It's an excellent smoker. As with any new smoker or grill, I would suggest running it empty a couple of times to learn how to keep your temps in the right range and to ”burn” it in. The more you use it, the better it smokes. If you take care of it, it will last you many years. I own a kettle that was manufactured in the ’70s I use it all the time. Great products I highly recommend any of their charcoal burners.