Welcome Lee!
I'll give ya my take on the different smokers I've used. I've used charcoal/wood offsets, propane
masterbuilt (
http://www.amazon.com/Masterbuilt-M7.../dp/B000A09SQW), and now I use the MES.
I would probably still have the charcoal, but I've moved to a condo and my deck isn't large enough. Plus, the condo assn doesn't let us have open flames on the deck. I liked it because it imparted a great flavor and it felt as though you were really BBQing cuz you had to keep an eye on it a lot. It is also more susceptible wind and cold because they aren't insulated. well, I've never seen an insulated offset, there are probably some out there. So, IMHO, they are great if you don't mind tending to them, which to me, is half of the fun.
I used the propane smoker (this was 5 yrs ago) because it gave me a little more freedom by not having to keep putting charcoal on, etc. I was able to maintain a set temp a little better, which at least for me, was a bit difficult on the offset. Don't get me wrong, there are guys on here that can keep a steady temp in the offset, but i had some probs. I got rid of it, because it fell apart from so much use. It had a water pan. there are two smoke racks on it, but the area is small. I bought some rib racks (
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...equestid=50399) and was able to wrap the ribs or "weave" them through the racks. I could then put 2 racks of ribs on each grill rack without having to cut them, but there was little room for anything else, besides maybe the rib flaps or some chicken parts.
Now I use the MES and I love it! The condo assn doesn't mind cuz it's electric and it has a small footprint on my small deck. It is incredibly easy to make delicious bbq on the MES. I don't have to constantly check it; I just set the temp on the controller and put chips in every few hours. It has a water pan and ample space. It's especially nice for all day smokes when because you can do other things around the house while it does the work. It is also insulated. I've smoked with the mes in pretty much all weather: freezing temps, rain, snow and it continues to maintain it's temps. I'm very happy with it.
Well, these are my reasons for using what I do. No, I'm not affiliated with
Masterbuilt, either! :-)
Leo