Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this to take on camping trips and for quick charcoal-grilled goodness at home. It's a pretty straightforward grill, there's nothing much to it. Didn't even think to review something like a table top charcoal grill. However, after being abused and neglected yet still being ready than ever for the next camping season, I just had to write a short commendation on this little guy. You see, I didn't take the time to clean it and worse yet, it was left behind OUT IN THE ELEMENTS on the back 40 of a friend's property for over eight months...rain, mud, snow, freezing temperatures. I thought, no big deal, I had lost it out there and was going to buy another one, yet my buddy said he found it laying on its side not far from the cabin. Not expecting good results, I took it home, cleaned it up and it was gleaming! Not a speck of rust on the porcelain kettle at all. Not a single imperfection on the finish. No oxidation, nothing. All the oxidized guck came right off. Looked like new. The grate, coated in guck from all the summer and fall grilling, shined right up. Not a speck of rust on that either. Being that I didn't treat this poor guy too well, I didn't expect it to clean up so well after being left up in the woods for several months and never cleaned before that point. Obviously Weber uses higher quality materials and finishes. That is why you can find their older grills everywhere loooong after the cheap department store specials have rusted away or fallen apart, not unlike the way my $700 gas grill did in less than three seasons (which was not a Weber). That grill, on the other hand, was babied and stowed away in my garage, yet that couldn't last a full two years without a rusted firebox. Way before the rust appeared, I noticed that the finish on the firebox was like a thin glaze. It would literally make audible cracking sounds when flexed and when fasteners were tightened during assembly. Black flecks confirmed this. Hmmm...wonder why it was so quick to rust? The Weber kettle is an icon, sort of like how a KitchenAid stand mixer is an icon. Both are stout, sturdy and straightforward pieces that last and last. Since I am left with no choice but to kick my expensive yet crappy gas grill to the curb (no longer under warranty), I just bought the bigger version of this, the original full size kettle. Didn't want to drop hundreds of dollars on another gas grill since most of them have rusting problems. Sure, charcoal isn't convenient as turning a knob and it sure is smoky but the taste is better and a Weber will last forever with its heavy duty finish and better quality materials and workmanship.