Excuse me, but I don't recall a thread in the past were the intent was to compare the utilitarian aspcts of skagit, scandi, longbelly, etc.. Yes, other threads tangent into this subject. I believe this topic is very productive if the contributor could leave the ego behind. This summer I was fishing with a well known European Scandi guy. As a friendly jabbing, he likes to give me shit for exclusivley skagiting, and more or less looks at skagiting as a fishing with training wheels. On the river, I brought up the limitations of mid to long belly non skagit lines in close quarters and using sink tips. A very good constructive argument evolved. IMO, scandis and long belly lines have their application in summer run fishing..... small profile flies and little stripping (what a joy of course). Fishing these lines is what I look forward to come late summer because of how fun and effortless it is. However, in cold water conditions where tips and larger profile flies are more effective, scandis and long bellies become less practicle. Here's the thing, you can skagit in all conditions by simply changing tips and lengths. In other words, IMO, it is the most holisitc technique to master because it goes everywhere you do. You can't say that about other lines and heads. In conclusion, it doesn't matter how easy the line is to cast if you can't fish.