Received as a Christmas gift, I have used this weekly, even in sub-zero northern Kansas temps.  I had never smoked anything before this, and was a marginal griller;  but negotiating the WSM was simple!  There are a plethora of on-line videos that give you the right information, enabling a newbie to make a great smoked (fill-in-the-blank) the very first time.  I know you are asking yourself, "if he got this as a gift, how does he know the price is 'great'?"  Well, glad you asked!  It is because I know the ordinary MSRP of this model, and I compare it to the ceramic egg-type smokers that my family had promised to buy for me.  I cannot imagine that the egg-type smokers are any better than the Weber Smokey Mountain ... and at a fraction of the cost!