I have three lifters to compare. They are the traditional styled Lodge A5 Camp Dutch Oven Lid Lifter, this Lodge A5DLL Deluxe Lid Lifter, and the Camp Chef Professional Dutch Oven Lid Lifter (Black, 9-Inch). Here is my unbiased opinion of all three. Lodge A5 Camp Dutch Oven Lid Lifter Pros: This is a multi-purpose item and it surprisingly has the best finish & has the least sloppily welded junctions of all three lifters. I say this is a multi-purpose item because the two deluxe lifters are pretty much dedicated dutch oven table / charcoal cooking items. If you are cooking over a campfire I would go with the A5 because it can be used as a fire poker, and a coal rake as well as a lid lifter. The A5 lifter is just as good as the Camp Chef when it comes to carrying a dutch oven by the bail handle over long distances because of the T-handle portion that is welded to the handle. The Deluxe Lodge A5DLL lifter is slightly worse because of the odd downward slope of the handle. Cons: The A5 does not have a cushioned handle like the other two. There is more of a learning curve as far as balancing the lid is concerned.... But not as drastic as other reviewers would lead you to believe unless you are truly an uncoordinated klutz. Yes, the deluxe lifters are both more stable when it comes to controlling the lid, but as of right now, the only major thing I can do with the other lifters that I cannot do with the traditional A5 is grab the lid and turn it completely upside down. Unless you are a tricked out dutch oven stunt cooking artist, then there is really no need to do this. I'm still able to use the A5 to tilt the lid to either side to knock the ashes off and whatever else I need to do while cooking and transporting (by the bail handle) the ovens. The point, I am trying to make is that the A5 is not as bad as people try to make it out to be. Lodge A5DLL Deluxe Lid Lifter Pros: This one has the best length for ground cooking. That is about the only good advantage that this one has over the rest of them, however, if you plan on doing deep bean hole type cooking, then I would go with the Camp Chef Professional Dutch Oven Lid Lifter, 22-Inch (which I do not own, but looks identical to the 9-inch which I do own). Cons: The finish on this model is the worst of the three. It is almost as if they baked on the finish and then tried to weld it together after the fact... as opposed to the Camp Chef which looks like it was welded first... then baked on the finished (which is how I would expect the process to be done). Then inner bar of the A5DLL Deluxe wiggles and turns inside the outer sleeve much more so than the Camp Chef, which is very annoying. I am not sure I am all that sold on the downward slope of the A5DLL handle as opposed to the straight, parallel handle configuration of the Camp Chef. To me, this is the worst lifter... and it cost the most. Looks like I paid more for the Lodge name, rather than any added or superior benefits over the Camp Chef version. However it's not really something that I would waste time trying to return through the mail because the advantages of the Camp Chef version over this one are minimal. If I had to do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I would probably have purchased the 14-inch Camp Chef version over the A5DLL, but then I would be giving up 2 inches in length which is better for ground cooking as opposed to table cooking. Camp Chef Professional Dutch oven Lid Lifter (Black, 9-Inch) Pros: This one is the best for dutch oven table cooking because of its length. It keeps you from having the move the ovens around on the table in an awkward position because the length is just right. The handle on the Camp Chef has more of a solid feel than the Lodge Deluxe A5DLL version. The parallel bar configuration works the best for me. The weld junctions on the Camp Chef are better and it has a slightly more beefier construction than the Lodge Deluxe A5DLL. However, the lodge A5 has the best welds (read: more durability) of all three lifters that I own. Cons: The only con I can see at this point is that the metal is exposed under the outer sleeve of the t-handle (I assume to make it slide better inside the sleeve) on the Camp Chef. There could be a rusting issue somewhere down the line... then again maybe not because it looks like that part is galvanized. Only time will tell. There really is no need for this portion to be unfinished, because part of the bar that slides within the tube is finished and it does not hinder the way the bar functions at all. Final thoughts: Overall I like the traditional A5 the best but that is just my personal preference because of its multi-functional versatility. It's just a jack of all trades. I can do almost everything the deluxe lifters can do, plus I can use it as a fire poker and a coal raker. If you are cooking over a campfire, go with the A-5. If your cooking is limited only to cooking on a dutch oven table, then I would go with the 9-inch Camp Chef lifter. If you are ground or bean-hole cooking then I would take a long look at both the Camp Chef 14-inch and 22-inch lid lifters before deciding to buy the Lodge A5DLL Deluxe Lid Lifter.
