You have all given me a lot of really good advice and things to think about.
Civilmoker: I see your point, I just don't want to do any mods or add-ons later on. If I need to make an adjustment, I think I would rather just wait longer and order it stock from the OEM. I'm coming to terms with the idea that I will probably need to spend more towards the $2k mark to get what I want. I think you and Alphnose are dead-on about the size as well. As much as people advise getting a size bigger than you think you will need, I really do have to come back to the fact that I literally cook a rack of ribs and some chicken 99% of the time. That's it. Either of the smaller patio smokers I'm looking at would manage that and plenty more, very easily. There's no sense in smoking 1 rack of ribs on a 48" smoker.
Nole4L: That's really great info to hear from someone who owns one. I've been looking for that kind of insight from someone that has one, so it's really helpful. Here are the things I see as differentiating factors between the two smokers. All of these things beings laid out, I can see how someone would think it's nitpicking. Then again when you get to the top of the line, the differences DO tend to be a bit nitpicky.
A little bit of fit and finish
Shirley on the left and Lang on the right
Tough Shirley's welds look to be superior, I can't say that the Lang welding is below part...AT ALL. I work in industrial automation with robotic welding being one of the things that we provide. I wouldn't be surprised if those welds on the lang are done via robot. That's not a knock, just the way it looks. I can't imagine Lang could keep up with demand without some automation. The point I'm making here, is about the placement of the welds and where the joinery is finished off. The edge of the Shirley - where the pipe meets the end - is nice and rounded on the Shirley. I happen to like that. I think it's a really nice touch that makes the unit look like a piece of furniture, which is something I appreciate.
Door Finish/Framing
Shirley on the left and Lang on the right
Looking at the fit and finish in the doors, it appears that Shirley just kind of buttons theirs up a bit more neatly. To be fair, Shirley's may look a little better simply because they have the door stop inset, lending to a more streamlined finish, whereas Lang has the door stops on the outside which, at least when opened, leaves the door opening look a little less refined (all just an opinion of course). I also notice that Shirley has a slide-out fire rack in there, which is a nice touch.
Other Notes
-
Removable Racks - All of Shirley's racks slide out where only Lang's top one does. I could see all racks being sliding very convenient when you want to get at something that might be located towards the back on the bottom rack. Wrestling around the meat in that tight space would get old, but then again, it probably wouldn't be that frequent.
-
Cooking Space - The Shirley clearly offers the most cooking space per square foot of floor space, even with the warmer.
-
Two Cooking Zones and Price - If I want two cooking zones I'm going to have to put a warmer on a Shirley which is going to raise the price (I have an email into them to see how much). The Lang comes at the same price as the Shirley with the warmer and vents already included.
-
Thickness of Cooking Chamber - I need to nail this down, but Shirley says their cook chamber is 3/8" as opposed to Lang's 1/4". I say I need to nail that down because I just watched a video where Shirley said that only the end round part of the cooker is 3/8" but the cabinet is 1/4". That doesn't make sense to me, so it's worth asking. 3/8" doesn't seem like much, but it's 50% thicker. Living in Iowa winters, that could be helpful.
-
Intangibles and Company Culture - This might seem odd, but being in the job that I am, I can't NOT notice these things. When you look around some of the cut-outs on the Lang (firebox opening, cut-outs in pin-wheel vents, even the main chamber) it looks like they are using a low-res plasma or something. I can tell by the wavy edges and occasional knicks and tool path cut-ins on the corners. I'm surprised they wouldn't be using a laser or even a hi-def plasma. Shirley's look super clean, which tells me that they are at least paying attention to this. I'm just surprised that with as long as Lang has been in business it doesn't look like they are re-investing in their output quality. I'm not in their shop so I don't know that for sure, but it looks like it from the outside.
The same can be said for their marketing. The website looks dated, even though it appears to have current information. Their cooker pictures still show units that don't have slide-out racks which is standard for them now. They also aren't the most telling pictures, they could be more involved. It's also surprising how few videos they have on YouTube for the patio models. They don't even have a walk-through, you have to find someone else that does, which are also few. Shirley appears to have a modern and up-to-date approach to their marketing, particularly with YouTube. While this is a critique of their business approach, it is mostly a complaint that I can't get a good vision of the cooker from a distance. Shirley makes that very easy and in-depth. Lang's videos seem to be dated and sparse. It can kind of seem like they are resting on their laurels a bit, which just gives me a bum perspective when spending money with them.
All said, I'm still a little unsure, but to be honest I'm leaning Shirley. That could still change as the Lang's just plain WORK. All of the things I have pointed out are pretty damned small. I'll let you know what Shirley says about price for adding on a warmer box with a vent for two-zone cooks.