A great many Bushmaster users (among others) use the Palmer over the Gladiator. The Palmer is a great reg, one of the industries best. You lose nothing using it over the Gladiator..so I have to disagree with you on that one. Much of what you would upgrade is also necessary on the 'Angel' unless you plan on using a non-motorized hopper on the Angel too. So why upgrade a less expensive marker? Because that's our preference, perhaps guided somewhat by the size of the wallet.