Russ

The price of a Kalamazoo is directly related to the cost of building it (materials, components and labor). As head of product, my primary mission is to ensure our grills are the absolute best, and that means not cutting corners in engineering or production. I never tell anyone "you should buy a Kalamazoo." I only tell people if I could afford any grill I wanted, I would choose the Kalamazoo. The pricing makes them unattainable for most people, including myself, I will stand behind the design and the quality without hesitation. I think the Alfresco is truly a good grill. I am sure you'll get many years of enjoyment from it. The same is true of the Komodo Kamado. I have nothing but respect for these products.

DJM, you understand it correctly. The cooking grate up top has only one position. The fire grates can be adjusted into three different positions. You can, however, use multiple positions for the fire as part of the same cook. You can also, if you choose to do so, cook food on the fire grates down inside the body of the grill. There are three fire grates included. One "main" fire grate, which is always placed in the lowest position. Two half-width adjustable fire grates can be placed in either of the two higher positions. They can be placed side-by-side on one level to fill it; or they can each be on a different level. These adjustable grates are also used to hold a water pan or cordierite diffuser if you like. The fire grates are cut from 1/4-inch stainless steel plate (same as the cooking grates). I hope this information is helpful.