JMSetzler
Babbling Farker
Well, from what I have seen so far, I'm happy with my purchase. The low and slow aspect was the only thing I was worried about. Air leaks can make that very difficult to do but this Kamado seems to be handling it fairly well right out of the box with no modifications. I'll admit that some previous experience with low and slow cooking is making it a little easier, but I'm new to this type of cooker and also new to using lump charcoal and it's still working rather well.
The question of longevity on this cooker is what's gonna be left to determine. I can't speak for that obviously because I haven't had it but a few days. What I can say is that I DID purchase the cover for it and I do not leave my cookers out in the weather. They stay parked under an outside awning and they stay covered. I think with any type of grill or smoker, proper maintenance will make it last a long time. This cooker has porcelain coating on everything that could possibly be a rust point. I'll have to keep my eyes open for visible rust developing on the outside metal stand and shelf parts. If I see that happening, it won't be a big deal to use a little wire brush action and touch it up with some paint.
I take care of my stuff. If everyone else does, I'm sure they will get longer life out of their cookers. I had a Char-Griller gas grill that I used for three seasons before I gave it away. It had no signs of rust on it anywhere when I gave it away. It did NOT have porcelain coatings on anything other than the grill grates. It, as with my other cookers, stayed covered and out of the weather as well.
The question of longevity on this cooker is what's gonna be left to determine. I can't speak for that obviously because I haven't had it but a few days. What I can say is that I DID purchase the cover for it and I do not leave my cookers out in the weather. They stay parked under an outside awning and they stay covered. I think with any type of grill or smoker, proper maintenance will make it last a long time. This cooker has porcelain coating on everything that could possibly be a rust point. I'll have to keep my eyes open for visible rust developing on the outside metal stand and shelf parts. If I see that happening, it won't be a big deal to use a little wire brush action and touch it up with some paint.
I take care of my stuff. If everyone else does, I'm sure they will get longer life out of their cookers. I had a Char-Griller gas grill that I used for three seasons before I gave it away. It had no signs of rust on it anywhere when I gave it away. It did NOT have porcelain coatings on anything other than the grill grates. It, as with my other cookers, stayed covered and out of the weather as well.