Help me decide between gear recommendations that changed my mind [v5]

Posting this here because the relevant subreddit has gotten too noisy lately. Maybe an unpopular opinion but here we go. This came up at a meetup recently and the room was split, so curious what the broader community thinks.

This came up at a meetup recently and the room was split, so curious what the broader community thinks. Maybe an unpopular opinion but here we go. Long-time lurker, first-time poster.