HankR, about 1 year ago I was almost ready to pull a trigger and buy Smokin-it #3. You are right: they are very well built and have very high reputation among "smoke lovers". After careful research (online forums mostly) I realized that these smokers are not exactly intended for sausage making but solely for meat smoking and cooking (ribs, shoulders, briskets, etc). I don't remember for 100%, but Smokin-It temperature range is somewhere from 100F to 325F or so. To make sausage you should start from 100F and finish not higher then 165F. With Smokin-it there is no way you can control temperature within that range..... SausageMaker smoker made of good quality stainless still, insulated and higher then Smokin-It by 14.5" which is much better for smoking sausages. I am sure, there are pros and cons on both smokers.