There are a lot of packaged pieces of equipment out there these days designed for use in hazardous areas using IS or purge in lieu of XP.
IMO it is often safer, simpler, and much less costly, and avoids all the PITA problems of cast aluminum boxes.
There's was no question that IS or purging is available; but they both require a systemic apporach. That is, the facility must be committed to them.
As a protection technique, explosionproof is passive.
If you believe cast aluminum is a PITA try a Type X purged system in a Division I location. (Remember this was the context of the OP) Where both are properly installed, the purged system has a greater probability of failure with all the active sensing and shutdowns required.
IS is also prone to failure modes that explosionproof technology isn't. Type 2 is a bit better but far more expensive - and I still don't trust non-explosionproof seals between Division 1 and other classfications.
In this forum, as much as possible, we need to answer the OP without adding speculation.