I bought my 8 qt presto at a local farm and fleet store. I did not buy it here. I love it so far. I bought the aluminum model on the recommendation of a friend that has both stainless and aluminum pots. He prefers the aluminum and has cooked with his hundreds of times. The base of the kettle is thick and sturdy as are the sides and the lid seals perfectly.  This product works as promised and cooks beautifully. As with any product you need to read the instruction manual from start to finish before you assemble it and put it to use. I read the one and two star reviews and all I can see in my mind is inept users that do not follow directions and ruin/discolor their product from misuse. What the hell are people thinking when they put an alloy pot in the dishwasher and subject it to harsh chemical soap combinations and heated dry cycles? Is that REALLY a problem with the construction? Use your brains people. Not to mention it's a complete waste of space in your dishwasher when you put a giant 8 quart pressure cooker on the rack. I hand wash mine every time with Dawn dish soap and it looks great. By the way, there are two kinds of dish soap. The wrong kind, and Dawn. Had to add that.