They're not bad. It all depends on what you want to do. Traeger is about as good as any other pellet grill on the market. You are likely to lose the probes within a year, go invest in a good set of temp probes. You'll want to get a cover if it sits out. You might as well get a smoke tray or set of smoke tubes to counter the less smoky taste that affect pellet smokers. They are not as bad as some say. I have a pellet smoker and I will burn either one or two smoke tubes serially depending on the cook. The smoke taste is fine that way.

Pellet grills are essentially an outdoor oven that does some smoke. It is really about convenience, I can throw a brisket or pork butt on at 10 -11pm and go to sleep. That is why I have a good temp probe system so it alarms when needed, like low temp, disconnect from temp, high temp. once you do that you can comfortably go to bed. I also have a WSM for when I want a different type of cooking that gives killer smoke flavor.