Real owners rate these about evenly: 75% of 32 Kamado Joe Classic II owners recommend it, vs 75% of 20 for the Pit Boss 850 Navigator.
Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score
The Kamado Joe Classic II and the Pit Boss 850 Navigator both win owners as versatile cookers that grill and sear as well as smoke, but they land at different price and build tiers. Kamado Joe owners praise tank-like construction, excellent heat retention and precise temperature control, fuel efficiency, and standout customer service, with the main caveats being a ceramic heat deflector that cracks and is hard to replace and a premium price. Pit Boss owners are overwhelmingly satisfied and would buy again, singling out the open-flame broiler that lets it char like a real grill and strong value near the roughly $399 mark, while reporting electronics failures across control boards, WiFi controllers, probes, and igniters and uneven heat with the hopper side running hotter and coarse 10-degree increments. A buy-once buyer wanting durable heat retention and control who'll pay a premium leans to the Kamado Joe, while a budget buyer wanting pellet convenience and searing for the money leans to the Pit Boss. Neither is simply better; the decision hinges on whether long-term build and temperature precision or up-front value and pellet ease matters more.
“We switched about 1.5 years ago to the kamado joe classic ii’s and I can assure you those things are WAY better engineered in almost every way.”— ImNotClever_Sorry on Reddit
“The food in it turns out great.”— @fawzye22 on YouTube
“the heat deflector cracked. On to the shop to buy the replacement. Ordered 6 months ago and still not received. Rumour tells me that the heat deflectors are now discontinued. What? This thing cracks so easily but discontinued? People who wants KJ, think twice.”— dDerDol M. on ProductReview.com.au
“STILL ROCCCKING WITH THE NAVIGATOR 1150 AND 850”— @VietKieuLongNguyen on YouTube
“Just picked one up Black Friday at Academy for a great price and have already grilled on it a few times, Great Product!!”— @Intoxacajun on YouTube
“I have a Navigator 850G over a year old. Have replaced 4 control boards and 2 grill probes. Waiting on igniter. Does anyone have any ideas why they keep going bad?”— jcbitsme on Pit Boss Grill Forum
The Kamado Joe Classic II and the Pit Boss 850 Navigator both win owners as versatile cookers that grill and sear as well as smoke, but they land at different price and build tiers. Kamado Joe owners praise tank-like construction, excellent heat retention and precise temperature control, fuel efficiency, and standout customer service, with the main caveats being a ceramic heat deflector that cracks and is hard to replace and a premium price. Pit Boss owners are overwhelmingly satisfied and would buy again, singling out the open-flame broiler that lets it char like a real grill and strong value near the roughly $399 mark, while reporting electronics failures across control boards, WiFi controllers, probes, and igniters and uneven heat with the hopper side running hotter and coarse 10-degree increments. A buy-once buyer wanting durable heat retention and control who'll pay a premium leans to the Kamado Joe, while a budget buyer wanting pellet convenience and searing for the money leans to the Pit Boss. Neither is simply better; the decision hinges on whether long-term build and temperature precision or up-front value and pellet ease matters more.
Owners point the Kamado Joe Classic II at buy-once buyers wanting a cooker that lasts, and both low-and-slow smokers and high-heat grillers.
Owners point the Pit Boss 850 Navigator at cooks who want both smoking and open-flame searing, and budget buyers wanting solid build for the money.
The most-cited downside of the Kamado Joe Classic II is ceramic heat deflector cracks easily and replacements are hard to get. For the Pit Boss 850 Navigator, it's electronics reliability problems, control boards, WiFi controller, grill probes, and igniter failing or needing replacement/upgrade.