Ben,
There are more than 270 people on our list who have pledged not to buy a slabbed chip nor deal with anyone that does. Here lies a group of people, many of whom have been in all the hobbies you mention and have seen what slabbing has done to them.
Unless you are a speculator or profiteer there is absolutely no reason to have a slabbed chip. Slabbing merely gives an opinion, gives no gaurantee of anything and adds to the cost.
Assuming that only half of the 270 people on this list are morons the other half must know something.