But at the end of the day there really isn’t that much difference to the way they ride, handle, climb etc. the differences are all subtle though we all go on like they are huge differences.
Just don’t agree in the slightest, tbh. For one thing, the difference between 2 frames can be pretty substantial, even between 2 that are ostensibly in the same ballpark. If you compare, say, a Mojo HD with my Hemlock, one climbs like a monkey, jumps well, but is a much less stable. The other climbs OK, jumps OK, but descends like a little DH bike (actually is slacker and lower than my old DH bike). Geometry and suspension type do make a massive difference, it’s not subtle at all.
Even changing a frame significantly- for instance, slacking off a frame with a headset- isn’t a subtle difference, and that’s with every other component remaining exactly the same.
Whether you care about the difference is another thing, and it’s fine to not care tbh.