I THINK I may be getting a little more conservative with the passing of time, I guess...
There was a time when I couldn't get enough horse power. Like the first motor I had in my ERA. 12.5 to 1 compression, massive dual carbs, radical solid roller, 7,000 plus rpm, man that thing was a beast. I grew tired of it's ill street manners, rebuilt and made substantial changes, estimated drop in power of about 150 horse. Surprisingly, I don't miss it, in fact, it was the best thing I've done for myself in years! I built a good "lumpy idle", sounds mean, it IS mean, kind of motor, but it's nice on the street, runs pump gas instead of race gas. Due to traction concerns it still FEELS just as fast, even at the drag strip it's within a hundreth of a second AS fast as before. Yet my mpg has doubled! My stress level is way down when driving it, much more pleasent on the street.
No question, for the ultimate power and big rpm solid roller is an excellent choice. As for me, I actually find myself contemplating a hydraulic roller for my next build. All though I'm still dealing with the embarrasement issue of running a hydraulic cam of any kind, it just seems "less manly" to me for some reason.
Maybe, I'll swallow my pride in time and go that route. Or, maybe I'll stick with a flat tappet. Now flat tappet is not for everyone either, like a solid roller, it has it's downside, carries some risk of early failure if not broken in and maintained properly, needs to be adjusted from time to time. Still, it's hard to beat the "manly" factor.
It will be interesting to see what I come up with when the time comes to re-build...