"thin" is probably the operative word. My guess is the other issue is "made in China", which is probably why the coating has been complained about.
If you can afford to, buy yourself one of the colored Webers. If you need to save some $, but a used Weber for now. It will still last you a very, very long time. If you are near the border, consider a min-vacation in the US & pick up a used one while you are here & take it back with you. My guess is you'll be better off in the long run.
The other day, as I was moving the ash sweeps back & fourth a boatload of times before taking the ashcan off to dump them out, I wondered if this was actually any easier than just cleaning the ashes out of the old ones with the daisy wheels. But, maybe it was more of a pain then I remember.