if for some reason you can't squat the bar under free weights..do medicine ball squats, kettle bell squats, goblin squats...something other than the smith
Seriously tho nan, Smith Machines are good for isolating and sculpting particular areas in a muscle. I use it a lot for legs and even chest on some exercises. I'd say its not something a typical gym rat would get any use out of because it will almost certainly be used incorrectly. The fixed ROM of the bar will get you hurt if you do not know wtf you're doing. Real talk