I like the post, I'm sure theres a lot of info on the forum about it, but it would be nice to have a bunch of posts in thread about it.
Just thought I'd chime in and say that I've settled into a spark plug socket for the past month. Pull offs and hammer ons are a little challenging but you can't beat the price. Plus I like the large cylinder feel. That being said I'm not playing for people and I'm not recording, but the one I have is super super smooth and heavily chromed and heavy. Plus it usually gest a chuckle out of someone that stops by and sees me using a socket.
I've gone thru so many bars over the years. Sometimes I accidentally leave them in cases of weiss's that ship out. Sometimes I give them to customers that stop by and are new to the instrument or slide play. Most of the time I'll get the shubb because its price. That asher looks nice though. May have to check the price on it and figure out how to drill a hole in it so I can permanently string it to the work bench. kind of like a bank does with their pens.
When I do shop around for bars and I have extra cash (which is usually never) I look for the heaviest thing I can find. I think weight is important on the weiss because usually the tensions are lower and it seems to help with barnoise.