A 50 degree temp swing is pretty huge. I can get my Weber smokey Mountain to maintain with only slight temp fluctuations. I doubt it hurts the flavor though.
It is pretty big, but it does not seem to affect cooking times or flavour that I can tell. My times for the various things I've smoked roughly match what others experience for a given temperature.
There is no way I would have spent twice as much or more to try out smoking, so the GMG has worked out very well for me.
Chess, those BGE smokes look good. If I had the money, I'd probably still go for a BGE. Nothing beats it for versatility.
Fred
------- Blujays1: Spending Fred's money one bottle at a time, no two... Oh crap!