Traeger makes a few nice ones Great customer service. A lot of people complain about the smoke flavor but you can just leave it on the smoke setting longer or get an amazing smoke tube. I like them but make sure you can get pellets locally. Pellet grills are great when you work a lot of over time. Rain is a concern but just put a large plastic bag over the pellet hopper. Make sure you don't cover the fan up. It is at the bottom of the pellet hopper. There are times I use it a lot and times I prefer a wsm. The wsm when I have time and the Traeger when I am busy. The Traeger is underrated IMO. Probably because people don't learn how to use them to get the results they want. There is a slight learning curve but it's as simple as just leave it on the smoke setting longer or use an amazing smoke tube.
I guess it depends on price range but the Traeger is a good all around grill and smoker. I like kettles too but to smoke with them takes some planning to get the longest burn you can without refueling. It is a good starter grill that can be used as a smoker.
Does he have the time to manage a fire? Is he busy with work a lot? It just depends on his needs.
Traeger for as close to set it and forget it as you can get.
Kettle grill if he has a lot of free time.
Kamado for example like these new models,
http://janeskitchenmiracles.com/best-smokers-reviewed/ if he can wait for it to warm up but can overshoot temps easily if not careful and it takes a long time for them to come down if you overshoot the temps.
I prefer my Traeger right now because of overtime but my Weber go anywhere has gotten a lot of use lately to conserve fuel and I have to come up with meals and desserts that can be done while camping out of a tent. Kind of my New toy. It just depends on what you want to do.
