Somebody might find value in all that babbling. I spent several thousand hours reading, researching, experimenting, casting, shooting, re-evaluating, etc. Which is a fraction of what guys like Dan and gnoahhh have spent, timewise. This site is for posterity, not just for those of us who are currently posting questions and answers.
I, for one, found value in that post bringing up things I'd not considered regarding hardness. And I appreciate it.