Sounds like I have several options! I think I am going to like the gas assist
i always loved it, but the baskets (or no baskets at all) work much better than the chimney while using the gas assist.
as you learn and grow as a chef, you'll develop your own techniques and preferred methods.
Some people never venture far from the 'light a chimney, dump a chimney' approach - but there's really a ton of methods you can use to achieve very different results.
I'm personally a big fan of using the amount of lit charcoal to control my temps rather than fiddling with vents.
Others love the old kettles because vent fine tuning is easier and they dial them in to control the temp.