Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

(Update 2/3/06)...Whooooa...look at the price hike since my last review of this product...OUCH...I DOUBLE MY SUGGESTIONS WHEN I FIRST REVIEWED THIS PRODUCT LAST SUMMER...ACCEPT ONLY PERFECTION FROM WEBER...DO NOT PAY well OVER $200 FOR ANYTHING LESS!!! I say this after experience with the product...which is great if it is as air tight as possible...you'll have few problems if this is the case...make sure all pieces fit perfectly and that none of them are "out of round"...see [...] when you unpack and look over your smoker...be picky...you'll thank me later...now, read my first review...it still holds true today... Well, I did my research and found out four things about the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker...1) It's one of the best home, and even competition, smokers out there and can help cue-heads like myself make some great food, 2) It's pricey - probably with a healthy mark-up, 3) the materials used to make the smoker are of decent to high quality, and 4) the initial quality of construction or packing at the factory can often be "spotty" and/or inconsistent...with all in mind I ordered a WSM from Amazon... The box arrived unhurt indicating smooth shipping...I opened the package and found a damaged charcoal bowl...severe chipping, a flat spot, and way out of round...this was frustrating so I called Weber Customer Service who would replace the bowl BUT they didn't have an estimate as to when a bowl would ship and to call back in a week to see IF there would be an estimate...given that I ordered the smoker as a present for father's day and the weekend I said "no" to placing my name on the waiting list and called Amazon...to their credit they shipped me a new one and picked up the damaged WSM... The second smoker arrived showing an unhurt box...I opened the box and saw no chipping but then I noticed that one of the rivets on the charcoal bowl holding a heat vent was poorly installed with the vent swinging freely with no resistance (it opened and closed on its own)...I explored further and found the charcoal bowl over 1/2" out of round...I am sending back the second WSM for a refund...looks like I'm out of luck for father's day... In both cases these problems should have been caught at Weber's factory and I'm finding that even on the pro-WSM discussion boards there are lots of discussions centered upon a recent lack of quality control. I am going to get a WSM BUT I'm going to find one locally so that I can deal with any issues quicker and review the initial quality of the smoker BUT I'll pay more for this privilege in my area...so, in other words, due to Weber's inability to maintain quality control at their factory I'll have to spend even more $$...if the potential of this smoker wasn't so great I'd have given up on it... My advice for new buyers of the WSM given my experience and research is this...it's got a long distinguished history and many folks today get their WSM in fine shape...on the other hand...BUYER BEWARE...things at Weber seem to be slipping a bit during the manufacturing process BUT their customer service is usually very good...(they should get it right the first time though!)...look over the contents of your package very carefully...look for out of round bowls, chipping, missing parts, and so on...you're paying not to put up with even minor issues...Good Luck!