We pay so much more for weber products here in Australia too. To buy a new OTS at $300 is seen as a luxury when the cheap imitations are less than half of that. Add $100 for a OTG.
I have both a blue and a black OTG, as well as a compact & an old green MT.
I have been using the lid off the compact (with heat shield) on my black OTG, and in a side by side comparison with the other OTG, the heat shield really doesn't make that much difference. You still can't hold the handle for any longer than you can on the OTG (plastic handle), and you can't fit a timber handle to the strap arrangement they use with the heat shield.
Sent from my iRecliner