Tom, just because folks identify possible concerns doesn't mean that these smokers don't have their merits ... every smoker has pros and cons, obviously. The Pitts & Spitts Maverick line, like all Yoder products, are built incredibly well ... good materials, solid welding, great aesthetic value. I truly believe that many folks will find them to be top tier machines and sing their praises on many a message board (Yoder devotees go from coast to coast). But well built can easily become overbuilt and well thought out can become over-thought.
I've done 4-5 cooks on a Yoder YS640 and the temp swings made me a little crazy. It chewed through pellets even in mild and warm temperatures in Southeast Texas ... you need a ton of energy to keep that much steel up to temp. Their proprietary controller is great ... but they lack the consistency of PID technology and the updating process is cumbersome at best. Heck, that last one will be solved if/when they add a WiFi component. Their comp cart is sexy as all get out, and they do have solid customer service.
Pitts & Spitts, like Yoder stick burners, do a truly amazing job with conventional equipment. They made some choices on their pellet line (moving the burnpot a bit more towards center, tons of high quality stainless, ability to mount papertowel roll or butcher paper roll on the smoker, roll top lid for shelf functionality, etc.) that are smart plays in my book and will provide some genuine utility. Like Yoder, being American made will carry a ton of weight with a lot of folks (myself included). The chatter I saw about a proprietary controller worried me but they are using a decent PID as of now. But, like Yoder, that 7 gauge and 10 gauge construction will take a ton of energy to maintain temps just like the Yoder.
These criticisms won't be a deal breaker for a lot of buyers; hell, Yoder even markets some of these concerns in a way that makes them "value added" features. At the end of the day, most of us go with our gut and our wallet ... I just like to add in a little logic as well to keep me from having buyer's regret. Go play with one at a dealer if there is one near you ... if it strikes your fancy, pull the trigger.