I just want to check in and say thanks to all who have taken the time to share info here. As a youngin' I grew up grillin over wood then went to gas to accommodate our busy lifestyle. Picked up on Treager pellet smokers years ago but didn't pull the trigger fast enough and Treager moved manufacturing to China so I put pellet grilling/smoking on the back burner.
A friend of mine just pulled the trigger on a Yoder 640 (but he resides 800+ miles away) which has prompted me to once again take a look at USA made cookers. But, unfortunately, I haven't found any retailers close to my home to physically check out the top contenders. The web will be indispensable in my decision making process.
Again, thanks a bunch for taken the time to put your thoughts to paper for us clueless folks looking to get into wood grilling & smoking again.