Guess I'll be the contrarian -
I now mostly cook with gas, but when I want to use my weber kettle, I use briquettes. I find briquettes burn longer and more evenly, but slightly cooler, than the lump charcoal; and the lump is more ashy while cooking - anytime I'd open my kettle, very fine ash would fly around and onto my food. The only briquettes I've ever used are Kingsford.
I've always loved cooking with charcoal - When building our outdoor kitchen, I made sure to plan a storage spot for my kettle, because I figured while gas is more convenient, I'll use the kettle more frequently. I bought a weber summit s450, with a seperate smoker burner/box, and boy do I love that grill. I only use my kettle now when I'm cooking LOTS of food and need the extra grilling space, because that little smoker box really works great - imparts a nice smoky flavor to my food.