Dave-
I had the shift block in my previous coupe. The difference was very marked. It was crisper, more direct, and definitely "better". In my opinion, it was worth it on every level. It took a few sessions in the car to get "used" to it, but once I had a couple of runs behind the wheel, it became second nature. I liked it so much better than the feel of my daily driver 6spd shifter (04 Jetta GLI, no shifter mods). I was very glad I had it done.
I also felt there was no downside with regards to going back to neutral.
As for my current cab, I am undecided if I will go with the shift block of the pending short shift kit Flash is working on. I do believe you can't have both (bummer).