realskiers

First of let me say that I have broken every rule of set forth by the participants on this forum. I never demo'd the skis, and in fact I have never even been on a reverse camber ski.
 

JB:  You get another gold star in my book for your honesty.

I would imagine that we all, at one time or another (and maybe more than that), have made ski/boot/other purchases that we knew weren't entirely logical.  That doesn't mean that you don't know what you are doing and are oblivious to a potential downside  In my mind, it's one thing if you or Michael (or any knowledgeable consumer, for that matter) chooses to take a flyer on skis (or other equipment).  They know that's what they are doing. 

Where I think we all feel an obligation is the skier with less experience who may be considering a ski based on wrong information or inadequate experience to be an "informed consumer" that comes here for advice and opinions, and I do think we try to steer them into the demo, demo, demo paradigm. Or, at least, we try to get them to be honest with themselves about how they really ski and where they are likely to use the ski to provide a framework for informed advice.

I myself, seldom demo skis and haven't been disappointed in a ski selection (or a new car selection) in a long, long time.  But that's not necessarily what I would recommend for all others.

Sooo, congratulations on the honesty of your post.