Let's also be clear about the details when you say comparable.
You can say what you want about the PTC still being the best out there. We all know you make money on it and that's fine.
I don't want to go down the same road that we did before and start a crap fest, but we both know and so do many builders out there, that there is only one part that sets the PTC apart from some others.
Comparable is a relative term as you've stated, and every car is a little different in that no two combos are the same.
I know a 9.70 TR that runs better since he removed his PTC and won't use one in his car again because as he put it, it brutalizes the motor on launch compared to let's just say some other converter that he uses now. I will also say that it ran within a tenth of the PTC and he says his motor is much happier now.
So pissing match aside, the PTC may work for some and other brands work better for others.
For people looking for performance and want to save hundreds and still get quality converters that work there are other brands out there that fit the bill and take you in the nines reliably and for less money.
The 9.5 is built on a stronger core and is still the only converter to be used in 6,7,8,9,10 and 11 second Buick's so you know your getting something that you can not break and will not out grow.
That's' total hogwash with a statement like that.
You certainly are throwing money away on a PTC when elevens are your goal. And I don't even consider the room to grow as a qualifying statement because you would have to send it in for a re-stall each time you grow as you put it, which isn't free. CHA-CHING!
You don't need to spend a thousand on a converter to run elevens.
I run in the tens as do many people and others have run in the high nines with a LU and have not broke the converter.
I laugh when I see all these posts about how people post that they just bought a 9.5 NLU, like it's a badge of honor or something. I laugh because they are just buying into the hype that the PTC is the only converter out there that will work for them and they street drive or go to the track twice a year.
To those people it may be worth the extra money they spend, but there are those out there like me who do their homework and get the best parts and the best price by not being led by the nose from a few on this or any other forum.
PTC may have been the best at some point, but improvements are always being made by most companies who want to either be or stay relevant in such a competitive market.
I will say that the PTC is a good converter but to say it's the only one to use so you don't break one does make you look desperate. If this statement was geared towards something that you could show as fact, like if you run in the eights or have a T/B or something where other brands failed it wouldn't bother me at all.
If you're referring to the 9.5NLU without a sprag then yes it is stronger but the trade off is more heat and we already went down that road.
Racing = spragless.
street/strip = sprag unless you have a big trans cooler/fan or some means to keep the heat down while street driving especially in hilly areas or have broken a sprag because of your power level.