PBC Jr. appears to be back

[phoccer]

I have owned a PBC for 2 years and just bought a PBC Jr after selling my PBC to a coworker. As others have pointed out, consider how you cook. I switched to the Jr for a few reasons:

1. I store my cooker in the garage and carry it around the house to the back patio when I cook. Having something 20 lbs lighter will make that more comfortable.
2. I wanted to be able to take my barrel with me on trips. I could take the PBC but it's quite a bit bigger.
3. 95% of my cooking is for 2 or sometimes 3 of us. I just don't need the capacity of the full sized PBC as others aren't as fond of leftovers as I am. I also have a Weber 22 with a SNS if I want/need extra capacity.

I will have to make some adjustment such as cutting up salmon fillets to fit on the smaller grate and may have to cut up steaks if I cook a larger portion but it won't be very often and as I mentioned I can switch to my Weber setup if I have the need or desire. If I didn't have the Weber setup as a secondary cooker I might have stuck with the full size but having that seemed to keep creeping into my decision to switch.

[phoccer]

If I remember correctly, they stopped selling the Jr a while back due to some quality control issues. I'm not saying they have them now but the condition of my Jr has me a bit concerned. Here's a link to photos of mine out of the box, https://photos.app.goo.gl/447Ct9iiUfSmmgma7
I've been emailing the company and originally they told me the chipping under the lid and on the base wasn't of great concern. They said they could ship me replacements or I could paint them. I opted to have the lid and base replaced after I noticed the chip on the external edge of the lid and it appeared to be a little flattened where I found the chip. I took the full barrel out of the packing yesterday and this morning noticed the finish cracked and chipping off of the outside of the barrel. I just emailed the company to see what they say.
At this point, if you decide to get one, you might want to buy it locally if you can and inspect the package before you walk away. I never had any issue with my original PBC when I ordered it in 2017. Don't know if mine is a one off or if they are having manufacturing issues again with the Jr. I realize these are little finish issues and may not impact the longevity of the cooker but I hate paying $300 for something and then see this immediately.

[phoccer]

I should also add the customer support from PBC has been absolutely great. They have replaced all the parts I had an issue with and that's really all you can ask. They've taken care of my concerns.