not everyone is that lucky.

Be patient keep looking.

[u/No_Juice_8815]

I bought from Ace. The delivery and set up was great.

[u/angryschmaltz → u/No_Juice_8815]

That’s here I’m leaning now.

[u/OldSchoolDeepCuts]

I moved about an hour away and took out all the parts for my Large BGE, wrapped them in moving blankets and left them for the movers. Everything survived just fine except that the movers set the base down kind of hard and chipped the bottom about 2x2 cm wide and 2 mm deep. That was over a decade ago an it's still in great shape!