Second-hand kamado: what to check before you buy (and how much to pay)

A kamado is, above all, a thick piece of ceramic. It has no burners to rust and no electronics to go obsolete, and the expensive part —dome and base— can last for decades if nobody drops it. What wears with use is cheap and designed to be replaced: the felt gasket, the grates, the charcoal basket.

That makes for a fairly healthy second-hand market. Most kamados for sale are not broken: they are sold because the owner is moving to a flat without a terrace, because the thing is too heavy to move house with, or because they found out they only barbecue three times a year. In September 2026, going through listings on Wallapop and Milanuncios, the names that come up most are Kamado Joe, Monolith, Big Green Egg and plenty of generic ceramic cookers with no clear brand, from 33 to 53 cm.

In exchange, you give up three things. The first is the warranty: Kamado Joe, Big Green Egg and Monolith cover only the original purchaser, so the second owner starts without one. The second is the protection of buying from a shop: buying from a private seller, you do not get the legal guarantee a retailer would give you. The third is transport, which is on you and is where most kamados get broken. If those three trade-offs are worth the discount, read on.

Go and see it in person, in daylight. Start with the outer ceramic: run your hand over dome and base and sweep your phone torch across them at a low angle. Very fine lines in the glaze, like a surface spider web, are crazing and do not affect use. What matters is a crack you can catch with a fingernail, with offset edges or running through the wall. Tap gently with your knuckles in several places: sound ceramic rings clear; a spot that sounds dull or broken deserves a second look.

Open the dome. The inner fire ring and firebox are almost always cracked on kamados with some years on them: they take direct heat, usually keep working cracked and are sold as spares. Check that no pieces are missing and that the ring sits without rocking. Inspect the charcoal basket and the grate for deep rust.

Then the mechanics: open and close the dome several times. The hinge should hold it without letting it slam, and the metal bands should not have rust that has thinned them or stripped bolts. Slide a banknote between dome and base at four points: if it comes out with no resistance, the gasket is worn (the procedure is in how to replace the gasket). Move the bottom and top vents: they should slide and close fully. And ask whether the thermometer reads true; if not, it is a cheap spare. Leak and draught symptoms are covered in temperature problems.

Before driving anywhere, ask for specific photos. One of the dome and base from the outside in good light, from all four sides. One of the inside with the dome open, showing the fire ring and firebox. A close-up of the hinge and bands, which is where rust shows. Another of the gasket at the front, the part that gets crushed most. And, if there is one, a photo of the maker's label or serial number, usually on the base or the hinge, which helps you confirm model and generation.

Then the questions. How old is it and where was it bought? An authorised dealer's invoice does not bring back the warranty, but it confirms the unit is genuine and not a copy. Where has it lived: covered terrace, garden, by the sea? Has it had a cover? Has any ceramic part, the gasket or the fire ring been replaced? Has it been dropped or suffered thermal shock, for instance from being lit very hot from cold? Which accessories are included in the price: cart, side shelves, deflector, pizza stone?

Accessories change the value a lot. An original deflector or a cart in good condition cost real money bought separately, so factor them in when comparing two listings. If the seller refuses to show you the inside or let you open the dome, be wary.

There is no official table, so we use our own yardstick. For brands with good resale (Kamado Joe, Big Green Egg, Monolith), a kamado under three years old in very good condition is reasonably priced at 55 to 70 % of what it costs new today with the same accessories. Between three and eight years, with signs of use and some cracked inner part, 40 to 55 %. Generic ceramic cookers lose value faster: above 50 % of their new price they rarely make sense.

As a reference for what shows up in listings in Spain in September 2026, with no single listing as the rule: a premium-brand 46 cm Classic (Kamado Joe Classic II, Big Green Egg Large) goes for roughly 800 to 1,100 € with a cart; a Monolith Classic, around 700-850 €; small branded sizes such as the Joe Jr or Monolith Icon, between 350 and 550 €; and generic 46 to 53 cm ceramics, between 300 and 550 €. These are asking prices, not closing prices: there is almost always room to negotiate, especially if parts need replacing.

Subtract what it will cost to get it ready: gasket, basket or fire ring. And make the final comparison against a new entry-level model: if the used generic costs nearly the same as a new one with a warranty, go for the new one. Buying used makes sense when it gets you a brand and size you could not afford new.

