I dont own one "yet" but I play through one frequently and I think its a killer amp that does a variety of styles very well. and the 5w, 25w or 50w is a nice option for practice aswell.
I have a 5:25 head that I use quite a bit.
I think it sounds great.
It's extremely versatile.
The fx loop works great, and I love using the 5w mode for recording.
I was ready to pull the trigger on one, for all the reasons you mention, but then at my local GC I stumbled across a 5:50 2x12 for $720 that was less than a year old. So much for grab and go... heavy sucker.