We have all been there at least once! :deadhorse:
First, absolutely avoid the screwed together models and the ones that are thin. Air leaks can be a real issue with these types of units and, of course heat management is almost akin to alchemy and witchcraft for most beginners with cheap offsets.
This is the absolute truth. Up until last year, I did all my smoking on New Braunfels offsets ($150ish or so). I went through...three of them over the years if memory serves. While I definitely learned all the finer points of fire management/smoking (and how to turn out some good 'cue), it is EXTREMELY difficult to do so on these cheaper, thinner gauge models. Not to mention the fact that they rust/burn through fairly quickly regardless of how you maintain them. Mine always leaked like crazy. There would be just as much smoke coming out of the edges of the cook chamber/firebox doors as through the smokestack. The fire had to be babysat relentlessly, lest it either flare up with the force of a thousand angry gods, or die out completely. And Lord help you if you are trying to smoke on a cold or windy day. Not to mention that normal size splits can't even fit inside the firebox...the issues go on.
All that said, my understanding is that the Old Country models are a BIG step up from the type of offsets I mention above, while still being relatively affordable. I would STRONGLY recommend saving up and buying a thicker gauge model, but if that isn't in the budget** then I don't think you can go wrong with an OC.
**I was in the process of saving up for a custom offset last year, squirreling away like $50-$100 or so a month, when some friends of mine flat out gave me one (it had belonged to a deceased family member and had fallen out of use). If that hadn't happened, well, I would probably STILL be saving and using that old rusty New Braunfels. Just wanted to clarify that I am painfully aware of how expensive those damn things are, and didn't mean to imply that such an investment can be made at the drop of a hat. :mrgreen:
Forgot to mention, my cousin has on OC that he has used HEAVILY (at least 3-4 times a week) for probably close to a decade. To my knowledge, it is still holding up, though he texted me a few months back saying that the firebox door had warped a bit.
