Let me see if I can explain. Some folks like the analog as they will never smoke anything above 250 degrees; indeed they they will generally stick around the 225 to 235 degree temp. Low and slow. They are very content with the temperature swings (see the FAQ on the Smokin-it site as well as the SmokinTex site), knowing that in the end, the temp averages out to the set temp. And they have the option, later on, to add a separate stand alone PID if they feel the need. A benefit of the stand alone is that you can remove it and store it indoors out of the weather. Also, should the PID die, you still have a smoker. No so with with a digitized smoker. When it dies, the smoker dies although failures are rare. Then there are others who are willing to spend a little more to get much tighter of the temperature, generally within just a couple of degrees of what is set. Whether analog or digital, a lot of folks still put in a remote probe to monitor smoker temp and agonize over the divergence from what they set and what the PID shows and what the remote shows. And they fiddle and adjust the controller to suit them. Me, I just grab a cold beer and let the smoker do what it is supposed to do.
