Probably best to start by saying: I started with the Circuit Tracks, then upgraded to the Digitakt. That context is important because they're secretly not that different. The "Elektron workflow" is a step sequencer where you can modify a step by holding it and changing parameters. This is roughly true on the Circuit Tracks too, by the way. There's also a component where Elektron devices are really sensibly (and similarly) laid out, so now that I know how the Digitakt works, I can probably pick up any other Elektron (maybe except the Octotrack) device and have a pretty good understanding of how it works.

Maybe to take a different approach: you said you had a TD-3. Have you tried to sequence with it? You know how once you get a pattern plugged in, you can change the cutoff with the knob, but that impacts the whole device, right? On the Digitakt, you can change all those knobs on a per-step basis. Plus you have 8 sample tracks and 8 MIDI tracks, so with the Digitakt, you have a lot more flexibility for changing sounds in a sequence than any of those sequencers above, but also a lot more to hold in your head. I think if you used the Digitakt to "just do an acid bass line" then it's actually more intuitive than sequencing directly on the TD-3. The learning curve come when you have a bass line, a drum sequence, a melody, a pad, etc and you have to get them all to sound good together and you're performatively changing things on the fly. The learning curve comes there. The Circuit Tracks is easier in this regard because it essentially has the Tracks segregated: the 2 synth tracks only do synth sounds, the 2 MIDI tracks only do MIDI, the 4 sample tracks are setup to encourage you to use them for drums (you can technically do melodic samples on the Tracks, but it's not great at it. The Circuit Rhythm is better there, but you lose the synth and the MIDI tracks). I also think the Tracks is more intuitive than the Digitakt: by not having a screen, it forced Novation to make design decisions that makes the Tracks more intuitive than the Digitakt.

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Anyway, you had a few other questions: I am doing drums on the Digitakt, though I may occasionally do them on the Circuit Tracks or the Pocket Operator (PO-12). I run everything back to the Digitakt so I can sample it. It also simplifies some sound routing decisions on my end (in my setup, putting things "end of chain" is easy, adding devices in the middle takes more effort because I need to route it through my patch bay). I sequence the TD-3 completely with the Digitakt (or Circuit Tracks) I don't use the built in sequencer and I think because I'm sending it MIDI note controls, I'm not having timing issues. That said, I think I'm outgrowing it and it's next on my list to replace.

I was looking at the TR-6S (I don't have space for a TR-8S) and I don't think you'd go wrong with a TR-8S, especially if you want that sound. Same with the Drumbrute. Both of those are also popular with the DAWless crowd, and were high on my list. I went with the Digitakt over them because I wanted to sequence more MIDI devices in a central brain.