What to buy

[BuyLowSellHigh]

A few thoughts ...

First, what do you want to cook or smoke in it.  Do you need or want the size of the six rack, or will the four rack do? If you want the size of the six rack, then you have no choice but digital.

Second is the PID for control.  That will benefit either digital or original models as it gives you much tighter temperature control that you can set and forget.  The digital will swing ~ 20 °F early in a smoking session, but it will settle down on longer cooks.  If what you mostly intend to do are long, slow, low temperature cooks (butts, briskets, etc.) then the digital alone is fine.  But if you intend to do fish or sausage, which will benefit from tighter temperature control, then a PID is a big asset.

[chandlersmoking]

Thanks

[chandlersmoking]

If the digital part quit working can you still smoke manually.  Now I am thinking maybe the digital.  A friend of mine has one and he loves the digital.

[Quarlow]

 The digital will not smoke. All the controls are in the SG (smoke generator) and if it goes out you are done. You can turn the puck burner off and just use the heat element, and you can diconnect the tower from the SG which allows you to cold smoke but if the digitals go down you are done.