I have other smoker boxes that work good, but this one allows for so much reversibility. It has more volume than other boxes which allows you to put about 3 bricks of charcoal in it, light them and add the wood chips on top. You can also use it with or without the stand so you can use the BBQ flame to ignite it. I put an aluminum pie plate under it and ignite with fire starters, the plate keeps all the ashes from dropping into the bottom of your grill. Overall a great product for the price, if I found this first I would not buy any others.