>>>Is it worth it to pay $200 or so for a canner when Walmart has ‘em for $100 or less?<<<
Guess it is a matter of choice... Many are quite happy with the Mirro or Presto....
I wanted a rugged - heavy duty one. Plus, I like having the gauge to monitor what is going on in addition to the bobbler. I also didn’t want to ever have to hunt for a gasket. If TSHTF or TEOTWAWKI I didn’t want to be limited by a danged gasket... Plus, the safety latches tend to stick sometimes after a lot of use - don’t want to have to fiddle with that at 2 AM as I am finishing up a long day of canning. But that is just me - rugged old codger that I am.
I really like my All American canner.
Yes, we did spend more for it, but like you said, no replacement parts to hunt for.
I get “TSHTF” but what’s “TEOTWAWKI”?