my old trusty and rusty is a little brinkmann offset from home depot. great entry level unit that will satisfy most people's needs. that said, the firebox is small, and temp is really uneven from one side to the other.
have an electric lil' chief i picked up for $20. waste of time.
have a masterbuilt digital smoker. waste of money.
my newest baby is a trailer-mounted custom unit built by az bbq outfitters, here in tucson. actually, 2 smokers on one rig. one vertical offset, and the other is a variation of their scottsdale grill, with an offset firebox. again, i had them built to custom specs, but the large firebox on the vertical allows for (very) large logs that will burn for 12+ hrs unattended. the "grill" is basically a santa maria style grill with a hood. havent used it nearly as much.
word of warning about az bbq outfitters: a horrendous purchasing experience. if you are only interested in their standard sizes, then you will probably be happy as a pig in $hit, but if you want custom work, i would recommend doing your research into other builders. although a beautiful, well-built pit, i wont go back, even for a charcoal basket or a simple mod/repair.