@Hoity Toit: I here you. Now that I have my smoker I'm all about getting it to run to perfection. I like the basic floor model and it does a good job for what I would assume the masses use it for - but I am looking to expand my
WSM to be a cold smoker too. I'm not a metal fabricator so I'll have to get creative so I don't ruin my smoker (or get a buddy to come over) if I decide to run smoke pipes. I've seen videos and read posts where people have filled their water bowl and froze it to ensure a cold smoke (or just add ice and keep adding ice).
I've seen the mods for the
WSM and they all make sense - better door, wheels, lid hinge, chamber expanders, etc.
I haven't done much research on different smokers but I would imagine that everybody has their own style and taste and preference. I would imagine that I will use this smoker and customize for the things I smoke and if a better smoker becomes available based on the needs - I'll consider upgrading.
However, (and I don't know if this is a true statement or not because I am a noob) but I would like to think that there is (or perhaps in the future -- let's talk some business here!) a company would create a versatile smoking box that would be so basic and inexpensive that it was developed to be customized. A simple fire chamber, a simple water bowl chamber (if you want one), a chamber for a rack (which you can stack multiple chambers), a tall chamber that would allow for hanging sausages or sticks, chambers with windows, vents built with the ability to remove them and attach a blower fan, cold smoker pipes,etc.
@Setesh and others - I've seen other posts with a long run of tube with a slight incline for the smoke to rise uphill to fill the chamber... I like the idea of the compact tubing in this thread that requires a smaller footprint! Was a blower used from the mailbox or was the heat generated from the mailbox enough to push the smoke up, around, and down (many times) through the smoke tube to get into the chamber?