We first purchased the "Large" version of this based on the 1CU FT size. 40lb of Pellets = about 1CU FT. Folks, unless you are Paul Bunyan, I am here to tell you the Large Size is LARGE, easily as tall as a 5 gallon pail and bigger around at the top. I didn't test my theory, but I am thinking you could hold well more then 1 40lb bag of pellets. The small size has better proportions. I am not talking about how much it will hold, I mean that it physically looks better. The large one, aside from being too large, did not look quite right. The proportions were all wrong, it looked kind of goofy, like a caricature or a bucket. This one is perfect. It's the size of a normal water bucket, you know one of those galvanized buckets you use for watering livestock, or carrying grain. Essentially, that's exactly what this is. The only real difference is that it's much more attractive, and has a raised pouring lip. It is heavy duty. I don't suspect I will have any problems for the kind of duty I plan for it. But the rivets that hold both handles on leave a bit to be desired, like they might pull out. However for the hearth and pellet use, I don't see there being much of any issue. And even if they did pull out over time, this is a simple fix with some copper Rivets. Someone mentioned they thought this thing was made of copper and they were disappointed that it was actually just a fancy paint job. Two things. First, no where did the add for this say it was made of pure copper. It says it has a copper finish. If this was made of copper, it would have cost about $300 just for the copper, and who knows how much more for the manufacturing. Second, they mentioned that it's a brown Paint finish. Well, brown is a bit off the mark. It looks very much like the picture shows. And the paint is high gloss enamel. From a distance of about 5 feet, it actually looks like copper with patina. You have to be within a couple feet to realize that it's not actually copper. None the less, this does not detract from the look of it. It looks like,,,, a fancy hammered metal coal hod. It's a bit pricy, but the material is as good as it gets, and it's by far the most attractive Hod we found that fit our needs. There are of course nicer Solid Brass Hods out there. But they would not hold the amount of pellets that we were looking for it to hold. BTW, I believe this will hold a full bag of pellets if filled to the brim. We have a 56lb hopper so it only ever needs to hold up to 30lbs at a time any how. It looks very nice sitting next to our Mount Vernon AE Mahogany. If you can handle the price, you will no doubt like the Hod. ***UPDATE*** After having used this for months now, I can now tell you that it is holding up superbly. But my assumption that it could hold a full 40# bag of pellets was incorrect. It will in fact only hold a lil over a 1/2 bag of pellets. Maybe 25# with keeping them below the lowest part of the rim about 1 inch. Still, this works out nicely as one bag will top off the stove and the hod holds whats left over. At night before bed, I dump the hod into the stove and repeat the cycle again in the morning. ***UPDATE #2*** My fears about the rivets holding the handle on the back of the bucket are turning out to be true. It has not "Failed" yet, but the metal is starting to tear around the rivets and continued use would see the handle pulled off in no time. The main carrying handle which is also attached with rivets is also starting to show signs of fatigue and I fear that continued use will soon result in failure here as well. Primarily, this bucket seems to be for decorative effect. But I have gotten around the problem simply by not using the handles at all anymore. I tip the bucket forward enough to get my hand under the bottom, and then hold the front where the pellets pour out, cradling it to dump into the hopper. This works out very well and eliminated any further stress on the rivets. Bucket still looks great, and seems to be perfectly functional otherwise. I would avoid using the handles if you intend this to be a working bucket for pellets.
