Like KyNola I have owned my Bradley for about 7 years and from my interactions with KyNola, Nepas, and a multitude of others I bought a MAK 2 Star General Wood Pellet BBQ Smoker-Grill. Then a SRG, a Traeger PTG, and now a GMG Davy Crockett. Many of us have known each other for years on different forums and have migrated to LTBBQ. Each unit has their positives but after all is said and done over the last 7 years I have settled down to using my pellet smoker-grill for 95% of all my smokes/cooks.
Most of your questions were expertly answered by a wealth of members and the only thing I would add is that you should not sell yourself short. There are good reasons why the higher end pellet grills cost are higher! We all need to stay within our budgets but I would recommend you lean towards a quality pellet grill and controller.
Course I would recommend a MAK but there are many other manufacturers that are USA made and produce a quality product. Good luck on your decision.