Thanks all, I did speak with Steve in December, and he wanted me to try it again, which I did finally (not smoking much due to the price of meat). It got hot initially but then failed to ever crest 150-160 or so. I am going to look around for how to adjust the thermostat, as I have to turn it halfway up just to get it to click on, which is odd, but then it won’t turn the light on at all after about an hour until it is around 150 so I do think it’s the thermostat, not the element, though I will check that as well.
Thx again.