The question is a lot more complex to me the more I think about it.
I own a Taurus tracker in 45 acp and really like it. It is one of my most beloved guns, but when I compare it to any of the S&W's I own I can see that it is not as well made. That is just a reality that I acknowledge and not a slam on the tracker. A Miculek 625 is about twice the price but the Tracker is probably 85% or 90% as good of a gun overall.
There are quite a few Taurus offerings that do not have an equivalent s&w for competition. All the 5 shot tracker magnums, for example, are really unique for the power of cartridge in the frame size. The Taurus 8-shot 30 carbine Tracker is another unique offering. Ruger makes a Blackhawk in 30 carbine, but it is not a direct equivalent. Taurus makes some unique offerings that, if they are what you need or want, cannot be ignored.
One thing about Taurus is that they do not seem to sell any spares to anyone. All repairs are in-house factory repairs, and there is a lot of variety in the satisfaction people have received on their repairs. S&W sells parts to gunsmiths directly or through midwayusa/brownells/midwest/etc, so there is a competetive marketplace for repairs.
Taurus seems to drop spare mags from their lineup for pistol models that are discontinued. Do your own research on older models and then go to the company website and look for grips and mags. Look for moonclips for revolvers no longer in the catalog. The factory moonclips are sometimes produced again, but there are many models out there and the supply is intermittent. The only steady aftermarket source is almost 4 times the cost and most moonclip makers do not make any clips for Taurus guns.
Also check the brownells catalog for aftermarket performance parts. There are almost none available for Taurus, compared to what is available for S&W revolvers and for Blackhawks. Also check for availability of night sights and holsters and exotic wood grips. I cannot recall seeing any aftermarket barrels for Taurus guns like those that Bar-Sto, Storm Lake, Briley, Kart, etc offer for 1911's, S&W's, SIG's, etc. You pretty much need to accept the gun as it comes out of the box, but that is not a bad thing necessarily.
The model 92/99 pistol is a bit different as it should fit in most Beretta 92 holsters. It also has a real following in it's own right, has been adopted by governmental agencies overseas, and has been in continuous production for decades. Their 1911 clone is similarly a different story as it is a copy of an existing popular design.
Back to the customer support issue, I suspect that many reports of poor support are when a customer returns a discontinued model for repair. My suspicion is that Taurus does not keep a huge inventory of spare parts for discontinued models the way US companies typically like to do. They are always coming out with new models, and then forget about the previous model. As a counterpoint, I notice that S&W still provides many parts for older 2nd and 3rd generation metal framed autos like the 459. Guns that were discontinued 40 years ago are still in their parts catalog.
Most people I know who own Taurus handguns are happy with them, but I notice they tend to treat their guns well and use them lightly at the range. They are not power users who need lots of spare mags, or different types of accessories to get satisfaction from their usage. These are not folks who like to accessorize or upgrade, or get custom work done by gunsmiths. They do not shoot in competition.
My recommendation to friends regarding Taurus is that they are good quality for the money, but you cannot expect to run them like a more expensive brand due to the lack of factory support for them. This is really a criticism of Taurus' corporate policies and mindset, more than any real or perceived lacking in the guns themselves. Taurus is missing a great opportunity by not supporting their own products and offering more aftermarket swag like other companies provide.
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