I have a SM025 and a PG500. Since I started using the PG500, the SM025 has seen only limited use. To me, the taste is similar for smoked foods. Both make tasty, juicy BBQ. Admittedly, the PG500 is set up on the patio year round while the SM025 has to be wheeled out from the garage so it's not as convenient to use. One advantage of the PG500 over the SM025 is purely esthetic, the electric smoker does not produce the smoke ring that the pellet grill does and the smoke ring gets so much attention on the TV shows that many people come to expect it with "real BBQ" whether it affects the taste or not. The SM025 definitely gets brought out when I need more capacity than can be comfortably handled by the PG500. The SM025 was also my choice when smoking a whole 15 lb turkey and is great for things like half trays of beans. Of course, this doesn't answer the question about the small grill space of the PG500. But, for items like steaks or burgers, I usually start them on the smoker side, then finish on the grill side so it's mainly just to use the reverse sear technique and add the expected grill marks (and that takes just a few minutes on each side so multiple steaks don't take too long on the grill). If I were to need a bigger grill for a big cook of something like shish-kabobs, I'd probably opt for something like a Weber Kettle, relatively low cost, but offering the added taste of cooking over charcoal rather than with gas. JMHO.