Weber Go-Anywhere vs Jumbo Joe 18
Both $89.99 at Weber. The Go-Anywhere gives 160 sq in in a rectangle that locks shut; the Jumbo Joe gives 240 sq in on an 18-inch bowl with an ash pan.
We pick the Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill 18
The Jumbo Joe, unless the grill rides in a car more often than it sits at home. Weber lists both at $89.99, and the round one cooks on 240 sq in against 160. It also hangs an ash pan under the bowl, which the Go-Anywhere lacks. The two land a hundredth apart overall: the box scores on its clever pack, the bowl on grate and price. What the Go-Anywhere gives up for its shape is a third of the grate.
What actually differs
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Four air controls against two
The Go-Anywhere has two lid dampers, two sliding side vents and a char-rail that holds coals at one end. That leaves a long cool strip a rack of ribs lies down in. The Jumbo Joe steers a round bed on one lid damper and one bowl damper.
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80 square inches for nothing extra
Both grates are plated steel, so the money is not buying a better surface either way. Weber pitches the box at two to four people and the bowl at four to six. On a patio, that extra grate is the whole argument.
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It packs flat, or it latches round
The Go-Anywhere's legs fold over the lid and lock it, and tools and a chimney starter travel inside. It weighs 11.50 pounds. The Jumbo Joe's Tuck-N-Carry hoop clamps lid to bowl, but Weber publishes no weight, and it carries as a wide bowl.
How they score, category by category
The Weber Go-Anywhere scores higher in 2 categories, the Jumbo Joe 18 in 3 categories. One is level.
Level overall: within a tenth of each other.
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Heat Performance
Counts for 25% of the scoreWeber Go-Anywhere 7.9Jumbo Joe 18 8.1 Better by 0.2Why the Jumbo Joe 18 scores 8.1The Original Kettle 18's bowl, grate and dampers, so the same two-zone fire; the thin plated grate stores little heat for searing.
Why the Weber Go-Anywhere scores 7.9
Four air controls and a char-rail give a usable cool strip, but a 160 sq in bed burns down inside an hour of hard work.
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Long-term Reliability
Counts for 20% of the scoreWeber Go-Anywhere 8.1Jumbo Joe 18 8.2Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Weber Go-Anywhere scores 8.1Ten years on cookbox and lid is Weber's full rust cover, but the folding legs that stand, lock and carry it get two.
Why the Jumbo Joe 18 scores 8.2Porcelain bowl and lid carry ten years, but the plated grate, nylon handle and wire legs sit on much shorter cover.
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Build Quality
Counts for 18% of the scoreWeber Go-Anywhere 8.0 Better by 0.6Jumbo Joe 18 7.4Why the Weber Go-Anywhere scores 8.0Porcelain-enamel over steel with comfort-grip handles, though the grate is plated steel, the same commodity fitted to the cheaper Jumbo Joe.
Why the Jumbo Joe 18 scores 7.4
Enamel is the same as the big kettles, yet a wide bowl on short wire legs rocks on gravel or soft grass.
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Ease of Use
Counts for 15% of the scoreWeber Go-Anywhere 9.5 Better by 1.9Jumbo Joe 18 7.6Why the Weber Go-Anywhere scores 9.5Legs fold over the lid to lock it shut and the tools pack inside, which no kettle on Weber's page manages.
Why the Jumbo Joe 18 scores 7.6
The Tuck-N-Carry lock carries and holds the lid, but at 19.7 in tall every coal adjustment means crouching unless you supply a table.
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Value
Counts for 12% of the scoreWeber Go-Anywhere 6.5Jumbo Joe 18 8.6 Better by 2.1Why the Jumbo Joe 18 scores 8.6At $89.99 it matches the Go-Anywhere's price with 240 sq in against 160, and undercuts the same-sized $129.00 kettle.
Why the Weber Go-Anywhere scores 6.5
The same $89.99 buys the Jumbo Joe's 240 square inches, so 160 here is paid for in geometry alone.
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Maintenance
Counts for 10% of the scoreWeber Go-Anywhere 6.0Jumbo Joe 18 6.8 Better by 0.8Why the Jumbo Joe 18 scores 6.8No sweep feeds the ash pan, so clearing a cold bowl means lifting the grate out and tipping the whole grill.
Why the Weber Go-Anywhere scores 6.0
No ash catcher is published, while the $54.99 Smokey Joe lists one, so spent ash leaves this box by hand.
See all six scores in one table
| Category | Weber Go-Anywhere | Jumbo Joe 18 |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Performance (25%) | 7.9 | 8.1 Better |
| Long-term Reliability (20%) | 8.1 | 8.2 |
| Build Quality (18%) | 8.0 Better | 7.4 |
| Ease of Use (15%) | 9.5 Better | 7.6 |
| Value (12%) | 6.5 | 8.6 Better |
| Maintenance (10%) | 6.0 | 6.8 Better |
| Avid Griller Score | 7.8 | 7.8 |
Both reviews are scored on the same six weighted categories, on the same 0 to 10 scale, and each reason is the one that review gave. A category is marked better only where the two differ by a tenth or more. How we score →
Where the spec sheets differ
Quoted from each maker's own specifications, as each review records them. Figures the two products publish identically are left out, so only the differences are listed.
Which one is for you
Your grill lives in a car boot and should pack flat with its own tools inside.
Check price →You want the most grate $89.99 buys at Weber, with somewhere for the ash to fall.
Check price →More head-to-heads
Every score and figure on this page comes from our own reviews of these two products, linked above. We have not tested them side by side in one place; the comparison is between two full reviews, each built from the maker's published specifications and documentation. Prices move, and the ones quoted are the ones each review checked on its own date.