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I bought my Weber Kettle in March of 1982 ($39.00), and it still works fine. Good for the hot and fast or Rotisserie cooking. Then around 84 I bought a Brinks H2O Smoker ($39) which was OK as it did a good job.

I had one of those Chaney 35 Gallon Drum jobs that a friend picked up for me out on Century Blvd in LA back in the late 80's ($115.00). Used it till 2001 when the bottom had rusted out and I wanted to upgrade to a indirect heat Bandera ($275). The Chaney turned out some nifty BBQ. The knock on the Bandera was that the metal is thin and heat retention is not so good which requires a lot of fire tending to keep the temp steady.

Bought a Big Greeny Egg in the summer of 2004 ($679). The limitation is the small cooking area and if you are running more than 18 hours it needs refueling which is not an easy task. In October of 2005 I wanted an indirect heat Pro BBQ unit so I bought me a DAVID KLOSE 36 inch drum with 1/4 steel plate smoking chamber and 1/2 inch steel plate firebox for $2K (shipping by motor freight from TX was a lot of money). At which time I sold the Bandera for $175.00.

So today I run the Weber, The Big Greeny Egg and the David Klose...Each has its place and task at which it excells.