Grill Dome Infinity Series Ceramic Kamado Charcoal Smoker Grill, Copper, Extra-Large

Just got my large Grill Dome, and I'm disappointed to find that it did not come with the feet. The manual says to put it on a base stand, and states that it's sold separately. I couldn't find the feet on the grill dome website, and actually had to google "Grill Dome Base Stand Large" in order to find the page from which I could order it. After shipping, the base stand cost me another $50! We're off to a bad start, and I'm worried that I might soon regret not buying a Big Green Egg.

If you're reading this review, then you're probably doing you're homework and comparing the various ceramic brands. So I'll save you some time and tell you why I bought this brand and why I'm happy with my purchase.First of all, my brothers are die-hard BGE guys, so it took some real selling to get me to go my own way. All kamados work in basically the same way. It does not take a lot of care to make any of them last a lifetime. That is to say, the ceramic can last a lifetime. So if all Kamado brands give such a generous warranty, why not buy the brand that is built so you are less likely to have a warranty claim. It becomes an issue of the trouble of submitting a warranty claim. So, I bought a grill with stainless steel hardware. Also, efficiency of a grill is partially a function of how well it insulates, so I bought the grill with thicker ceramic.Also, from reading reviews online, I realized there is another great advantage to owning a Grill Dome...the customer service. I sent an email to their customer service at 10PM regarding whether or not Amazon was an authorized dealer (they are), I got a response in 10 minutes. Check other online forums, you'll hear the same thing.Last note on competitive factors: GD offers many colors. I chose the silver to keep the solar loading down as I just moved to Phoenix.Now for my actual experience with the grill. I grill 2-3 times a week with temps ranging from 250 to 600 without any issue. I've cooked steaks, salmon on alder planks, and various pork cuts. This grill is so consistent that I can easily tell the difference between charcoal brands. I have baby back ribs on the grill and I'm really not worried about checking them for a while. I had a 6' steel drum-style smoker before and it took a lot of work to make that thing sing. The GD is so easy it feels like I'm cheating.The price is a little hard to swallow, but I took a big chunk out of the bill by getting 30 bones in Amazon GC's by signing up for Amazon Visa AND they were running a promotion for 20$ off lawn garden and patio items.If you have any technical questions about the GD, just email their customer service. Don't talk to Amazon, they really don't know too much about what they're selling, which happens to be an awesome product.Update: I forgot to mention that the GD I ordered was delivered by CEVA. It came a day late, which was a bummer. BUT, everything you need to start grilling was included...Ozark Oaks charcoal, fire starters, thermometer, sliding chimney. You just need a lighter and something to grill. I recommend you also order the drop rack and a ceramic disk for indirect cooking.

I purchased the Grill Dome (in Red) about 2 months ago and have been pleased with the unit so far. It is extremely efficient and has done really well with long low temperature smoking, pizza and general BBQ. The fit and finish of the Grill Dome is impressive. I particularly like the construction of the hinges - stainless and built to last.The reason I am giving it 4 stars as opposed to 5 is related to their customer service. When I received the Grill Dome I noticed that there were no feet included. I called Amazon customer service and the rep patched me through to Grill Dome HQ. I spoke with a gentleman who explained the feet are no longer included and have been discontinued. (never mind the fact that the unit is pictured with feet in the Amazon listing) He said he would check to see if they had a spare pair and would phone me back. I never heard back from him. Considering the price of this ceramic grill I would think they might do a little better on the customer service front.That said, looking past the lack of follow up from their customer service team, I really do like the grill and look forward to cooking on it for a long time.

My key problems with this are:- requires a lot of effort to keep at a low temperature - probably have to go back every 15 minutes to add coals if you are smoking something in the 200 to 250 range. this is a major pain when smoking for a couple hours.- grilling at high temperature only works for a small part of the grill and do not believe that you can sear at 700 degrees. This cooker is narrow where the coals are and wide where the cooking occurs and there is a long way between the coals and the grate - that means that only the items at the center gets cooked well from high heat. But look at the item, there is a lot more vertical room between the coals and the grill than most coal grills - makes searing virtually impossible. I'm very experienced at grilling and it's hard to keep hot. You can get the grill to 700f when starting, but as soon as you open the top to add meat, it's virtually impossible to get over 450FTheir claim it is twice as thick is a blatant lie - it's thicker where the hood opens but gets thin within 2 inches of the edge.One other thing, unless you keep this completely out of the rain, you WILL GET MOLD INSIDE IT. I am not sure how water gets in - maybe the felt that is between the top and bottom leaches it in, but it was a crazy little mold world after the slightest rain. I have no idea what to do about that.Verified it was made in India - mine showed up with a big scratch on the front and the company wouldn't do anything about it to fix it (scratch clearly came from the factory). Customer service was the definition of getting the run around and I ultimately gave up.I've subsequently bought another ceramic cooker (for $40% less) and it is head over heals better - exterior finish, accessories, heat control, cooking space and geometry. I've got 25 years of experience grilling and the basic design of the grilldome is just inferior.This buy was a complete dud.