Weber Jumbo Joe 18 vs Smokey Joe 14
240 sq in on an 18-inch bowl at $89.99, against 147 sq in on a 14-inch bowl at $54.99. What $35 and 93 more square inches change about the cook.
We pick the Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill 18
Buy the Jumbo Joe unless you only ever cook for two. $35 more takes the grate from 147 sq in to 240 and the bowl from 14 inches to 18. That is the gap between a cool side in name and one that finishes chicken while sausages sear. The Smokey Joe outscores it overall, and for a couple it is the better buy. Weber pitches it at two to four people and the Jumbo Joe at four to six.
What actually differs
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93 square inches, and a cool side you can use
Both bank coals the kettle way. On a 14-inch bowl the cool half is small, and neither zone is generous. On 240 sq in, one half sears sausages while chicken pieces finish on the other.
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Neither stands up, and one is wider
The Smokey Joe is 17 inches tall and the Jumbo Joe 19.7, so both want a table or a tailgate. The bigger grill sits on a 19.7 by 20.5 inch footprint against 14.2 by 16.5. Measure the boot before the bowl.
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Same enamel, same ten years, one grate question
Each carries ten years on the porcelain bowl and lid, and each hangs an ash catcher under it. The Jumbo Joe's grate is plated steel. Weber's Smokey Joe page calls its grate cast iron in one line and plated steel in another.
How they score, category by category
The Weber Jumbo Joe 18 scores higher in 1 category, the Smokey Joe 14 in 5 categories.
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Heat Performance
Counts for 25% of the scoreWeber Jumbo Joe 18 8.1 Better by 0.4Smokey Joe 14 7.7Why the Weber 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 Smokey Joe 14 scores 7.7
Lid and bowl dampers give the full kettle control system, over a fire only 14 inches across.
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Long-term Reliability
Counts for 20% of the scoreWeber Jumbo Joe 18 8.2Smokey Joe 14 8.3 Better by 0.1Why the Smokey Joe 14 scores 8.3Ten years against rust through on bowl and lid, five on plastics, two on the rest, over porcelain enamel.
Why the Weber Jumbo Joe 18 scores 8.2
Porcelain 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 Jumbo Joe 18 7.4Smokey Joe 14 7.8 Better by 0.4Why the Smokey Joe 14 scores 7.8Porcelain enamel matches the big kettles, but it stands on a short wire tripod, and Weber names the grate two different materials.
Why the Weber 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 Jumbo Joe 18 7.6Smokey Joe 14 8.1 Better by 0.5Why the Smokey Joe 14 scores 8.1The Tuck-N-Carry lock holds the lid for travel and while cooking, but at 17 in tall it wants a table to cook at.
Why the Weber 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 Jumbo Joe 18 8.6Smokey Joe 14 9.5 Better by 0.9Why the Smokey Joe 14 scores 9.5At $54.99 the bowl and lid carry the same ten years Weber puts on kettles costing several times more.
Why the Weber Jumbo Joe 18 scores 8.6
At $89.99 it matches the Go-Anywhere's price with 240 sq in against 160, and undercuts the same-sized $129.00 kettle.
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Maintenance
Counts for 10% of the scoreWeber Jumbo Joe 18 6.8Smokey Joe 14 7.3 Better by 0.5Why the Smokey Joe 14 scores 7.3Porcelain wipes down and the catcher lifts away, but the feature list names no One-Touch sweep to push ash into it.
Why the Weber Jumbo Joe 18 scores 6.8
No sweep feeds the ash pan, so clearing a cold bowl means lifting the grate out and tipping the whole grill.
See all six scores in one table
| Category | Weber Jumbo Joe 18 | Smokey Joe 14 |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Performance (25%) | 8.1 Better | 7.7 |
| Long-term Reliability (20%) | 8.2 | 8.3 Better |
| Build Quality (18%) | 7.4 | 7.8 Better |
| Ease of Use (15%) | 7.6 | 8.1 Better |
| Value (12%) | 8.6 | 9.5 Better |
| Maintenance (10%) | 6.8 | 7.3 Better |
| Avid Griller Score | 7.8 | 8.1 |
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
You cook for four to six, want a real two-zone fire, and will set it on a table or tailgate.
Check price →You cook for two, want the smallest kettle Weber makes, and would rather keep the $35.
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.