I do over 200 lbs of smoked sausages and 100 lbs of smoked fish a year and have found that the five most important considerations in purchasing a smoker are #1 The temperature control range and stability, #2 The size of batches you want to do at a time determined by the physical size of the smoker, #3 The smoke Generator mechanism, I like using the A-Maze-N 12" and pellets, #4 The cost of fuel used to operate the smoker, I just converted mine over to Natural Gas, and last but not least how much money or time and energy you want to spend to get a good smoker Dave