Please refrain from the snarky personal attacks that obfuscate the content we all are looking for about the tools. The last thread I saw around this subject was just too much ego-crap to filter through to find the actual reasons.

I'd like to generate a good concise list of
  • Features that actually work well for my use case
  • Bugs that will make things difficult -> time consuming

From a users standpoint (not some sales person)

I'm looking to decide whether to upgrade or just move on to another CAM solution (devil I don't know)

I'm not running a production shop and my machining needs are usually about making <10 units of prototype parts for electro-mechanical implementations.
Run time is not my highest priority.
My motivations for machining on my own are typically about lead time and occasionally cost.

Typically I'll work in plastic and wood with metal based items farmed out to machine shops.
I use Solidworks 2012.
I have a Mach based 2030 router in my shop and have access to a couple different ShopBots

My main motivation for upgrading is about the time I spend dealing with Bobcam bugs and the general organization of the libraries. I moved away from the V2 for Solidworks after finding that there was just too much effort being spent working around bugs and egregious amounts (IMO) of machining specific sketches cluttering up the solidworks designs.

My main high level questions are:
  1. Will I be able to set up tools and materials in libraries with feed and cutter speeds so I don;t have to enter them every time I configure a milling operation?
  2. Will simulation actually work without crashing most of the time?
  3. Does the V5 for Solidworks actually pick up Solidworks features in X-Y-and Z without adding toolpath sketches into the solidworks design?
  4. Does the V5 simulation work without crashing?