Goldens' Cast Iron 20.5" Kamado Cooker with Handle Cart vs Goldens' Cast Iron 14" Mini Cooker
Goldens' Cast Iron
Goldens' Cast Iron 20.5" Kamado Cooker with Handle Cart
~$2,600
Buy at Goldens' Cast Ironvs
Quick take: The Goldens' Cast Iron 14" Mini Cooker costs $1,675 less; the Goldens' Cast Iron 20.5" Kamado Cooker with Handle Cart offers more cooking space (330 vs 154 sq in).
| Spec | Goldens' Cast Iron 20.5" Kamado Cooker with Handle Cart | Goldens' Cast Iron 14" Mini Cooker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$2,600 | ~$925 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Type | Kamado | Kamado |
| Cooking Area | 330 sq in | 154 sq in |
| Max Temp | — | — |
| Fuel Type | Charcoal | Charcoal |
| Build Material | Cast Iron | Cast Iron |
| Hopper Capacity | — | — |
| Burners | — | — |
| WiFi / App | No | No |
| App control | No | No |
| Meat probe | No | No |
| PID controller | No | No |
| Side burner | No | No |
| Rotisserie | No | No |
| Searing | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions | — | — |
| Weight | 435 lbs | 123 lbs |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime | Limited lifetime |
Pros & cons
Goldens' Cast Iron 20.5" Kamado Cooker with Handle Cart
- ✓Cast iron will not chip, crack or shatter — the failure mode that ends most ceramic kamados does not exist here
- ✓Two-tiered ½-inch cast iron grates hold and radiate heat far better than the thin stainless wire most kamados ship
- ✓Integral patented hinge means no external strap band to loosen and no lid misalignment over time
- ✓Tel-Tru professional thermometer as standard, rated ±1% — most kamados ship a $6 dial
- ✓100% US-made from US raw materials, at a foundry that has been pouring iron since 1882
- ✓Limited lifetime warranty, sold direct at a published price rather than through opaque dealer pricing
- ✗435 lbs with the cart — this is a permanent installation, not something you reposition
- ✗$2,600 is Big Green Egg XLarge money for a 20.5-inch cooking surface
- ✗Cast iron needs seasoning and will surface-rust if the powder coat is chipped; ceramic needs neither
- ✗Heats up slower than ceramic because the iron mass has to come up to temperature first
- ✗Goldens' publishes no temperature range and no dimensions on the product page
- ✗Tiny brand with a thin dealer network — support is essentially direct-to-foundry
Goldens' Cast Iron 14" Mini Cooker
- ✓$925 puts it against a $850 Big Green Egg MiniMax and a $430 Joe Jr. with a build that cannot crack
- ✓Two-tier cast iron grates at this size, where competitors ship one thin stainless grate
- ✓123 lbs is heavy for 14 inches, which is exactly why it holds temperature like a much larger kamado
- ✓Same limited lifetime warranty and same US foundry as the big cooker — nothing is downgraded for the small model
- ✓Sold direct at a published price, unusual in the small-kamado market
- ✗154 sq in is genuinely small — a chicken and not much else
- ✗123 lbs means it is not portable despite the size, unlike a 76 lb Big Green Egg MiniMax that has a carrier
- ✗$925 for 154 sq in is the highest price per square inch of any kamado in this batch
- ✗No published temperature range, dimensions or review base
- ✗Cast iron surface-rusts where the coating chips, and salt air is unkind to it