SNS Kamado... Kaput?

[jfmorris]

No, nothing is wrong with my SNS Gen1 Kamado. I love it, although I wish there was some type of rain proof top vent I could buy for it, or a proper fitting cover since it was discontinued at SNS Grills...

No, I just wanted to point out that the current SnSGrills.com website does not include their Kamado grill anymore!

There are a few accessories still for sale, but it appears that SNS killed their kamado line quietly. Most likely due to low sales. Let's face it - folks looking for a SNS Kettle or the SNS accessories are probably NOT the most likely to fork over a ton of cash for a ceramic kamado. I will bet that 100 steel and porcelain kettle cookers are sold in the US for every 1 ceramic kamado of any brand. And folks who would ask what kind of smoker I had would always give me a blank look if I said "a ceramic kamado" but if you told them "like a Big Green Egg", they immediately understood what you meant, due to the cult level following of the BGE.

Hopefully those of us who own a SnS Kamado Gen1 or Gen2 will receive help if we ever need to make a claim on the warranty. Mine had lifetime on the ceramic parts, and 10 years on the stainless parts. Not sure what it was on the Gen2 cookers.

I've already replaced some of the gaskets with Lavalock or other such material purchased from IslandOutdoorLLC.com in the past couple of years. Not the main lid gasket yet, but the top vent gasket, and the intake vent gasket.

If anyone ever comes across an aftermarket top vent that will keep out the rain, AND that will fit the unusual size of the SnSK Gen1 top chimney, please post it here. Nothing recommended so far on the Pitmaster Club as of this writing has actually been compatible. And I doubt with the discontinuation of the grills, that we will see anything made by 3rd parties either.

I should have bought a charcoal basket for the grill while they were for sale... but I've never really had complaints about just building the fire in the ceramic fire bowl.

[SheilaAnn]

By chance, did you reach out directly? Not sure if it will do any good…..

[Purc]

...and sell what you make.....at a profit.

I have several Weber Kettle accessories from them and they are all quality products. In fact I ordered my SnS before I bought my kettle.

[OC Sandy]

jfmorris I wonder if they are going the same direction as several other brands and they are stopping their direct to consumer sales and instead will rely on their retail partners?

[jfmorris]

OC Sandy I don't think so. I've sure seen little sign of SNS Grills at 3rd party retailers. If they could be in the big box stores I am sure it would only help them move more product. They *HAVE* moved off their own web page based sales mechanism, to running the online sales through a couple of 3rd party websites.

[Uncle Bob]

You're probably correct that their discontinuation is an indication of low market interest. It could be that for current demand the market is close to comparative saturation. There's a high end Kamodo Kamado 23 on market place in Austin for sale at $2400. Five years ago that kind of thing would sell in a heartbeat at that price. This one has been listed for a few months.

I've got the Golden Cast Iron Kamado that I was able to buy at a decent discount some years ago. They've gotten pretty pricey now too. I have no way of knowing what their sales rate is, but it can't be very high. As kamados go it's a terrific cooker and none of the concerns about ceramic fragility in certain circumstances. But, being a "boutique" design and appeal accessories are minimal.

[58limited]

I seem to remember seeing something about overseas production and tariff issues regarding the SnS Kamado but I can't swear to it. Maybe an e-mail to SnS is warranted.

But, there are a lot of kamados on the market now so it could be like Uncle Bob said: low demand due to market saturation

[LA Pork Butt]

My observation is that Kamados have declined in popularity and have been replaced by the now popular pellet cooker. I suspect it has everything to do with ease of use which is great if you don’t care about smoke flavor.

[jfmorris]

I think you are spot on here. 15 years ago, if you smoked, it was a water smoker or WSM, an offset, or a kamado, with the kamado being the ‘hands off” cooker compared to the offset especially. Now pellet cookers are the ‘hands off” low and slow cooker.

I still see BGE at Ace, but see fewer Kamado Joe display models places like Lowe’s. Home Depot used to carry a lot of the Vision low cost kamado, and not sure I see those much recently.

[dpearce]

Not surprised, as like others have said, the market must be pretty saturated and pellet cookers are the "thing" nowadays.

There's nothing but Big Green Eggs and the lower end Char-Broil offerings around here. It doesn't help that a BGE local retailer sponsors a cooking contest on the south side of the city once a year. I didn't even know SnS had a kamado-style cooker!

[jfmorris]

Yep, SNS had a Kamado of their own from around 2019 until apparently earlier this year. It is 22" inside, and uses all the same grates and accessories as a kettle, but also offers the traditional kamado cooking experience with a ceramic deflector and so on. But very pricy. In 2021 when I received mine (as a Grand prize winner here) it was going for $1700. I think it came down in price since then, but not sure where it ended.

[58limited]

jfmorris When I bought mine in Nov. 2021 list price for the full deluxe SnS model was $1400.00 - I bought mine on sale for 20% off. Then I bought the rotisserie, then I bought the kick ash basket, then I bought more stuff.....

It works so well in SnS mode that I rarely use kamado mode. Plus, I still have my old kamado when I want to use a kamado.

[jfmorris]

58limited I actually tend to use mine these days in kamado mode, with and without the deflector, more than with the SNS insert. I went through a period where I was smoking using the SNS insert though. This summer I've only smoked on the PBX, since a couple of butts on the kamado back in the spring....

[Oak Smoke]

It’s the market on the move again. Sometimes I think it moves in a circle coming back around every few years. Right now there’s pressure on a good percentage of the population due to higher prices on everything. This 6 dollar a gallon diesel will trickle down into the cost of most things also. I guess what I’m saying is there may be lots of people without the disposable income to get anything but a budget cooker if that. I love my Kamado Joe but I’d be upset without that warranty.

[58limited]

I e-mailed them:

David

We have discontinued the Kamado due to tarriff/cost reasons
SnS Grills
Customer Service
www.snsgrills.com
e: [email protected]

[Jessterr]

Man, sure wish I could comment on this one but value my AR membership too much. 🫢

[jfmorris]

Well, I understand this. I deal with tariffs on the job as well. They are crushing our production costs.

I will say this and be done. This is for Jessterr - I was shipping stuff into the UK and EU in 2008 to 2011, and our exports from US to the EU were subject to a 40% tariff/VAT at that time (by the EU). Items built within an EU member nation were NOT subject to the same tariff. So this is nothing new, and nothing unique to the US. Tariffs are as old as history.

[radiodome21]

Yeah I noticed this too. I was on their website a few weeks ago and figured it was discontinued. I’ve always had an interest on a kamado and came close to buying a Weber Summit a few years ago. But I decided to wait it out. That was over 3 years ago. I have to admit I love my Silverback. I use it more than my a kettle and WSM.

I’m also now back in the office 4 days a week and only do the cooking on the weekends. At one point I was between the SNS Kamado and a Grilla Kong too but in the end I think the Weber Summit is still the answer if I decide to buy one.