[fastbolt]

If we step aside from debating the differences in "improving" certain aspects of the gear, there's something else to be said to training to the harder limits imposed by some gear configurations.

Improvements in gear may help someone use that particular piece of gear better (even at the cost of not really helping improve "performance" if you use other gear).

However, focusing on training to more demanding limits has been said to help reduce the potential for experiencing confusion under stress, as well as help improve our ability to focus under increasingly more demanding conditions. Arguably, both are benefits to be desired, whether the conditions we may face are "easy", or frantic, chaotic and dynamic.