Ermmm...No. Waddingtons are different. They are more like a Bee than a Bike. They last about as long as a bike. I have found them comparable in price to Bikes(across the pond) But I agree, as I already said, that I wouldn't recommend them for someone in the States. Most people trash on them you are correct. However, Most people let the way the card looks influence them. I ran them in a head to head test and the two are comparable.
You are doing the same thing most people do. You have a particular "style" and you make assumptions about "Best deck" based on your style and not accounting for other styles. There are a bazillion different magic and cardistry styles in the world but for how those styles are effected by the cards we use I break it into three simple styles. Soft decks, medium decks, and stiffer decks. All other things being equal a softer deck will shuffle, spread, and fan better. Thus, classic card manipulation and XCM that uses long spread catches tends to be great with these. They are also easier to faro, buckle for a bottom deal, so the old Bee decks(that softened up really nicely) have been the staple of demo guys since Vernon was a baby.
Medium stiff decks, like most USPCC, are good "Jack of all trade" decks. They will do most things well but they do not tend to excel at anything. T-11 cards tend to be about as stiff as you can get them and still call it a medium stiff deck. That is why some of their custom decks are the most highly regarded cards in the market. (my personal favorite is the Sentinels but the Monarchs perform almost the same.
Stiff decks are for burly guys, or little guys with strong hands, who love knuckle busting card magic. Lee Asher didn't pick Fournier because they were the only company who would talk to him. On the contrary, with the language barrier it was actually very difficult for him to work with them. But, if you have ever studied and understood Asher's style of card magic it will become quite evident why he went through all the extra hoops to work with Fournier. These decks tend to double the best and do one handed moves with much more security than other decks. Flourishing wise they hold together great for multi-packet cuts and also aerial cuts. The trade off is usually fanning but if you learn how to use them and how to condition them you won't have any troubles. They will never fan as well as a broken in deck of Aristocrats that came off the web press but they will easily match an off the shelf bike provided you know how to handle them.
So you can't ever say there is a best deck. You can say there is a best deck for me but trying to insinuate that what is best for you is best for everyone is like saying coke is better than pepsi or vice verse. And in regards to the cost...It is tough to compete with the $13.00 costco brick but here is some math to consider. When I was busy trashing decks for reviews I could kill off a deck of bikes in between one and two weeks. Costco bikes were generally some of the poorer bikes and I recall(this is five years ago mind you the memory fades) burning through the costco run in about a week per deck. So that is $13.00 for 12 weeks of fun. My first deck of Fourniers lasted me three months(12 weeks). I bought a brick so each deck cost me $9.00 but even if I bought them individually at $12.00 the benefits are clear.
Where I would happily support your argument is for the working walk around performer. The kind of guy who goes out and signs away 1/2 a deck of cards / gig. If that is how you are losing your cards then Bikes are the way to go. Add to that the best selection of card gaffs available and it is clear why they have become an industry standard.
Still for hobbyists and guys who just love practicing with cards there are clearly better values on the market if you know where to look. If you add quality on top of durability you see even more reasons people are willing to fork over a little extra. And finally, if you add peoples artistic sensibilities to the equation it becomes clear why high quality custom decks have become such a major part of the magic industry.
So all this leads back to my original ire with the insinuation(not by sr15 btw!) that T-11 is being somehow disingenuous. Squabbling over the quality control of the 808 is just rediculous because this years run might be awesome and next years might make 2009 look like a banner year. Bikes are NOT made for magicians they are made for the masses. If you want a card made by magicians, for magicians, a card with a certain amount of confidence that it will be a good deck, and one that happens to look like a Rider Back 808 you have two wonderful options on the market. Richard Turner Gold Seal Bikes and the new Mandolin decks. Both of these are made to specs provided by Richard Turner and he, more than anyone in the industry, understands how a card should perform. If you buy one of those decks and don't like what you got, then you have a reason to complain and spark conspiracy theories.