It really boils down to personal preference. Do pellet poopers impart as much smoke as a stick or charcoal burner, no, but they do indeed get smoke into the food. The brand of pellets do make a difference, not just with amount and flavor of smoke, but with leftover ash in the bottom of the pit. If you like a heavy smoke, stick to a stick/charcoal burner, if you like the flavor of what you are cooking to be at the front of the flavor profile, for my $, a pellet pooper can't beat. I have several smokers, but only smoke on my Traeger now, the rest are bound for C'list. If I want a heavier smoke, depending on what I am cooking, I will set my controller on Smoke mode and leave it for 2-3 hours, on a warm day that usually means a pit temp of about 160'ish, then I'll bump the temp up to whatever I want for the long haul, 225-250. If I want even more smoke, I'll light my
AMNPS and let it burn for the duration of the cook.
Some great things about pellet poopers is the convenience factor is very high, and because you are still cooking with wood, they comply for use with KCBS competition rules (if you are so inclined), and the versatility of what you can cook in them is great, from chocolate chip cookies to pizza and everything in between.
When cooking at higher temps with the pellet smokers, they do impart less smoke due to the pellet burn being more efficient at higher temps, but even when cooking at those temps, 325+, everything I have cooked on them has had some smoke flavor added, while not overpowering, it is definitely there, and very pleasant. Try some boneless/skinless chicken breasts with a HOC blend (hickory/oak/cherry) and you will see what I mean, throw some potatoes on for a couple hours and taste the magic. :-)
All pits have their plus's and minus, pro's and con's, etc... One great thing about pellet cookers, unlike some other smokers, is you really don't ever have to worry about creosote getting to your food , they are designed to burn so efficiently that you probably couldn't get that tongue numbing, bitter flavor even if you tried.
Again, it is all about personal preference, I think burgers taste best when cooked over charcoal, but they also taste phenomenal cooked on a pellet cooker, and because I am just lazy enough, I will go fire up the pellet cooker in a heartbeat versus digging out the charcoal any day of the week. :-)
Because it can be a significant investment, I'd recommend visiting some friends/acquaintances who might have one to see if you like the flavors, ease of use, etc... before taking the plunge. Maybe even make sure where you buy it has a good return policy, or a trial period, etc...
I don't mean to sound like a pellet smoker advertisement, I'm just sharing what I have learned and experienced, but I would suggest their use to anyone looking.