i have been using s3d for a year and a half now. its the only slicer i use. i tried slic3r a long time ago and wasnt crazy about it. im sure it has come a long way but so has s3d. currently the only thing that other slicers have an advantage on is dual extrusion. s3d just isnt there yet with that but i talked to clayton a few months ago and they said that this next update will be almost totally focused on dual extrusion updates and additions. the support system is fantastic and really easy to remove. currently no slicer is perfect. they all have their little quirks, strong points, weaknesses and s3d is no different. once you use it enough though, you will get really familiar with how it works and slices and what to expect. it gives you a ton of control over everything. the percentage of dissatisfied people that buy it is very small. they will give you a 2 week refund if you dont like it. for what we pay for our printers and cad software, atleast for me its $140 well spent. if i was you though i would not use one slicer to learn on then jump to another. get a good one and stick with it. you will learn on one then need to start all over again making new setting profiles. the settings and features of one slicer are not the same as another. even though they may be called the same thing and even function in the same way, the math on how the gcode is calculated is totally different so a .9 extrusion multiplier in slic3r isnt the same as a .9 in s3d.