Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this through Lowe's, not Amazon, but tripped across this while looking for another product and thought I'd comment about the rust issues. I have had this unit for about 2 years - it has survived two midwest winters and very wet springs. The only rust on it is a thin sheen on the outside bottom of the smoker box, likely due to the low grate keeping the temperature higher. I treat this with Pam. Not kidding. It is not too dissimilar to browning metal, as gunsmiths used to do, or seasoning a skillet. Treat it correctly and the thin layer of oxidation will inhibit further oxidation. The rust sheen appeared in the first month and has progressed not one bit. Which brings us to the central issue of rusting grills. Some grills are crap, but when the grill is made with metal of this gauge, rusting is predominantly due to operator error. Grills will typically rust bottom out first from the fact that ashes are not cleaned out and a cover is not used. If the ash is not cleaned out, it acts as an adsorbent, collecting moisture from the air and, while the ash should be alkaline, the adsorbent effect alone will doom the grill. Cleaning after every use is the only effective preventive measure. Fortunately, the drum design of these grills make cleaning very easy. I use a wide, floppy pancake turner and little bucket. Takes minutes. Seasoning the grill is also key and all boxes should be seasoned and re-seasoned as warranted by age and use. At least every year. I re-season in the late fall and late spring. Simple process: coat with a good oil - Pam will do well enough - and heat it up with a small fire in the smoker box and low heat on one propane burner. Works well and adds a lot of protection. For the flame deflectors, yeah, they seem light and the lips on which they rest. However, this is pretty typical and the solution to a long life for both is ... wait for it ... regular cleaning. I pull and clean after every use. My neighbor doesn't. He has holes through his deflectors and his grill is younger than mine. Without the deflectors to protect them, his burners will be going before long. One reviewer commented that this isn't a grill for someone who doesn't want to buy a cover. Seriously, if you can't invest in a cover, buy the cheapest grill you can find and throw it away every year. I bought a "Classic Accessories 55-394-350401-EC Ravenna Grill Cover, XXX-Large, Black." I paid $65. This is an awesome grill cover. Very heavy material and it has vents to allow damp air to whisper out from under the cover. If you're buying a $500 grill, buy a quality cover. Without it, yes, water gets in and it rusts. How is this a surprise? That reviewer also noted that the doors were not a tight fit; smoke got out and water got in. This is a grill, not a space capsule, so, sure, it bleeds smoke. You can buy mods to seal it up, extend your chimney down to the grill surface, etc. I think that's pointless. My grill smokes like a Colorado stoner and I get plenty of flavor in the meat. As for the wet, buy the grill cover, for the love of Pete! $500 grills are complicated tools and like any tool, requires service for a long life. My previous grill was an Aussie that gave fine performance but was not half as well designed and made as this one. That Aussie lasted 16 years. I'm on this grill 3-4 times a week, on average, but I do not use it when anything wet is falling from the sky. It provides great service and awesome capability. Tonight I smoked two racks of ribs on the charcoal side (I can do four full racks by using the short smoker racks to stack the ribs) and made bacon-wrapped Jalapeno poppers on the gas side. So all three boxes are dirty. I'm about to go out and clean it now. I'm back. Cleaned the bacon grease out of the propane side, pulled in the deflectors, racks, and drip pan to clean. Had foil down in the box where I smoked the ribs and so only had the racks to clean. On the side smoker, I used the rack with the steel deflector, so I pulled out the whole thing and dumped the ash. Minor wipe down. Took 23 minutes. My sweetie spent more time than that cleaning in the kitchen, but she's happy because I cooked. Life is good. Update: June 2, 2018 Was surprised this week to find water in the grill a week after a hard rain. Some internal rust occurred as a result, so I scrapped, cleaned and re-seasoned. Took some time. Checked the grill cover and sure enough, there's a fair bit of cracking on the interior liner, so it's time for a replacement. That Ravenna cover lasted almost three years before failing, so that's 5 stars in my book and I'm buying another. And it's $14 less! I live a charmed life. Otherwise, the condition of the grill is the same as reported above. Ledges, though they appear thin, are as good as they have ever been. The Pam treatment keeps the rust sheens underneath at bay. I smoke turkeys for Thanksgiving, ribs whenever. Get this - I smoked cheeseburgers and they were awesome! I seared them on the propane side and moved them to the smoker, which was burning applewood. Worked like a charm. Oh, I should mention that the thermometers are both blown, but I had learned long ago to never trust such things, so their loss never bothered me - I use one of those wireless deals with two probes. Works great - if I find it on Amazon, I'll add it to this post.