Inspired by reading other dropper threads I examined my two setups more closely:
Race bike (26" Scale): Seat all the way up, all my fastest times in Surrey hills set on this inc some pretty eroded, steep stuff with jumps etc.
Play bike: Single speed Blue Pig with seat all the way down. Ride it all day standing up and it's a hoot. Also have got into hitting some proper jumps at PORC where you definitely want the seat out of the way.
Problem for me with a dropper is that there's 7.5 inches height difference between the two settings(just measured them), and no dropper accommodates that.
This used to bug me until I started looking at the seat height on DH bikes - they're not as low as I was expecting!
Got a 6" drop KS Supernatural on my Meta 5. Would 1.5" of height bother you [i]that[/i] much? You could even spilt that, .75" higher than normal dropped and .75" lower than normal at full height. Bet your wouldn't even notice it.
You don't need a seat slammed all of the way down, you have just got used to it as thats what you do, I'd find that horrible
Even if you get a seat post with a 1 inch drop on your scale, you will be measurably faster on the downs.
I'm not sure what all the fuss is about for a slammed saddle.