The problem is not necessarily the product, but the execution. Anyone who has tried cooking with the top vent completely shut knows that causes soot to settle on the food. The gap the probe wires create under the lid is not enough to prevent this. The fact that this video is from flameboss indicates to me they don't know how to cook with charcoal. That's not confidence inspiring for their product.
Edit: just looked at the price. That's insanity.
Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club mobile app
Are you all familiar with how an ATC works with most pits?
This is a quote from the BBQ Guru instruction manual for the DigiQ
The top damper functions differently with a fan-controlled system than with a natural-draft system. Where the fan damper controls the amount of air flowing into the smoker, the top damper influences the amount of air flowing out. We recommend keeping the top damper as little as possible in order to retain heat and smoke in the cooking chamber, consistent with reaching the desired cooking temperature.
This is how I've always ran my Backwoods, BGE's and WSM's after seeing Shotgun Fred years ago doing a BBQ Guru demo. John Jackson from Stoker was at a Rhythm 'n Que BBQ Class I attended and we talked about top vent openings with his ATC - he didn't seem to have an opinion one way or another and Vince liked to run his top vents slightly open.
So Flame Boss guy likes to cook with his kettle vent closed - and he feels that he gets enough air flow through the gap between the lid and bowl with the probe wires. Whatever works.
The notion that you'll get soot on your food isn't a valid argument with an ATC.