Love my 26" for the space but the ash sweep seems to be scraping the bowl and causing excess force to be needed for clean-out. Sounds like grinding/scraping during operation. I can't figure out if the aluminum fins are bent, or if the bowl itself has some sort of quality issues with high spots in the finish.  I've had a few 22" kettles before and never noticed this before.  So, love the space, but maybe the quality control is lacking?  I'm sure this will cause premature wearing and need to be replaced soon enough.