FS is faster than HT downhill.
That, apparently, is a Good Thing. I disagree. Unless you’re racing, most of us presumably go riding for fun and/or fitness. Most of us, too, are limited by ability and not by our bikes – I’m betting that Peat, Atherton and co. would be able to ride the same course, though slower, on HTs as well as FSs. So is going faster the same as having more fun? Seems unlikely – there’s as much satisfaction in cleaning a difficult run on one type of bike as the other.
Climbing is supposedly easier on a FS: again, I suspect the limiting factor is the rider, not the bike. If you can’t make it up a climb without dabbing on a HT, but you can on a FS, the problem is almost certainly you!
To the OP: get one, then in 4-5 years time when you fancy a change get something else. I had one, then went back to HT. Now I fancy getting another FS. Can’t afford one at the mo, unfortunately 🙁