I have a lot of Thompson and D Way gouges. I prefer the V10 and the M42. They do hold an edge much longer than the M2, which to me means that I can do a lot more roughing with them before going back to the grinder, but I still prefer a fresh edge for finish cuts.
Both Doug's and D Way gouges have a similar 'open' V shaped flute, which means that rather than coming to a point, they have a rounded bottom in the flute. The Glaser tools had too steep of a V for my tastes. The Jamieson gouge from Doug seems to be a more open V than Doug's normal gouges. I think Jimmy Clewes also has a signature gouge from Doug.
I really do need to experiment more with parabolic flutes. Best guess on them is that they may be a bit better suited for the swept back grind, but that could be more of a personal preference thing. Since I don't use the swept back grind at all any more, I am not an expert on that. My bowl gouges are the 40/40 and the BOB (bottom of bowl) gouges, of which I have several variations, but all have a ) shaped nose profile.
Bill, a question for you, how do the Robust gouges compare to the V10 and the M42 gouges for durability. I believe they have a coating on more standard M2. Do they hold an edge as long as the other fancy metals? Maybe post a link to your review? Or just a short comment. I will admit to being skeptical, mostly due to trying some other coated drill bits where the coating made no difference that I could notice. I think Sorby put out some gouges like that as well.
robo hippy