Which should I keep Base model Weber or master built knockoff?
Well why not keep them both? I don't see any piks so I can't see what condition the grills are in. I'm a Weber guy so I lean to that side if I could only have one. They will last many, many years with little maintenance. I keep all mine in the garage out of the weather, but if they are stored outside I would clean the ash out the next day. Getting rained on, moisture in the ash can be bad if its sitting there wet all the time.
I never have cooked on a 3 vent daisy wheel. All mine are the one touch system sweep. I have no problem locking temperature in at 225*, 350*, or higher depending on how far open the sweep is. The farther you open it, the higher heat you get. When smoking low temp, the sweep is barely cracked open to let in just a little bit of air. My top vent in the lid is always wide open.
I do have a 22" WSM with 3 daisey wheel vents on the bottom and when I smoke with it, all three vents are barely cracked open to smoke at 225* or 250*, same as the kettle, the top vent in the lid is always wide open to let the smoke out so it don't get stale. The next day I salvage the un burnt charcoal, then dump the ash out of the bowl, and take a 4" paint brush and and sweep all ash out and put back in garage, cleaned and ready for the next cook.
Like I said, I never owned a kettle with 3 bottom vents, but I think I would prefer the one touch system, and the ash bucket is nicer over the ash pan. Clean up is easier. I don't get how many people say the 3 vent one is better for smoking. I smoke a lot on my kettle, direct, indirect cooking and have great results with it either way.
If cooking on a daisy wheel kettle I would take the cooking grates out and dump the kettle. I wouldn't stand there all day trying to push the ash through the vents. Take a paint brush and sweep the fine dust off.