Well, I pulled the trigger and picked up the 26.75" OTG from a local BBQ store. Before I let them know I was interested in it, I checked out everything in the store and asked them how their sales were. The associate told me that this is usually their prime season, but things have been slower and customers aren't going for the bigger ticket items. Let the negotiations begin... I started asking about the 26" kettle and showed them I could buy it cheaper from Amazon (no tax and free shipping), but let them know that I grill a lot and will be a frequent customer. After a discussion with the manager, I walked out the door with the kettle and some bags of "opened"chunks and a "damaged" chimney to offest the tax.
I also stopped by a local building supply store and picked up some fire bricks.
After assembling the kettle and marking the vents as TG advised, I was ready to fire it up, but the 98* weather kept me from doing so.
More to come.......