If you're trying to decide between a horizontal pellet grill/smoker, or a vertical pellet smoker, I think the first thing you should consider is do you already own a gas grill?

The reason is that when it comes to high-temperature grilling/searing, a gas grill will produce comparable results to a pellet grill. Won't you get more smoke flavor from a pellet grill though? No, not when its running at 500 degrees plus, a pellet grill will produce very little smoke as the fire is running so efficiently.

Therefore, if you already own a gas grill that you're happy with, and you want to keep it, I think you'll probably get better value from a vertical pellet smoker in terms of cooking area for the price you'll be paying.

However, if you need a grill, as well as a smoker, then a horizontal pellet grill, which can also perform as a smoker, is the obvious choice.