Yeah, I was on the verge of buying a MES because the little $99 Brinkman I have is too small to put as much as I'd like in there but after spending a month reading, here mostly, but other places too, the problems that come with the MES and most other affordable smokers are just to many for me to justify taking the chance. I have no patience dealing with customer service and excuses. So, I'm investing in some fireplace rope and some heat sealant and I'm going to perfect a little cheapy that's only problem is size. I'll probably use this thing until it falls apart, by then hopefully, someone out there will have perfected a smoker that doesn't cost as much as a small car and doesn't fall apart or require rebuilding. Until reading here, I was unaware that things such as gasket rope and heat sealant existed. :)
While I know perfection is the goal and even though the thermostat in this thing is way off and says it doesn't get over 200 degrees, the internal thermometer I use tells me all I need to know. If I crank it to the max it gets the meat cooked in a timely manner and turning it down prolongs the cooking process for pulled pork and slower cooked meats. It puts out a ton of smoke (unfortunately a lot of it goes out the cracks but I'm working on that) and as far as I can tell, that's what it is all about.