i guess no one has seen one in the wild or at the sam's club in bentonville. looks kinda interesting, sorta like a smaller version of what's mouned on the big bob gibson trailer. as this was a limited run to see if there was any interest in warrent a prodction run, i figured they'd have been fabricated somewhere in teh USA.
What is behind that skinny 2 handled door that is not open in the pics, a water pan? I'm flummoxed. I also like that it looks like the lower portion and doors are double walled.
Can't tell for sure but it looks like 11 gage (1/8") or better steel with some good angle iron and tubing structure. If it really is that heavy it might be a pretty good cooker, pretty durn pricey though.
If I'm going to spend $998.00 for a no doubt chinese junk (not to be confused with the boat, but any non food product they export to the US), I'm going a couple hundred more for a new Lang 36.
I saw one at the Sams in Bentonville. Impressed by the heavy duty steel they used, and you have lots of options for raising and lowering the charcoal. Didn't study it alot, but it nice to see manufacturers stepping up the quality. This one looks like it is built to last.:eusa_clap
It's not exactly the same thing, that one looks to be setup solely for grilling\smoking with lump charcoal where mine has a LP side and an offset smoker.
The biggest difference is price!! Mine was only $349. I can say that I wish the metal was a little thicker. It's not bad but for long term durability I'd prefer a little thicker. And yes it's made in china.
Based on the setup I just bought, and my overall experience with Sam's, I'd say that if you're a somewhat gifted amateur like me, it'd probably work fine for your backyard BBQ but I would look elsewhere for competition. Especially at that price point. If it were $400 cheaper then sure.