Irishboy, the smoking tube adds more smoke because IT IS SMOLDERING! That's it. That's all it needs to do. Smoldering pellets, any pellets, will produce more, MUCH MORE, smoke than a fire pot will. The fire pots, by design and pure mechanical function, burn so cleanly that the smoke effect is greatly reduced. Period. No matter how much or how little one spends on the pellet cooker, they are not really as much of a "smoker" as some would hope. This is why there are so many "aids" available for them, all with the intent and purpose of increasing the smoke flavor.
If you enjoy the ease and convenience of using a pellet cooker but feel it lacks the smoke flavor you want, just get a tube and start smoldering away, right in the cook chamber next to the meat(s). It is cheap, it is simple, it is easy. Unfortunately, after having purchased the cooker, it is also, for some, required. Most folks just accept that and go on down the road, enjoying the usefulness of the pellet cooker with this rather simple "modification."
Good luck on your cooking!
