I speak from personal experience but what works for me might not be good for you. I owned my Ranch Kettle for a year or so and realized I was wasting space with that wonderful monster. My wife was very supportive but I decided I needed a change. I found a fine buyer from this very forum. He is a man with multiple kettles so he knew what he was getting... and he drove two hours to get here. He got a good deal and I feel I was treated fairly as well. For a replacement, I was going to go for the 26" kettle but there is an 8-10 week wait time to get one today. So, I bought the 22 1/2 kettle and I love it. I bought the vortex and a beer can chicken holder. Just got the new BBQ today and tried it out with both of those items. Wonderful result. And, I can open and close the new kettle with one hand and not worry about disturbing the neighbors with the crashing sound the Ranch created. I'm definitely not looking back with any remorse. Good luck!