SJG question

[toddmog]

I just picked up two SJG's for prizes at our church men's group throwdown. I assembled them and noticed two things. First, they are both stamped AU on the vent, making them from 2012. Do the golds just not sell as well as the silvers making these sit in a warehouse somewhere for the past couple of years?

Second, it seems the cooking grate on both fits loosely compared to my performer and MT. I know they don't sit on tabs, but there seems to be a fair amount of play around the bowl. Not so much that the grate will fall down in the bowl, but noticeably more plan than I'm used to seeing. Is that pretty much how the SJ's are?

Anyways, I hope to win one for myself. If not, I'll be buying my own for my 11 year old who really wanted to claim one for himself.

[iCARRY]

My  SJ cooking grate is pretty loose. Think that's how they all are.

[CharliefromLI]

So the gold has three issues:
1. $5 More expensive
2. Not sold in big stores like Home Depot that only carry silver
3. Many say the side vents don't allow as much air as the bottom vent on the silver and therefore you cannot get the high heat people want for burgers steak etc

All that being said, the lid lock is a handy feature, and the  side vent is seen as an advantage for low and slow and thus the gold is preferred by many people who build SJ Mini WSM's,