Sometimes convenience should take a back seat to innovation, style, and coolness, imo.
The SSP was the result of Weber's quest to make the
ultimate charcoal grill by including a way to easily start the charcoal. I wonder how many times the inventor was laughed at when he said- "hey, how about we add a propane tank to start the charcoal?"
The inclusion of a stainless table shows that this thing was top of the line first class.
IOW, it's more convenient to drive a 2012 Silverado for example, but I'd rather drive a 1967 C10.