I currently own a 14.5 and 22.5. Had an 18.5 and sold it. I use my 14.5 90% of the time for my family of four and for camping with friends and my 22.5 for large get togethers. The 22.5 just uses to much charcoal for every weekend smokes. The 14.5 can cook so much more than I ever thought. I can cook 6 full racks of baby back ribs (with two weber rib racks), XXXL size chickens, or anything else I want and a 20 lb bag of charcoal lasts for for many long smokes. I can generally cook for a solid 6-8 people on my 14.5, but it's tight. My 18.5 was a great smoker and I really regret selling it. I smoked two 16 lb turkeys, cooked tons of ribs and everything else you can imagine for big groups. It also used a lot less charcoal than my 22.5, and the stock door sealed better because the door is smaller. I'm happy with what I have now, but I plan on buying an 18.5 when a nice one hits craigslist in my area. I really do think it was the most set and forget of the three sizes.