The Kamado Joe Classic II is probably the best used buy on the market: 46 cm ceramic, an assisted hinge that makes the dome easy to lift, a multi-level grate system and easy-to-find spares. The Classic I is the same base with a simpler hinge and gasket; if the price reflects that, it is a good buy. The Joe Jr only if you want a small kamado for two.

The Big Green Egg Large is our test bench and ages well. It has the widest accessory ecosystem, which makes spares easy to find. Its downside second-hand is that resale prices stay high: do not expect bargains.

The Monolith Classic is a solid alternative to both and usually comes a little cheaper used. Kamado Bono models have thick ceramic and good standard kit; used, check bands and hinge with extra care.

Where you need to be careful is with generic ceramics that have no brand, identifiable maker or spares: if an inner part cracks, you may not find a replacement. And with steel kamados such as the Akorn, the problem is rusting sheet metal, not cracks. To settle the size before you start looking, read what size kamado you need or compare them in the comparison tool.

Assume the warranty does not pass to the second owner. We checked the published terms. Kamado Joe gives a lifetime warranty on ceramics, 5 years on metal and cast iron, 3 years on deflectors and stones, and 2 years on thermometer and gaskets, but states explicitly that it covers only the original purchaser, and requires an authorised dealer and product registration. Big Green Egg offers a limited lifetime warranty on ceramics and 5 years on metal, also only for the original purchaser who registered and bought from an authorised dealer, and claims go through the country of purchase. Monolith advertises a limited lifetime warranty personal to the first buyer, which lapses if the kamado changes hands. For Kamado Bono we could not find official published terms; some shops advertise an unlimited warranty on the ceramic, but we could not confirm whether it transfers, so assume it does not.

The good news is that the parts that wear out are cheap. A universal fibreglass gasket runs about 30-40 €. A charcoal basket with divider for Classic and Large, about 70-90 €. A lid thermometer, under 20 €. If the deflector is missing, there are half-moon deflectors for the Kamado Joe Classic and the ConvEGGtor for the Large. These are indicative Amazon prices; the real one is whatever it is when you buy. Original ceramic fire rings and fireboxes are ordered through the brand's dealers, and price and availability vary: ask before you close the deal.

A 46 cm kamado comfortably exceeds 70 kg, and with a cart it gets close to 100. Never lift it by the dome or move it by pulling on the hinge: the hinge is designed to open the lid, not to carry the weight of the base. The safe way is to take it apart: remove grates, deflector, basket, fire ring and firebox and wrap them separately. If the model allows it, take the dome off too by loosening the bands; that way each piece weighs half as much.

Loading it takes two people and, ideally, a hand truck or a ramp. In the van or the boot, the base travels upright, wedged with blankets so it cannot roll and held with straps that do not bite on unprotected ceramic. Never lay it on its side with the inner parts inside: when you brake, they hit the wall from within.

At home, start with a thorough clean: empty the old ash, brush the inside dry and do a burn-off at about 300 °C for half an hour to burn off grease and residue. No water or detergent on the ceramic. If you have replaced the gasket, respect the adhesive's curing time before lighting. For the first cook, bring the temperature up slowly and patiently, following how to light a kamado, and use it to check that the vents respond and no smoke escapes round the rim.

A good share of used kamados in Spain come from the coast, and salt air is unforgiving on metal. The ceramic barely notices, but the bands, hinge, bolts, chimney and cart do. Here in Torrevieja we see it every winter.

Look first at the band bolts: if their heads are rusty, ask whether they can be loosened; a seized one complicates any future adjustment. Check the inside of the bands, where moisture builds up against the ceramic, and the underside of the cart and the wheels. Surface rust can be cleaned and protected; a band that has thinned or pitted needs replacing, and that is no longer a 20 € spare.

Also check the cast-iron top chimney: if it is heavily rusted, it is hard to turn and draught control loses finesse. In a marine climate the gasket hardens and comes unstuck sooner, so plan on replacing it. And smell the inside: a kamado that has spent months shut and damp may have mould; a burn-off gets rid of it, but it tells you it had no cover or ventilation.

If everything else is fine, a coastal kamado is not a bad buy: just knock the price of the metal parts you will need to renew off the price. To look after it from then on, see our guide on how to protect a kamado from salt air and humidity.