Big Green Egg vs Weber Summit Kamado E6 {2022 Models with Prices}

If you are doing the Big Green Egg vs Weber Summit Kamado comparison then sit back and let me point out the major differences between the brands and their different products.

If you are short on time, then the quick answer you need is that there is no reason to ever buy a Big Green Egg. The Weber Summit Kamado offers equivalent performance, has sturdier construction and costs 50% less than the Big Green Egg.

Even if you decide that you do not want a Weber grill there are better kamados than the BGE.

By the way, there are ZERO affiliate links in this post and this article is NOT sponsored. I have no financial incentive in whether you buy either of these grills.

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Weber Summit Kamado E6 vs XL Big Green Egg with Nest

For a direct Head to Head comparison between the two brands we need to compare the 24 inch Weber E6 against the 24 inch XL Big Green Egg with a Nest accessory.

Let me start by saying that both of these kamados are EXCELLENT at Low and Slow smoking and High Heat grilling. When it comes down to actual performance you will be hard pressed to find any meaningful differences. Any differences you do find will be in the category of “splitting hairs”.

You can load either of these cookers up with lump and get over 20 hours of burn time at 250F. Similarly, you can open up your vents and sear your steaks at seriously high heat.

There are a ton of minor differences between these cookers and some of the obvious ones include:

Warranty
Air vent configurations
Ash cleanout systems
Tool hooks
Lid hinge mechanism
Cooking grate design

In reality you are going to find raving fans for both brands and the minor differences above will often come down to personal preferences. However, there are two significant differences between these brands that make me say that the Weber Kamado is the better option.

The Differences that Matter

The two main differences between these smokers is how they are constructed and how much they cost.

Construction

The Big Green Egg is made from thick ceramic.
The Summit E6 Kamado is made from porcelain enameled steel with double walled insulation.

Both designs are great at holding in heat and efficiently burning charcoal.

The downsides of the BGE’s ceramic construction are:

Weight
Recovery
Fragile

The XL BGE is 50% heavier than the E6 Kamado (220 vs 145 lbs). This is a significant difference for when you are assembling the grill and if you ever have aspirations to move the grill.

The weight of the BGE is also a double edged sword when it comes to performance.

Once you figure out how to set it up Low and Slow the thermal mass of the ceramic makes it easy to run at low temps. However, if you screw up and let the cooker get too hot, the large thermal mass will take a heck of a long time to recover and you are going to be in for a long, frustrating day.

The last issue about the ceramics is that they are fragile in comparison to the steel on the Weber.

If you own a BGE for more than a few years then it is almost a given that the internal firebox ceramics are going to eventually crack. I have also read multiple horror stories about guys taking their BGEs to barbecue competitions and having them crack either during transport or while loading/unloading.

If you take excellent care of your BGE and keep it in one place then the issue of cracks becomes minor. However, if you mess around and get sloppy then you are setting yourself up for hard times.

Price

The difference in price between these two great cookers is staggering.

You can buy the Weber Summit E6 Kamado and have it delivered for $1,049.

The XL BGE with a Nest will set you back $1,498 and that is only if you can find one locally. Most stores do not want to ship a BGE more than a few miles because of the risk of cracking during transport. After you spend $400 more for the XL BGE than the Weber you will have to spend another $120 to buy the heat deflector.

Seriously…Big Green Egg will sell you a grill for over $1,000 and then make you buy essential components separately!

So, if you can find an XL BGE locally then, with a Nest and Heat Deflector, you will pay over $500 more than what it will cost to have the Weber Summit E6 Kamado delivered to your front door.

When everything is considered, the BGE costs 54% more than the Weber.

The BGE is a fine cooker but there is nothing in its performance that can support the dramatic price difference over the Weber kamado.

What if You Don’t Like the Weber Kamado?

I get it, the steel Weber kamado is not for everyone.

Some folks love the look of a ceramic kamado.
Some folks simply love the idea of a ceramic kamado.
Some folks think the Weber looks ugly.

I am not going to argue with any of those folks because what you like is what you like.

What I will tell them is that before they buy a Big Green Egg then they really should take the time to look at the 24 inch Big Joe Kamado Joe. The Big Joe is a beautiful ceramic kamado priced similarly to the Weber and has a lot going on for it.

To be honest, if I was choosing between the Big Joe Kamado Joe and the Weber Kamado then I would probably but the Kamado Joe.