I trigger my kick drums, and it makes all the difference when you play live. Triggering is here to stay, it's a necessary part of technology any serious drummer should look into. You're not going to get a great sound guy every time you play live, but with triggers and a good sound module, the bass drums will be heard and your hard earned foot technique will not be wasted and inaudbile. I was a purist for the longest time and just used wood beaters and metal discs on the drum heads, but it's still not the same. Unless you're a touring professional band with mics and a hired sound guy, what might sound good to you will not to the audience.
Triggering is not 'cheating' since you still have to play in time, and since the sound is very staccato and punchy, it's even more obvious when your feet get sloppy. What might be considered 'cheating' is you can get the sound module to trigger at the same velocity and volume for any hit on the head, loud or soft. That's just a part of life. Death metal drummers are not playing very loud when going hyper blur on the bass drums, it's just not possible. I don't trigger my toms or snare though, as I prefer to have more dynamic control over them.
My setup is very standard to most other working drummers. Alesis DM5 sound module using #8 (speed mtl) for the sound, ddrum bass drum triggers, and a BBE 482 sonic maximizer to balance out the trigger sound. You hand the sound guy a single 1/4" cord to run through the mains, and instant bomb kick drum sound.