I may be a bit off base here but my understanding is that electric smokers do not break down the collagen and/or connective tissues in meat the way a real fire does, hence not as much smoke penetration into the meat. In order of most taste to less taste with the best smoke ring:
-Wood or charcoal fired smokers
-Propane fired smokers
-Electric smokers
I started with a wood fired offset, then moved on to a bigger unit, then had to move to a rental unit while I was building our new house. At the rental absolutely no cookers with any sort of real fire were allowed. One could only use electric, so I bought a Gen 1 MES 40. Yes, it's easy to use but it was definitely lacking in flavor and appearance over a stick burner. Given my choice, I'll never go back to an electric unit.
Hoping the info is all correct,
Robert