Since I have bought both a Taurus and a Gen 1 Charter this year, I feel I can say some things and speculate on current Charters.
I have the Taurus Public Defender, have shot it a few times since when I got it in March. For what it is, a .410 revolver, it's fine. The only issue I have with it is if I try to do DA trigger pulls to quickly, the cylinder will lock up. If I wait a fraction of a second for the trigger reset, it's fine and when I cock the hammer for SA, I have no issues. Idk how accurate the .45 will be, I haven't tried it yet, but the DA trigger issue has me more and more perturbed the more it happens.
The Charter is great, but it's not a new production one. I do plan on getting the .32 Professional tho and given the success I've had with the older Charter's, for the first time since I got into guns 5 years ago, I have entertained the thoughts of a .44 caliber revolver, namely the Bulldog. I'm a sucker for the classic Charters, but this .44 I see they make has my attention
That said, I am not a fan of the matte finish, I don't like it compared to the blued steel and normally I'm not a guy who cares about looks, but that matte sandblasted finish just screams cheap to me. Also, I've seen some of the new .22 Charter's and they do not look good at all, I'm talking barrel crowns that are off center with the bore.
@aarondhgraham has a lot of positive things to say about his Charter .22, especially in regards to the price vs performance of it compared to S&W or Ruger, and I agree with him. I just wouldn't buy a .22 Charter sight unseen unless it's a vintage one made in Bridgeport or Stratford.
For a long time I feel Charter focused too much on concealed carry, coming out with snubs all the time, but recently they started doing 6 inch barrels for their .357's, 9mm Pitbulls... plinker calibers. To me that's a welcome sight because not every handgun has to be focused on self defense and concealed carry.
Revolvers are fun to shoot and they shouldn't all have to cost $500 to be good, reliable guns that people can enjoy.
So, I'm planning on buying more Charters in the future, thus I think highly of them. Does that mean I think Taurus sucks? IMO, I think Taurus is more questionable, but if they make something that's interesting to me and no one else does (or do but it's really expensive) then I'll buy Taurus. I am planning on buying that 7 shot ported .357/9mm in the future, because it's so unique, and I've seen the prices on some of their 5 shot .44 Mags and if I ever get the .44 Mag itch, Taurus will be scratching it.
However, given the choice between similar revolvers made by both companies, I'd go with Charter, hands down.