This product is sealed in some way on the surface. It has a smooth, non fibrous or pourous surface, not at all like ceramic insulation we have seen in the past.
We are doing our best to consider all safety concerns of any product we make. That was the main reason we added the SS closed bottom to our SS heatport assembly, originally done by Alan who makes the Toasty Top. An excellent idea originally to eliminate the concerns some may have of inhaling wood char and wood particles through the heatport assembly. The old open bottom heatport design leaves a small area not protected from the vapor airflow by Stainless Steel.
Then there is the area where the ceramic blanket is mounted. It is also sealed from any outer or inner exposure.
We have to draw lines somewhere. I know from experience that we will not be able to please everybody out there, no matter what we do. That's OK with us. That is life in the business world. We will do our best as always to insure we make a safe product.
Coupon code for a discount at the website is shown in my signature now. The discount(6.5%) will bring the price of a complete traditional wood insulated Zap with all SS airflow, including vapor stems, to less than $154 total delivered price. These traditional logs also have some lathework on the top of the units to smooth out the lines. Delivery should also be quicker if all goes as planned.