I think the "gucci glide" mechanism on my 9000 stand is a feature that I can't live without now. I enjoy playing on my hi-hats with my foot much, much more after my purchase of the 9000, and it feels just right to me. Not to some people, but it's perfect for me.
One reason we might not see a lot of discussion of the crazy features on a lot of hi-hat stands is because they're adjustments that people set every once in a blue moon, and then forget about. I wouldn't bring up the spring-tension adjustment mechanism on the 9000 because I set it once, like, 8 months ago, and haven't touched it since. However, it might have offered me an advantage then that I just didn't notice, or haven't noticed, because I wasn't in contact with it like I was with the drive system, or the footboard-folding system, much more often in my use time.