Our three barrels came much sooner than we thought they would.  As with our other, the boxes were pretty beat up before they made it to our door, but again(amazingly)there was no damage to the barrel's.  The gray is great and looks good in our yard.  We have one in the front of the house, and it blends in nicely, not an eyesore like many barrels I have seen.  The only criticism is that the overflow valve should be placed on the side of the barrel so it allows for easy access when the barrel is up against a wall or the house.