I will tell you that is indeed worth the price, I love performing it and i'm sure you will too! I've found that you will need some experience in misdirection and audience management but it's nothing too hard, just the basics. The gimmicks are first class, which is no surprise because they're made by Theory11. When you first try out the method, you will be quite hesitant to try it out on real people because the smoke you produce will have a slight "aftertaste" which isn't pleasant when you first taste it. But with time, you will get used to it. And one more thing, the initial refill pack that comes free with the DVD and gimmick will last you for quite a while, depending on how much you use it of course. I've had Smoke for around 5 months now and I'm still on my initial refill pack, which is surprising because I use it a hell of a lot! I think you'll be happy with the fact that you won't have to buy new refills every hundred performances or so because, like you've said, you're not blessed with craploads of money.
I think that's everything you need to know about this effect. If not, I'm sure other forum members will add to what I've said.
Hope that makes your decision a little bit easier.