I've had a Weber Smokey Mountain for years....my only complaint is I don't use it enough
. I'll defer to Dave (DTW) for all other input...his posts always make my mouth water...
My experience on the WSM....I can load it with one chimney of glowing charcoal, pour another chimney of unlit charcoal on top of those, and never touch the fuel source again for an easy 14+ hour smoke. Take the lid off for mopping, etc. replace lid, and the temp will almost immediately return to 225. Just like the Weber Kettle grills....well built, well designed, and well....delicious brisket
ps: Gotta have an additional thermometer with temp probes for both the smoker temp and for the meat for monitoring and control, but it's really just monitoring for all practical purposes.