I broke this bowl the day after it came in the mail. I broke a bowl about a year ago by pressing down too hard, so I have been very careful since then. I could not get this bowl airtight, so I pressed down with what I thought was a minimal amount of pressure, but apparently it was too much for the bowl. So, just so you know, be very careful. But, I will probably buy another one because it smoked incredibly well during its first day of use and even patched up it usually works great. The size is perfect - large and wide. As others have said, the cover does get very very hot, but I don't know how you can get around this. It can be awkward, however, when you are trying to open and close it with lit coals and you are wearing an oven mitt. I wish the hinges weren't as tight, because the bowl moves a lot when opening or closing. It may just need some WD-40. As someone else said, though, it does seem to trap too much charcoal smoke, resulting in a very harsh smoke when you first start. We always leave it open when we first start smoking. As the coals diminish, however, closing the lid keeps the heat in, resulting in a much longer smoking experience. I also use natural coals, so it allows you to play with the lid and heat depending on the size of your coal. So, yes, I think it is a great bowl, but be careful and play around with it a bit.
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